Sunday, February 10, 2013

What's In Your Bottle?


We've all seen these "guarantees" on commercial products right?  Am I the only one who finds these claims disturbing?

 Just walk down the endless aisles of skincare products in nearly any store and you'll see what I mean.  It's easy to be mesmerized by all the pretty bottles and jars advertising claims of instant face lifts and guaranteeing beautiful skin instantly.

Before you commit to overpaying for such promises, keep these facts in mind:
  1. READ YOUR PRODUCT LABELS! The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not closely regulate ingredients used in cosmetics manufacturing (as I stated in one of my previous blog posts) and have only banned 10 ingredients.  Compare that to Europe which has banned nearly 1,100 ingredients! The products you have been purchasing may contain synthetic fragrances and colors, parabens and even petroleum based ingredients that will do more harm to your skin in the long run.  Just take a few minutes to look up some of the ingredients on the product labels that you already have...the pros and cons may surprise you!
  2. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND A FORTUNE TO GET GREAT RESULTS!  I'm absolutely amazed at the prices of some skincare products and even more amazed that people will actually pay for it.  Deciding to use natural products in your skincare routine can save quite a bit of money (and space) because you can often use one product for multiple purposes.  For instance, my $8 Liquid Black Soap can be used as a body wash, shampoo or even placed in soap dispensers in the bathroom. How much money would you have spent on 3 separate products???? 
  3. THERE ARE NO INSTANT FIXES! Please don't get your hopes up believing that whatever's in a jar/bottle is going to remove all of your skincare issues overnight. It's just not going to happen!  
  4. EVERYONE'S SKIN IS UNIQUE!  Because of this fact, it's impractical for any product to be able to deliver the exact same results for each consumer.  Get to know your skin- find out what the causes of  your skin issues are and what you'd like to improve, then research products and ingredients that will benefit YOU.  It's a process of trial and error. 
 I often get questions from others about treating eczema and other skin issues when I share my story [read it here] of how I began creating my product line.  While I share my story and what worked for my daughter's skin, I stress that it is what worked for her and that everyone's skin is different.  It would be irresponsible of me to make claims that my products will "heal" or "treat" any condition and then guarantee those results.  This is true with any skincare product whether it is prescribed or purchased over the counter. Think about it- if your dermatologist prescribes something to you, what do you do if it doesn't work?  You go back and he/she prescribes something else. Like I said TRIAL AND ERROR.

Be patient. Get to know your skin and what natural ingredients/products will work for you ;-)