Mommy Scientist Series: Your Guide To A Cleaner Facial Cleanser (Part 2)
I hope that after you read Part One of this series, Why I’m Overhauling My Skincare Products, you didn’t panic and empty out every product in your bathroom. It’s all about a gradual approach my friend, that’s the only way to keep from feeling overwhelmed. If you are reading this then you obviously have a desire to find cleaner, healthier products for your skin, so you are heading in the right direction!
Starting Point: My Facial Cleanser
An easy place for me to start was with my facial cleanser. It’s something that I use daily and when you think about it, if you don’t have a good facial cleanser, the rest of your beauty routine is kind of pointless. Just for reference, my skin type is fairly normal-to-dry.
What I Had Been Using…
I’ve tried different cleansers here and there, but I the one I used regularly was one of the more popular drugstore brands. I always assumed that it was the safe choice because it uses all the right key words like “gentle,” “non-irritating,” and “simple.”
However, when I took a closer look at the ingredients list, I saw some not so pretty words like “sodium lauryl sulfate,” “methylparaben,” “propylparaben,” and “butylparaben.” Ok, I may not be an actual scientist, but that’s three too many “parabens” for me. I’m sure you’ve probably heard somewhere that parabens are bad for you, but let me just (briefly) break it down a little further. Parabens are preservatives found in our skincare and beauty products to keep them from going bad. Because these parabens are found in so many of our everyday products, there is concern about the cumulative effect they are having. The European Union banned parabens from their products back in 2012. The health concerns include reproductive toxicity, disrupted hormone functions, and increased risk of breast cancer.
Source: Should People Be Concerned About Parabens In Beauty Products from ScientificAmerican.com
Source: No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt
Cleaner Facial Cleansers
Instead of freaking out about what I’ve washed my face with for years, I took a deep breath and started looking into cleaner alternatives. Fortunately, there are many safer facial cleanser alternatives available now. I’ll tell you about three of these that I have tried and liked.
- Raw Honey
If you’ve read some of my other posts about natural living products, then you already know that I am obsessed with honey because of all of its health benefits. In a nutshell, raw, organic honey is antimicrobial, gentle, and safe for all skin types. Check out my post Honey Can Do…Everything for the simple how-to of using honey as a facial cleanser. I keep a small amount of honey in one of these handy-dandy travel containers in my bathroom for easy access. - Makeup Artists Choice Wild Oat & Honey Cleanser
I actually discovered Makeup Artists Choice long before I even started exploring cleaner skincare products. Luckily for me (and you!) they are cruelty free, certified for 99% purity, and have many clean(er) product options. An added bonus is that many of their products are available as sample sizes, which is how I started trying out different products. Even their full-sized products are very reasonably priced. I love this cleanser because it is very mild and is paraben and sulfate free. Plus, it has honey in it! (I told you I am obsessed!) - Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash
I was actually given a small sample of this from my aunt and it quickly became a staple in my cleanser rotation. Pacifica is cruelty-free, vegan and doesn’t contain animal products, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and many of those other questionable ingredients. The Sea Foam Face Wash is made with papaya extract, coconut water, and sea algae extract and does a great job at cleansing my face without drying it out. The line can be found at Target and Ulta.
These are the three facial cleansers that I am currently using. With so much focus on parabens and other icky ingredients, many brands seem to be getting the hint that they need to clean up some of their products. Plus, there’s a lot of great smaller brands that are putting out amazing organic products. I’m happy with my current favorites and feel better knowing exactly what these products contain.
I am super excited about Part 3 of Mommy Scientist where I tell you all about my “experiments” with facial oils. In case you’re skeptical, let me just entice you by saying that these oils are doing double duty for my skin and hair! Woo-hoo! See ya for Part 3! (I hope!)
Have you started switching to cleaner skincare products? Any favorites?
[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Don’t Miss Part 3 of Mommy Scientist!”]
i never knew I could use honey as a cleanser. genius!
Honey is amazing! Soooo many uses for it! Thanks for reading!
Honey is pretty amazing, isn’t it? I need to check out your post about honey doing anything. I believe it. 🙂
I’m afraid I’m terrible – soap and water are the only things that go on my face!
Yes Marie, honey is the best! Once I started looking for new ways to use it, I was amazed! Whenever I do a honey facial mask my skin always feels super soft. Soap and water aren’t terrible…better than some of the harsh chemical filled cleansers out there! Thanks for stopping by!
great tips and all so true…I love cleaning my face with apple cider vinegar as well…I think it smell great but it annoys my son and hubby. Stopping by from #FuntasticFriday
Thanks Karen! I use ACV to spot treat blemishes and it works great! That’s another one of my favorite natural living products! Thanks for stopping by!
Wow – great info! I didn’t know I could use honey. Thank you for sharing!
Yes Karen, honey is amazing! There are so many great uses for it, and the health benefits are wonderful! Thanks for stopping by!
I actually recently switched to Cera Ve face wash! I haven’t double checked all of the ingredients, but it has done so well for my skin!
Jaclyn, I’ve never used Cera Ve but I know a lot of people really like it. I was just looking at the ingredients list and it does have parabens in it, but I know it can be difficult to switch from a product that your skin is liking! Thanks for stopping by!
Great idea to use honey!
Honey is awesome Charlene! Seriously, so many uses for it and my skin is always super soft after washing my face. Thanks for stopping by!
My face has been breaking out more lately, so I’ve been on the hunt for a new cleanser. I’m loving the idea of using raw honey for it because it’s just a simpler option. I love simplifying!
Me too Mary! Give the honey a try. I feel like my skin has been very calm since starting to use it as a face cleanser. And for blemish spot treatment, I love a dab of apple cider vinegar! Another natural product with many great health benefits! Thanks for stopping by!
I still have to work on my facial products. Because of a treatment I was doing, I got specific ones.
I will probably be changing them once they are finished.
#FridayBlogBooster
Definitely give the honey a try Debbie! It makes my skin so soft and it’s a good one to start with since it’s probably already in your pantry! Thanks for reading!
Good information on the Parabens, they are in so many products. Another ingredient that is common is gluten, it is disguised in many forms. Something for gluten sensitive folk to watch out for. When you think about all these chemicals in skin and hair products, we are applying them daily and they are not far from our brains. That is one organ I would like to look after. So thanks for bringing us these alternatives that are not going to harm us.
Thanks, Fridays Blog Booster Party
I know Kathleen, it is so scary to think about how many of these chemicals and toxins we are being exposed to so frequently! Thanks for pointing out gluten, it is definitely another ingredient that is in a ton of things. Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend!
My mom has bees so I have a ton of natural honey at my fingertips – Im totally going to try using it as a facial cleanser for my sensitive skin!
Definitely give it a try Shannon! My skins tends to be somewhat sensitive too and it loves honey! I am so jealous of your supply of natural honey, that is amazing! Thanks for stopping by!
Awesome ideas! Thanks for linking up #bloggersbrag
Thanks Jenn! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for stopping by!
Interesting using honey. I’ve never heard of that! Thanks for sharing. #ConfessionsLinkUp
Honey is amazing Amy! I use it for so many beauty related things (as well as in tons of recipes). Thanks for stopping by!
Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about it until now! But I will definitely go take a look at what’s in my facial cleanser! Thanks!
You’re welcome Kassi! It can be kind of frightening to see what’s in the ingredients, but luckily there are a lot of cleaner products on the market now, plus some easy DIY as well. Thanks for stopping by!
Admittedly, I usually just use the regular off the counter facial cleansers and haven’t looked to see if they are cruelty-free or not. I have learned such a regular pattern that when I go to buy my cleanser it’s like muscle memory–I hardly even look at packaging any more. I should really do it, though!
I hear ya Cathy! I was the same way, it is very easy to just buy what we know! For me it was all about starting slowly so I didn’t become overwhelmed. Even just being aware about looking at labels is a step in the right direction! Thanks for stopping by!
Valuable information. Thanks for sharing on Healthy Habits Link party!
You’re welcome Anne, thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!
A great post. Thanks for the tips, and thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Hope you join us again this week.
Thanks Sherry! Glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
Thanks for adding this to the Healthy Living Link Party. We hope you will come back next Wednesday.
You’re welcome Elaine! Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend!
I never really gave much thought into my facial cleanser ingredients. I’m going to check it out right now. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday and giving us suggestions for better cleansers.
Definitely check it our Erlene! It can be a little frightening when you really start examining labels but fortunately there are some really good clean versions of our skincare products available, plus some really easy DIY! Thanks for stopping by!
Isn’t it incredible how products labeled “natural” and “gentle” can be filled with toxic chemicals?
My natural skincare journey started over 10 years ago when I was using a lotion with oatmeal and a baby to show how clean it is supposed to be. I would wash my hands and then apply this lotion a few times a day. Each time, I noticed that my hands smelled like gasoline. This prompted me to take a look at the ingredients list where I found they were using “petrolatum”. That sounded too much like petroleum for me so I did some research and found out that, sure enough, they use petroleum bi-products in “natural” skincare.
We can’t trust the pretty picture on the ads.
Fortunately making our own skincare is easy and inexpensive.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Yes, so scary Heather! I feel much more empowered now that I’ve begun to understand what the different ingredients actually are and I’ve learned how to replace them with much cleaner options. I’ve definitely been steering clear of petroleum as well. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, I love to hear how others are using cleaner products! Have a great week!