Green Means Go...go GREEN!

Going green is more than a movement or a frenzy. Your choice of beauty products is about more than what you see in the mirror; it is also about the respect we give to our natural environment.

It's about taking responsibility for our health and the health of the planet.

There is a give and take, an action and reaction, which takes place with all the many things we consume–food, energy, water, oil, clothing, cosmetics, household products, and the list goes on. Going green isn’t just about saving the rain forests, spending less money on household utilities, or improving your health. It is about creating a better quality of life for all.

It is simple to make small changes in our lives today that inspire a positive impact on tomorrow. With that said, why wouldn’t we all want to go green?

The natural market is offering more and more possibilities, so it is a really exciting time to go green. 

Many women are abandoning traditional synthetic makeup and switching to organic makeup instead. Organic cosmetics don't clog pores and do allow your skin to breathe. Also, organic products do not contain harmful chemicals, fragrances or dyes that can damage your skin and contribute to side effects with other body systems.

Organic makeup contains high concentration of natural pigments. Therefore, a little makeup goes a long way.

In recent years, focus on earth-friendly beauty has prompted many consumers to switch to natural skincare products and organic makeup. 

Many synthetic products are composed of harmful chemicals that pollute our environment. These chemicals also affect our physical health.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients in many of the skincare synthetic products:

-synthetic fragrance: when you read a label for a synthetic skincare product, one of the few non-technical words in the list of ingredients is generally "fragrance." This is because the used fragrance is specified and can rarely be any up to 4000 toxic ingredients. Many organic skincare products use essential oils instead of harmful synthetic fragrances.

-Artificial coloring: listed frequently as 'FD&C' colors, these artificial pigments are the ingredients listed for almost every synthetic product of the skincare. They can irritate skin, cause cancer and affect the body in harmful ways. Organic skincare products and makeup do not use this type of pigment.

-MEA, DEA, and TE: also known as the monoethanolamine, dietalonamina, triethanolamine, these ingredients can disrupt hormone balance and cause cancer. They could be found in mostly all synthetic products including shampoo, bubble bath and makeup removers. 

-Láureo sodium sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate: you are probably familiar with these ingredients as well. Commonly used in bubbly products and detergents, you could have seen these listed in your shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste. These ingredients can cause skin irritation, depression, and even cancer.

An organic cosmetics switch is the right choice for our bodies and our planet. 

As a fibromyalgia fighter, I am taking responsibility not only for what I consume but also what I apply to my skin. I am doing a makeup kit re-hauling and creating a fabulous eco-conscious GREENER kit that will consist of pure organic products that not only are nourishing to the skin but also give you that high fashion look you see on runways and magazines. 

My "Beauty from Pain" campaign is meant to inspire women to make healthier choices by eating fresh, exercising and eliminating toxic, synthetic products from their makeup bag without having to lose their "fabulousity"!

Here are the cosmetic brands I've been researching and consider to meet my new "Go Fabulous Green" standards:

KJAER WEIS

LARENIM MINERAL

JOSIE MORAN COSMETICS

VAPOUR ORGANIC BEAUTY

LUSH

HONEY BEE GARDENS

TARTE

THE NATURE OF BEAUTY

JOHN MASTERS ORGANICS

ZOYA NAIL POLISH

Transition at your own pace. There is no need to throw out the entire contents of your makeup bag. I am doing that myself...as I am still trying to find products that will bring me the same results as the synthetic ones without the added hazards. I have yet to find a great natural mascara, for example. But I'm sure there has to be some organic makeup company that carries one or are working on formulating one as the demand for natural beauty products continues to grow. I will have to keep using my favorite mascara until I find the natural alternative that works GREAT! Until then, let's all start somewhere, and do what we can do to reduce the chemical burden on our planet and within our bodies.

How do you go about finding true organic products when companies are not always honest about what's green and what's not? It would be great to get to a point where we could all trust the system, and know that when we set out to buy a product with natural ingredients, we are getting what we think we are. But until then, here's a little help:

Natural. It means different things to different people. There’s no regulation for the term "natural".

100 Percent Organic. According to the USDA, 100 percent organic products “must contain (excluding water and salt) only organically produced ingredients.”

USDA Organic. These products “may display the USDA organic seal and must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).”

Made with Organic Ingredients. Must contain “at least 70 percent organic ingredients (excluding water and salt).” But what’s in the other 30 percent? Could be good, or not so good, and 30% is a significant amount.

Less than 70 percent Organic. If a product contains less than 70 percent organic ingredients, the manufacturer is not supposed to use the term “organic” anywhere on the main label—but many do.

Here’s where it gets more confusing. Beauty products that are certified organic are certified according to USDA food standards, which only apply to ingredients that are grown. However, there are plenty of truly natural beauty products out there—with healthy, natural ingredients–that are not organic. Mineral makeup, for example, can be clean and green, but it cannot be organic, because the ingredients (minerals) are not grown, and cannot be certified by the USDA.

The skin is our largest organ, and it absorbs over 60 percent of what we put on it. For most Americans, that means between nine and 15 personal-care products, with a grand total of 126 distinct ingredients every day. Many of those chemicals end up coursing through our bloodstreams. When you think about it, it’s easy to understand why it makes so much sense to seek out natural and organic alternatives.

Granted, a few synthetic ingredients in your makeup or moisturizer are probably not going to hurt you. But when you consider that we are exposed to chemicals in our food, air, beauty products, and household cleansers, it makes you stop and think about how that exposure can build up in our bodies over time.

It’s all about making good choices. If you can’t do without your synthetic conditioner, swap a green product into your beauty regimen somewhere else — go green with your lipstick, perhaps, or your moisturizer. Start to read ingredient labels. To learn more about ingredients you might want to avoid, check out the resources below. These are the websites I've turned to in my research, and I encourage you and your loved ones to do the same. You don’t have to be a cosmetic chemist to learn how to make healthier choices. 

THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP'S COSMETIC DATABASE

THE GREEN GUIDE

TEENS TURNING GREEN

THE ORGANIC CONSUMER ASSOCIATION

I will be posting my first video tutorial here on Lumigrate soon...so be on the lookout!

Thank you for following me on this path to health and wellness. Your love and support is what motivates me. I hope to do the same for you.

Go Green!!!

MARDYS NOTE:  To show our appreciation at Lumigrate for our beautiful Mari's Go Green piece she worked her fingers to the bone on and posted ON Halloween .... and since we like to have some FUN around here... We took some liberties with Mari's facebook foto today..... Hope she likes it!