Safer Alternatives
One thing I've noticed about human nature is that extremism can quietly sneak in through the back door once we make up our minds to follow certain ideas. Since I am a person who can certainly become slightly too extreme in my opinions I have recently taken time to re-evaluate some of my postulates regarding health and safety issues of cosmetic products. While my core beliefs haven't changed much, I realized that well-balanced compromise is almost always the most reasonable way out.
Hence, instead of campaigning for radical reduction of daily use of cosmetics, I am more likely to say: Women like to use make-ups and perfumes, and creams, and hair dyes and all sorts of other cosmetics, because among other things, it is fun to use them! And even in following a healthy lifestyle fun is as important as other things.
So I came across a few safer alternatives to beauty products which definitely make the whole business of looking after appearance more fun.
I. I am UNE.
UNE is a Parisian cosmetics house launched last year which prides itself for its green credentials, an extensive colour range and a manifesto that calls for enhancing, not concealing women’s inner beauty. Doesn't it sound great already? Well, they go even a step further.
Backed by Bourjois Paris’ centuries-long experience in makeup formulation, UNE offers products made from 98-100% natural, and if available, organic ingredients free of petrochemical mineral oils, paraben, silicon, and GMOs. The packaging is also designed for minimum impact on the environment.
UNE Brand Director, Sophie Dugue, explains the vision of UNE products: 'UNE is proposing the first “intuitive makeup”, as it offers essential colours, inspired by the natural colours of the skin, the hair, the eye’s iris and the lips. Therefore, whatever colour you mix, you will always have a harmony; it becomes impossible to fail with your make up!'
The best news is that UNE is available in some of the larger Boots stores. The colour range is truly amazing and mixing the colours is foolproof (tested on my own face :).
Apart from ethical and safety aspects of UNE, the products are attractive, affordable and not giving them a try would be comparable to loosing an interesting opportunity! So, why don't you give it a go?
II. Welcome to Urtekram
Body products CAN be organic, safe(r), ecofriendly, and free from synthetic preservatives and at the same time FUN and affordable. Urtekram, a company with eco credentials from Denmark, is a living proof :)
Since the 1970s, Urtekram has been producing pure and natural body and hair care products, and from the very beginning t has been aware that the body absorbs whatever we apply to it just like it absorbs whatever we feed it. Therefore, all Urtekram body and hair care products are:
* Free from hormonally active parabens and synthetic preserving agents.
* Made of vegetable ingredients (however, lip balm does contain beeswax).
* Free from petrochemical ingredients.
* A large selection of fragrance-free Urtekram products for children and adults are declared in cooperation with the Danish Asthma and Allergy Association.
*All raw materials must be free from pollution stemming from heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, dioxin, GMO (genetically modified organisms) and nitrate, and they must be processed by means of the simplest procedures possible.
And yet using Urtekram products is highly enjoyable. The Rose and Camomile shampoos smell wonderful and do their job very well. So do the soaps and toothpaste, though I still prefer Jason's SEA FRESH an all natural toothpaste for its much stronger minty taste.
III. Clay
I'm not an expert in Dr. Hauschka products, but I do like clay in many forms and used for many purposes. I came across Cleansing Clay Mask by Dr. Hauschka and use it as a natural way of cleansing my face. It's suitable for all skin types, it's especially beneficial for oily or blemished skin.
In this product finely ground clay is blended with extracts of nasturtium and witch hazel to form purifying and gently exfoliating mask. Impurities and skin secretions are drawn out and blemishes and blackheads are visibly reduced. The product lasts for ages so it's well-worth its price of 20euro or so :)
IV. Hair dyes can be safer too
I resisted dying my hair for a long time despite the growing pressure from folks to do something about my grey hair. I don't necessarily see anything wrong with grey hair, but I do acknowledge that it made me look older than I really am. In other words, I gave in to the pressure and decided to test Daniel Field's organic and mineral haircare products. I wanted a product that will cover my grey hair and will be easy to apply. In the past I had been using SANTE hair henna (available in Dublin!), but the main problem was a very messy application of the henna, long time for the active ingredients to colour the hair and very poor coverage of grey hair. I still think this is a great product range if you don't need to cover any greys like in my case. SANTE henna actually strenghthened my hair and gave it a nice shine. Coming back to Daniel Field, her products are formulated with the finest ingredients including high performance organic essential oils and non-genetically modified cereal oils and proteins. They offer gentler, safer alternatives which deliver hair in superb condition without compromise to style or colour. The ebony colour I chose looks natural and fresh on my hair.
V. Oils
By far the most popular oil on the market is so-called baby oil. Baby oil is nothing else than mineral oil which is a liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum-based products from crude oil.
Instead, there is a plethora of oils obtained from vegetable sources which can be safely applied to skin and hair. There are many wonderful oils available on the market, but I have two favourite ones which I have successfully popularized among friends.
Argan Oil and I - inseparable tandem
Argan oil is made from the nuts of the argan tree, which grows almost exclusively in Morocco. The oil is said to have restorative and age-defying effects. It is high in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, it is believed to help all sorts of skin conditions: dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, wrinkles. Interestingly, argan oil remains one of the rarest oils in the world due to the small and very specific growing areas of the argan tree. I have been using it successfully on my oily skin instead of a cream and it does everything what I need: it keeps my skin well-nourished, soft, younger looking and it does not block pores.
Coconut oil - too simple to be true
Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, which nourish and moisturize the skin and hair. Polynesian cultures historically have and still do use coconut oil as a beauty oil. A few studies found that coconut oil applied to the hair reduced hair breakage and damage. You can replace expensive deep conditioning salon treatments, by using coconut oil as a hair conditioner at home. Coconut oil can also be used as a very effective non-poreblocking face and body moisturizer. It keeps my previously troubled hands almost completely eczema-free.
Finale
This isn't an exhaustive list of safer alternatives to beauty products, but my subjective guide to some of them. I hope you find this article useful and encouraging to look for safer products which don't need to deprive women of the whole FUN of looking after their bodies and... souls!
Safer alternatives are available, but are usually not as strongly advertised as the mainstream products for obvious (financial!) reasons. Often humble looking beauty products can be far more beneficial than fancy looking popular cosmetics. Happy looking behind the labels!
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| Argan Oil Production in small Co-op's |
