My new Eco Living and DIY Natural Beauty formulating answer was recently posted. I just answered a great question about the effectiveness of natural versus lab actives, including spa information, and also using more concentrated natural plant ingredients. Thanks Shanesha for asking the question on anb website!
A few more random thoughts on the topic…
I’m a natural formulator but I believe that people should use what works for their skin, whether naturals or lab actives (there are many lab actives that I don’t recommend though, but there are some that I do). But I don’t like most commercial/conventional brands because of all the fillers, potentially irritating or potentially toxic ingredients, ingredients that do little for the skin, or low concentrations of any actives (natural, labs, and everything in between). And if someone asks me for advice on skin care, I am of course going to talk about naturals first, synthetics second, because although I have researched a lot about lab actives, my focus and passion is about natural ingredients! 🙂
The trick to choosing naturals is knowing its properties and antioxidants/nutrients, and also choosing that your own skin needs. I like naturals because each natural ingredient has at least a few to many different actives in it, or has several properties. For example, cold pressed camellia oil is rich in vitamin E, and other antioxidants like polyphenols. Like other carrier oils, it helps hold moisture to the skin and is emollient. It also helps improve the appearance of fine lines, and improve skin clarity. It does not clog the pores of the majority of people, and in many people actually help improve the appearance of their blemished skin. It also softens and conditions hair. For many people, it may help improve the look of some types of scars. It is good for very sensitive skin, and safe to use on babies. It is used on a wide range of skin types: normal, dry, dehydrated, combination, blemished, scarred, mature, and is gentle enough to use on those with eczema and psoriasis (since it is non-irritating for most people), as well as brittle dried hair. And these are just many of the properties for just this one plant ingredient. This is one reason why I love plant ingredients: multiple uses, functions, and properties! 🙂
Stay tuned for a couple more answers over the next few days!
Edited to add: posted about my article on my eco blog too, and posted other thoughts there too!
