Green skin care for the face uses natural and organic ingredients.
What's in green skin care products?
Basic ingredients in natural and organic skin care.
You can buy or make a wide variety of green skin care products for the face. Cleansers, moisturizers, exfoliating scrubs, masks, refining serums, makeup, and acne treatments in natural formulas are all available for purchase. Even better: try mixing your own yummy face potions at home.
There are many natural skin care aids to hydrate, rejuvenate, disinfect, soothe and protect your face. These include plant and fruit extracts, essential oils, vitamins, and other natural aids.They are included in many green skin care products on the market, or you can experiment with using them in your own natural skin care recipes.
Plant and Fruit Extracts for Healthy Skin
Plant extracts in skin care help neutralize antioxidants and improve skin texture.
- Cucumber soothes the skin and reduces inflammation. It's a very good natural skin care aid for use on sensitive skin and the delicate eye area.
- Licorice root reduces irritation and redness. You'll find this in many skin care treatments for rosacea.
- Aloe barbadensis helps heal burns and provides light hydration. It's often found in skin care for oily and acne-prone skin, because it reduces inflammation and protects against the harsh effects of benzoyl peroxide acne treatments.
- Green and white teas have antioxidants that protect the skin from free radicals. Green tea is a very common ingredient in natural anti-aging skin care.
- Pomegranate seed also works as an antioxidant.
Vitamins in Skin Care
Vitamins A, C and E are used in skin care for the face to protect, nourish and heal.
Vitamin A reduces wrinkles, fine lines and acne blemishes. It is included in many skin creams and lotions, usually listed as retinol.
Vitamin C stimulates collagen production, which aids skin renewal. For best results, use a topical lotion or serum containing the L-ascorbic acid form of Vitamin C.
Essential Oils for the Face
Essential oils help moisturize, clarify and tone facial skin.
- Tea tree oil is an antiseptic and also provides light hydration; it's great for acne-prone skin.
- Sandalwood is another antiseptic and anti-fungal oil that can be used to treat acne and other infections.
- Lavender oil evens skin tone and balances moisture levels.
- Sage stimulates skin cell production and renewal.
- Evening primrose oil (EPO) is helpful for the treatment of eczema, itching and inflammation of the skin.
- Sweet almond oil softens, hydrates and improves the texture and resilience of mature skin.
- Grapeseed oil is lightweight and easily absorbed. It tones and tightens pores without causing dryness or irritation, which makes it an excellent skin care choice if your face is both dry and acne-prone.
Skin Care Recipes: Organic and Natural Beauty at Home
Make your own green beauty products with these skin care recipe books.
You can be sure that what you're using is safe when you make it yourself. It's a lot of fun, too! When you're at home with the kids, making green skin care is a great way to fend off boredom (and to reduce the amount of time they spend in front of the TV).
Who knows, maybe you'll even invent a green skin care product so great that people will pay you for it... time to start your own business, perhaps?
Naturally Skinsational: Rejuvenating Skin Care Recipes
Green Skin Care Tip: Honey makes a nice hydrating mask for the face. Try mixing it with mashed bananas for a nourishing, all-natural skin care remedy for dryness.
Organic Body Care Recipes
Green Skin Care Tip: Oatmeal is a gentle exfoliant that also calms itching. Use it in the bath as a soothing natural treat for dry or irritated skin.
Make Your Own Natural Lip Balm
A do-it-yourself video tutorial.
To make your own lip balm, you will need:
- Beeswax
- Honey
- Sweet almond oil
- An essential oil in any flavor you like
- Beet juice
- Cranberries
- Powdered drink mix
- Vitamin E gel caps
I'd leave out the powdered drink mix, but the rest of it is wonderful. I especially love Vitamin E gelcaps; they're great for your skin too, as an intensive overnight moisturizer. Use one or two gelcaps and spread the contents gently over your face wherever you are dry. Mix it with a little water if you want, but don't rinse -- you want to let the Vitamin E oil get absorbed into the skin. It will not clog pores or cause irritation. When you look in the mirror the next morning, you will be amazed at how much your skin has healed.
Olive oil has similar benefits and is especially recommended for very dry skin, as it is richer than Vitamin E oil. If your face is oily or acne-prone, try tea tree or sandalwood oil with a few drops of lemon juice.
Shop for Green Skin Care
If you're too busy to make your own organic skin care, these stores sell natural products for the face and body.
Here are a few online stores where I've bought natural and organic skin care products specially designed to be gentle to the sensitive skin on my face. Whether your interest in green skin care comes from environmental activism, special skin care needs, or just an interest in living a healthier life, these sites feature a wide variety of brands and products with all-natural ingredients.
Most of these stores have regular clearance sales and offer free shipping for purchases over a specified cost. Some also send free gifts and special savings opportunities to new customers. Take a look, even if you can't afford to buy anything right now... I don't know about you, but I love online window-shopping for girly beauty things.
- Gilden Tree
- This is a lovely site that specializes in natural health, skin care, and luxurious spa gift sets. Be sure to take a look at their all-natural chemical-free cotton robes, towels and slippers.
I bought one of the robes, and it really is the most comfortable and best quality robe I've ever had. Seems weird to say that about a bathrobe, but it's true. The fabric is very gentle and does not irritate my skin, even when I use it to dry my face. - StrawberryNET.com
- StrawberryNet carries all of the most popular major skin care brands, including several of my favorite natural product lines for the face: Dr. Hauschka, Decleor, and L'Occitane. Great discounts too, and free shipping worldwide.
For some reason (on my browser, anyway) you have to scroll down to see the product list for a particular brand. You're better off using their search engine if you're looking for something specific. - SkinBotanica - Organic Skin Care
- I've just discovered SkinBotanica, and I love it! The site is very well-organized, so it only takes a few seconds to find exactly what you're looking for in green skin care. There's a special section for vegan skin care, and another for 100% organic products. You can shop by brand, skin care product type, or even a specific ingredient. This eco-friendly site is a must-see for green skin care.
- All Natural Skin Care at SkinStore.com
- SkinStore carries some of the best natural skin care and makeup brands, including bareMinerals, Juice Beauty, Revolution Organics, and Decleor. This link will take you to their natural and organic skin care section.
Skin Care and Your Health
Green skin care is safe skin care.
Skin care is not just about beauty; it's also a matter of health and safety. You probably try to avoid putting toxic chemicals into your body, so why would you risk applying them to your face?Your skin is comprised of many porous layers of cells. Toxins are flushed out of your body through your skin when you sweat. Unfortunately, this also means that toxins from synthetic skin care products and other sources can penetrate the surface layers of your skin and enter your body.
The Organic Fair Trade website informs us that 60% of the chemicals in skin care products are absorbed into the bloodstream. Synthetic chemical ingredients that may be toxic include the following:
- parabens (artificial preservatives that may be linked to breast cancer)
- sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
- sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)
- artificial fragrances
- lanolin
- phthalates (dibutylphthalate, diethylphthalate, and butyl ester)
- petrochemicals (petroleum-based substances like mineral oil and paraffins)
- DMDM hydantoin (this breaks down to release formaldehyde, which is classified as a probable human carcinogen)
See the article Phthalates in Cosmetics are Suspect, hosted by the Global Healing Center, to find out more about carcinogenic ingredients and the FDA's failure to regulate them.
The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel
The ultimate reference book on all-natural skin care and beauty.
Increasingly, skin care experts are recognizing the effectiveness of natural ingredients and advising consumers to buy products featuring these ingredients. They are especially good for sensitive facial skin that is easily irritated by synthetic chemicals.
Julie Gabriel is a nutritionist who approaches green beauty from a health and human safety perspective. She says:
“When choosing a beauty product, think about what it does to your health first. Be selfish. Put your health first, and the health of the planet will follow. By a wonderful coincidence, beauty products that are truly good for our health are kind to the environment, too.”
Source: Jen Adkins
The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances
The Green Beauty Guide is an indispensable resource for learning how to choose the most eco-friendly, healthy and safe makeup and skin care products. Learn how to read labels and separate the green from the trash when it comes to skin care, makeup and beauty.
Your Thoughts on Green Skin Care
Share your comments on natural and organic skin care.
Have you made your own skin care products? Do you have an organic product for the face to recommend? Please share your own green strategies for beautiful skin.
I am happy to link back to any related lens that has linked to this one. Please add this page to your Lensroll and then contact me to request a reciprocal link.
You can find more information on natural and organic skin care at my related lens, Sensitive Skin Care.
Please also visit my skin care blog, Sensitive Skin Relief, where I share my own experiences dealing with sensitive skin. I have found that natural cleansers, moisturizers and tools are easier for my skin to tolerate than synthetic products.
Rate this Website @ Squoogle
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- pmalemes pmalemes Nov 14, 2009 @ 10:29 am
- Try a brand called Agape & Zoe Naturals! They are made with 100% pure essential oils and organic grain alcohol. They make natural fragrances and soy candles with lead-free wicks. Visit their store at:
www.agapeandzoe.com
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Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Jun 22, 2009 @ 11:56 am
- Wow -- lots of great links here to great products.
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- cjsysreform cjsysreform May 19, 2009 @ 2:54 pm | in reply to Ladymermaid
- Thanks for your comment, I'm glad you liked this material.
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Reply
- Ladymermaid Ladymermaid May 17, 2009 @ 12:19 pm
- Great article! Thank you for sharing....
Ladymermaid
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- a_willow a_willow May 16, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
- You are one of March 2009 graduates! Come by and answer few questions to show the way to those who will follow! Wish you many, many more great lenses!
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Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: Safe, Natural & Organic Green Skin Care
These green skin care and beauty products have been evaluated by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
The companies that make these products have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, and the products are listed in the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics database as having low hazard scores (0-2 out of 10).
You can check the hazard score, ingredients, and data reliability on any skin care product in the database by entering it into their search engine. They also rate individual ingredients on the same hazard score of 0-10. If you're interested in a product line or company, search by the company name to get the average hazard scores for their products and find out whether they test on animals.
My favorite brand here is Burt's Bees, although I have found that their face care products vary a lot; some are very gentle and safe for sensitive skin, and others have made my face hurt. The pore-minimizing mask on this list feels tingly but does not sting, at least for me. I like to use it when my skin is in one of its rare oily moods.
Truly Natural Mascara, Black Magic 6 ml by Honeybee Gardens
A silky, lash-defining and weightless mascara prov more...1 point
Aubrey Organics - Vegecol W/Organic Aloe Facial Cleansing Lotion, 4 fl oz lotion
A very soothing, mild face cleanser. Great for sen more...1 point
Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Face Blotting Tissues
Keep your skin in shower-fresh shape with a nifty, more...1 point
Burt's Bees Pore Refining Mask with French Green Clay
1 oz. jar. 100% natural, not tested on animals.1 point
Thanks for stopping by my green skin care lens.
Don't forget to check blog reviews to find out what people are saying about green skin care. Get advice, recipes, product reviews and recommendations, and stories from people like you. Start your own blog to share your favorite organic and natural skincare strategies.The blogosphere is a great place to interact with other experts on green living and healthy skin, and becoming involved in these communities will help you become an expert on combining the two! Before you know it, you'll be learning tons of new things and finally giving your skin the high-quality care and respect it deserves.
Related Skin Care Lenses
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Vegan Skin Care and Beauty
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Even among the best organic skin care, vegan formulas can be hard to find. This guide to vegan skin care and beauty shows you where to buy truly natural, organic and cruelty-free vegan skin care online. It also features recommended vegan beauty produ...
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Sensitive Skin Care
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Is your skin often irritated, red, inflamed, itchy, or sore? Do you have trouble finding skin care and makeup that doesn't sting? If your skin is chronically dry or acne-prone, does the problem seem to get worse when you try to treat it with over-the...
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Rosacea Skin Care
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Rosacea is a chronic skin condition characterized by redness and flushing of the facial skin, usually on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead. It tends to begin after age 30, and over time the red areas can become inflamed and develop visible blood ve...
Natural and Organic Skin Care Blog Search
Find more news, information and commentary on green skin care.
- Natural organic products - The Moral Case For Natural Organic Skin ...
- Why Natural organic skincare? There are a number of reasons, of course - as there always is, in all walks of life, on all topics and in all discussions - but one primary function of natural organic skincare has stood out above all ...
- Can You Recommend A Natural Or Organic Skin Care System?
- These products are applied directly to the skin, lips, around our eyes and hair. The problem is that our bodies do absorb chemicals through our skin. I suggest natural organic skincare. So what do you need to look for when shopping for ...
- Organic Skin Care – How to Find the Best Products on the Market Today
- The organic skin care products that this company manufactures are full of plant based oils, waxes, and emollients, and simply filled to the brim with natural antioxidants. These are all ingredients that will soothe, and heal your ...
- 6 Ways to Be Like a Green Eco Celebrity | Organic Natural Skin ...
- The new trend in Hollywood is that celebrities are going green. Now whether they are going green for the attention, fame or reputation.
by cjsysreform
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