5 Ways You Can Benefit from Natural Personal Care Products

Most people are well aware of environmental dangers such as secondhand smoke, lead, and pesticides. Until recently however, few were aware of the dangers that common products pose or that there are alternatives. With the increased interest in all things green, natural and organic personal care products are taking center stage. All products on the market are under greater scrutiny as consumers gain awareness of the benefits of using more natural personal care products.

Conventional Products
One of points often posed by the manufactures of chemically based products is that products labeled "natural" are not regulated to the same degree as other products. However, they do not mention that chemically based skincare products and make up are not strictly regulated or tested. Government regulations are surprisingly lenient regarding what ingredients are allowed to be used in the manufacture of products used for the hair and skin, and do not have to meet the same FDA regulations as food and medications. Shockingly, many of the products consumers use daily contain chemicals which are absorbed easily through the skin, yet difficult or impossible for the body to rid. Over time, many of the chemicals build up and spread throughout the body.

Common Chemicals to Avoid

• Mercury
• Nitrosamines
• Dioxane
• Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
• Isopropyl Alcohol (SD-40)
• DEA
• Cyclomethicone
• Polyethylene Glycol
• Polyethylene eth

Benefits of Natural Personal Care Products

• Our body absorbs everything we inhale, ingest or use on our skin. The ingredients used in chemically based products are difficult for the body to expel. Using organic products avoids the effects of harmful chemicals.
• Consumers tend to think of chemically based products as a first or superior choice because of marketing. However, thousands of dollars have been spent trying to duplicate what already occurs in nature. That cost is reflected in the cost of your purchase. By using natural personal care products, our skin can reap the benefits of the essential oils, salts, proteins, and vitamins that the synthetics were created to replace
• Natural personal care products use ingredients that have been time tested for hundreds, or thousands of years, with known results. Most traditional products are tested for a very short time, if at all, and pulled from the market once dangerous side effects are proven.
• Chemically based product can clog the skin and cause damage over time. Organic products contain ingredients which are compatible with the body's natural chemistry, helping the skin maintain a healthy and youthful look.
• Organic and naturally based products are not only less harmful to your body, by their nature they are less harmful to the environment as well. Most are also cruelty free and not tested on animals.

Consumers should take care in the product they select. Over 5,000 chemicals are commonly used in personal care products alone and most consumers are unaware of the dangers associated with a fraction of that number. Since the skin is the body' largest organ, many of those chemicals are quickly absorbed and in the bloodstream. Most of the chemicals used were created as a substitute for an ingredient that can be found in our environment, which in most cases is even more effective and beneficial to our body