Thursday, February 21, 2013

Go Natural Ep #2: Hand/Body Moisturizers


Episode 2 on Hand/Body Moisturizers is here!



I was excited when Jen requested this for our next topic because I've been loving my hand/body creams lately! Lotions and creams for the body are less subjective than face moisturizers, which can be very specific based on skin types. (My skincare routine!)

The goal for this series is for Jen to switch more of her items to natural, and me to help others make the switch with some help from my acquired knowledge about ingredients!
Here you will see all of the important information written out so you can come back to it when you need it! I also linked some of my older videos for parabens, sulfates, and silicones. (I'll eventually get around to redoing these ;P)

(does have phenoxyethanol which I do recommend avoiding, 
but it's better than drugstore lotion by a long shot and doesn't have silicones!)
Waxelene (great for targeted dry areas)

*Kinds of moisturizers-
Lotions with water will typically be thinner and less moisturizing than a cream or body butter with no water at all. A cream with pure shea butter and oils, such as the Nourish Body Butter is SUPER thick and oily, and great to apply to the hands and feet at night. The RB Monoi cream has water and is thinner and perfect for daytime use. 

AVOID
Silicone:


-Silicone is used to create a barrier on the skin making it feel soft and moisturized, when really it prevents any moisturizer from going to and from your skin. It is especially important to avoid in body and hand moisturizers because they will prevent them from getting thr most moisture possible. 



-Most common names are dimethicone, amodimethicone, and clyclomethicone . Other names/derivatives found here
-These can be found anywhere in an ingredient list, so read the ENTIRE list. 


Parabens: 
My video: Parabens
-These are a no-no, especially in body wash and products that cover large surface areas of your body. -Most common names are methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben.
-These will usually be found towards the bottom of a product (where MOST preservatives are located, but not always).


Numbers/ Can you pronounce the ingredient?
-Numbers usually signal a chemical ingredient that usually has a complex name. If you can pronounce the ingredient and it doesn't "sound" chemical, that's a good sign.


BE AWARE OF


Alcohol:
Alcohol is very drying and it won't help you In a moisturizer at all!  

Essential oils (for fragrance);
-Essential oils are made from natural sources and whilst they are strong, they are not at all like synthetic fragrances.
*Be careful with these when spending time in the sun/in the summer, as essential oils on the skin can cause skin sensitivity when in the sun and this is really important to keep in mind when applying a body lotion. I recommend using something with less essential oils or in an unscented formula. 

YES
Natural butters:
Shea butter, cocoa butter,
-Shea butter is an ingredient I ALWAYS look for in my hand and body moisturizers. I've even used it alone too. Butters are incredibly moisturizing and a great base to add additional oils too, as listed below!

Natural oils
-Olive, coconut, jojoba, argan, avocado, etc! There are tons! These are THE BEST for your skin and the MOST important in a moisturizer. 
What's great is that you can use all of these ingredients ALONE as moisturizers! I love coconut oil for my body!

*If a moisturizer has a huge ingredient list and only a few are natural oils and butter, put it aside and find one that has an ingredients list comprised of most of these things. 


As always, feel free to ask any questions you have or shoot me a list of ingredients via youtube or my email iluvjesse444@me.com for help! Let me know if you decide to purchase any body washes and if you have suggestions for future episodes/posts!

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