Look and Feel Your Best With Safe Organic Body Lotions

There are so many great beauty and skincare products out there that can help you look and feel your best. Developments in these industries have also made many products very effective—but sometimes this comes at a cost.  Sometimes when it comes to finding the right products, you will quickly realize that less is more when it comes to ingredients in products like this. When you put lotion on your body, you are putting a product directly on your skin that will seep into your pores and get into your system. This is why it is so important to pay close attention to the materials being used in body lotion and to try to find a safe and organic product that you can feel good about putting on your skin. The good news is, there are many organic body lotions that are made only with natural, non-toxic ingredients that are still very effective in moisturizing the body and keeping it healthy.

Why We Need Body Lotion

Before you start shopping for the right body lotion, it is important to understand why you need body lotion in the first place. Most people know that body lotion is all about moisturizing the skin—but the skin is a very complicated and so is what lotions can do. While the skin is typically able to balance itself out on its own, there are a number of different factors that can cause changes in the skin and cause excess dryness to wreak havoc. Hormone fluctuations, cold and dry weather, dehydration, poor diet, medications and even many skincare products. These things can all cause dry skin that is not only unsightly, but uncomfortable and irritating as well.

Lotion comes in and helps to relieve that dry skin by replenishing the skin’s water content and trapping in moisture in the top layer of the skin so the dryness is treated and the skin can heal itself and get back to a normal, healthy, hydrated balance.

Dangers of Conventional Body Lotion

While body lotion can be an important product to keeping your skin looking and feel its best—there are some dangers associated with conventional body lotion. Your skin is the biggest organ on your body and all of those pores on your skin absorb what is put on them. If you are using a conventional body lotion that is filled with toxins and chemicals you may be putting yourself at risk by putting yourself in contact with the wrong chemicals.

There are many lotions that are made with toxic parabens, carcinogenic chemical additives and irritating synthetic fragrances. While you may love a body lotion because it smells like fresh flowers or vanilla—you may be putting your skin and your body at risk just by lathering one something with a pleasant scent. As you start to shop for a new lotion, you should first, of course, look for a product that states it is organic—but make sure that you do some digging. A lotion can be made with organic ingredients, but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t contain any other harsh chemicals in it.

This means looking for harsh ingredients like artificial fragrances, and parfums (even if they say “natural”) and other irritants that may actually dry out the skin and do more harm than good. The first thing to look for is Bezyl Alcohol. Many lotions have this ingredient in them and they can actually dry out the skin more—this type of alcohol in particular is important to avoid because it has carcinogens in it. You should also look for PEG-100 stearate, which is another very common ingredient in many body lotions that you will find today. It is a chemical byproduct of ethoxylation that is actually linked to kidney, liver and nervous system issues. Want to know how toxic this ingredient is? It is not only an environmental pollutant but also an active ingredient in commercial-grade degreasers. Simply put, not something you would want to put on your skin.

These are all ingredients that you will find in many different lotions on the market today. These are not the types of things that you would want to put on your skin and have ending up in your body—but these are things that you may be inadvertently exposing yourself to when you put on your daily moisturizer. Finally, keep in mind that many lotions contain BPA in them—particularly in the bottles that companies use to put the lotions in. BPAs are linked to cancer, endocrine issues and metabolic disease. So, make sure that you are not only looking at the ingredients that are in the lotion formula, but what the lotion bottle itself is made out of.

Is Fragrance Hiding Something?

When you start to shop for body lotions, chances are you will notice pretty early on that most of these body lotions are scented with artificial fragrances. Are those fragrances meant to give you a more enjoyable lotion experience? Or are they attempting to hide something? Simply put, when you use a product that is filled with artificial ingredients, you are using something that is packed with chemicals that don’t even appear on the label. When your lotion says it contains “fragrance” it could be carrying anywhere from 50 to even as many as 300 different chemicals in it. That one word on the ingredient list could be hiding a lot of unwanted chemicals that you don’t want ending up on your skin.

The word fragrance can be used to cover up a list of nearly 3,000 different ingredients including irritants and carcinogens. In fact, the fragrances that make your favorite lotions smell so great may actually be making up a majority of the toxic nature of your lotion. In one study that looked at about 140 different personal care brands found that ¾ of the toxins in these everyday products actually came from the fragrances they used.

Other Toxic Ingredients to Avoid

It is always a smart decision to avoid lotions that feature artificial fragrances in them—but there are other ingredients you want to avoid as well. Before you start using a body lotion, make sure to flip it over and look at the ingredients on the back.

You want to see natural ingredients in the formula, and words that you know (and can pronounce). Anything ending in “eth” such as ceteareth or myreth should be avoided. There are others as well. Here at a few common toxic ingredients that can be found in many body lotions but that can also be quite toxic.

• PEG

• Oxynol

• Polyoxyethyelene

• Tolune

• Methylisothiazoinone

• Triclosan

You should also be on the lookout for anything that says “paraben” or “phthalate” on it. Do your research and make sure that you look at what is in your lotion and what you are putting on your skin—it can make a great deal of difference in your health.

Choosing the best Lotion

Now that you know what to avoid when shopping for organic lotion, it is time to focus on the best way to choose the best all-natural lotion for you. There are a few things you will want to find in a lotion. First, look for products that are certified organic, phthalate-free and paraben-free. When products like lotions have actually been certified to be this natural, they are going to put a very large label on the front letting you know.

You should also look for lotions that have simple and organic ingredients in them that you actually know. This includes naturally moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter, olive oil, Aloe Vera, coconut oil and raw honey. A truly organic lotion will be made up primarily of ingredients like this along with some water and maybe a few safe and natural bonding ingredients. The ingredient list should be short, easy to read and include plenty of things you could expect to find in your own pantry or natural foods store.

Special Ingredients You Want to See In Your Body Lotion

There are a handful of common lotion ingredients that you want to make sure you avoid when shopping for a new lotion. However, there are a few other great natural ingredients that you actually want to look for. When you see natural ingredients like olive oil or coconut oil in your lotion, then you know the brand is using something safe and natural to help deliver some much-needed hydration. But there are other ingredients that can take the effectiveness of your lotion up a step—and they are completely natural too. These three safe and organic ingredients are not only a sign of an effective, natural lotion but they can deliver other benefits that standard lotions simply cannot.

Organic Green Coffee Oil

Most people have heard about coconut oil for its moisturizing properties, but not as many people are away of green coffee oil. If you see organic green coffee oil on the ingredient list than you can enjoy a body lotion that has some extra antioxidant properties. This means that you can enjoy some extra protection from free radicals and will enjoy more youthful and less damaged looking skin. This isn’t the only thing that this organic oil does either. Since it comes from green coffee beans, this oil is very rich in natural fatty acids that can not only give your skin the extra moisture it needs but protect from the signs of aging such as wrinkles and sagging skin.

Organic Acai Butter

There are so many people who are giving organic Acai a try, and while it can be a great supplement and a delicious natural berry to add to your diet—there is even more to love about acai. This berry is actually one of the most powerful, natural antioxidants you can get from nature and it is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and proteins that are good for the skin. This little berry also has B and C vitamins, potassium and calcium, all of which can help remedy dry and cracked skin and not only help make it feel softer but be healthier as well. If you can find a lotion that contains this popular all-natural antioxidant ingredient, then consider adding it into your current skincare regimen.

Vitamin C

There are now more and more lotions that are using vitamin C as one of their main ingredients. This is because vitamin C is a very potent and proven antioxidant that is great at protecting the skin from damaging free radicals. Lotions with this ingredient in it can help reverse the signs of dark spots and uneven pigmentation and to help the skin look firmer and more youthful. Vitamin C naturally helps your body produce substances like collagen that keep the skin looking firm and keep fine lines and wrinkles at bay—which is a major perk with any product.

All Natural Organic Body Lotions To Revitalize Your Skin

The next time that you go shopping for a new everyday body lotion, make sure that you are looking for a product that is truly safe, organic and natural. There are so many great all-natural lotions out there that can deliver outstanding health and beauty results and that won’t come with the unwanted side effects that many harsh and harmful lotions contain. Hopefully this guide has helped educate you on all things lotions and helped you understand the risks that come with putting some of these harmful products on your skin and the benefits of only using all-natural lotions instead.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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