Delicious Living has just put out their 2011 health and beauty awards list. I have fairly recently begun to change from using typical beauty products to natural ones. The main reason I switch is because of the potential health hazards of the chemicals found in the average product. I avoid using anything that contains parabens and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates. You can google these substances and find out the origin of them and some of the safety concerns they present. While the jury is still out on the effects of these chemicals within the body (you will find evidence going both ways), the one thing we do know is that they are engineered substances that permeate the skin.  I would rather play it safe, and use soaps, lotions, etc. that have natural-based ingredients.

I know some of these products can be on the pricey side. Whenever I go to Whole Foods, I stock up on their store brand (365) shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and lotion. They are a great deal! I also forgo typical facial moisturizer. I was using just a bit of olive oil, but now I use grapeseed oil on my face. Since a little goes a long way, this is a lot cheaper than buying a commercialized lotion. My theory is that most products out there have way too many ingredients in them that I am unfamiliar with, so I would rather just go with those ingredients that I know actually exist in a plant (God’s creation) rather than those processed in a plant (man’s creation).