5 Natural Solutions for Your Skin and Hair
Did you know that our skin is our largest organ? It covers about 18 square feet of our body and acts as our first line of self-defense, protecting us from harmful threats to our body.
It also holds our body together and absorbs just about everything we put on it or we touch, all of which is then regulated through our blood stream.
Furthermore, what we put in our hair is also important as our hair is right over our brain – the center of all our thoughts, systems, and ability to function. So what goes in our hair definitely impacts our scalp and our brain in a positive or negative way.
So it makes you wonder:
What is actually in my skin and hair care products? Are the ingredients in these products harming me in a way I don’t even realize? Or is it nourishing my skin and hair and whole body?
Well, let’s figure this out together because if our skin is our first line of self-defense against harmful external forces and our hair is closely connected to our brain, this is something we definitely got to pay attention to.
Dirty Dozen of Cosmetics
In an article called “What You Put ON Your Body Is as Important as What You Put IN It,” Dr. Amy Myers mentions that women can put up to 515 chemicals on their bodies PER day through their shampoo, conditioner, lipstick, hairspray, foundation, deodorant, body lotion and more.
She goes on to state that just as there is a Dirty Dozen when it comes to non-organic produce, there is a Dirty Dozen when it comes to Cosmetics. These chemicals may damage your DNA, cause skin irritation, deplete oxygen, cause joint issues, fatigue, and may even lead to cancer if not kept in check.
These 12 chemicals are:
1. BHA and BHT
2. Coal tar dyes
3. DEA
4. Dibutyl phthalate
5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
6. Parabens
7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)
8. PEG compounds
9. Petrolatum
10. Siloxanes
11. Sodium laureth sulfate
12. Triclosan
To be honest with you, it wasn’t until I started eating more whole foods filled with nutrients that I started to see that what I put ON my body is just as important as what I put IN my body.
Through the last year or so, I’ve started to use coconut oil on my skin and in my hair, Dr. Bronner’s body washes, and organic shampoo and conditioner. It has gotten to the point that my body is so used to natural products being used on it that whenever I use not as natural ones, I get itchy or break out! Crazy, right?
Essential Oils for Skin and Hair
Then when I got introduced to essential oils to help with my wrist, I started to look into whether essential oils could help with my skin and hair. And little did I know, how helpful MANY of the oils actually are for your skin and hair! I even finally found a natural deodorant and essential oil I could use as a deodorant as it seems all of the other more natural ones just don’t work for me (i.e. I still stinky a bit when I sweat!)
So I wanted to share with you at least 5 combinations of essential oils and essential oil products that I currently use as natural solutions for my skin and hair:
- Moisturizer for Skin and Hair: As mentioned before, I started using coconut oil on my skin when I found out that it was useful for moisturizing and nourishing your skin. So when I started using essential oils and found out melaleuca, lavender and frankincense were also all great for skin issues and nourishment, I started using them with coconut oil on my skin and hair! For my curly hair, this mixture really nourishes and holds in my curls! Also, even my husband has used this mixture and has seen great results in his skin complexion!
2. Shampoo and Conditioner: About four years ago, I went natural (back to my curly roots) and chopped off all my chemically processed hair. However, I proceeded to use shampoos and conditioners which I knew had chemicals in it so that my curls could look nice. Yet, after learning about the harmful effects of chemicals on your body, I started to search for more natural ways to care for my hair. I got introduced to an organic line called Cantu which worked great, but once I started using essential oils and got introduce to the doTERRA Salon Essentials Care System – in particular the Shampoo and Conditioner! As a curly, haired girl from the Caribbean, I wasn’t sure this was going to work on my hair but how I was surprised! Not only does do the shampoo and conditioner leave my hair healthy and moisturized, but it locks in my curls in a more natural way! Bye Bye Gel 🙂
3. Hair Serum: The root-to-tip serum was the first hair product I tried by doTERRA and I fell in love with how much it moisturized and nourished my hair without weighing it down or making it feel greasy. Filled with awesome oils like lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, melaleuca and more, it’s a combination of oils that even the driest hair can’t stand up to!
4. Deodorant: Let’s get real – not every products works for everyone. I’ve tried multiple lines of natural deodorants, but they always left me still stinky and sweaty. Yet, when I tried doTERRA’s natural deodorant and also used geranium essential oil with it (a beautiful flower oil where the scent actually comes out more when you sweat), I finally found a combination that kept my arm pits less sweaty and smelling sweet and lovely 🙂
5. Facial Cleanser System: I’ve always had very sensitive skin so growing up I could only use Dove Sensitive Soap – everything else made me break out with pimples or irritated my skin. So when I first tried doTERRA’s HD Clear Facial System, I was very nervous and hesitant. However, after trying the face wash, using the lotion, and applying the topical blend to help with spots/pimples, I was amazed – I didn’t break out from it! I finally found a face wash and cleansing system that I could use to care for my skin thoroughly and naturally! And for me, that was worth it all 🙂
Now by no means is this an exhaustive list of possible essential oils and natural products that can help you with your skin! There are so many great ones out there, including doTERRA’s new SPA products and other essential oils like Myrrh, Helichrysum and a lovely ant-aging blend called Immortelle!
And I haven’t even gotten into make-up yet! That’s a whole other story, for another time 🙂
Do you want to care for your skin and hair more naturally?
If you are interested in learning more about how to naturally care for your skin and hair, there is an opportunity to do just that this Saturday October 15th, at 3pm at my house in Prospect, to learn more! I’m having a special class dedicating to elaborating further on the above mentioned oils and products + more!
However, if you can’t make it but are still interested in learning more about essential oils and how they can nourish your skin and hair, sign up for a FREE Essential Oil Consultation with me so we can chat about it all!
Sign up >>HERE<<.
One of my deepest desires as a health coach and wellness advocate for essential oils, is to see you empowered to truly be healthy and thrive in all area of your lives, including how you care for your skin and hair.
So I highly encourage you to take a look at your products and see if they have any of the Dirty Dozen and ask yourself if these products are actually caring for your skin and hair, or if they are destroy them.
Whatever you do, always “live healthy, live empowered, and live naturally so that you can live long.”
