According to an Environmental Working Group study, the average woman uses 12 products a day (shampoo, conditioner, soaps, lotions, makeup, perfume, etc.). On average, those 12 products contain 168 different chemicals. 168 chemicals!
As a teenager, I loved those pretty smelling perfume/lotion combos. I also loved having a tan, so I’d tint my skin with self tanner. In high school, I was mortified of my cellulite, so I used cellulite cream on my thighs every morning.
Later, I got curious about what exactly I was putting on my body. Have you ever read the ingredient label on a bottle of lotion? It takes someone a chemist to understand what’s in the bottle! The word “fragrance” in an ingredients list may look simple, but it’s most often a complex cocktail of hidden chemicals.
If I don’t know what it is, I don’t want it on or in my body.
What I Use on My Skin Now
Coconut Oil. Pure unrefined virgin coconut oil.
Here’s why:
No chemicals. The chemicals you put on your skin end up inside your body and I don’t want that buildup.
It smells like a tropical vacation. I mix in a few drops of pure grapefruit essential oil, and it gets even better (just don’t put grapefruit oil on your skin before going into direct sun, or you may get a burn). Super luxurious.
It makes my skin soft. Enough said.
It’s antimicrobial, so it may help keep skin from harmful bacteria.
I use it both on my face and body, so I don’t have the need to buy a variety of lotions. I was hesitant at first to use coconut oil on my face. I thought for sure my skin would break out. But it didn’t. It doesn’t grease up my face either. It soaks in in a matter of minutes.
Want some more coconut oil goodness? Check on my previous post 5 Uses for Coconut Oil.
FYI: On the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) website, you can search through their large database of cosmetic products to see what’s in the products you use, and the dangers to your health they may pose. You can also download the EWG app to scan a product while shopping, review its rating, and find a better alternative. The app works to scan both food products and cosmetics.