by Debby Icide

Photo: Chris Icide.

We’ve learned to be better consumers of foods, selecting healthier options — but what about skin care products?

People are getting better educated and understand that we need to change course to be healthier. We see that in the foods we choose to consume. We know that mass-produced convenience items — those that are bulked up with filler products and processed as cheaply as possible — are harmful. Years ago we reached for them because they were fast and easy. Now we know better.

There is a strong movement to be more selective with our food purchases. We need to apply this same selectivity to all our purchases: the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the skin care products we use.

Yes, skin care products. Anything you place on your skin, the biggest organ in your body, is consumed by your body. And if you would not eat it, you should not be using it on your body.

Food is not the only thing that became a series of mass-produced consumable products. Skin and body care products are right there as well. A huge majority of skin care manufacturers found that bulking up with non-nutritional filler — and marketing the small percentage of good ingredients in their products — increased profit.

The labels are attractive and may say “organic” or “natural” or “essential oils,” but further investigation shows all the other stuff in them: extracts, fragrances, synthetics, filler oils and fats, and more. Look for products that are 100 percent wholesome ingredients, not just 1 percent for marketing purposes.

Read the fine print on your skin care products. Here is a common horror ingredient found in most soaps, shampoos and toothpastes: sodium lauryl sulfate. A good place to check the safety of the skin care products you are using is Skin Deep, a cosmetics safety database. But what about the small businesses that make skin care products — the businesses that are not large enough to get listed in the database? There are some conscientious small local businesses that offer safe alternatives for skin care; you just need to know what to look for.

All skin care products need close investigation. Let’s start with soap; what is it, exactly?

True soap is simply oils or fats that have been saponified: converted into soap through reaction with an alkali. The alkali used is either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

Is there a difference in soaps? You betcha!

The best are made from scratch, where the soap maker controls every ingredient. Look for a soap maker who uses 100 percent food-grade vegetable oil and certified food-grade alkali for saponifying. Make sure the aroma and beneficial botanicals are from 100 percent essential oils — not extracts that are processed with alcohol — and especially steer clear of synthetic fragrances. Using the best ingredients creates a highly superior soap you can both feel and taste. Yes, taste! That is the true test of a soap claiming to be made with botanical essential oils; you should be able to taste them!

When it comes to commercial soaps and anti-bacterial soaps: eewwww. We assume because they are stocked on shelves in the soap aisle of the grocery store, they are safe soap; this is not the case. Almost all commercial soaps have been so over-processed and had so many unnecessary bulking ingredients added that they are now detergents. They cannot even put “soap” on the label. Rather, they use the term “bar”: beauty bar, cleansing bar, deodorant bar. These are simply disgusting. Cheap? Sure. Healthy? No.

Now that we have gotten into the habit of healthier eating, we need to take the next step and move toward healthier skin care.

On the Web:

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Debby Icide is the owner of Gaia Essentials. Visit her on the Web at gaia-essentials.com.