Green Beauty Products: Lotion

It's time to stop suffering from dry skin or frizzy hair. This week we'll offer tips for finding green beauty products.

Tip # 1: Check the Ingredients

Cold, dry winters take a toll on skin, especially if you're compulsively washing your hands to avoid catching the flu. A plethora of natural and organic ingredients offer restorative properties to keep those painful, cracked hands smooth and nourished. Be wary of what products label as organic or natural. Pay attention to the ingredients and avoid parabens and petroleum-based chemicals.  Try Dessert Essentials' Almond Hand and Body Lotion or Pharmacopia's selection of hand creams in scents such as lavender and ginger.

Share your tips: What are your natural remedies for soothing dry hands?

Comments

[Amy Jackson]

I really enjoy Lush products. They will tell you what percentage of each product is organic, and they have a full line of body products. The only down side is that they are manufactured in the UK, but there are several stores around the US.
www.Lush.com

[Wendy]

This seems counter-intuitive, but believe it or not-- I 'wash' my hands with a slice of lemon. My hands feel soft and beautifully scented... but don't touch your eyes!

[Dr. Karen]

Hi,
(The following is not meant as medical advice. Please consult a licensed health care professional for detailed information regarding your specific condition.)

You can certainly buy specific organic products for dealing with dry skin. However, if you really want to "go green" you can use foods you may have around the house.

Dry skin can be helped by ensuring you eat alot of good omega 3 fatty acids (like salmon oil) or healthy plant oils(omega 6/3) in foods such as almonds, ground flax, walnuts, olives, avocados, etc.

Topically, plant oils like grapeseed, almond, sesame, olive, etc., can be used topically on your skin, immediately after showering. Any oil will be helpful, but plant oils tend to be more acceptable than petroleum based mineral oils. (Read the labels on any product, and the less ingredients the better!)

For example, you can make your own hair conditioner using mayo and a drop or two of essential oil--some folks also use a little apple cider vinegar as a good hair rinse.

My suggestion is definitely to go "green", but if you want to go "greener", consider looking in your own kitchen!

Dr. Karen

[Anne Witherspoon]

The absolute best hand cream I've ever used is a "Healing Tree, Inc." product called T-Hoof (which is marketed for horses hooves. The emolients soak deeply into the skin (or hooves) and don't leave any residue on the surface which allows for wonderful healing and prodection, as well as great softness afterward. It is especially good for those that have to wash many times per day. It's all natural and there are no fillers, parabens, alcohols or other such chemicals in it.

[greengirl]

I love using Olive Oil.

[Lisa]

I also use olive oil on my very chapped legs (from being out a lot in the cold).

[Margie C]

My absolute favorite lotion is one containing tea tree oil, from Melaleuca. It lasts a very long time, not only on your hands, but you don't use a lot at a time either. I find I have to reapply other kinds too often. [I am not a distributor: I find it on the internet.]

[Genevieve]

I do not put anything on my skin that I would not put in my mouth, because whatever you put on your skin is absorbed into the bloodstream and the liver has to deal with the toxins. I used extra virgin olive oil for years on my skin, then argan oil and emu oil, and now I am using centrifuged coconut oil -- from my face to my feet. It is wonderful for cooking with and super excellent on the skin as well. I also use a beeswax cream for hands and face, alternating between all of the above. Saves a lot of money too. People always ask me what I use ... and they want samples! Blessings.

[Dog Gifts]

@ Genevieve
I think you're absolutely right - great advice for all of us, thank you.

[Sara B., Norfolk, VA]

I use "Kiss my Face" brand lotion on my face and body. I'm leery of oils because can't they stain your clothes or bedding?

[Caitlin M.]

I like to make my own lotions at home. There are so many different recipes and processes, and you can know exactly what is going into it before you put it on your skin. Some of the best I have used were made mostly of Aloe Vera gel, rose water, and oils. There are lots of books out there with ideas. My favorite is "Ageless Natural Beauty" by Sally Freeman. It is packed with tons of different recipes for skin and hair care, even makeup, and most of them can be made quickly and easily at home. Also, it has tons of facts about the many different properties of the ingredients, as well as how to pamper yourself with a spa day. Plus, it is cheaper than going out and buying organic lotions at the store.

[George Thomas, MBA]

After decades as an inventor and green designer I have only recently been alerted to the dangers of cosmetics. It seems the whole industry is entirely self regulated (i.e. unregulated) and systematically lies about its thousands of synthetic ingredients. It covers up their devastating effects on health, worse even than the tobacco industry.

The European community has banned over 1,100 of such dangerous substances found in 99% of skin and home care products. It seems in the US only around 10 chemicals have been banned. Even 'organic' products often turn up to be only partially so. When will the 35 billion cosmetics industry take health seriously?

So I took action to find alternatives and as a result found that there was a major new advance in toxin-free botanical skin care, called Glimpse. After careful research I joined as a user and distributor which would also help finance my green projects.

It has been a major success. For before and after pics see GlimpseStories.com. For a trial month, take a look at my web page at the Xango home biz network where you purchase it. You'll also help fund green educational work, described in the bio. Go to www.Celebrate.theGlimpseEvolution.com .

I advise all who value their health to make this situation a priority. No woman has to go another week with toxic products on their skin. This wonderful discovery from the botanical world can be sent straight to your home under guarantee.

The Xango award-winning distributor network reminds me of Avon in some ways. It's the success phenomenon of today's direct sales industry. Integrity designed into it from day 1. I'm building up a network of home businesses which simultaneously help fund green projects, a double whammy. I love that referral facilities enable the products for free if you need. High quality, uniquely effective, designed to be harmless. Now part of my green lifestyle shared by many friends.

[Shannon]

After a short time of doing daycare and washing my hands constantly, I developed dermatitis on part of my hand. I found products with beeswax to be the best solution.

[elue]

Aveda's Hand and Foot Relief are the very best! They're made with certified organic ingredients, petrochemical-free, and the Hand Relief lasts 3-5 hand washes! Plus, all of Aveda's containers are a minimum 80% PCR material. I keep it next to my bed and sinks.

[Marty]

I have used peanut oil and it doesn't make you smell like an elephant (like chewing peanuts does). I find that olive oil makes me smell edible and peanut oil is more neutral. Try it, you might like it.

[Nancy J. Silberstein]

My family physician told me that his dermatologist told HIM that the trick to making lotions effective - whatever lotion you use - was to apply them while your skin is still damp. The lotion traps the moisture between your skin and the lotion, and the skin then absorbs the lotion. Makes sense to me.

[Dorothy O'Brien]

After being hospitalized (8 yrs. ago) for skin rashes that got infected, the dermatologist said, "No chemicals, no alcohol, no scents/perfumes." I researched the web and found olive oil has been used for thousands of years, I've been using it ever since. I got a new infection last yr. Zinc oxide ointment from the 99c Store worked wonders! 2 surgeries later, the antibiotic ointment used on the incision areas caused rashes, so back to olive oil and zinc oxide. Any cream or lotion that people give me usually causes problems in a day or 2, even if the label says "for sensitive skin", or it has vitamins, etc. That includes the lotion from the hospital.
Read labels, check for names of ingredients. One product another writer mentioned lists Agua as it's first ingredient. The Spanish word for water does not belong on an English label. Either way, the product has lots of chemicals, and caused a rash in 24 hrs. I don't recommend it.

[Alannah]

I use pure lanolin it is mostly used for breastfeeding mother's cracked nipples. It is a cheap and a little goes a long way. It it good for diaper rashes also. I will admite it is greasy.

[Lehua Lin]

Organic extra virgin pure coconut oil is the absolute best! I apply it from head to toe. It makes my hair shiny and very manageable. My skin is so soft and moisturized like a fresh rose petal, but not even the slightest bit greasy or oily at all. I also use it as an additional ingredient in every meal I prepare. An abundance of information and 50 recipes can be found in the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. (previously published as "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil".

[Lehua Lin]

Organic extra virgin pure coconut oil is the absolute best! I apply it from head to toe. It makes my hair shiny and very manageable. My skin is so soft and moisturized like a fresh rose petal, but not even the slightest bit greasy or oily at all. I also use it as an additional ingredient in every meal I prepare. An abundance of information and 50 recipes can be found in the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. (previously published as "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil".

[Lehua Lin]

Organic extra virgin pure coconut oil is the absolute best! I apply it from head to toe. It makes my hair shiny and very manageable. My skin is so soft and moisturized like a fresh rose petal, but not even the slightest bit greasy or oily at all. I also use it as an additional ingredient in every meal I prepare. An abundance of information and 50 recipes can be found in the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. (previously published as "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil".

[just4alarc]

I really love Burt's Bees stuff. It smells great, feels good on your skin - from chapped lips to baby's bottom, BB's has got pretty much everything. Plus the company is very conscientious about the environment and raising awareness. They're also certified by the natural products association. www.burtsbees.com

[Lerin]

I use this stuff called 'Lavender Salve' from a local place- Freedomfarmsoap.com- it's not certified organic, but it's handmade and it's LOCAL, which is just as important as organic.

[Diane]

Jojoba oil is the only thing I use on my skin.

Chemically similar to your skins natural oil, it's odorless, luxurious, affordable and sustainable-it is pressed from the seed of the native American jojoba shrub.

[Sean]

Pure lanolin applied to moist skin, makes your skin like butter. Speaking of butter, pure shea butter, again applied to warm moist skin. Melts right in leaving skin SOFT. With both, a little goes a long way, rub it in well. No perfumes, no petroleum, no water, wax or fillers.