3 Reasons Why Switching To Natural Products Can Actually Benefit Your Health
Thanks to the abundance of scientific research and evidence into the harmful ingredients used in processed and packaged food products, more and more people are making a conscious effort to be more cautious about what they put into their bodies through reading food labels, eating more organically and swapping these processed foods (that contain ingredients that are hard to pronounce) for wholefoods.
However, when it comes to the stuff that we put on our skin, there is confusion around the connection between how these chemical-ridden products can negatively impact our health.
Our skin is our body’s largest organ and it can absorb around 60-70% of what we feed it with. What we put on our skin instantly makes its way into our blood, tissues, and organs, and therefore has a direct impact on our health just as much as, if not more than what we put in our mouth.
This article will outline three of the biggest health reasons why you should swap toxic, harmful items for natural, organic skincare products and how, by doing so, you will actually improve your overall health.
1) THEY REDUCE TOXINS ENTERING YOUR BODYOur bodies are facing an overabundance of toxins every day through the environment, pollution, exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals, causing numerous imbalances and health issues. Putting these toxins and chemicals directly onto the source (your skin) causes the most damage.
A few of the most common chemicals and harmful substances found in best-selling beauty products, cosmetics, and skincare products include phthalates, lead, aluminum, sodium lauryl sulfate, BHA, boric acid, fragrance (or parfum), and parabens, among many others. Research has found that long term use of these synthetic, man-made chemicals can cause skin irritation, hormone imbalance, organ toxicity, and even cancer.
Many brands and companies are catching onto this trend of natural and clean beauty and skincare and jumping on the bandwagon by using buzzwords such as ‘natural’ or ‘non-toxic’ as a marketing strategy to advertise their products, gain consumer trust and convert them into buyers. Unfortunately, the beauty and skincare industry is highly unregulated, meaning they can declare that they are ‘natural’ but continue to use ingredients that haven’t been reviewed or tested for safety.
You see, the problem with the term “natural” is that it’s not an official term. There’s no formal system that regulates ‘natural’ or a legal definition of what this term means.
That’s why it’s important to read the labels on your products.
Don’t have time to read lists that are a mile long? That’s a huge indicator that these products contain too many ingredients that may be harmful and shouldn’t be used on your skin. If you don’t recognize or are unable to pronounce ingredients, chances are that your body will not recognize those same ingredients that make their way into your bloodstream because they don’t come from nature, and it won’t know how to process them. Instead, your body will try to get rid of them and they may start to build up - this is when imbalances and issues begin to arise.
Certified natural and organic products use ingredients that are derived from plants and have occurred naturally from the Earth. More importantly, these ingredients are cultivated without the use of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other additives or chemicals. With that, you can be sure your skin and body absorb only real, natural ingredients that aren't harmful.
However, we’re not advocating that this means natural skincare products will solve all your skin and health problems once you start using them. But if you’re experiencing irritation or skin reactions when using natural products, the source of the problem can be more easily identified because of more precise, clear labeling.
2) THEY IMPROVE YOUR OVERALL SKIN HEALTH
Improving the appearance of your skin is one of the most common reasons why a lot of people choose to make the switch to natural, organic products. Nobody likes to deal with acne, blemishes, or painful skin reactions.
Beauty and skincare products have chemicals that present different levels of absorption. Some are designed to be quickly absorbed into the skin, while others only penetrate the skin. To complicate things even further, some chemicals in these products react in a way that makes other chemical compounds more or less absorbable.
For example, Ethanol (alcohol) is a common additive in skincare products that increases absorption rates of other chemicals that are present. Whereas silicone ingredients such as dimethicone sit on top of your skin and actually blocks absorption. Either way, whatever you put on your skin does have an effect in one way or another. This article from AnnMarieGianni explains the difference between absorption and penetration wonderfully.
The bottom line is, the synthetic ingredients found in non-organic products may provide instant gratification and visible results such as smoothing out wrinkles, removing sunspots and covering up blemishes, but in the long run, they are causing more harm to your skin and with prolonged use, these chemicals may damage and weaken your skin as your body tries to cope with these foreign substances. For example, chemicals that are designed to ‘sit’ on your skin are depriving it of oxygen which can cause premature aging and an increased risk of sunspots.
Using natural skincare and beauty products on your skin can give you peace of mind that the ingredients that are being absorbed by your largest organ are nutritional, able to be processed, and can be used to work with your skin, and not against it. Your skin will no longer be fighting these foreign and toxic invaders for breathing space!
3) THEY HAVE A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
We’re all for saving the planet but is this actually a health benefit? - Absolutely!
Products that are manufactured on a mass scale with conventionally produced ingredients can have a negative environmental impact. Cutting out products that are heavy with harmful chemicals means putting less toxicity not only back into your body but into the air that you breathe and the water that you bathe in.
Organic, natural products that use naturally grown ingredients and are free from toxic pesticides and fertilizers don't leave a harmful footprint on the planet. They produce lower pollution levels, less carbon dioxide, and reduce overall waste. Using organic skincare products not only benefits you, but also the wildlife, their habitats and the ecosystems around you. It minimizes your environmental impact and carbon footprint, and knowing you’re doing your bit for the environment is always good for the soul!
HOW DO I MAKE THE SWITCH?
The key is to be more conscious of your choices, and actually read labels. But this doesn’t mean that you should replace all your skincare and beauty products at once! That will just overwhelm you. Instead, when one of your products is running out, instead of replacing it with another toxic product, take the time to be sure that you are choosing a more healthier, natural product. Soon, you will set your cabinet free of toxic chemicals and have safer and more health-friendly products to use on your body.
Whenever looking for a natural product, do your research. Try to go for one that is labeled organic, and know what ingredients to look out for on the packaging list that you know are harmful and toxic. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database is a great resource for understanding what’s in skincare and beauty products. They allow you to input a specific ingredient, product, or brand into the search database, and the results are extensive. They give easy-to-understand scores and break down the chemicals that are included in the product and list out the concerns that you should be aware about. It also informs you of their animal testing policies!
If you have a specific skin problem and have tried numerous products and nothing seems to be working for you, talk to a dermatologist. Take the products you are using to your dermatologist and they can help you try to identify what ingredients may be causing a reaction in your skin, and provide helpful advice that is personal for you, your skin and health.
Lastly, be patient with the results. If you’ve been using conventional skin-care products for years, and now making the switch to natural products, it may take longer to see a change in your skin as it adapts to this change. That doesn’t mean the product isn’t effective, it just needs a little time to kick in before you can see visible results.
So if you’re already eating healthily, working out regularly, and making conscious daily choices to improve your health, then adding this extra, health-boosting practice into your routine and making the change to natural skincare products should be a no-brainer. With an organic skincare range applied to the skin, we’re giving every part of the body all of the wonderful, health-boosting delights it craves.
At Vasarii, we are committed to traveling around the world to find the best natural ingredients possible to use in our products. We reduce carbon pollution by eliminating mass production and inspect our products personally. We believe that skincare is personal and we reflect this in how we serve our health-conscious community with our natural products and by giving back 10% of the profits we make. If you’re ready to join us in raising standards when it comes to your skincare product choices and how you impact the environment, you can find our natural, cruelty-free, organic products HERE.