MAKEUP

Let’s admit. Beauty is fun. Everyday brings on so many opportunities to maintain, enhance and improve the look of our skin. On average most women wear makeup everyday to some extent. Think about all the ingredients that touch your skin on a daily basis. A dab of foundation, spray of deodorant, shampoo, mascara; it all adds up. I can’t say that people are being harmed by his or her favorite body wash. But what if we looked a little deeper into what we’re putting on our bodies? We don’t want to only read labels; we want to become familiar with which ingredients are the best for us. Knowledge is power, we have choices and your skin is worth it!

When walking down the drugstore aisle in need of a full body cream, it’s easy to go for the popular most talked about kind. But if your goal is to go for a more natural approach to what’s getting absorbed in your body, look for simple recognizable ingredients. Natural products have been trending quite a bit and helping us become more aware of what touches our bodies. A super long ingredient list can usually mean there is a small amount of each item included on that list and that might not be so beneficial. Look for products with a shorter but clear list that defines what that product is best used for.

Let’s start with a full body moisturizer for example. Recognizable ingredients like the ones in the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Body Lotion is a great start. The first three ingredients are Shea Butter, Water and Palm Kernel. Can’t get more earthy than that. It’s a lot different than having to google the names or waste time trying to pronounce it correctly! With Shea Butter being the key ingredient, you’re getting a load of fatty acids and vitamins A and E, all of which moisturize the skin a ton. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and helps heal scars. An all around win. Other moisturizers you may consider are: Burt’s Bees Mango and Orange Body Butter, The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Body Butter and C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Cream to name a few.

Body Washes may be another product we can look into since most people take one to two showers a day. A favorite body wash of mine is Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile liquid soap. I keep the following fragrances on rotation with this product; peppermint, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus and almond. Dr Bronner’s not only serves as an amazing natural body wash but has multiple purposes; washing your face, hands, body and hair, shaving, washing dishes and mopping floors. This castile soap is USDA certified organic and ensures that not only are we getting a quality product but we’re contributing to environmental responsibility with each use. It’s a feel good product. Other products similar to Dr. Bronners are Jason Natural Satin Shower Body Wash and Nurture My Body’s Wild Eucalyptus Body Wash.

Those can be your first two steps to overall skincare improvement. We don’t have to be perfect, no one is. As women though, knowing more is doing more and our bodies deserve it. Take one or two extra minutes when purchasing your next beauty product. Think about what those ingredients mean for your body and make a choice for yourself. Whatever the choice is, the important thing is that it was yours.

Tell me what ingredients are important to you when choosing your favorite products.

xo IKA