Let’s quickly talk about the skin. The skin is the largest organ in the body and while it is able to maintain a great barrier to the outside world, it isn’t impenetrable. Many of the ingredients used in today’s body care products make it into the body through the skin, and we really don’t want some of those nasty ingredients getting into the body. It makes good sense to minimize products that contain any harmful ingredients.
Everyone likes to use body lotion but there is more than meets the eye with the lotions on the market today. All lotions are made with a mixture of oil and water. And, as you know, oil and water don’t like to mix together. So, emulsifiers are added to get them to stay together within the lotion. This is just one additive of countless thousands that are used in lotions.
Since lotions are about 60% water, they must be preserved to prevent molds or bacteria from growing in the water over time. Remember, most lotions have to sit on a shelf for quite a while, so they need be shelf stable for up to 18 months. Many of the preservatives used, like parabens and formaldehyde, can be problematic for many people. It is extremely important to research the ingredients used in lotions today because many common ingredients can be carcinogenic, endocrine disruptors or can cause bioaccumulation or organ toxicity. Lotions also usually contain artificial fragrance, which is another soup of chemicals from which you should run screaming.
So now let’s chat about Body Oils. Body Oil is a great way to moisturize the skin. It is very different from a lotion since body oils don’t have any water in them at all. Body oils only contain wonderful oils to help nourish your skin. So, they don’t need any emulsifiers since you don’t have to get water and oil to mix. Without water, they don’t need preservatives since mold and bacteria need water to grow. They don’t contain any unwanted ingredients, so they are super clean, if the oils are organic. If they are scented, they are usually scented with essential oils instead of fragrance, thus further reducing the chemicals in the product.
Using a body oil makes sense when using a lotion doesn’t. When you get out of the shower, why would you towel off and dry the skin to then use a product that is mostly water with a list of emulsifiers, preservatives and other chemicals? Strange right?
Instead, try an all-natural body oil, without all the chemicals and additives, right out of the shower while you are still wet. Think about it, you are already wet, there is your water element, then you apply the body oil and rub it in. This allows you to emulsify it directly on the skin. This is so easy and works great! The body oil will lock in the moisture from the shower and give you deep moisturizing benefits.
When making our Qi Botanics Body Oil, we start with Certified Organic herbs that we infuse into organic grape seed oil over a 4-week period. This ensures that the benefits from the herbs are transferred into the oil. We select herbs that are known for their skin loving properties which further enhance the oil. We then combine this nutrient rich oil with other organic oils and for the perfect blend of goodness that your skin will LOVE … it’s delightful! We have chosen to not add any essential oils (EO) to the body oil, since everyone has different tastes and likes. But people can certainly add a few drops of their favorite EO to the body oil to make it uniquely theirs. Some great EO for the skin are lavender, sandalwood, sweet orange or ylang ylang, just to name a few options … the list is endless. We can’t image not using body oils on the skin, it feels so luxurious going on and benefits can be felt all day long.
Give Body Oil a try; you will never go back to lotions…..
For more info on toxins in lotions or body care products:
Environmental Working Group is a great place to find out information about specific products and how certain brands stack up in terms of toxins. See how your brands do, they have a great rating system.
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a great place to start learning about specific ingredients to avoid and why. They offer a Red List (similar to the clean 15 / dirty dozen for foods ) to make it easier when shopping for personal care products to ensure safer ingredients.