Natural Skincare

Natural Skincare- Is it Really Worth the Hype?

The skin is the biggest organ in the body- if you think about it, the skin covers a lot of surface area! The skin also absorbs 60% of what we put on it, so literally anything we put on our skin could find its way into the bloodstream and interfere with the body’s natural detoxifying processes. Women, on average, unwittingly put 168 chemicals onto their skin every day which seems very hard to believe, but these results were published in a recent study and highlights the issue we are facing.

This is why I believe there needs to be more education about what actually goes into skincare products to enable us all to make informed choices about what we are putting onto our bodies.

I’m going to be discussing the positive reasons why, as a consumer, I believe that we should be opting for natural skincare over non-natural skincare. I also want to try to clear some of the confusion and myths relating to natural skincare.


Why Choose Natural Skincare?

Nourish Your Skin; Nourish your skin with natural goodness rather than use toxic chemicals. Knowing where every single ingredient derived from is empowering and you know that should these ingredients absorb into your bloodstream, you know that they are doing no long-term harm. Treat your skin care regime like you would with food, choose skincare rich in natural antioxidants and opt for products that provide your skin the nutrients it needs to thrive. A lot of the chemicals used in skincare are unregulated and nobody really knows the what the long -term impact of using these chemicals every day may have on your skin and your health in the future. Switching to natural means you are limiting the toxic exposure to your skin and you are feeding it goodness every day, what’s not to like about that?

Less Irritation;  Without the chemicals, natural skincare is less of an irritant for the eyes and to the skin itself. A lot of chemicals such as parabens are harsh on the skin and natural products are generally kinder to the skin and with less likelihood of any reaction or irritation. Of course, people may still have reactions to natural products , as with anything in life nothing is guaranteed, but you are far less likely to have a reaction when using natural products.

Better for the Environment; Natural brands are usually more ethical in their practices, for example some companies are striving to be carbon neutral and also many are against animal testing. Natural skincare companies are also usually more considerate about their packaging and use of sustainable items and even some natural companies are now being classified as being vegan friendly! Whereas, with skincare which has harmful chemicals in them, if these chemicals don’t end up in our bloodstreams, they will end up in our water, in our soil and in our air, therefore polluting the environment, as well as our bodies.

Natural Yet Effective; This is very subjective, I know, and it really does depend on which skincare range you opt for, but a lot of the natural skincare ranges out there are really effective. They do just as good a job, if not better than their chemical ridden counterparts. I know sometimes people make the assumption that natural products ‘smell nice’ but do little, but natural skincare technology is pretty advanced nowadays and there are lots of super effective natural products out there.

Think Dirty App- A Revelation?

I have only recently been introduced to the ‘Think Dirty’ app. It’s an independent company that compares most skincare and haircare products and gives them a ‘clean’ rating. It lists all of the ingredients and highlights the ingredients which may be toxic, contains a chemical likely to cause an allergic reaction or have carcinogen properties (they could potentially cause cancer or tumours although much more research is needed to confirm this)

The scores range from 0 (the most natural and ‘clean’ products) to 10 (the most ‘dirty’ products- containing the most carcinogens, toxic chemicals or allergens).

I have been using what I thought were ‘natural ‘products for a few years and was shocked at some of the high toxic scores of some of my favourites. I have been using an aluminium free deodorant for years, since becoming aware about the dangers of using aluminium on your armpits and the possible connection with breast cancer, only to find out that the product was in fact an 8 out of 9 on the ‘dirty’ scale as the fragrance used is thought to be toxic. Also, my ‘Paraben and SLS free’ conditioner was also a number 8 due to other toxic chemicals used. I know! I was totally shocked, and I thought I was pretty clued up about things like this, working in the complementary therapies sector!

This app has really opened my eyes to the so called ‘better for you’ products and I am definitely going to be more mindful about what I choose to put on my skin in the future. It is clear that companies are very clever about how they market their products to appear natural but are not necessarily as natural as they make out. A product may be ‘SLS free’, ‘Paraben free’ or ‘Aluminium free’, but make sure you check all the other ingredients as well!

I would recommend downloading this app and have a look at some of your beauty products and skincare, see where they are on the ‘dirty’ scale.

Why Tropic?

There are lots of great natural skincare brands out there, but some admittedly ‘smell nice’ but don’t actually do much good other than smelling nice! This is why I opted to work with Tropic-I have yet to come across a Tropic product that doesn’t work brilliantly. Tropic products are natural and made freshly with the best naturally derived ingredients, including many from the tropics (hence the name). They are excellent quality, highly effective products, in gorgeous packaging and yes they smell gorgeous as well 🙂   A little goes a long way so whilst the investment may seem high compared to some high street skincare companies, but the Tropic products do last. Tropic as a company is carbon neutral, is totally against animal testing and it is 100% vegan across its range.

I am proud to be using Tropic products in my therapy room and also to have the opportunity to sell them via my shop, which I am very grateful for. Here is the link to my shop if anyone would like to order anything https://tropicskincare.com/pages/kellyzilz

Natural is Best!

In conclusion, using natural skincare has its many benefits, but at the end of the day as with anything in life it is down to your own personal choice. I don’t believe it’s possible to be 100% natural all of the time, after all nobody is perfect, but I do believe that with a little bit more research and education, we will be able to make better informed choices in the future. Maybe it’s a case of switching just one product to start with and see how you go from there?

Hope you have found this bog useful. If you have any natural beauty tips or tricks, I would love to hear from you. Look after your skin and yourselves, it’s the only home you have to live in so make it a good one 🙂 Take care lovelies and see you next month x