Is there a 100% organic skincare line?

I can find lots of products that have organic ingredients but none that have 100% organic ingredients. Could be an opportunity for any entrepreneurs.

Particularly, I'm looking for a good facial moisturizer. Something light yet creamy, to use at bedtime.

100% organic skincare line that I use religously: WATER!!!



I used to have a lot fo skin problems (acne, cysts, oily skin, dry skin, etc.) and was continually trying new and different and expensive skin care products of many different lines. It was so stressful to always be looking for the right skin care solution "out there".

Finally the place I've come to is to eat a low fat high fruit diet, following food combining most of the time, and getting plenty of fresh air and exercise. I'm still working on getting more rest/sleep and being less of a stress case, but i tell you, just simplifying my diet and changing my lifestyle have had such a dramatic impact on my skin. I don't want to put any external product anymore on it because to me that's like taking medicine which I don't want to do anymore -- trying to fix something from the outside rather than healing from within. Until I gave up trying to improve my skin from the outside, nothing changed. Also, giving up all these products makes it much easier to travel -- the only toiletries i need now (used to bring a whole bundle of bottles!) are a comb, toothbrush, floss and a few q-tips!

Having said all that, if you ARE going to use a skin care line, I love Aubrey's Organics. It is a line sold in most health food stores and they have everything from shampoo to moisturizer to toner, etc. It was the last product line i was willing to use on my skin. I still ocasionally use their shampoo when i really need it. I don't know if every single ingredient is organic, but I felt very good about this company.

Love,
Uma





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2006 05:42AM by uma.

uma, I totally feel the same way. Ideally I wouldn't need any skincare products.

But even water, well tap water anyway, is polluted with fluoride, chlorine, and industrial pollutants.

I've been able to make my acne disappear using a nightly application of a mixture of lemon juice and a blended herbal tea. But this leaves my skin rather dry, so I need to use a moisturizer. I know acne can only be cured from the inside but my body is so poisoned with chemicals (I used to huff spraypaint fumes and other nasty things in highschool) that it will be a lifetime before my body is truly cleansed. I'm guessing my acne was/is caused by chloracnegens causing increased sebum production and inflammation in my pores. Aubrey's unfortunately doesn't make 100% organic products.

Personally I don't use any skin care products, not even soap, but we do sell really really raw natural organic moisturizers made with cacao butter and hemp oil from Raw Gaia - [www.funkyraw.com] (We are in the UK)

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Skin care products always contain water and other substances that cannot be Organic so they cannot say 100% Organic ingredients truthfully.
I tend to just use essential oils on my skin like tea tree oil. I also take a cold pressed organic omega 3,6,9 oil regularly that has been a benefit to my skin.

I'm glad someone brought up this subject. What about an avacado facial? I've been looking for a remedy for dry skin. Natural of course so what can we use thats from the earth?
What is it that cucumbers do for the eyes?. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Jan

Here's one that looks pretty good and which a friend on mine is a representative of here in the UK.

[organicparadise.mionegroup.com]

They sell internationally certified organic skin, hair, body, cosmetic, oral and nutritional products.

If you do end up buying something, maybe you could mention that you heard about it through my buddy Michael Watson, UK representative?

Cheers,
J

ps A comparison between a commercial skin care product and the organic stuff they sell in terms of ingredients [organicparadise.mionegroup.com].





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2006 12:53PM by Jose.

Topicals that are not designed to penetrate to the viable dermis (and this includes almost all of them) are largely irrelevant. Don't waste your money.

The best solution for dry skin I've found is to ingest flax seed oil, and it will then moisturize your skin from within. It's also an excellent protectant against cold weather.

Some people just make there own products. I have made a face pack from Bentonite clay and juice (lemon, cucumber, tomato) before, that works well.

Hey arugula,

What do you mean by " Topicals that are not designed to penetrate to the viable dermis"?

On a different note, I also think making your own is probably the best and cheapest, as manufactured organic products tend to be quite expensive.

I think that a good diet will be the best for your skin, but there can also be topical or local parts of your body which might require "extra help". For example, someone who writes a lot on blackboards with chalk might require extra moisturising on their hands, living in polluted environments might require extra cleansing of the pores, etc..

Cheers,
J

Jose,

"Cosmetics" are legally designated as substances applied to the skin that do not change the structure or function.

This is opposed to "drugs" which do change the structure or function (i.e. all-trans retinoic acid, which at least partially reverses photo- and chronological aging and the like).

Moisturizers are actually incredibly simple. They bar water loss by forming an occlusive emollient layer over the skin. Any vegetable oil will do but some are better than others (sunflower oil, which is high in linoleic acid may be a better choice than coconut oil, for example). But in a healthy person with a good skin barrier function under normal weather conditions, a moisturizer isn't needed.

Cleansers are also simple, but the highly contrived ones can be less disruptive. Synthetic detergents can be used that have pHs closer to the skin surface acid mantle (optimally around 5.5) as opposed to "natural" soaps that typically have pH above 10 and required more time for acid mantle recovery after use. I don't really consider soap to be a natural product, though, since it requires a synthesis step.

It probably is better to make your own stuff, but if you don't use dedicated preservatives, the bacteria, mold, fungi etc. that can grow can be worse than using preservatives. I don't consider EOs to be a good solution because they usually have a limited action spectrum and they themselves can be rancid. In addition many can be very irritating. There is a natural preservative from a blend of EOs called Biopein but it is very stinky. Or you could look into this new one called "Preservative K" which is available in the UK.

If you want to forego the preservatives, you can use at least 20% non-water solvent (humectants, alcohols, oils), make only enough for 3 days or so of use, and store in the fridge. Use dark glass bottles.

Maybe it's best to just make some bland juices, steas, or mashed avocado or something. They don't do much but they are certainly more environmentally friendly than prepackaged things.

I make my own skin care for the superficial things but I sometimes use some synthetics (preservatives, pH 5.5 detergents, emulsifiers, thickeners). This is more hobby/self-amusement than anything, because they don't do much.

I don't know of any truly natural altneratives to soap that foam and lift off dirt and grease. That takes a detergent/emulsifier/surfactant with a hydrophyllic-lipophillic balance (HL of about 10-14. Lecithin is a natural emulsifier with HLB of about 4, which is too low. Some plant extracts might qualify but nobody that I know of who has tried them has been happy with them. One also needs emulsifiers to suspend oily particles in watery solvents. Some people use a beeswax/borax mix but that can be irritating.

I like the avocado idea. I think i tried a mashed avocado mask once and it worked well. Not very practical for everyday though.

Hey arugula, thanks very much for your reply, it was very interesting. I was thinking that, in the case of the person who handles chalk quite often during the day, then perhaps just a protective barrier is needed, and not something that would change the structure or function of the skin. For more general skin problems, then this superficial solution would indeed not be very good.

Cheers,
J

check out live-live.com I was in their store in New York recently and was given a free sample of their organic and raw facial moisturizers. I was pretty impressed! They do contain honey though if you're a vegan.

I use a little coconut oil, it feels wonderful.

I agree with the saying "If you can't eat it you shouldn't put it on your skin".

You wrote: "I know acne can only be cured from the inside but my body is so poisoned with chemicals (I used to huff spraypaint fumes and other nasty things in highschool) that it will be a lifetime before my body is truly cleansed."

This is just your belief system that "it will be a lifetime". I took so many drugs, pharmaceutical and recreational, and tried so many things out there for my acne and was so depressed because of it. Like you, I kept thinking that i just was so impure and had so much cleansing to do, that even with raw it would take forever to be clean enough inside to not break out all the time. But this turned out to be false. It took following food combining and switching to a low-fat simple diet with no salt or spices or condiments, and really working on my stress levels.

What seems to be so for me is that I have more healing to go, and still have some symptoms of old chronic ailments, but my body no longer needs to constantly dump stuff out my skin. It is so liberating to not need any "products" and know that if I break out, it is just a sign that something is out of balance (overeat/undersleep/raw gourmet indulgence of salt/major stressing out/etc.) and can help guide me back to center if I choose to listen to it.

That's really cool that you can see clearly how using the lemon to dry the skin makes the moisturizer necessary for balance. I remember going through similar things. I totally know how frustrating this process can be.

My understanding of the healing properties of herbs on skin, is that things with "medicinal" properties that make skin "heal" are actually toxic and so the skin, where it was previously opening to release something, says "whoa, incoming poison, it's not safe to be open here, close it up gang!" Hence how herbs or store-bought products can "heal" a breakout.

Where I live I'm fortunate to have spring water as tap water, I forgot to mention. I guess if I lived in the city I'd prefer to use filtered water to rinse my face.

Anyway I just remembered after reading the rest of the thread, how you can have 100% organic skincare products like moisturizer. Using 100% organic produce of course! Yay! I used to use straight avocado as a great moisturizing face mask, and oatmeal for soothing properties. I used to use papaya too. Sometimes I would just be eating something and say "hmm, how would this feel smeared all over my face?" !!! Cucumber is cooling and soothing as well.

I used to have a great book called "Natural Beauty at Home: More Than 250 Easy to Use Recipes for Body,Bath, and Hair" by Janice Cox (Amazon.com has it). She has some complex stuff but several simple ones (produce) as well. It's a fun book.

Enjoy your exploration!
Love,
Uma

uma, we're completely on the same page.

>>It took following food combining and switching to a low-fat simple diet with no salt or spices or condiments, and really working on my stress levels.<<

That's great to hear. I'm not really in denial. I still think I can cleanse and normalize my body before too long. I just need to keep experimenting with diet and engineering a more healthful environment to live in.

My skin has been relatively clear since I started with the lemon/herbal routine, I kinda stopped experimenting with diet for a while. I think my main acne contributors are smog, interrupted circadian rhythm, various psychological stressors, lipophilic toxins being excreted through my pores, and possibly a weakened liver. I mostly mono-eat and have been avoiding spices lately. I plan on lowering my fat intake once I can find a reliable source of fresh and affordable fruits. I've also been upping my leafy greens for body cleansing and for their nutrient profiles.

>>My understanding of the healing properties of herbs on skin, is that things with "medicinal" properties that make skin "heal" are actually toxic and so the skin, where it was previously opening to release something, says "whoa, incoming poison, it's not safe to be open here, close it up gang!"<<

That's a great way of putting it.. I often feel the same way.

Thanks for the tips!

I hear you about the challenged liver thing. Once I found out that eating high fat was making it even harder for my liver, it started to make more sense why I felt so much worse when I did so.

Good luck with the fruit source! Where I live, I'm part of a buying group (about 12 of us) that gets the wholesale price for boxes of produce if we reach the minimum order ($250). It's so much fun and a lot cheaper than buying top quality organic produce at the local health food store! For example this friday, a box of fuyus ALL FOR MEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Love,
Uma