"Beauty Products"

A number of events over the past few days have given me the drive to rant again. While I often go on about food or fitness, today's topic is beauty. My first point: Beauty is not vanity if it is pursued with self-love and care.

I've talked about skin and "beauty regimens" before, but I'll stress again that if I learned one lesson from my mom (though I promise I've learned many), it's that your skin is your biggest organ and because it's on the outside, it deserves a lot of care. The problem is that most of us believe that taking care of our skin is a vanity. We have equated getting a botox treatment or splurging on some wrinkle cream with getting a natural exfoliation treatment or putting organic lotion on every night. To me, the first is unhealthy, while the latter is totally healthy, and is just basic health and wellness care.

I've been made to feel that going for a facial was like I was going to commit a crime, that I was being overly self-indulgent, or that I was wasting my money and resources. But why? Is it such a crime to want one of my major organs to be in peek health? No one questions if you are following treatments to detox your liver or clean out your bowels? So why hate on skin? Because most people don't see the difference between proper skin maintenance and the "glamour" of the beauty industry.

Glamour literally used to mean "an enchantment or spell", and that's what its industry tries to achieve. "Beauty products" in the most basic sense are glamour: they try to make you something you are not. They make your hair straight when it's frizzy, make your skin tan when it's pale. What I'm talking about is basic maintenance, like taking a shower or using soap. Those activities aren't seen as indulgent, neither is brushing your teeth! So why isn't keeping your skin healthy and hydrated with some help from lotions and cleaners from some reliable companies that use organic plant-based products?

Of course I believe that the number one way to stay beautiful on the inside and out is through diet (aka. raw food) and by maintaining a healthy attitude about yourself, there is nothing wrong (and I in fact advise) that you help keep your skin smooth and aglow by using lotion (or coconut butter) and other things like weekly (or monthly) masks. The reason I love going for facials (something I only do whenever I can, which ends up being about twice a year) is to have my pores totally cleaned out with the little extractor thing they use to clear out the stuff that accumulates as a result of our polluted world. Like I said, it's maintenance. A proper skin care regimen is like keeping your car properly oiled, while freaking out by getting neck tucks or using collagen is like putting chrome rims on a neglected vehicle.

If that's inspired you, my favourites are the products made by Pangea Organics. If you buy stuff from them online, they always have some sort of deal going on. Yes, some people might say it's expensive, but they are one of the only brands that are legit in terms of how they source their ingredients (and if you read their label, you can actually recognize all of the contents!). Also, Dr. Bronner's is super for basics like soap, lip balm, and lotion. I also used to use Jurilique products before I found Pangea, but I switched over because Jurilique is made in Australia (you can actually visit their herb farm) and so my "beauty miles" were higher than Pangea's stuff which comes from the U.S. But for all the Aussies out there, go for it! Finally, if you really do care, the one thing that isn't skin care related that I actually use is eyeliner. That's it. So at least, I do try to live up to what I say!

If that's not enough, here's more for today's food for thought:


Also, for the more activist perspective, check out the Organic Consumers Association's campaign to create standards for beauty products and cosmetics!

Comments

  1. I only wish I could have explained myself as well as you just did. :) I definitely agree that there are products that can be a necessity for healthy skin, whereas other things (like botox and tanning beds) fall heavily in the vanity category and don't help us really in any way. I find it surprising that I never thought of how I eat as contributing towards how my skin looks; it seems like it should be common sense.

    Thanks for the Pangea Organics link! I have been wanting to switch my products to organic for a while but I like to wait until I hear recommendations about things before I blindly try them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You definitely inspired my post :)

    But yes, diet has definitely been the #1 factor in clearing up my skin. Though I would obviously argue it's not too extreme, a raw diet has made my skin better than it has ever been, a part of me is looking forward to what it'll look like in 20 years when I've been doing this that long, lol.

    About Pangea, their products are actually crazy. They have the most amazing mask that you can actually see (and feel) the difference in your skin instantaneously after you use it... it's like magic!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Of course when I read this post, I thought of myself and our conversations in the car and also my most recent email to you requesting information about these products. I agree that, because our skin is our largest organ, it is worth attending to. From the inside and the outside. Have a great day! andra

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Cooking is like Piracy

Eat: Turmeric Milk, the perfect night time relaxant

Dehydrator Giveaway