How to Choose Safe Beauty Products
By Marie Olson, RWP, FNTP
Many of us check the labels for our food before making selections, but how many of us are checking the labels of our personal care products? It’s not something I ever thought much about, even when I was going through my certification program to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. My skincare and makeup routine were minimal, and I never paid much attention to what was in what I was buying. But then I started learning about body burden and the toxic ingredients in most over-the-counter products, and I started paying closer attention to things. In part, that was what prompted me to become a Certified Aromatherapist.
I had been slowly incorporating essential oils into my Nutritional Therapy practice, and clients had seen good results, but I wanted to learn even more. So I took some classes about essential oils, and I was hooked! It opened up a whole new world to me. I decided to pursue an additional certification in aromatherapy to complement my nutrition practice, and have enjoyed every minute of it. I am now the first (and currently only!) Certified Professional Aromatherapist in Guam. I make bespoke blends for clients based on what they’re trying to accomplish…alleviate muscle aches and pains, reduce headaches, and address eczema. I, of course, also encourage dietary changes and ask them how their hydration is. Everything is connected. I also ask them what else they’re using on their body on a daily basis.
You may be as shocked as I was to find out that the average woman uses over 168 chemicals on her body in a given day, and that’s just with an average of 12 products! This includes chemicals in everything from shampoo and conditioner, to body lotion and makeup, to toothpaste and fragrances to make them smell nice. These chemicals include hormone disruptors, artificial fragrances and colors, preservatives and more, and can do things from making your shampoo lather to making your products have a certain feel, look or color. Some of the most common offenders are preservatives such as parabens, petroleum byproducts, phthalates, propylene glycol, synthetic fragrances, artificial colors and more.
I recently recorded a Ditch and Switch series on my YouTube Channel featuring the 10 most toxic products you may have in your home and healthier alternatives. You may be surprised to learn what’s on the list! The biggest offender? Perfumes and colognes! The average number of chemicals is anywhere from 250-400! Even the lowest offender on the list, deodorant, has an average of 8, and that includes aluminum and parabens, a hormone disruptor! You can request my list of the top 12 ingredients to avoid here.
In addition to making a lot of my own products (from lip balm and deodorant to massage oils, inhalers, and cleaning products), I have partnered with a company that shares my mission of promoting sustainable, natural, organic, cruelty-free options. None of the products use fragrance, and all are gluten-free and cruelty-free. I feel like a good option when using personal care products is to look for ingredients that you recognize and can pronounce (much like I tell clients when reading food labels!) and seek out more natural options. Since the cost to ship materials to Guam to make my own products has often been cost-prohibitive, I love having an affordable option to recommend to clients that are safe, clean, natural and made in the USA.
The more you know, the better you are at making better choices. I’m a firm believer in small steps, so if you’d like to have a free consultation to see what options would be best for you, I am happy to help! Please contact me for an appointment to see what solutions are best for you. If you would prefer to do a clean sweep and start over with better options for every area of your home, I can help with that, too. The reduction in your body burden will be more immediate and likely better for you long-term, but that may not be practical for everyone, so I can make recommendations based on what you’re ready for. I look forward to helping you and your family have safer, cleaner, more natural solutions that won’t break the bank!
About the Author
Marie Olson, RWP, FNTP is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified Professional Aromatherapist in private practice. She is the Owner of NutriSimplicity and specializes in digestion, pre-conception nutrition, Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis, and bespoke essential oil blends for clients. She is the first Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified Professional Aromatherapist in Guam. You can find her on the web at NutriSimplicity.