indulge without fear

Lately I've been obsessed with what goes on my skin; I don't trust chemicals. I reserve make up for "special occasions" and I use it maybe once a month, usually less. This slight obsession has also seeped into my use of body lotion. There are some really scary, and unnecessary, things in conventional lotions. I've dabbled in research to find product brands that promote healthy cosmetic formulas. There aren't many. Today I found this short article on one of my favorite websites that addresses some of my concerns. It's basically a list of the 12 most toxic, common ingredients in cosmetic products. It's definitely worth checking labels before you buy anything to make sure the product is free of these vile ingredients.

But I'm not perfect and didn't check before I bought a new lotion from Whole Foods yesterday. I figured they would have the best selection of healthy/natural beauty products without having to spend hours on the internet, and then waiting, waiting, waiting for the product to arrive. So I scoured the isles and picked out one that I felt was worthy. I checked the label with the article today and, to my utter joy, the lotion I picked up checks out on the "Dirty Dozen" list! Yes! I am so happy.

This pomegranate sunflower (smells awesome, by the way) lotion from Nature's Gate is paraben free, phthalate free, mineral oil free, petrolatum free, PEG free, and butylene glycol free, and free of the other ingredients on the list. Plus it has extracts from sunflower seeds, safflower, pomegranate, sweet almond, apricot, jojoba, shea, vitamin E, soybean, aloe, pansy, marshmallow, calendula, sage, milk thistle, grape, red tea, oat, and horsetail! Nature's Gate also has products for hair and sun. Definitely worth checking out!