Aubrey Organics Article: Looking Your Best - Simple Skin Care Secrets from Healthy Living by Kim Henderson

Two centuries ago in the classic book Walden, Henry David Thoreau philosophized, "Simplify. Simplify." Today, in the twenty-first century, Thoreau's wisdom could not be more relevant. Although most of us are not going to shed our lives of responsibility and material things to move to a cabin on Walden Pond, we can heed Thoreau's wisdom by making small, incremental changes to simplify and improve the quality of our lives-and our health. And it can be the seemingly smallest change that makes a world of difference. It could be as "simple" as rethinking how you care for your skin.

I'm not a skin care expert, but I can tell you that, many years ago, I was spending way too much time and money on products that were giving way too little in response. Then, through a series of happenstances, I found a skin care line that changed all of that. And ever since that time, skin care has been, well, simple.

My Personal Story

Fifteen years ago, as I waited for my lunch one day at a local health restaurant, I happened to pick up a free health magazine that was lying on the countertop. I flipped it open to a story about the harmful ingredients found in beauty products. It immediately grabbed my interest. I took notice of a list of common skin care ingredients to be cautious of or avoid altogether. When I got home, I curiously looked at my facial cleanser and moisturizer to see if they contained any of the harmful ingredients I read about. And wouldn't you know it-they did! I remember feeling slightly betrayed as I went to great lengths to afford and obtain the expensive, imported skin care products that I used daily. It fueled my decision to go out to the local health food store and find myself a new cleanser and moisturizer.

In no time at all, I came home with an attractive but simply packaged cleanser and moisturizer made by a company called Aubrey Organics. I knew next to nothing about natural skin care and even less about Aubrey Organics, the company. Yet, I zeroed in on the Aubrey products for three simple reasons: 1) I recognized the name of each ingredient and noticed they were all plant-derived; 2) the smell was nice-natural and not too perfumed; and 3) the price was right-considerably less than what I had been paying.

I did have some reservations. Some part of me believed that an all-natural product would somehow not work as well as my fancy, expensive concoctions. But I was so pleasantly proved wrong. My face immediately responded to the facial cleansing cream, as it did not tighten or dry my skin at all. And my skin drank up the moisturizing cream. In fact, after about a week, I noticed that not only did my face soften but also the tops of my hands; the excess moisturizer that I rubbed into my hands after applying it to my face had made them baby soft. I was hooked.

Today, at 40 years of age, I'm still using my Aubrey Organics! I started with the Seaware with Rosa Mosqueta® Facial Cleansing Cream and Rosa Mosqueta Moisturizing Cream and used them for a long time. Now, for a little variety, I just rotate through some of the different skin care formulas Aubrey offers— Sea Buckthorn & Cucumber with Ester-C®, Blue Green Algae with Grape Seed Extract and Green Tea & Ginkgo —to mention a few. I've enjoyed them all and they have certainly done their job. Despite many days spent at the beach and having been a smoker, my skin looks pretty good. I'm so grateful that I've found something that I know is not harmful to me in any way, and that is truly healthy for my skin. It also makes me feel good to support a company that cares about the environment by supporting organic farmers and using highly recyclable plastic and recycled materials for their packaging. My skin care regimen is so uncomplicated!

What I Didn't Know

Now that I am an editor at Healthy Living, I've learned much more about Aubrey Organics, and this has served only to make me appreciate even further the intelligence and integrity that goes into all of their formulas. Many of the ingredients used in my favorite products have hundreds, if not thousands, of years of traditional use behind them as well as scientific research validating their healing and health-promoting properties.

There's also a myriad of positive information about grape seed extract and green tea-two other common Aubrey skin care ingredients that are power-packed with antioxidants. And the list goes on. You can see for yourself because, since Aubrey Organics began in 1967, all of the ingredients have been listed on every product. When I asked Mindy Pennybacker what she appreciated most about a company like Aubrey Organics, she replied, "It's a company that employs transparency with regards to their ingredients." Aubrey Organics keeps it really simple.

Keeping Skin Care Simple—What to Avoid

Did you know that 60 percent of everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your body and eventually makes its way into your bloodstream? Our bodies are bombarded with harmful chemicals every day in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the homes we live in. There are a reported 80,000 chemicals in world commerce today. Scientists estimate that every human being has at least 700 contaminants in his or her body, regardless of location. The long-term effects of this chemical body burden are still unknown.

The good news is that we can control what goes on our skin. Healthy Living caught up with Mindy Pennybacker, editor of The Green Guide newsletter and www.thegreenguide.com, a great source for responsible and accurate environmental and health information. Not surprisingly, The Green Guide frequently recommends Aubrey Organics' cosmetics and personal care products as among the best for toxin-free living. Here are Mindy's top five potentially harmful ingredients to avoid and why.

1. Fragrance. Fragrances of all kinds can be irritating or allergenic to sensitive individuals. Choose only products whose labels disclose that they use only specific natural essential plant oils, such as rose or lavender, and always sniff or test on a patch of skin first. Synthetic fragrances can contain harmful chemicals known as phthalates (see No. 4, below).
2. Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben). There is preliminary evidence that these preservatives have estrogenic qualities that may cause hormone disruption. Parabens have actually been found in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer. Although research is inconclusive at this point, it's better to be cautious and avoid parabens altogether.
3. Quaternium-15. Although not toxic, this preservative causes more dermatitis complaints than any other chemical preservative. Allergic reactions could be a response to formaldehyde, as this is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative.
4. Pthalates. This plasticizer is used to soften and moisturize skin and as a penetration enhancer. Sometimes labeled as "dibutyl phthalate" (DBP), "butyl ester" or even "plasticizer," phthalates are known to cause hormone disruption. In an October 4, 2005 article, journalist Peter Walman reported, "In rodent experiments, common chemicals called phthalates, used in a wide variety of products from toys to cosmetics to pills, can block the action of fetal androgens. The result is what scientists call demasculinized effects in male offspring, ranging from undescended testes at birth to low sperm counts and benign testicular tumors later in life. 'Phthalate syndrome,' researchers call it." But you won't find them on labels, where they are frequently hidden in the general term "fragrance."
5. Petrolatum (petroleum jelly) and Mineral Oil. There have been reports that petrolatum may interfere with the body's own natural moisturizing mechanism, causing dryness and chapping—the very conditions it claims to alleviate. Although these petrochemicals are not hazardous to your health, using products that contain them supports our dependence on petroleum, and for that reason they should be avoided.

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(Resources: the above information was taken from the www.aubrey-organics.com website)