After writing No More Chemical Hair Care, I knew that writing another series for skin care would be necessary.  Over four years ago I decided that I needed to minimize my beauty routine and what I was spending on skin and hair care.  I was determined to pay off my debt, and knew I was spending money on beauty that could instead go to paying down my car note and credit cards.  I stumbled upon the oil cleansing method, and realized that skin care could be a lot simpler than I ever thought, and less expensive.

Initially the oil cleansing method with olive and castor oil, no matter the ratio of oils, wasn't good for my acne prone skin because of the oleic acid content in these oils mixed together.  I later learned more about the oils best for acne prone skin once understanding more about oleic acid vs linoleic acid.  Regardless this experience did start me on the path of using simple and natural ingredients for beauty.

Since then I have learned that the less is more with skin care.  I've found wonderful natural ingredients that do not irritate my sensitive skin, and have given me the best complexion that I've ever had.  You can see my updated beauty regimen here.

One of the greatest benefits in using natural ingredients for beauty is that I am able have beautiful skin without chemical laden ingredients that can cause imbalance and illness in the body.

Our skin is our largest organ.  Keeping our skin healthy allows us to prevent the absorption of some environmental toxicity, yet the pores of our skin literally drink everything that we put on it which then enters our bloodstream.  If this were not true medical patches would not be effective.

I read Rosie-Marie Swift's personal health story, an editorial and celebrity makeup artist and founder of RMS Beauty, which is a powerful testimony of why I only use natural products.  She states, "As the years went by, I started to lose my hair - and my memory!  At one point I couldn't remember what I had done the day before.  I had panic and anxiety attacks continually and my hormones were out of control.  I found myself getting sicker and weaker and could not get a proper night's sleep at all.  My body was in a constant struggle with candidiasis--a yeast infection throughout my whole body."

"For years, traditional doctors told me there was nothing wrong, until I finally ended up in the hospital with a completely weakened immune system."

Ms Swift later decided to take her health into her own hands and opted to have extensive and also rather expensive lab work done.  Once her lab results were compiled, what surprised her most was the one question asked by the lab technician, "Do you work in the cosmetic industry?"  Her lab results stated that she had toxic levels of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, aluminum, barium, and mercury, along with high levels of pesticides and other harmful chemicals in her system.

We are lead to believe that if we do not feel sick immediately after using a product that it must not be harmful for us.  The problem with chemicals in cosmetics is that they accumulate in the body over time, and our body "stores" them as these chemicals are not processed as nutrients.  These stored chemicals create illnesses.  I don't know how many times I've seen aluminum in the ingredients of antiperspirants, moisturizers, eye shadows, shampoo, sunscreen, concealer, blushes, foundations, etc.  I also have no idea why lead is still an ingredient in lipsticks in 2013!

Taking time to detox, eat organic and GMO free, safely remove mercury dental fillings, and using beauty products that are safe for the body are vital for living a happy and healthy life.  I love the motto of RMS Beauty which is "You wear your skin for the rest of your life."  It is so true!  Part 2 of this series will continue with what you can use for simple toxic-free skin care.  I will also go into learning how to better read cosmetic labels and not get deceived by statements like "from organic oils and natural materials" which is usually referring to chemical extractions using toxic solvents from a natural ingredient.

You can read more about the chemicals you should avoid in beauty products here.

No More Chemical Skin Care - Part 2 - Simple Facial Cleansers

No More Chemical Skin Care - Part 3 - Hydrating & Moisturizing

No More Chemical Skin Care - Part 4 - Treatments & Body Care

 Image by Dawn Michelle