Originally published July 9 2009
Insider Beauty Secrets: How to Choose Natural Products and Supplements
by Allison Biggar
(NaturalNews) The way we look is a direct result of what we put into our bodies. The food we eat and the beauty products we use greatly affect our outward appearance. Unfortunately, it is a fact that like our food supply most of our beauty products are full of toxins, preservatives, and even poisons. These are put in our beauty products in order to give them a longer shelf life and thus give the companies more profits. In order to be a healthy consumer, we must make conscious choices at the check-out counter by choosing natural and organic beauty products.
Don't be fooled by advertising. Most of the beauty products you see on TV and in magazines are targeted towards us to make us think we need their product to look younger, sexier, and skinnier. In fact these products actually age us because of all the poisons, toxins and preservatives in the product! When we use these products on our hair, skin or nails we are putting these toxic substances directly into our bloodstream!
The cosmetics industry is the least regulated industry under the jurisdiction of the FDA. This means that we have to be cautious and aware of the products we are using. Even some natural products contain hidden toxins and preservatives so it is important to read labels carefully. Go to your local health foods store and purchase products that are certified organic. Your hair, skin, and body will be on their way to being beautiful and glowing the way nature intended!
Read Your Labels:
If your shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash, deodorant, make-up, shaving cream or lotions contain any of these ingredients, ditch them immediately:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: Literally a poison that causes eye irritation, scalp irritation, and tangled hair.
Parabens: (methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl): These preservatives are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries that are linked to breast cancer! The E.P.A. has found that they interfere with your body's endocrine system: your hypothalamus, your ovaries, and your thyroid
Propylene/Butylene Glycol: The main ingredient in antifreeze. Need more be said?
Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea: Preservatives used in cosmetics that release formaldehyde and cause dermatitis.
Synthetic Colors and Dyes: Cancer-causing toxins that often lead to skin allergies, and a whole other host of problems. Most dyes are not regulated by the government and many have been linked to allergic reactions, skin rashes, hyperactivity and asthma.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids: Popular skin exfoliating acids which compromise the skins protective functions and possibly even alter the natural biorhythms of the skin with long term use.
Diethanolamine/Triethanolamine: Causes dryness of hair and skin, and when mixed with certain chemicals, becomes carcinogenic.
Give your Makeup A Makeover!
The lungs breathe, and so does the skin. The skin is the body's largest organ. Toxins exit our bodies through our skin. Lotions and powders may soften the skin temporarily, but they actually end up inhibiting the health of our skin by weighing it down and causing it to sag and age.
Anything we put on our skin is absorbed right into our body. This goes for our makeup too. You want to be sure your makeup is mineral-based and free of chemicals, preservatives and dyes. Chemicals in your makeup not only go directly into your bloodstream but also clog your pores and cause your skin to age prematurely.
Choose all-natural mineral-based makeup. Mineral-based makeup contains all natural elements from the earth broken down into tiny particles so it can be easily absorbed into our skin. These natural minerals contain skin-healing properties and give us that natural "glow."
Spare Your Hair:
Typical hair shampoos and conditioners are full of toxic chemicals and preservatives. Celebrity stylist Chaz Dean says using regular shampoos on your hair is like using laundry detergent on your hair. "And what happens when you use laundry detergent to wash your clothes? The fabrics break down and fall apart. Your hair is doing the same thing. These harsh detergents are stripping your hair, robbing your hair and it's becoming finer, thinner and weaker. So it's not you, it's what you have been doing to your hair."
Again, read your labels. Buy only certified organic hair products and you can reclaim those lustrous locks!
Beautiful Supplements:
You can also add these great supplements to your diet to improve your beauty routine:
Antioxidants: Antioxidants have numerous health and beauty benefits including diminishing cellulite, increasing metabolism, and keeping your skin youthful and hair soft and vibrant. You can get antioxidants from antioxidant rich foods such as fruits and vegetables and liquids such as teas and juices.
Wheat Grass : Full of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients, wheat grass juice is a powerful body cleanser with incredible healing properties. Wheat grass can help with skin problems such as eczema and sun damage. The chlorophyll in wheat grass cleanses and rebuilds the bloodstream and combats toxins.
Spirulina: A blue-green algae with more protein than soy, more iron than beef and more vitamin A than carrots. Spirulina is the ultimate anti-aging food especially good for healthy eyes and strong vision because of its beta-carotene content.
Borage Oil: Also known as Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Oil restores moisture to dry/damaged skin. It can provide relief for chronic skin-care problems such as eczema or acne.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C boosts immunity, treats and prevents colds, protects your skin from free radicals, and aids in collagen production. Use organic face and body products with vitamin C for clear, more radiant skin.
Vitamin E: A natural antioxidant Vitamin E protects the skin from environmental factors and benefits your cardiovascular system and prevents the breakdown of your body's tissue.
Coenzyme Q10: A powerful supplement that fights free radicals and is anti-aging; Coenzyme Q10 stimulates tissue regeneration and reverses skin aging.
Just remember that everything you put in or on your body affects you- inside and out. Making informed choices will lead to a more vibrant, healthy life.
James, Kat. The Truth About Beauty. Hillsboro: Beyond Woods Publishing, 2003.
Meyerowitz, Steve. Juice Fasting and Detoxification. Summertown: Book Publishing Company, 1999.
Chazdean.com, "Press" http://www.chazdean.com/press/tv-shows
About the author
Allison Biggar is a writer and filmmaker who believes in using the media to empower people to make a difference.
Allison is directing a documentary on people who have cured themselves of disease naturally without drugs, surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.
You can visit her Natural Health web site at www.holisticvoice.org.
Allison also recently released "The Vitality Diet"-
This informative, reader-friendly diet book to changing your diet is jam-packed with knowledge, secrets, stories and answers that will motivate you like no other diet book has. Author Allison Biggar offers a heartrending first-hand account of a personal transformation that will make you think differently about your health and your relationship to food. Whether you are seeking to recover holistically from a serious disease, or just looking to shed a few pounds, The Vitality Diet is an invaluable blueprint for constructing a brand new lifestyle based on eating right and becoming whole again.
To buy "The Vitality Diet," book please visit www.thenaturalchick.com
To donate to Holistic Voice and help fund a documentary on healing naturally from disease please visit www.holisticvoice.org
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