Natural Beauty (body and hair edition)

Hello loves! This post is one of a series of posts I will be doing about my make-up/skin care/hair care routine using products that are paraben free. No, I’m not a crazy hippie and no, I’m not an expert in natural products. I do, however, know a few things that have driven me to make my routine about 98% paraben free, and as free from added chemicals as I can get. You do not need to spend a ton of money to find paraben free products. Sure, some products are pricey, but throughout my “Natural Beauty” posts I will explain why I will pay a little more for certain products and what brands I’ve come across so far!

Parabens are common preservative used in cosmetics that are thought to mimic the hormone estrogen, which some studies show plays a role in the development breast cancer. The FDA believes that we should not be concerned about the use of parabens in cosmetics because they're applied at low levels. However, as someone who has dealt with cancer in my family that is one reason I look for my every day products to be made paraben free. Another reason being I have pretty sensitive skin and would like to avoid putting tons of chemicals on my skin to cause any further irritation. Again, I am not an expert, this is just my opinion.

As far as hair and body is concerned I’ve hunted down some great paraben free body washes, lotions and shampoos! I use St. Ives body wash in whatever fragrance looks and smells good! St. Ives has great body lotions as well but since this is now the summer season I’m on a kick with Tree Hut Coconut and Lime shae butter lotions. They smell AMAZING and are super hydrating. Hair wise I use Organix shampoo and conditioner or Alba Botanica shampoos and conditioners and since I have pretty rough water in Germany I use Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque once or twice a week to try and combat how dry my hair gets here!

Between the St. Ives, the Tree Hut and the Organix, they are all great products under $10! The Alba products are under or around $15 and the Macadamia products run under $30 usually, but I think its fine to splurge since its not something you use daily and it works really well.When shopping for paraben free products, read the labels- most will say Paraben free! All of these brands can be found at Target, CVS, Ulta and other similar stores in their natural section. Comment below if you have any favorite products or new ones I should try!!

xoxo

       J