So you want to save money and embark on a totally natural organic skin care regime? Charmaine Leah from Glamology offers five natural alternatives to conventional skin care products we may use on a daily basis. Each of the alternatives offered can be purchased as organic at a fraction of the cost you would spend on the standard product. Charmaine also provides a list of some of the synthetic and potentially harmful ingredients used in many standard skin care pots and bottles.

Facial Cleanser

Skin cleansers are the base of most beauty regimes. Conventional cleansers use many synthetic chemicals to reduce costs and increase shelf life. Substances such as BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole), PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) , parabens, salicylic acid, and triclosan, all of which have potentially negative effects either to the skin or the body.

A safe, simple, and 100% natural alternative is to swap your conventional cleanser for plain lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Just add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to a cotton ball and massage gently over your face. (Personally I would rinse off with warm water). Both options will remove dirt and oil, and help unblock pores.

Face & Body Moisturisers

Moisturisers are key to maintaining soft and balanced skin. Many conventional moisturisers contain ingredients like hydroquinone, triethanolamine 1, DMDM Hydantoin, ‘fragrance’ (parfum), and alumina. A much cleaner (and cheaper) alternative is to simply apply a little jojoba or coconut oil to your face and body after cleansing; these oils are light, will be absorbed easily and won’t clog your pores.

Eye Makeup Remover

Most conventional pads or gel eye makeup remover is full of synthetic chemicals like benzyl Alcohol, propylene glycol, and tetrasodium EDTA. Try using a few drops of coconut or olive oil on cotton wool and smooth over closed eyes to clean them without irritation.

Cuticle Softener

Many cuticle creams and gels contain ingredients such as linalool, limonene, propylparaben, and ethanol. Healthy cuticles can be achieved naturally by simply placing your fingers in a bowl of warm olive oil for a few minutes.

Eye Cream

Hydrating the delicate skin around the eyes is important to prevent fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles. Many anti-ageing eye creams and serums comprise unpleasant ingredients such as coumarin, oxybenzone, PEG, and methylparaben. Expensive synthetic creams can be exchanged for sweet almond or argan oil: lightly sweep a little oil around the eyes each night before bed.

Footnotes

  • 1 – Because of its high alkalinity and the possibility that it converts to nitrosamines, its use in cosmetics was once expected to diminish. It is still widely used as of 2009. – Wikipedia

Filed under: Organic Cosmetics

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