What's in your skin care products? Do you know?

How about parabens? Parabens are a preservative used in most skin care and beauty products to give them a longer shelf life. Unfortunately they also mimic estrogen in the body, an increase which has been linked to certain types of cancer, specifically breast. What about fragrances? Added fragrances' formulations by law, are not required to be in the list of ingredients on products. Many of these fragrances are made with ingredients that contain hormone disrupters. Not good. Mineral oil? Mineral oil is an ingredient that has been used in skin care products for quite some time. The problem with mineral oil is that it doesn't penetrate into the skin. Instead of hydrating the skin, it actually dries it out causing redness and irritation. Because the molecular structure of the oil is too large, it can also clog follicles (pores) causing comedones (blackheads) and breakouts.

Our body absorbs these harmful ingredients into the bloodstream causing short term reactions like breakouts, skin rashes and sensitivity, and sometimes even long term issues like acne, eczema and chronic headaches. New links between products and health are being researched every day. The more I learn the more I know that going organic is key.

Skin

The skin is our largest organ. Everything we do, consume or apply is reflected in our skin. Using clean, organic skin care and beauty products will promote healthy, glowing skin.

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Redesigning the blog for easier reading. Tell me what you think!

Yay!

KB Organic Skin Care & Waxing is Celebrating Two Wonderful Years of Organic Skin Care!

A gourmet Gluten-free, Dairy-free event!!

True or False? Natural products are less likely to cause breakouts.

False. There is no evidence that natural skin care products are less likely to cause breakouts than those made with synthetic ingredients. Both can cause problems. If you're sensitive to something, you're sensitive to it. It could be the healthiest vegetable, fruit or grain in the world and YOU could still have a reaction to it.

As far as synthetic products go, there are many man-made chemicals that can be extremely irritating to the skin. There are problems in natural products as well. Some natural oils when broken down, end up as fatty acids that may be comedogenic. It is extremely important to find a licensed aesthetician and skin care specialist in your area that can help you make educated choices in your skin care regime.

True or False? Drinking causes phymatous rosacea, or rhinophyma (a bulbous nose condition)?

False. Drinking can be a trigger for rosacea, but phymatous rosacea, which causes the bulbous nose condition known as rhinophyma, is believed to be hereditary. Rosacea sufferers should avoid triggers that flare their condition such as heat, sun, stress, spicy foods and even sometimes exercise, as continual flaring can make it worse.

True or False? Allergic reactions are the #1 type of reaction caused by skin care products.

False. The #1 type of reaction to skin care products are irritant reactions such as over exfoliating and the abuse of chemical stripping products. Over exfoliation damages the barrier function of the skin, causing inflammation and dehydration and can overstimulate the skin. Using harsh cleansers that are wrong for your skin type can also cause irritation. True allergic reactions only occur in people who have a strong immune reaction to the product.