Tag: GMO

Rosacea, Natural Cosmetics, and Mineral Makeup

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Rosacea, Natural Cosmetics, and Mineral Makeup

Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder that causes redness and swelling primarily in the face. Other areas that can be affected are the scalp, neck, ears, chest, and back. Rosacea can progress from frequent flushing of the skin to persistent redness, pimples, and visible blood vessels in the face.

What type of cosmetics are recommended for a Rosacea skin condition?

Many people prefer to use natural products on their sensitive skin to prevent flair ups and treat Rosacea. Natural products are gentle on the skin and do not carry the risk of side affects. The best approach for treating Rosacea starts with using safe natural products with herbs and botanicals, rather than synthetics and chemicals. Cosmetics having synthetic ingredients are far more likely to irritate your sensitive skin. It is recommended to try a natural product for more than 3 months. You will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the product and the number of flair ups. During this time period, take the time to journal and record flair ups, skin sensitivity, and skin appearance.

What irritating ingredients should be avoided that are found in some cosmetics?

Cosmetics that are natural mineral based or water based and oil free are highly recommended for Rosacea. However, be careful in selecting your product because the majority of mineral products on the market are still loaded with preservatives like parabens; they also use dyes and fillers. Ingredients can be evaluated at the Evironmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Report. Do your research to become knowledgeable about what ingredients are in your cosmetics and products.

Some of the ingredients to look out for that may irritate your sensitive skin:

alcohol fragrance menthol talc petrochemical peppermint eucalyptus witch hazel nano GMO gluten parabens dyes bismuth oxychloride nut

Quality mineral based cosmetics nourish the skin with certified organic antioxidants. Some of the organic antioxidants include grape seed extract and pomegranate extract.

How do I use mineral based products?

Select a mineral based foundation that matches your skin tone and doesn’t irritate it. To cover up blemishes, apply mineral based foundation sparingly with a small tipped brush. Apply again if needed. Apply the foundation again with a larger kabuki brush. If you would like a bit more coverage, add a translucent powder/mineral veil over this. Finish with a beautiful blush. Make sure to brush, brush, brush to polish and achieve a lovely glowing complexion.

A few other tips:

Apply mineral based cosmetics over dry skin. If you use a moisturizer, allow it to dry. Mineral based cosmetics are highly concentrated and should be applied sparingly to prevent caking. Less is More. Ample brushing brings out the beautiful glow. Cosmetics with a green or yellow base are good for redness issues. Bronzers can take away reddish tones and help your make-up last longer.

Recommendation: First Bliss Organic Cosmetics offer a quality product from London, England. The mineral based cosmetics use natural and safe ingredients. Minerals and pigments are jet milled pharmaceutical grade with certified organic botanicals.

–The carefreebeauty.eu team

Genetically Modified Ingredients and Cosmetics

adminCosmetic

The meat and dairy sections of your local supermarket are not the only places GMO (genetically modified) ingredients show up. Beauty products often contain plant or animal ingredients with GMO derivatives.

Genetically modified organisms are plants and animals that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA through genetic engineering techniques. These modifications serve to yield higher crops or growth, or to insert a certain trait, like natural pesticide.

Still, the future results of manipulating nature are yet to be seen. Eating GMO foods have been known to disrupt the healthy bacteria in our intestines. These tiny bacteria are part of our immune system and help to protect us from disease. Even after we digest the contaminated food our bodies continue to produce pesticides from the altered food. The antibiotics in GM foods have the potential to build resistance to bacteria and could be responsible for the onset of superbugs.

While the verdict on the health and environmental risks from GMO crops is still out, avoiding GMO foods seems like a move in the right direction. Cosmetics products made with ingredients from GM crops are also good to steer clear of, but this is easier said than done.

Organic crops in the US are consistently testing positive for GMO cross-contamination. Cross-pollination from neighboring farms, GMO seed mixed in with organic seed, and misrepresentation of GMO products for organic to warrant higher prices are all to blame for the problem of cross-contamination. The most common GMO-grown crops are: Soybeans, Corn, Cotton, Hawaiian Papaya, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Rapeseed (Canola), Sugar cane, Sugar beet, Sweet corn, Rice.

Currently in Europe the only GMO crop grown is maize, approved in 1998 to be used as feed for livestock. No new GM crops have been approved for cultivation in Europe since then. Europe is not united on GMO acceptance, with several countries (France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Greece) banning the practice.

There is currently no law set in the US to test for GMO in organic crops and end products. The USDA has taken a position of non-accountability where GMO contamination is concerned, yet they certify organic cosmetics with the Certified Organic seal.

Because of cross-contamination of corn crops, some companies like Lavera, choose to use talc rather than cornstarch. Pure talc is a safe, naturally-occurring, nontoxic mineral that causes no skin reactions or irritations. Low-grade talc used in some cosmetics products came to light as an ingredient of concern due to asbestos contamination. All talc used in Lavera products are pharmaceutical grade, considered the purest form of talc, and asbestos free. In accordance to BDIH certification requirements, all of our products such as our natural makeup and organic skin care products are GMO free.