My daily regiment looked something like this:
Wash hair with chemicals
Wash body with chemicals
Style hair with chemicals
Moisturize body with chemicals
Brush teeth with chemicals
Block odor and sweat with chemicals
Add colour to my eyes, cheeks and lips with chemicals
Spray wrist and neck with chemicals
And... at the end of the day I would use more chemicals to wash my make up off. Perhaps, ladies, you can relate.
The biggest question that entered my mind after I discovered my chemical bathing habit was "How do all of these chemicals interact with each other when they're on my body at the same time?" I still don't know the answer, but it doesn't take a MENSA credential to know that it can't be good.
Whatever we put in or on our bodies either protects and promotes our health or it doesn't. To me the answer seemed clear, so I began a search for natural skin and hair products that work well and smell good. I suffered through ridiculously itchy (and smelly) armpits, big, frizzy hair and skin that I could sketch a self-portrait on with my finger nail. However, my perseverance paid off and eventually I was led to a collection of excellent skin & hair brands and their products*.
Look, I am a mother of two daughters and one of them is a tween. The last thing I want to do is watch my daughters slather themselves with nastiness. When the time comes and IF they feel compelled to use beauty products I will have no problem pointing them to these gem brands.
*Please note, I have not been asked or paid by any of these companies to promote their products. I'm sharing this information because I am really happy with what they have to offer and would like to help people avoid the hair and skin mishaps I've had to experience before finding these products.
I use quite a few products from JayDancin . All of them are 100% natural. Every product I've tried I have fallen in love with. Here's what I use on a regular basis:
"Head to Toes" cream - Goodbye very dry and very cracked heels. Thank goodness because no one wants to look at yoga teacher with lizard feet! As the name suggests, this product can be used from head to toe and even used as eye make up remover. It carries a light lavender scent and comes with a little spatula to scoop the cream out with to avoid contamination from your fingers.
Body Butter - This stuff is heaven in a jar! It comes in unscented, which is great if you have a favourite scent you'd prefer to spritz on or prefer no scent at all, but if you like scented I highly recommend Goddess and yes... Patchouli; I guess that's the hippie in me. If you have dry, ashy skin– a term I picked up while teaching in Detroit after one of my students commented on my "ashy legs"– then you will love this product. Your skin will stay soft and smooth all day. I see they also have a new mango butter, which I will to have to try.
Organic Facial Wash & Toner - Remember those jujube candies we used to eat as kids that were shaped like a spearmint leaf sprinkled with sugar and tasted sweet and minty? That's what the scent of this facial wash will remind you of. It smells delicious and leaves your face feeling squeaky clean without drying out your skin. It's good for all skin types.
Mascara - Made from a beeswax base, it has great coverage and it washes off easily, so don't cry.
Natural Mineral Foundation - First of all, do you know how happy I am find a powder that is the correct brown shugga tone? If that is not an issue, I'm pretty sure you won't have a problem finding the right shade for you. This is a powder based product and it takes a little more thought to apply, but it's well worth it. It's best to sprinkle a little powder on a facial tissue and then lightly dust your face. You will have to be careful not to put too much on your brush or it will come out blotchy. If you visit the Vickie and her staff at the JayDancin store in Lambeth, they will be more than happy to give you a quick tutorial on how to apply it.
Lip Gloss - It moisturizes well and I'm not grossed out when I lick my lips. JayDancin doesn't have a huge selection of colours, like you would find at a regular make up counter, however there's enough variety to find something that's right for you.
I haven't tried a lot of Rocky Mountain Soap Company products yet, but the one thing I will swear by is their deodorant. It's only available in roll-on, so it goes on wet and has to dry, but it actually works. You will still sweat because it is not an antiperspirant, however, if your body is trying to release perspiration from your body isn't it counter-intuitive to try to stop that process? Hmmm... something to think about. I do have to reapply it later in the day if I'm going for a run or to teach a yoga class, but it's not a big deal. I like the geranium scent, my husband alternates between Cypress and Men's Stuff scents.
I also use their Pomegranate Day Cream as my facial moisturizer. It's apparently for all skin types. I tend to have oily skin and I don't find it greasy at all.
I have to admit, as much as I love natural products I wish for a better selection when it comes to scents. Pacifica has answered my call. They have a very large selection of great smelling solid, roll on and spray perfume. They also carry body butter and body wash in matching scents. I've tried both and I'm very pleased. The body butter is more like a lotion and is not as oily as the JayDancin brand, which may be more suitable for skin that is less dry, but if you have dry skin like mine, you'll have to put a generous amount on to last throughout the day. I've only tried the Indian Coconut Nectar so far, which is a delicious scent for the summer, but I intend to have fun exploring other scents, as well as the other products they carry.
I use Sea Kelp shampoo and conditioner by Jason which works great on curly hair like mine. I also use it on my girls' hair. The conditioner is super thick, which means we have to rinse it out really well, but our hair is soft, shiny and the frizz is under control. They also carry other formulas for different hair types.
(A close second for shampoo and conditioner is Nature Clean Pure Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner, their price point is a little higher compared to Jason and as they claim, their product is 98% natural, but when I need to switch things up this is my "go to" brand)
A friend of mine gave me some Gel-les'c hair gel by Curls to try and I fell in love right away. Finding good products that can tame the chia pet on my head (add water and watch it grow) is not an easy task. Like Nature Clean, their product has a much higher price point and is not 100% natural, but it's close enough to make me feel good about using it. It also has a great fruity smell that makes you want to eat it.
Hopefully you find this list helpful as you de-chemicalize your hair and skin routine. And if you find any other products that have not been mentioned here, but you absolutely love, let me know. Lastly, if you're not sure about what chemicals to avoid, check out lovethelabel.ca
Be good to yourself :)
