I am currently in the process of introducing vegan, cruelty free, and organic (or at least with the least amount of harsh chemicals as possible) into my skin and hair care routines, as well as cleaning products and wherever else I can make a positive impact on the environment.
This process started a few weeks ago, after I was tired of feeling the need to straighten my extremely dry, damaged, and frizzy curly hair every day. Right now, I have really nice curls … but they’re hidden under a few layers of frizzy and damaged hair that is more-or-less straight now. That’s right. I’ve straightened my hair SO MUCH that now half of it is straight.
After searching YouTube, I came across CurlyPenny {she is so adorable, has beautiful hair, and awesome tips! I would suggest checking her out if you have curly hair}. She follows the Curly Girl (CG) Method, by Lorraine Massey (click here for more information).
Basically, most of the hair care/styling products available at Shoppers, Wal-Mart, or your local grocery store contain sulphates, parabens, and silicones. These chemicals are not good for your hair, especially those of us with curly hair. The method includes eliminating all sulphates, parabens, and silicones from your hair care routine, and to use shampoo as infrequently as possible. I’ll leave my hair journey to another post, but by stopping and looking at the ingredients list on the back of that Garnier or L’Oreal conditioner bottle, lead me to question what other harsh/harmful chemicals were in the products that I used on my hair and skin.
After doing my research on what ingredients to avoid for the Curly Girl Method (found here and here), I went into my bathroom and read the labels on everything. Face wash, body wash, hair oil – even my Vitamin E Moisture face serum from The Body Shop. The 7th ingredient is Dimethicone. Under the CG Method, Dimethicone is banned.
Dimethicone is what the chemists like to call a silicon-based polymer—”polymer” meaning it’s a large molecule made up of several smaller units bonded together. Simply put, it’s a silicon oil, man-made in the laboratory and used in personal care products as an anti-foaming agent, skin protectant, and skin and hair conditioner…Dimethicone also helps form a protective barrier on the skin (cincovidas.com).
While it is approved by the FDA, it’s actually NOT good for your skin, especially if used every day. Cinco Vidas (linked above) lists a number of reasons why Dimethicone should be avoided. That is just one product that can be found in hair and skin care products. Imagine all the others!
I quickly realized that I needed to do more research and find companies that use natural, organic products. And not just the “oh yeah, this product is organic because such-and-such probably didn’t have pesticides used on it.” I’m talking about companies that actually care about their customers, are transparent in their ingredients, and who use 100% (or at least very close to it) natural, organic ingredients in their products.
It astounds me that I’ve only just started questioning the ingredients in my conditioner, face cleanser, and body lotion. I knew that there were chemicals in makeup, but because real natural and organic products are so out of reach and really only available if you’re actively looking for them, it’s much easier to go to Shoppers when you run out of foundation and get the latest Maybelline product, without even thinking about what you’re smothering your skin with every day and what chemicals are sinking into your skin, and the effects it could have on your health.
I have created this blog as a place to document my journey to a cleaner, healthier, more natural and organic lifestyle, starting with hair and beauty products. I think it would be really amazing to one day live a completely organic and vegan lifestyle, but I think that will take a few years. In the mean time, I will post product reviews, DIY projects/recipes, and tips 😀
Dreaming Is My Art 