The Green Beauty Guide

Whenever I repurchase a beauty product, I check the ingredients, because many cosmetic brands change formulations slightly from time to time. Some unscrupulous manufacturers may add obnoxious chemicals to their otherwise perfect formulations, so it’s worth checking familiar products from time to time.

Some mainstays, such as mineral-based sunscreens by Dr. Hauschka, have never made me question their safety. Dr. Hauschka creams and lotions, made with biodynamically grown plants, usually contain close to zero ingredients of non-plant origin, with the exception for titanium dioxide in sunscreens. However, a closer inspection revealed aluminium hydroxide hiding sheepishly at the end of the ingredient list. Aluminium contained both in Baby Sunblock SPF30 and my regular lotion with SPF15 for daily use.

Aluminium hydroxide is a mineral salt of aluminium found in nature in form of mineral gibbsite, also known as hydrargillite. Aluminium hydroxide forms gels that can be dehydrated with non-aqueous solvents like ethanol to form an aluminium hydroxide powder. Pharmacologically, aluminium hydroxide powder is used as an antacid under names such as Alu-Cap, Aludrox or Pepsamar.

Granted, aluminium hydroxide in sunscreen is not the same as aluminium hydrochloride in antiperspirants. The concentration is obviously much, much smaller. However, considering that brain lesions found in Alzheimer’s disease contain aluminium, there is concern that consumption of excess aluminium compounds may cause or contribute to the development of this and other neurodegenerative diseases (Perl, 2006, Kawahara, 2005). However, this hypothesis is controversial. But do I really want to expose my baby to yet another source of aluminium, especially since it’s rubbed into her skin, sealed there by oils, and heated by the sun? Manual friction and heating greatly increase penetration of all skincare ingredients, that’s why sunscreens must be as pure and safe as possible.

Aluminium hydroxide is considered to be the most stable form of aluminium under normal conditions. However, how exactly normal are searing heat and high humidity? I am not entirely convinced.

That’s why I have double thoughts about using any sunscreens containing aluminium (these include Dr. Hauschka and Lavera brands) on my baby daughter - and probably myself, too. 

Unfortunately, finding a pure, PEG-free sunscreen for a baby is not an easy task. Most “organic” sunscreens I checked contain various PEGs and synthetic emulsifiers (Avalon Organic Botanicals Baby Sunscreen), ethoxylated compounds (Jason Natural Products Earth’s Best Organic Baby Sunblock), and parabens (California Baby Water Resistant, Hypo-Allergenic Sunscreen).

After giving it some thinking, I decided to try an aluminium-free sunscreen called Caribbean Blue Baby SunShield SPF15 (available in UK only, unfortunately, but you can try eBay). Here’s a full ingredient list: microfine zinc oxide in a natural base of botanical extracts of echinacea, ginko and gotu kola, oils of coconut, almond, safflower, sesame and macadamia nut, lecithin, xanthan gum, grapefruit seed extract, essential oils of lavender & peppermint, and Vits. A, C & E.

I cannot say I am ecstatic about using something “microfine” on baby’s skin, and I don’t think a baby needs gotu kola and gingko extracts on her skin, but until I find something better, this goopy lotion stays.

To prevent or detect melanomas it is important to memorize the ABCDE checklist for melanomas and to regularly check existing moles and freckles for changes. Here’s an updated popular method for remembering the signs and symptoms of melanoma:

Asymmetrical skin lesion.

Border of the lesion is irregular.

Color: melanomas usually have multiple colors.

Diameter: moles greater than 5 mm are more likely to be melanomas than smaller moles.

Evolution: The change of a mole or lesion may be a hint that the lesion is becoming malignant –or– Elevation: The mole is raised or elevated above the skin.

To diminish your risk of skin cancer, do not smoke, avoid processed food with high fat content, wear a mineral-based sunscreen to prevent sunburns and photodamage, and take your daily dose of antioxidants or at least drink green tea regularly.

It was my own skin condition that boosted my huge interest in skincare and nutrition. Having suffered from mild to moderate acne for years, I cleared my own complexion by ditching chemical acne skincare, and switching to completely organic routine. My skin has been clear for the last three years. For more information about all-natural, green solutions for acne, check my book Clear Skin: Organic Action Plan for Acne (iUniverse, 2007; available from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble).

Here are some useful tips for dealing with problem skin:

Don’t overcleanse and overscrub, especially if you have inflamed acne lesions. Too much pressure may lead to more pimples as your skin gets irritated and inflamed with constant mechanical pressure. Don’t use at-home microdermabrasion or peels more frequently than once a week.  

            Avoid benzoyl peroxide acne medications that can dehydrate your skin, increase free radical damage and lead to premature aging. This popular anti-acne chemical is a proven strong irritant and allergen and instead of healing acne can actually increase the inflammation.

            Don’t attempt to dry out your acne blemishes with toothpaste or other drying solutions. Really dry top layers of skin can trap impurities and bacteria under skin making the acne worse.

            Don’t pile makeup on your acne. Wear a concealer where needed. Use oil-blotting papers to absorb the excess shine during the day.

            Don’t pick at your face. Keep your hands off the pimple until it’s ready to be extracted and never attempt to pop up a tender red blemish. If you have time, try one of the procedures described in the previous chapter, and apply a topical antibacterial product containing salicylic acid or tea tree oil.

            Taking care of your acne-prone skin doesn’t end in your bathroom. Take a daily dose of vitamins and antioxidants with additional alpha lipoic acid and omega 3 fatty acid supplements. Don’t skimp on water. Drink 7-8 glasses of mineral or filtered water a day. Don’t replace water by carbonated sugary drinks and coffee. Remember your skin is the largest organ of your body and is the first to become dehydrated.

            Avoiding or at least diminishing iodides in your diet can aggravate your acne. Iodides occur in seafood, kelp products (seaweed), beef liver, soy sauce, turkey and asparagus. Maintaining a proper diet, exercise routine and managing stress are all important elements in your acne skin care challenge. 

            You should also avoid acne triggers, such as humidity and heat. In summer or when in hot climates make sure you drink a lot of water and have a refreshing facial mist to cool down your skin.

            Don’t tan. Aside from being the number one cause of skin cancer and pre-mature aging sun also increases your skin’s oiliness resulting in more pimples. Remember that sunburns, hot wax depilation, peels, and strong chemicals can irritate your skin and lead to acne. Close-shave razors increase the risk of developing ingrown hairs, which can also increase inflammation.

            Most importantly, hone your organic consumer skills by reading ingredient lists and avoiding potentially toxic chemicals that may affect your hormonal balance and result in more acne. If you eliminate hormone-disrupting chemicals early you may avoid many devastating health disorders later in life.

Most green eye treatments moisturize and prevent wrinkles, but not many can handle the problem of under-eye puffiness and darkness. A mineral concealer may temporary mask the problem, but the underlying issues will still exist.

            There’s a common notion that dark circles under the eyes form because of waste products accumulating around the eye area. This is not exactly true. The under-eye area is not a bladder or any sort of bodily waste dump. Neither are dark circles caused by stress or fatigue. Dark circles are caused by a very complex physiological mechanism. Here’s a skinny: fine, almost transparent skin under the eyes is meshed with capillaries, the tiny blood vessels. These capillaries are so narrow that red blood cells sometimes have to line up to get through. Sometimes red blood cells break through the walls of capillaries and leak into the surrounding skin. Special enzymes break down the red blood cells, which turn dark blue-black in color. So your dark under-eye circles are actually caused by leaky capillaries. It’s the same mechanism that produces bruises when we are hit by something.

            What can you do to prevent dark circles from forming? Actually, not much. The thickness of the skin under the eyes and the leaking abilities of blood vessels are hereditary. People with darker skin have more visible dark circles because of natural pigments in their skin. If you have deep-set eyes, natural shadows contribute to the dark circles under the eyes making them more visible. Also, some medications that cause blood vessels to dilate may result in darkening circles around the eyes. Lack of sleep can make dark circles under the eyes more visible because fatigue attributes to poor circulation and your skin looks paler.

            Get your blood moving. Try simple lymph drainage by dry brushing your body at least every other day. Use a soft natural fiber brush with a long handle and a removable head with a strap, so that you are able to reach all areas of your body.  Long sweeping strokes should start from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction to help drain the lymph back to your heart. Stroking away from your heart puts extra pressure on blood and lymph vessels and can make matters even worse. Now take a shower as usual.

            Get a cucumber from the fridge, slice it ¼ inch thick, lie down and place the slices on your eyes. Leave them on for at least five minutes. It’s a good idea to set your alarm clock if you’re doing this early in the morning. Cucumber has gentle whitening properties and it’s also cooling and moisturizing.

            Try green tea bags soaked in water. Caffeine in green tea is a diuretic – that is, it helps the body to lose excess water. When applied topically, it may shrink the puffiness and help boost circulation.

            Couch potato remedy: slice raw potato, place it on your eyes and relax on your couch. Potatoes contain catecholase, an enzyme that works like a skin lightener. Make sure to use raw, not cooked potato.

            Add some relaxing cardio to your workout. Yoga can work wonders to dissolve under-eye circles. It takes a couple of months to see the results, but you may never need an under-eye concealer again.

            Topical treatments may reduce dark eye circles.  If darker skin under the eyes makes those unsightly circles more visible, try natural lightening agents, such as kojic, ferulic and betulinic acids, bear berry (Uva ursi) extract, arbutine, niacinamide, vitamin C and glucosamine. They will work gradually by training under-eye cells to produce less pigment and help to make the pigmentation less visible. Natural skin lighteners are gentle but can take up to three months to bring noticeable results. Antioxidant products containing vitamin E are known to stimulate fibroblast activity in the dermal layer and help firm up the skin. 

            Some people swear by applying Preparation H with 0.25% phenylephrine. This well-known hemorrhoid ointment may help the capillaries constrict causing dark circles appear less visible.  This is hardly a green treatment but you may consider it as an emergency measure.

            Sleep with your head elevated to prevent water from pooling around the eye area.

            Dark circles under the eyes can also be the result of health issues, such as chronic allergies. Go to an allergist and get tested for allergies, especially to yeast, dairy, alcohol, and wheat. Cut back on caffeinated beverages, alcoholic beverages, diet sodas, and salt.

The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource into Organic and All-Natural Skincare, Hair Care, Makeup and Fragrances (HCI, October 2008) is now available for pre-order.

Green experts and celebrities rave about this revolutionary book filled with pioneering scientific research, easy skincare guides, and yummy beauty recipes.

Go to Amazon.com to secure your copy today!

Honey Banana Face Pack

This is an excellent reviving mask for tired lackluster skin. The mask is extremely easy to prepare and costs pennies.

Ingredients:

½ organic banana

1 tablespoon organic manuka honey

2 tablespoons organic double cream

Method:

1. Smooth with a stick blender thoroughly so there are no clumps.

2. Apply to face and let set for about ten minutes. Gently wash off with warm water.

Green Expert Advice: Kristen Binder, the founder of Saffron Rouge (www.saffronrouge.com)

            If you have $100 to spend on organic skincare, first of all, you should buy a good moisturizer because it stays on your skin and the nutrients in the product can deliver their benefits over much longer time. You should also get a good natural sunscreen because it remains on your skin for long time and keeps your skin looking younger. Then you may get a floral water toner which is like giving your skin a hydrating drink of nutrient-rich water. Last, buy yourself some natural makeup or cleanser because we hear about so many reactions to mainstream makeup. I put cleanser last because it’s basically just washed off the skin.”

The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource into Organic and All-Natural Skincare, Hair Care, Makeup and Fragrances (HCI, October 2008) is now available for pre-order.

Green experts and celebrities rave about this revolutionary book filled with pioneering scientific research, easy skincare guides, and yummy beauty recipes.

Go to Amazon.com to secure your copy today!

 

Rose Nourishing Beauty Oil

This blend is inspired by Rose Aromatic Care by Darphin, but we are not using any preservatives. You can use it around the eyes, too, but very sparingly, to prevent the oil from travelling into the eyes.

Ingredients:

5 millilitres (1 teaspoonful) evening primrose oil

5 millilitres (1 teaspoonful) soy bean oil

3 drops rose oil

2 drops pomegranate oil

1 drop chamomile oil

Method:

Making your own facial oil is extremely simple. Combine all the oils in a pretty glass or china bottle and shake vigorously. You can use a vintage perfume bottle to hold the oil. It will look extremely pretty and will be perfectly green, too, since you are reusing something old yet luxurious.

           When buying a new green beauty product, such as moisturizer, you should always check a product’s ingredients; when in doubt, test it on a patch of skin first to make sure it doesn’t cause any adverse reactions.

Also, be aware that just because a product has a certain perfectly green ingredient listed on a label, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has enough of it to produce visible results.

 A good green moisturizer should contain the following:

            Emollients: beeswax, squalene from olive oil, jojoba and other plant oils, shea butter, cocoa butter, plant-derived silicones. Thickening agents like triglycerides, palmitates, myristates and stearates may be pore-clogging. Fatty acids and fatty alcohols are very popular emollients derived from natural sources. Like oils, they form a film on the skin surface, but this film is thinner, is not airtight, and it also works as a neutral delivery vehicle for other ingredients. Some natural fatty acids, such as palmitic, are better tolerated, while gamma-linoleic acid from evening primrose oil may cause irritation in some people. That’s why green beauty chemists create blends of natural fatty acids to play up their better qualities and minimize side effects. 

            Humectants: hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or sorbitol that work by attracting water molecules to the skin. One major drawback of humectants is that some of them can increase water loss by moving water from the lower skin layers into the upper skin layers where it can evaporate quickly. For this reason, humectants are almost always combined with an emollient agent, so they would work together to enhance and preserve skin hydration.

            Soothing and healing agents, such as bisabolol, allantoin, aloe, licorice root, green tea, and chamomile extracts, are added to many moisturizers to help skin tolerate the ingredients that may cause irritation.

            Sunscreen ingredients, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Certain antioxidants can boost the protective action of sunscreen ingredients.

The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource into Organic and All-Natural Skincare, Hair Care, Makeup and Fragrances (HCI, October 2008) is now available for pre-order.

Green experts and celebrities rave about this revolutionary book filled with pioneering scientific research, easy skincare guides, and yummy beauty recipes.

Go to Amazon.com to secure your copy today!

Strawberry Cheese Cake Face Pack

This is a traditional European green beauty recipe that works wonders to breathe life into dull dry post-winter skin.

Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and gentle yet surprisingly effective AHAs, while the sour cream contains lactic acid and milk proteins which both help to whiten facial discolorations and hyperpigmentation.

Ingredients:

5-6 ripe organic strawberries

1 tablespoon full-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon cream cheese

1 drop lemon oil

1 drop vanilla oil

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and blend with a stick blender until smooth.

2. Apply to the face, neck and chest, and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wash off with warm water. Follow with your organic toner.

The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource into Organic and All-Natural Skincare, Hair Care, Makeup and Fragrances (HCI, October 2008) is now available for pre-order.

Green experts and celebrities rave about this revolutionary book filled with pioneering scientific research, easy skincare guides, and yummy beauty recipes.

Lemon Egg Whitening Face Mask

Lemon juice is an excellent bleaching agent for minor facial discolorations, and it works as effectively as synthetic and toxic hydroquinone to lighten minor skin discolorations such as brown post-acne marks and spots from sun damage. Egg whites are rich in protein and they help to heal and rebuild your damaged skin. Egg whites can also help to absorb excess oil from your skin.

Ingredients:

1 free-range organic egg

½ organic lemon

Method:

1. Crack an egg, removing the yolk so that just the egg whites are left in the shell halves. Beat these egg whites until fluffy and thick.

2. Cut a fresh lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a shallow bowl. Mix in the egg whites and whisk to form a dense paste.

3. This mixture cannot be stored; use it immediately and discard leftovers.

The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource into Organic and All-Natural Skincare, Hair Care, Makeup and Fragrances (HCI, October 2008) is now available for pre-order.

Green experts and celebrities rave about this revolutionary book filled with pioneering scientific research, easy skincare guides, and yummy beauty recipes.

Go to Amazon.com to secure your copy today!