Body Beautiful

Shopping for Natural Skincare do’s and don’ts

Using organic natural skincare or hair care may present you with a different experience to begin with. Your skin and hair may or may not go through a detoxifying stage as it gets used to the totally new and natural skin care products, similar to having had a facial, you may notice a change in your skin or hair. Often high street bought petro-chemical based products may contain ingredients that clog pores, leave a sealing film on the skin or alter the way your skin behaves. As a general rule of thumb, the skin renews itself every 28 days or so, this may be a little less if you are younger or a little more if you are older. Give the new routine a little time before deciding whether the products work for you or not. Your skin needs time to settle to the new natural way of being. If your skin is naturally oily, an oily product may not be right for you and cause spots, or if your skin still feels taught after applying natural skincare products then you may have dry skin and need a more hydrating product. Feel free to drop me a line and ask and I will be happy to advise you on the best products for your skin type.

If you are trying natural skincare for the first time, do stop to consider that natural skincare products contain natural essential oils. Though very therapeutic and beneficial to some, they can act as natural allergens to others. If your skin is generally sensitive you may find yourself reacting to a natural ingredient. Even if a product is labelled suitable for sensitive skin, if you are sensitive to one of its natural ingredients, then it may not be suitable for you. Based on experience, our advice to you is to get a trial size to begin with and try products one at a time. Do a patch test first and then if everything is alright then continue. As with all general safety advice, stop using products immediately if you experience any itching, burning or extreme soreness. Very sensitive skins may benefit from an essential oil/fragrance free line such as organic base by Green people.

It’s always a good idea to have an allergy test if you do have skin complaints such as eczema, psoriasis or sensitive skin. For the basic tests for dairy, nuts etc, you can get tested by your doctor. But more comprehensive testing can be done at your local health food store offering this service or you can look up allergy testing online for home test kits. This will then give you a blue print for things you should avoid. Always check the ingredients list on every product page if this is the case. We can help you avoid ingredients once we get to know you better. You can always drop our homoeopath – John Twigg, a line by email to discuss long term solutions for skin complaints such eczema and psoriasis (johntwigghomoeopath@airpost.net)

A note about organic natural deodorants - Natural skincare products such as deodorants are a good alternative for everyone looking to make small changes in their routine. If there is one thing you do do that’s natural then make it a shift towards natural deodorant. Not antiperspirants, these deodorants will not stop you sweating but will eliminate the bacteria associated with odour. They will allow your lymph nodes to function as normal and do not contain the harmful ingredients associated with breast cancer…

A note about organic natural shampoos - Many people find that true organic natural shampoos don’t lather very much, if you’re anything like my mother then you won’t be satisfied with this and won’t feel clean enough! The reason they don’t lather is because they don’t contain all the foaming ingredients of normal shampoos. These strip the hair of its natural oils, cause allergies and can be very environmentally un-friendly. We stock certified organic natural shampoos which are the best on the market. The truth is that you don’t need all the lather to clean your hair, but if it makes you feel better, then the best solution is to wet your hair, rub a little between your hands and apply all over, wait a minute then rinse, and then re-apply. During the second application, you will find the products lather more. Always wait a few minutes before you wash them out to let them do their stuff! Because they are so gentle you won’t need a conditioner either.

All the organic natural skincare products we carry have not been tested on animals, only willing humans.

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