5 Ways to Clean Up Your Skincare Routine

What you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your mouth. Seriously!

The skin absorbs most of what it comes in contact with, and anything that permeates the skin gets delivered straight into the bloodstream.

So you can imagine what years of slathering on skin care products with chemical ingredients, additives, and harmful toxins does to our bodies.

Think toxin overload, taxed organ systems, and susceptibility to breakdowns, and increased aging, all of which can lead conditions like cancer and hormonal imbalances.

The sad truth is that the FDA does not regulate how many of these chemicals are present in our go-to products. So whether we like it or not it’s our responsibility to keep an eye out for the “bad guys” in our shampoo, toothpaste, makeup, and more.

To ensure you are nourishing your skin properly and exclusively allowing truly all-natural ingredients into your precious body as much as possible, it’s best to cut out anything that contains the following:

1. Parabens. These preservatives are widely used in skin care products found at your local drug store. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to these “estrogen-mimickers” increases the risk of breast cancer development. No thank you!
2. Fragrance. There’s actually no way to know what “fragrance” is. It’s usually a proprietary blend and a way for companies to hide potentially harmful substances in their products. Most of the time, it causes inflammation and irritation below the epidermal layer of skin, and that often leads to the breakdown of collagen. If you’d like to keep your skin cells plump and young, stay away from this.
3. Formaldehyde. This is a well-known carcinogen that is still being used as a preservative in too many products. It’s often hidden in products under names like: DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl urea, Quaternium-15, Bronopol (2–bromo–2–nitropropane–1,3-diol ), 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane, and Hydroxymethylglycinate.
4. Phthalates. These are chemicals that are used to soften plastics and are present in hundreds of consumer products. It’s been proven that they interrupt the endocrine system causing hormonal imbalances in both men and pregnant women.
5. Boric Acid (or Sodium Borate). This is a pesticide and is often used against insects, fungus, and weeds. It’s put in cosmetics made in the United States to prevent bacteria growth, meanwhile Europe banned it as an ingredient in skin care products.

So now that you know the truth, you may be wondering, “what the heck should I buy??!” Not to worry, we’ve got you covered.

Here are a few holistic skin care products and brands that are Parsley approved.

Dr. Bronners
Dr. Hauschka
ESPA
J.R. Watkins
John Masters Organics
Kora Organics
Pangea Organics
Ren Clean Skincare
S.W. Basics
Sunshine Botanicals
Tata Harper

What is your skincare routine like? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments below.