Why Should I Use Natural Cosmetics?

Natural cosmetics are one of the latest must have beauty trends — and of course, we tend to assume that natural products are made with entirely natural and organic ingredients. Often, if we see the words "organic" or "natural", we think that using that product will be better for our health, too.

The packaging of a cosmetic product is simply designed to sell the product, and according to Dr. Roberta Palestine, it's often just hype — she says: "Natural isn't always better. Synthetic isn't necessarily worse."

So why should we use natural cosmetics? And are they really better for our skin?

Chemicals in Cosmetics

Cosmetics, for the most part, are made up of chemicals. Some of those chemicals occur naturally, whilst others are made in the lab. The reason why many people are making the switch from more traditional cosmetics towards "natural" cosmetics is because they want to steer clear of the chemicals in traditional cosmetics, like parabens, phthalates and petrochemicals.

Makeup companies and the Personal Care Products Council maintain that these ingredients are safe for use in cosmetics, consumer groups such as the Environmental Working Group have commissioned numerous studies that suggest consumers should steer clear of products that contain these products. But who should the consumers believe?

What is Natural?

There are no regulations that define what natural products should contain and how they should be made. However, things are a little different when it comes to the word organic. Organic products should contain ingredients that are derived from organic sources, meaning sources that are certified as organic. This doesn't necessarily mean that the product is completely natural, but it's still a fairly good bet.

The Right Products For Your Skin

Generally, skin care experts agree that what matters most is choosing products for your skin type, rather than focussing on whether a product is natural or not. The best way to do find out which cosmetics are really ideal for your skin is to visit a dermatologist and ask for a patch test — this helps to pinpoint the specific chemicals that could cause problems with your skin and enables you to make the right choices for your skin care and cosmetics.

It's also a good idea to keep the list of ingredients that comes with the product you buy so that if it irritates you in the future, you can begin to pinpoint which product or ingredient could be causing your problems.

Making the Switch to Natural Cosmetics

If you do want to make the switch to natural cosmetics, there are a few things you need to watch out for. Linda Collinson, who works for a natural skin care company, says that there are a few ingredients you need to avoid across all of your cosmetics and skin care products if you have particularly sensitive or damaged skin, such as:

• alcohol
• fragrance
• mineral oil
• formaldehyde
• FD&C colors
• phthalates
• petrochemicals

These common ingredients are likely to cause the most damage to your skin and so you should really take care to avoid these ingredients. Collinson also says that all-natural skin and makeup products that you can make in your own kitchen are often better for your skin than anything you can buy commercially — and she recommends using lemon juice to bleach and lighten sun spots as well as a mixture of yogurt and salt to tighten and mattify oily skin.

Always Read The Label

Regardless of whether or not the packaging of a cosmetic product says that the product is natural or organic, it's really important that you read the label to find out what's really in there. If you want smoother skin, steer clear of skincare products that contain parabens, mercury, lead, pthlalates, dioxane and petrochemicals.

Look instead for products that have a relatively short list of ingredients with the most important ingredients at the top. The first ingredient is usually water, but that's completely normal. Colors and other preservative ingredients should be at the bottom of the list and ideally, the ingredients list should be less than 10 ingredients long. If you look at the label and you don't recognize any of the ingredients, that's when you know that the product is jam-packed with chemicals that aren't likely to be any good for your skin. Instead of assuming it's OK, snap a picture of the label, go home, and research what all those alien words mean — and what those chemicals could do to your skin.

Not So Good Natural Ingredients

Natural ingredients and natural cosmetics are often a god-send for those people with sensitive skin or specific skin complaints, but for some, cosmetics that contain all-natural ingredients could actually cause allergic reactions.

If a product causes any sensitivity or allergy issues, whether it is natural or not so natural, you should cease use immediately - natural doesn't always mean better and if a natural product is causing allergies or sensitivity, you have to stop using it. Often, people think that if a natural product causes redness or other symptoms that it just means that the skin is getting used to the product. That's not true - if a product is good for your skin or if a product works well with your skin type, it will not cause any adverse reactions. If it does, throw it in the bin!

Do you use natural cosmetics? Or do you prefer to choose products based on your skin type? Let us know your thoughts!