So Fresh and So Clean – Skin Care Tips

...by Food Babe

As promised in my “Be a Drug Store Beauty Dropout” post last week…coming to all Food Babe readers from my lovely bathroom – Check out this “off the cuff” video to learn all about my skin care regime from day to night! And yes – I am in my PJs again.  I live in them when I am not at work during the week.

Remember these important points when considering changing your skin care regime:

Food Babe’s Skin Care Video Notes:Your skin is your largest organ!  What you put on your skin, is absorbed into your blood. Nurture it, be kind to it, and most importantly LOVE it!

  1.  Have you tried searching for the products you use on EWG’s cosmetic database cosmetic database?  I did a few months ago and was saddened to learn one of my favorite shampoos was a 9! WTF! Needless to say – I didn’t buy another bottle.
  2.  Try to pick products that are all below a rating of  3 on the EWG cosmetic database
  3.  Check all your products individually for safety.  Don’t assume if you use a certain brand, your product is safe.  Many companies have products across the spectrum from really safe and natural to horribly deadly.
  4.  If you find out that some of the products you use are harmful, go ahead and use them until they are gone and then replace them with new safer products.
  5.  When in doubt, use natural oils on your skin.  Sesame is considered one of the best because it contains several vitamins and minerals, has been known to fight skin cancer, is naturally antibacterial and when it is absorbed in your blood stream it can prevent migraines, diabetes and hepatitis.  My favorite reason to use sesame oil – it’s a natural sunscreen and protects your skin from chlorine in a pool, radiation, and air pollution!
  6.  Vote with your dollars!  Stop supporting companies that are harming the environment, your family and most importantly your own body with crazy chemicals!
  7.  Unscented products are best – when you use perfume, do you spray 10 different kinds on your body at once? Seriously, this is really important – buy everything unscented and then scent yourself with natural fragrances created from mostly plants.
  8.  What works for me, may not work for you – there are so many great natural products available now, you WILL find some that suit you.  It might take you some time navigating through the “old” world of natural beauty!  God knows, I’ve been through several trials and errors.

So…. Where in the world do you find the products I mentioned in my video?

You can get them at most natural health stores – but you can also save a ton of money getting them here on the internet!   Online shopping is a must once you find a product you like. I like to buy my favorites in bulk, so I never have to worry about trying to find them or running out.

Note – if you use the online shopping links provided, Food Babe will get a small kickback, which will be used for future funding of the site and continuous education to share with all of you!

Here are all of the product details…

When I Wake Up:

First thing in the morning before I put on my contacts – I use unscented Kiss My Face hand soap

Then after I drink my hot water with lemon and organic coffee, I brush with Dessert Essence (Please note – I don’t use Tom’s anymore because of fluoride) and head off to my morning exercise

After I get back – I use the unscented hand soap from Kiss My Face again to clean my hands from all the exercise equipment I touched. I do not use the cleaners that the gym provides because they are toxic.

Then I jump in the shower, where I lather up with Kiss my Face Pure Olive Oil Soap

Then I proceed to shave with unscented Kiss My Face Moisture Shave

On my face I use McBride Beauty Wheat Germ and Avocado Replenishing Night Cream during the day because my skin tends to be dry, however they make a day cream too if your skin is more oily!

Night Creme

To moisturize my body I use a combination of Avalon Organics Hand and Body Lotion Unscented with Aloe and Sesame oil – I put about a 1/8 cup of oil into the lotion.

Sesame Oil

To keep me staying fresh all day – I use Tom’s of Maine Long Lasting Unscented Deodorant Stick

During the Day:

If I find myself getting dry from the super air conditioning in my office I use Kiss my Face Olive My Body balm on any area, including my cuticles and lips

I use Dr. Hauschka Hand Cream that I have at my desk for my hands after I wash with the harsh soap in the office bathroom and break room

Local: Earth Fare, Whole Foods
Online:

Before Bed:

I ALWAYS wash my face before going to bed. I use Avalon Organics CoQ10 Facial Cleansing Milk to clean most of the makeup off my face, if I have heavy eye makeup on, I will use a little Sesame oil on a cotton ball and swipe my eye lids as well. Don’t spend a fortune on eye makeup remover, just use a natural oil.

Then I hydrate again with McBride Beauty Night Cream and my special mixture of lotion on my hands, elbows and knees :)

Next it’s time to sleeeeep! Good Night!!!!

Hair & makeup specific posts to come soon!

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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
This entry was posted in Beauty, Let Loose by Food Babe. Bookmark the permalink.
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35 comments on “So Fresh and So Clean – Skin Care Tips”

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. No wonder you look so beautiful. when are you staring your make up line with all organic/natural products? Love, Toni

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  3. You are so great for posting this!! I am learning more and more every day. Thanks so much for all you do! It has really changed my life and I will never go back. I can’t wait for the hair/makeup portion!! :-)

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  4. Hey Vani, Got any travel sized and multiple-in-one suggestions for those of us who travel each week and want to limit the number of bottles we carry? Always looking out for ways to reduce the number of things I carry when I fly, but would like some good natural options.

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    • Sorry for the late reply Ruba – Unfortunately I don’t like any of the 3 in one products sorry – Unless you want to just carry some olive oil :) (Make up remover, skin moisturizer and hair defrizzer all in one!) Tom’s, Kiss my Face, and Avalon make great little sizes to take along with you – Check Whole Foods out!

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    • I know this reply is really late, but try Norwex Makeup Removal and/or Body cloths. You can clean your face with just water and the cloth, even tough eye makeup. Makes travel much easier since it eliminates a bottle of cleanser. I used them at home anyway!

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  5. I have used many of the things that you’ve talked about, or rather used stuff by the same brands! I purchased some of the things you suggested on here. As far as face wash I actually just use oatmeal to cleanse my face. I have really sensitive skin and I used to have really bad acne and was on Accutane which made my skin even more sensitive. I saw a youtube video of a girl cleaning her face with just plain oatmeal because she had a reaction to a different product and it’s amazing how well it works! I’ve been doing it for at least 4 months now and I don’t plan on using anything else ever, definitely try it! I also have dry skin, so usually put chobani plain greek yogurt on my face for about ten minutes or agave nectar. Sometimes it hydrates my skin so well I don’t use my organic argo oil afterwards. Definitely some tips to try! I’m really looking forward to the skin and make up portion of your posts though because I have not had much luck with finding organic picks for those over the years! I hope you make a post over that very, very soon! Thanks for all your help and tips, I love your blog!

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    • Thanks Lindsey for sharing your experiences. I too use oatmeal on my face as a scrub – not everyday, but a few days each week. My wonderful friend Amy gave me a jar of a homemade version with lavender essential oils – it’s amazing! Makeup and Hair posts will come soon – It’s on my laundry list of post requests to tackle :) Good Luck with your journey and stay in touch!

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      • Do you have the recipe for the homemade oatmeal & lavendar face scrub?

        LOVE,LOVE,LOVE your posts and what you stand for Vani :) Keep up the good work!

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  6. Great post! I ran out of my current drug store mascara and want to replace with a more “body-friendly” version. What do you use? Are there certain brands you particularly like? Thanks!

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      • Thank you for this post!!! I have Super Sensitive Skin which includes eczema…and as I have gotten older ~ acne. I just started using the Tarte mascara and I LoVe it!!! Ordered off of QVC…simply out of curiousity. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to hear you say that you use Tarte too!! Party Bonus Buy!!! :) LoVe your page and posts ~ ((( Thank You ))) for all that you do for Everyone’s Health!!!

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  7. Doesn’t Tom’s of Maine toothpaste have sulfates in it? Burt’s Bees is the only toothpaste I’ve been able to find that is sodium laureth sulfate free… just curious, maybe I missed that exact type of ToM!

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    • Not all of them – Tom’s makes a version without called “Clean and Gentle”… We are really into a different brand of toothpaste now, it’s by Dessert Essence, we love the Fennel version.

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  8. Just curious, what kind of makeup do you use? I’m looking for a really good natural matte bronzer for the summer. Also, I’ve already read about your morning routine, the lemon and cayenne in the morning, which I’ve started doing and is wonderful. I was also wondering what brand of probiotics you take in the morning and do you take a green vibrance packet every morning? This information may be somewhere on your blog I just couldn’t find it, thanks!! Also thanks again for the sprouted grains info :) I’ve already started buying some of the things off your pantry list!

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  9. Hi Food Babe,

    Also curious as to what brand of makeup you use as well as your blush and lipstick brand… I have a similar olive skin tone and really like the colors you have chosen. I have been struggling for years with acne which ultimately spurred my new healthy lifestyle. It was not until I did a “Daniel fast” (a vegan diet with no processed white flour, sugar, pasta, caffiene, iodized salt) for three weeks that I began to see the difference in my skin’s health. After this I knew I had to change my diet and lifestyle. So here I am diligently working to phase out all the toxicity out of my life. I’ve been using Clinic’s Acne makeup but would like a healthier alternative. Any suggestions which provide good coverage? Love ya and keep up the good work!

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  10. Just used this to help me place my amazon order! Do you have a post about makeup yet? I couldn’t find one through the search bar, but didn’t know if I was missing something. Thanks so much for this information!

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  11. I just purchased a dry brush and am wondering the best way to clean it. How do you clean yours? I owned one previously that I used in the shower, as I had not yet heard about dry brushing. It didn’t take long for the wood to show some mold and mildew around the bristles. So, I’m wondering if I should try not to get this one wet?

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  12. Item by item I’m switching our cleansers and other household products (tp, makeup, etc..) to healthier/safer alternatives. Unfortunately, this also requires that I gain a degree in chemistry! :) The 30+ names for MSG alone are mind-boggling.
    To the point: I’m researching a good option for shampoo and came across Aubrey organics. ‘YEAH’, I thought…until I read the ingredient list for their Camomile (<– that's how they spell it) Shampoo and right in the middle of the list was Carrageenan. :( <– my face when I discovered this. This is also the face I made when I found that carrageenan is also in one of my favorite-tasting Greek yogurts (although it's not organic). What is the deal with companies relying on crap ingredients?!!!
    1. I'm hoping this isn't the same toxic carrageenan that is found in so many foods on grocery stores (a girl can hope that there are 2 types of carrageenan, right…? Maybe an evil one and a good one that will make Aubrey camomile shampoo a great pick?)
    2. This is yet another reminder that we cannot, unfortunately, trust brands that are organic solely on that designation. Organic doesn't necessarily equal non-toxic.

    Food Babe: Have you posted on the multiple organic accrediting agencies and/or do you have a good resource for understanding these different entities better? (Ex. USDA, Organic Tilth, etc..)

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  14. I very much respect what you do as its very time consuming, hard work, to weed through all the lies & nonsense to find non-toxic products. So, thank you for helping make it easier for me! I had been using many of the same products through my own research & trials; however, a few items are different and I wanted to get your take on them.

    For washing my face, I ONLY use Jane Iredales ‘Magic Mitt’. It works beautifully and takes even my eye make-up off unbelievably. No soap of any kind. Just the mitt & water. Have you used it or heard of it? Of course, i have never tried taking off any make-up besides Jane’s so that may be the trick.

    Also, I found an amazing product for skin exfoliation, but don’t know if its better or worse than your skin brush. It’s called ‘Baiden Magical Mitten’ http://www.magicalmitten.com. It works fabulous, but may be more exfoliation than necessary even though I only use it weekly.

    Would love your take on these if your familiar or ever try them down the road.

    Keep on keepin’ on lady!

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  15. Hi! What make-up products do you use? What are your thoughts about BB cream? I’m trying to access the McBride website, but they are under construction currently. Can you order their products on Amazon? Sorry, one more question, what is a good product to use for uneven skin tone? Thanks for all the information!

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  16. Hi Vani- I love your site!
    Would you please recommend some “make-up” products, for example blush, eyeliner, mascara and foundation?
    Thanks!
    Ani

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  18. I checked the EWG website and the current shampoo and conitioner I am useing works near perfect for me. Kerastase Oero Relax? It was rated a 4, I don’t think thats bad but again I’m not sure how that point system works.

    Also, the Mcbride product you listed I can’t seem to find it at any of the locations you have provided. Also, I have acne on the right side of my face on my jaw line that wont go away! I’ve tried everything and about to see a dermatologist.. is that face wash you recommened good for acne skin? Thanks!

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    • Mcbride is pretty hard to find, so now I use Borage Advanced Skin Therapy, you can find it at most health food stores. Good Luck!

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  19. I just wanted to recommend a toothpaste. I have been through many different natural toothpastes including Dessert Essence, which I used to use regularly. My favorite so far is definitely Kiss My Face sensitive. Even my 7 year old daughter has started using it and likes it better than her strawberry Tom’s of Main. I doubt I will ever even bother to try anything else, because I am that happy with it! I have been using it for about 2 years and my dentist hasn’t noticed any issues due to my lack of flouride either. http://kissmyface.com/natural-oral-care/item/5/Sensitive-Toothpaste

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    • Thanks for the recommendation Tiffany! I’m going to try it next. I’ve been using Tom’s but just bought Dessert Essence today – haven’t used it yet. Love trying new ones!

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  22. I am so glad I came across your website Vani two weeks ago and have been hooked to your posts. I’d been wondering about the crap I put on my face every day. Thank you for sharing this information, I’ve already purchased some of the items. Good luck on your ongoing crusade against the big corporations!
    Much love from an appreciative citizen!

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