During the Fresh Expo, I had the opportunity to speak about some of my favorite topics – “Detoxing Your Beauty Regimen” and the “The Truth about GMOs.” I received so many questions after the beauty talk, that I didn’t even get a chance to take a breather before my next talk on GMOs! Avoiding chemicals in your beauty regime is a tough job considering the world we live in and it takes constant awareness and education. In light of all the questions I received, I’m putting together a FAQ specially on this topic…
If you have questions you would like to have answered, please feel free to leave them below or on Facebook or Twitter and I will add them to the list.
In the meantime – I hope you enjoy learning about my 5 Beauty Obsessions as featured in Well & Good NYC this week here.
Stay well this weekend!
Food Babe
Hi Food Babe! I love your posts! If you like Tarte, try Josie Maran Argan Cosmetics!
It would be awesome to bring light to Small Business Owners who spend time providing Organic, Chemical Free bath & Beauty Products for the whole family! http://www.etsy.com is a great place to start looking!
I am a Work-at-Home-Mom and formulate my own recipes for Organic Alternatives to the “un-healthy” options out there today! I would love to share some with you if you are ever interested in a special Organic Pack! Thanks for all you do! Love it all! http://www.honeybeeholistics.etsy.com
I have tried Honey Bee Holistics….your products are great! I’m definitely ordering more for the summer. The deodorant, lip balm and lotion all work so well and smell so good.
Do you use the Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap to wash your face or use it as an all over body soap and/or both? I like Dr. Bronners, do you have any comments on their soaps?
Hi Food Babe!
To use the coconut oil as eye makeup remover, do you have to melt it first???
Thanks!
Me too? I am curious and do you use it on your face? Do you use the Kiss My Face bars for your face?
THANK YOU!
You can use it straight from the jar, your body heat will melt it.
Doesn’t this leave your face super oily though? I tried using coconut oil as a body moisturizer and it smelled awesome but was a bit too oily for me. It didn’t penetrate the skin as fast as other lotions or creams. Thoughts?
Hi Edith! This was in response to the question about using coconut oil as an eye makeup remover which would then be wiped off. Many people find straight coconut oil to be a bit to oily to use a moisturizer. There are lots of “dryer” oils to choose from that work great!! Avocado & Sweet Almond are great bases. I like to add in Rose Hips, Carrot Seed, Sea Buckthorn and/or Pomegranate Seed. The combinations are endless!!
Hi guys, you dont want to use any type of soap bar on your face because it clogs your pores, any soap that foams also clogs your pores
Great article! What do you recommend for shampoo, conditioner and body wash?
I’d like to know this too!
I agree with Melissa above, Etsy is a great place to find organic, homemade beauty products. Also, I think a lot of oils work as eye makeup remover (and cleanser actually) – I use baby oil to remove eye makeup, works great!
Baby oil is petroleum! Not good for you or the environment!,
Not to mention the baby!!!!
Try coconut oil instead…works great and is a healthy choice.
I bought the 8 pack of Kiss My Face on Amazon and it worked out to be $3 a bar. Thanks for the tip. I have been using Nuetrogena but I looked at their ingredients and there were a lot of words there I never heard of! hahahhaa
I like the dry brush idea. All good pointers – thanks!
What would be a good face wash??
Try making your own from items you already have in your kitchen 🙂 Whole milk (raw if you can get it), raw honey and oatmeal (uncooked, dry, ground into powder in a blender or food processor). I make enough for the week and keep in in the refrigerator. If you want exfoliation, add some brown sugar right before you use it.
Many would say just water. I have only used water to wash my face for decades and have no skin issues. The shower does it for me quite well!
Great advice! I’d love to know what makeup products and hair products you would recommend.
I’m curious at to what type of hand soap you recommend? I’m also curious about ava anderson.
What do you use to smell good? For deodorant and purfume?
Great article! Thanks for this. I have had questions about the right things to buy.
Can you please recommend a good concealer and foundation or tinted moisturizer?
Juice Beauty has a great Organic makeup line. I use their face powder, concealer, blush and lipstick! http://www.juicebeauty.com/ I’m in love with it
I would also like to know which makeup foundation is better. EWG doesn’t help much for this question.
Great article!
Have you ever tried Lush Cosmetics? Their products come from fair trade ingredients. Most are vegan and natural. I love their one facial wash that’s made from kaolin clay, fennel and lavender. My skin has never looked better since switching to their products.
they have parabens (nasty preservatives) in their products unfortunately 🙁
Do you use an eye cream? or overall face moisturizer? I have been on the look out for a good eye cream.
What is your favorite face soap? Also sunscreen? I break out from so many products that maybe a natural one would work better. I loved the beauty tips!
I know that you’re a fan of dry brushing, and I’m wondering how many times a week you do it. Also, how do you clean your brush?
What cleanser and moisturizer do you recommend for oily skin? What soap/shampoo do you recommend for young children?
What do you recommend using for shaving, both for men and women?
What do you think about Bare Minerals?
Is there any makeup line that does not use carmine or cochineal? I think if women really knew where the deep reds and pinks in lipsticks and food coloring come from, they wouldn’t use those products!
I would love a recommendation for toothpaste and deodorant. After trying dozens of beauty lines I have settled on the Acure product line for shampoo/conditioner, facial cleanser and moisturizers. It’s reasonable priced, works well and is available at Whole Foods or online at vitacost.com. Can’t seem to find the right toothpaste or deodorant yet.
What are your thoughts on bare minerals?
What do you think of Korres? I’ve recently become obsessed. The salesperson at Sephora told me that Korres and Dior are the only two cosmetics lines to have won Nobel prizes for their ethical practices?
I have 2 teenagers at home and both have bouts of really bad break outs, especially my daughter around that time of the month. What can they use to help with the breakouts? I already cleaned up our eating, no processed, no fried, no sugar and they take probiotics.
We use the Jason product line for shampoo, conditioner, bodywash and handsoap. I’m working through trying to find a fluoride free toothpaste. I use deodorant which does NOT contain aluminum, parabens or sulphates, St Helene, or Bionsen. Just go to http://www.cancerschmancer.com to type in what products you use and what chemicals etc. are in them.
ium and paraben free
A good fluoride free toothpaste is Spry. It contains xylitol which is a natural sweetener and it also disrupts the bacteria from forming acids that cause tooth decay. You can probably find it at your health food store.
Thanks for the product recommendations! Nearly all the beauty products I use are touted as natural & I know the top things to stay away from (sls, propolene glycol, etc.) but was wondering if there was an all inclusive list of things that should be avoided. I notice various alcohols in my products & wonder if that is okay. I’ve tried looking up some of my products on the skin deep database but often times they aren’t listed on there. TIA!
Ok your hair is lovely-so please share what you are doing there. Finding natural hair care is a nightmare and your hair is SO shiny! Must know your secret!
I’d love to know what you think about Lush. Specifically, I’m wondering about the Fresh Farmacy face wash: http://www.lushusa.com/Fresh-Farmacy/00077,en_US,pd.html?start=4&cgid=cleansers. I switched over to this from Cetaphil face wash a few years ago in order to detox my regime, but now I’m wondering if Lush’s advertising has fooled me! Thanks so much for all you do!
Are you familiar with the Melaleuca brand? They market themselves as a wellness company. I’ve been using their products around my house, but I don’t like that it’s a mandatory purchase each month and you have to be a “member” to get a discount. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on them.
Would you use Johnson & Johnson products on a baby?
I would love some advice on skincare for kids! I have an 11 year old son who is starting to experience some breakouts & also has very dry cheeks – Our dermatologist recommended cetaphil too!!!!
I also have younger daughters (ages 5-8) and would love to get them started on a healthy routine that they can stay with!
Thank-you so much on all your food advice – we are making changes daily and loving it!
I have been trying to find healthy excellent quality cosmetics that contain nothing harmful, but to date have not found any. I virtually wear no makeup because of this, and really need to find some that I feel safe using. I would like to know where to readily find foundations, powders, mascara, liner & shadows with minimal ingredients that are all healthy and pronouncable. thanks
Have you tried Jurlique or Josie Maran? They’re both ‘supposedly’ all natural, and I love items in both colletions albiet pricey.
What do you recommend for a daily facial moisturizer/sunscreen? I am only 29 and I have already had one squamous cell carcinoma removed from my chest. My dermatologist wants me to wear SPF 50 everyday (and I’m not even trying to get tan!). Thanks
Hi! What skin care do you recommend for acne prone skin? I would love to switch over to something natural.
I love this small company:
http://www.bubbleandbee.com
The woman that owns it is so knowledgeable and careful in selecting ingredients for her products. She also has a blog with tons of useful information as well as an additional chemical of the day blog. I generally go to her for information about chemicals in body products and food babe for info about bad stuff in food. She does not sell make-up, but she has some good info on her blog about it. I highly recommend her products though.
I hate to be yet another comment on the blog! lol. I would love to know your suggestions on hair and make up. I do suffer from eczema and acne. So when it comes to this, I am scared to death to try new things, however if there is a company out there that does truly have clean and clear products free of the crud. I can’t help but wonder if that would do wonders for me! Do you foresee having a head to toe go-to list of products that affordable for your adoring fans. I know I would love to hear them. I’ll be waiting patiently!
Vani,
I was in Harris Teeter last week and a lady and I bumped heads as we scavenged the items in the reduced sales cart. She was examining makeup and I noticed the bandaids on her face and chest which I later learned were from skin cancer. Upon observing the makeups top ingredient as talc, I threw the product in the cart and yelled, “Cancer!” The lady proceeded to tell me about her sister who had a rash from head to toe and it took the Charlotte doctors over a year to figure out the rash was due to a preservative in Shampoo. The shampoo her sister used was Pantene and the ingredient is still in the product! The preservative is named Methylisothiazolinone. Oh horrors! Check out this Facebook page on the tragic consequences of this chemical.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allergy-to-Isothiazolinone-Methylisothiazolinone-and-Chloroisothiazolinone/307128722674171
The Doctors don’t know about this allergy and many people are unaware!
It took me a year as well for my dermatologist to find I was allergic to Methhylisthiazolinone. It is actually a preservation used in many products. In Europe this chemical is banned in all products, but the United States is so political it does nothing about it.
I use all products that are made in Germany. Pure clean and organic. Read your labels it is everywhere.
Hi Vani,
What it is your take on the brand – 100% pure cosmetics? They do claim to use a lot of organic ingredients in their products, but I wanted to know what you thought of them. Thanks!
Hi, I would dye my hair and like to know, what do you think about brand Manic Panic semi permanent hair color? or what option do you think is better?
Hi all!
Could you Vani (or anyone else 😉 please recommend a fluoride-free & chemical-free toothpaste?
Thank you,
EM
I use this for everything, body, face, hair shampoo. Love it. What do you think of this company? Thank you foodbabe
Does anyone have experience with Rodan + Fields skin care products?
Have you ever tried Beautycounter? I ordered products this week and looking forward to trying it. Checking to see if you’ve researched them. They recently had an article on GMOs: http://www.beautycounter.com/know-everything/genetically-modified-organisms-gmos-101/?ConsultantID=117442&ConsultantFirstName=Eva&ConsultantLastName=Carper
Anyone interested in making their own recipes for skin products, etc. even mascara, go to WELLNESSMAMA.COM Love that site!
The only product I use on my face, to cleanse, & then to moisturize both night & day is pure, cold-processed, organic coconut oil. My skin feels & looks amazing. I’ve done oil-pulling as well, & now am going to start making homemade toothpaste from coconut oil, baking soda, & a little peppermint oil, to protect my gums & teeth. Why spend money on high-priced products with unnatural chemicals & additives, when you can use the natural, God-given resources for a lot less!
Hi Vani! I have recently started following you and even recorded your segment on TV this week. I wish they hadn’t cut you short! I commend everything you have been doing and love how you help others understand in a way in which they can easily understand. Have you checked out Beautycounter for personal care products? They company’s entire mission is safe products for everyone. https://jillhunt.beautycounter.com/Home
Let me know if you have any questions about the company and products!