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Home > Organic Skin
Care
You really can't afford to
gamble when it comes to your skin care and the products you use. After
all, if you mistreat your skin you don't have to just contend with
blemishes and dry patches but you could experience premature aging and
age spots. If you have sensitive skin or are worried about the manmade
ingredients in many skin care items, then you should consider using
natural organic skin care products. These items are made from eco
friendly items and are great for the skin. The following are just some
of the many reasons to invest in organic skin care products.
If you have sensitive skin, you should definitely go with an organic
skin care product versus any other on the market. These items are less
severe on the skin and include natural healing additives. A lot of
manmade ingredients can harm sensitive skin and result in dry patches,
inflammation, and blemishes. Thus, organic skin care products are an
alternative that will heal and sooth your skin.
Who doesn't want to help the environment? Just by making smarter choices
when shopping, you can do your part to keep pollutants out of the air
and can stop things like animal testing. Thus, organic skin care
products are a great choice for folks who care about where the
ingredients in their products are coming from.
Given the positive benefits for the body and for the environment, you
really can't go wrong by investing in natural organic skin care items.
This is one choice you won't soon regret.
At this point, everyone is going green. You have been recycling and
reusing. You have been conscious of how much water you are using and
maybe driving a little bit less. As you do things that are healthy for
the environment, why not also do something that is good for you at the
same time! One way to do this is through buying organic! These days,
this is no longer confined to just buying organic food. Many of the
products that you use on a daily basis are now being produced using
organic ingredients. This may seem like a big hassle, a big change. It
does not have to be that way.
Making the switch to using and consuming organic products is a good
decision for your body and a good decision for the environment. However,
with all the products out there claiming to be "all-natural" or "good
for the planet", it is difficult to know when a product is truly organic
and good for the earth. With the information provided here, you will be
able to make an informed choice when choosing your skin care products in
the future.
The first thing we must do is define "organic". In the most simplified
definition, organic products have not been touched by chemicals;
specifically pesticides or hormones to name a few. In commercial farming
and agriculture, it is standard practice to use pesticides, or a
collection of other harsh chemicals, to keep unwanted bugs from damaging
the crop. The use of hormones is also common in order to grow larger,
heavier produce. While having larger produce may seem beneficial for the
consumer, our bodies might not respond well to the presence of hormones
where they have not traditionally been. Certain cancers have been linked
to the presence of excess hormones in the human body. This is the same
in the case of pesticides, our bodies do not respond well to high
quantities of these harsh chemicals. Individuals can become very sick if
exposed to these chemicals over a long period of time.
You may be asking: how does this apply to skin care? Well, as our skin
is one of the largest organs our bodies have, it is important to treat
it as such. What we put on our skin is just as important as what we put
in our bodies. Organic skin care products refer to a list of products
you would use on your skin that have been certified as organic. This can
include soap, lotion, sunscreen, foundation, lipstick, eye shadow, and
even organic acne skin care products. For anything that you would put on
your skin, there is an organic product to fit that need. If you are not
currently using organic skin care products, then there is a chance that
you are not aware of where your products come from.
This is where confusion can arise: between products that are marketed as
“all-natural” vs. natural organic skin care products that have been
officially Certified Organic. “All-natural” products are not regulated.
A company can put anything in their ingredients, for example olive oil
or lavender, and list them as “all-natural” ingredients. When consumers
read the ingredients label on the back of an acne cream, they may read a
bunch of chemical names that they assume are synthetic and unnaturally
produced. This is partly true, but it is not uncommon for these
ingredients to have user-friendly root sources.
When consumers read that there is lavender in their lotion, they may
assume that they are doing something healthy for themselves and for the
planet, as lavender clearly comes from the earth and has been used for
centuries. The problem with this is two-fold. First, it is important to
know how these products, such as lavender, are being grown. It is
entirely possible that they are being cultivated in such a way that is
destroying the land on which they are being grown. Second, not only can
these items be grown in a manner that is destructive to the environment,
but they may also be grown with the use of harsh chemicals that are not
actually good for your skin.
For example, soap is made out of fatty acids. When combined with water,
it works as a surfactant to create tension and loosen up dirt that has
accumulated on the surface of what you are washing. Where do these fatty
acids come from? Well, commonly they are derived from olive oil or a
product called glycerin. Glycerin is a chemical that can be extracted
from high fat sources, traditionally: animals. So, now that we know what
they are derived from, the next question would be, how do they become
soap ingredients?
These oils must first be produced and in most cases they will come from
a commercial farm. A commercial farm is a farm where large amounts of
produce are grown to supply a large demand. The products are sold either
to be consumed as is, or to be used in a product, such as cereal or
beer, or they can be used in personal health care products. So, now that
we know where they come from, the next question is, how are they grown
on the farm?
This is where the decision of whether an item is organic or not is to be
made. There is a certification process that must be passed in order for
a product to be commercially considered as organic. This certification
is passed by following certain standards and regulations for the growing
of products. There is a group called the USDA National Organic Program
that is responsible for maintaining and verifying that these standards
and regulations are being followed. They work with agents to guarantee
that farms and companies that market as organic are in fact organic,
thus assuring the consumer that they are safe in purchasing and using a
product.
In order for farms to reach this process, they must prove to the USDA
National Organic Program that they do not use certain chemicals on their
produce. This is not just a matter of deciding one day to stop using the
chemicals and be considered organic. If farmers decide that they are
going to start producing organic produce, they will indeed have to stop
using chemicals, for it takes up to three years until their produce is
certified organic. This is because, after using pesticides and such on a
crop, these chemicals will stay in the soil for years. Once a farmer has
not used the chemicals deemed hazardous by the USDA National Organic
Program for three years, the USDA National Organic Program will send in
an agent to certify the crop as organic.
After the farm passes this certification process, then they can market
their crop as organic. From there, companies looking to sell organic
products can use produce purchased from this source to make organic
items, such as organic skin care products. The process does not end
there however. Once a product, such as soap, is made, then the product
must again be certified by the USDA National Organic Program. In order
for a product to be Certified Organic it must be made with 100% organic
ingredients. In order for a product to be called organic, it must be
made with at least 95% organic ingredients. Finally, in order for an
item to get a label saying that it is made with organic ingredients, it
must contain 70% organic ingredients.
It is important to be aware of where the products are coming from when
you are choosing your skin care products, and one way to do this is to
only use organic skin care products. Thus, you will be assured that you
are, in fact, making a positive difference in the environmental issues
that we face today, as well as knowing that you are doing the best you
can for your skin. As natural organic skin care products are guaranteed
by the USDA National Organic Program as organic, you know you can trust
the safety and benefit of such products.
It’s important to understand that "all-natural" does not equate to “good
for the environment”. You are aware of and familiar with the process
that a crop must go through to be considered organic, and you might have
even learned a little bit about which ingredients are in everyday soap.
With this information, you are now prepared to make an informed decision
about your skin care products.
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