Turby and John

Burt's Bees Natural Skin Care for Men

I am trying to ease Kirby into natural skin care products. As one of the first steps, I bought him a few paraben and SLS-free products for Christmas. He really likes this one. Even though the containter says it’s an aftershave, he uses it as an all over face moisturizer. When I asked him his three favorite things about the product, he said this:

“I like the smell, the texture, and that it is a good moisturizer.”

I also like the smell, and since I am close to his face on a fairly regular basis…I guess that’s pretty important.

It’s rated as a 3 on the Cosmetics Database , FYI.

I remember very clearly the day that I became curious about the ingredients in the health and beauty products I use.  It happened after reading an internet news article about a girl dying as a result of using too much perfume. As to whether or not this article was bullshit, I really have no clue.  I read some really disturbing things about parabens, preservatives used in many cosmetics and toiletries, and sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates, which are cleaning agents. I felt overwhelmed, so I decided that I would try to avoid those two ingredients at least. I began buying burt’s bees, alba hawaiian, tom’s of maine, yes to carrots, and method products because they were paraben and SLS-free (aside from my toothpaste and my hand soap, because I could not find ANY without SLS). I never stopped to consider all the other chemicals that I was introducing my body to by using those products. My sister, disfordelicate, has always been ahead of the game.  A few days ago, she told me about a website (cosmeticsdatabase.com) where I could find out exactly how hazardous the products I use are to my health. The website rates products on a scale from one to ten (one being the least dangerous and ten being the most dangerous). I was beyond shocked and a little disgusted by the things that I discovered. The result? As I finish the products that I currently use (to avoid being wasteful), I will be replacing them with safer and more natural alternatives.  The rundown:

I recently started washing my face once a day instead of two or three. You might think that this would cause the overall condition of my skin to worsen (I was convinced for years that the more you wash your face, the cleaner it will be, and the less  breakouts will occur…), but I have found the contrary to be true. Both the texture and tone of my skin have improved quite dramatically for such a simple change in my routine.

Burt's Bees deep cleansing cream makes my face so soft!

By the way, that is the cleanser that I’ve been using for about two years and it is slammin. I have found that cleansing creams are much less harsh on my skin than bar soaps or other foaming cleansers. My skin tends to retain more of its moisture when I use creams. It tingles while I am washing my face too (in a good way).

Allow me to preface this entry by saying I firmly believe that all the things we put on our bodies have just as much of an impact on our health and well-being as the things we put in our bodies.

For the past two years or so, I had been passionately searching for a shampoo and condioner that satisfied, met, and maybe even exceeded all my expectations.  I was actually not asking for much. I just needed something free of parabens(a type of preservative) and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates(a cleaning agent) that would also make my hair look fabulous. I learned very quickly that regardless of what the bottles tell you, most “natural” hair products will absolutely make your hair look like turds. The shampoos made my hair feel too clean, and the conditioners did far less than condition. I threw away an embarrassing amount of half-used Nature’s Gate, Burt’s Bees, Jason, and Kiss My Face shampoo/conditioner bottles until I read some great reviews and ordered John Masters Organics Lavender Rosemary Shampoo and Lavender & Avocado Conditioner about a month ago. Feast your eyes upon these simple and lovely bottles:

Hello, soft hair.

Basically, I am thrilled with the results. I am almost excited to finish off these bottles, because that means I can try the Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo and the Citrus & Neroli Detangling Conditioner.