Confused About Beauty Product Ingredients?

Don't worry - there's a lot to be confused about! The type and quality of ingredients used in beauty products makes all the difference as to whether or not they work!

It is truely worth your time to read up on beauty product ingredients. There is a lot to be aware of. You'll discover little gems of information and have several "ah ha!" moments.

But most importantly you must go to your bathroom, pick up the bottles in your shower or by your sink and read the labels. Knowledge is power. Choose to be informed!

At the Beginning

The history behind the cosmetics industry is a long, drawn out yet extremelly facisinating one. It is important to know where the industry stands today.

One of the best ways to do this is to look at how it even came about. Click here to learn more about the history of the cosmetics industry.

Good Ingredients

It shouldn't come as too much of a shock that the substances used in beauty products we consider to be beneficial are those that come right from Mother Nature herself.

The Native Americans believed that the earth provided everything they could ever need. Nature was in prefect balance and anything else added was harmful or too much.

This same philosophy can be applied to beauty products. Those made with things found in nature are usually beneficial. Those made with synthetics are debatable.

Thinking about this a little further, it makes sense. We are a part of nature just as much as a plant is. We need the same basic elements. Anything else added to our systems is usually harmful or just too much.

Ok enough preaching to the choir. What are the good product components already? Here are a few of my favorite natural ingredients:

• Aloe Vera - a great ingredient for soothing burns and dry skin.
• Brown Sugar - dry skin bothering you? Try brown sugar as a way to exfloiate!
• Green Tea - one of the world's best antioxidants, green tea has been used for centuries as a natural beauty aid.
• Jasmine - a sensual scent that can releive depression and calm the nerves.
• Jojoba oil - this essential oil can do all kinds of things like getting rid of dead, flaking skin.
• Lavender - looking to relax and catch some zzz's? Lavender is great for calming the senses!
• Sandalwood - a powerful essential oil that helps restore the skin
• Seaweed - known for its high vitamin and mineral content, this plant can help you get rid of cellulite!
• Shea Butter - this super moisturizer will help you get rid of dry skin in no time!
• Sweet Almond Oil - a great massage oil with a delicious scent!
• Tea Tree Oil - an oil that can help heal minor cuts, skin irritations, acne and more!
• Witch Hazel - helps to calm the skin and reduce swelling.

Bad Ingredients

If it weren't food the "bad" ingredients, I wouldn't have this website to try and point people in the right direction! When I say bad, I'm referring to many cheap, poor quality substances that are found in so many beauty products today.

• Parabens - can cause irritation and are known hormone mimickers.
• Propylene Glycol - known to pull moisture from your skin.
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - a known skin irritant which pops up in all kinds of beauty products.

The problem with the bad substances is that there is a large debate going on as to what is truely bad for you and what is just hype. Yes we use small amounts of these substances in products. So many products are made up of mostly water anyway.

But we do use beauty products every day. Most of us can't imagine a regular day without showering or brushing our teeth at the least. Overtime these particles can add up. Why put something in your body that is harmful when there are so many things that are beneficial?

This site isn't meant to lecture you on the dangers of certain ingredients, but rather to give you an overall perspective on what exactly they do to your body.

After all - it is your body - you get to decide what goes in it! At the very least, make an informed decision.