I started my journey switching out products for our personal hygiene with lotions because it is what we use the most—on our children, babies, plus all over our bodies. Make a Switch in your Lotions is a pretty simple one that has a big payoff. One thing most lotions include is Parabens. These are a cancer-causing ingredients that are in most beauty products, especially lotions.
Watch out for chemicals
The most common chemicals to watch out for are parabens. They are used as preservatives in the cosmetics industry, and they’re in just about everything you might use, because they prevent mold, fungus and parasites from sprouting and growing in your products. That’s great, but here is the problem: the chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, and have often been found in breast cancer tumors. Here are some common parabens you might see on your ingredient list:
- Benzylparaben
- Butylparaben
- Propylparaben
- Methylparaben (most common)
- Ethylparaben
- Isobutylparaben
But there are so many other chemicals in beauty products that you do not want in your blood stream. Other common toxic ingredients you might see are Phthalates, Benzoyl Peroxide, Triclosan, Resorcinol, Hydroquinone, Petroleum, Methylisothiazolinone and many more. If you want to read a quick article explaining why these are toxic like the parabens, check out this article by Annmarie Skin Care.
The solution
The best switch is to make your own lotion or buy it artisan homemade. I have tried many different lotions
. At first, I switched to the St. Ives brand as they do not have many of the toxic ingredients and chemicals. I then tried to make many recipes myself but found that many were too greasy or did not absorb very well. I finally came across a recipe and it is heavenly— it is whipped and soft, it absorbs quickly and isn’t greasy. Even better, I use it as a base for my body and face lotion. All I do is change the added ingredients to make it an Anti-aging Face or body lotion.
There are many companies now that have figured things out and they offer lotions with good ingredients. Doterra has a great unscented one you can add your oils to. Burts bees and Jason are also good brands.
You can find the recipe on my page Whipped Body & Face Lotion.
