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How to Find the Best Beauty Products
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As a licensed esthetician, I am often asked which products are the best available. Most people assume it’s the most expensive ones, but that is far from the truth. If you know what to look for on the packaging, you can figure out for yourself whether the product is any good or not. I know that even as I am telling you this you may doubt me, so allow me to explain.
Let’s start with cleansers. You will need to look at the ingredients list for this. If one of the first few ingredients is any type of sulfate, put it back. This is a cheap detergent used to clean plane engines—not really something you want to be washing your hair or face with. Look for products that advertise the fact that they are sulfate-free. A lot of skin and hair products contain sulfates, but it’s worthwhile to do the extra work to find the ones that don’t. Doing some research may keep you from wondering why your $150 hair color seems to fade after a couple of weeks, or why your skin feels so tight and dry (that’s the sulfates at work). One product to try: Hugo Naturals.
You also want to look for products that are pH balanced for the skin. The skin and scalp have a lipid barrier that has a pH of 4.5. A lot of cleansers, shampoos, and other skin/hair products have a much higher pH, which strips off your skin’s protective barriers. That means they are working against your skin, not with it. Though some products will list that they’re pH balanced, many don’t say anything at all, assuming that most people won’t know what this means anyway. Invest in some pH strips (they can be found in health food stores, or online, and are fairly inexpensive) so that you can test your products at home. If you put some of the product on the strip and it immediately turns yellow, it’s perfect for the skin. However, if it turns blue, the pH is too high and is no good.
Are you looking at lip balms? If a product contains petroleum, mineral oil, or wax, don’t buy it. Petroleum and mineral oil are made from crude oil, and have contaminants that are not good for you. Consider that you are putting these things on your lips, and swallowing a percentage of them when you eat or drink. Waxes are not much better, as they only coat the lips, instead of really hydrating them. Look for a lip balm made from coconut oil, olive oil, and other food-based ingredients. My personal favorite is Dr. Bronner’s Naked Lip Balm in the purple tube. Other good lip balms worth your money include Burt’s Bees, Badger SPF 15, and Dr. Hauschka.
There you have it, Taazies. Now that you know, be sure to put your knowledge (and money) to good use.
How to Find the Best Beauty Products
Learn how to tell which products work and which don’t
Let’s start with cleansers. You will need to look at the ingredients list for this. If one of the first few ingredients is any type of sulfate, put it back. This is a cheap detergent used to clean plane engines—not really something you want to be washing your hair or face with. Look for products that advertise the fact that they are sulfate-free. A lot of skin and hair products contain sulfates, but it’s worthwhile to do the extra work to find the ones that don’t. Doing some research may keep you from wondering why your $150 hair color seems to fade after a couple of weeks, or why your skin feels so tight and dry (that’s the sulfates at work). One product to try: Hugo Naturals.
You also want to look for products that are pH balanced for the skin. The skin and scalp have a lipid barrier that has a pH of 4.5. A lot of cleansers, shampoos, and other skin/hair products have a much higher pH, which strips off your skin’s protective barriers. That means they are working against your skin, not with it. Though some products will list that they’re pH balanced, many don’t say anything at all, assuming that most people won’t know what this means anyway. Invest in some pH strips (they can be found in health food stores, or online, and are fairly inexpensive) so that you can test your products at home. If you put some of the product on the strip and it immediately turns yellow, it’s perfect for the skin. However, if it turns blue, the pH is too high and is no good.
Are you looking at lip balms? If a product contains petroleum, mineral oil, or wax, don’t buy it. Petroleum and mineral oil are made from crude oil, and have contaminants that are not good for you. Consider that you are putting these things on your lips, and swallowing a percentage of them when you eat or drink. Waxes are not much better, as they only coat the lips, instead of really hydrating them. Look for a lip balm made from coconut oil, olive oil, and other food-based ingredients. My personal favorite is Dr. Bronner’s Naked Lip Balm in the purple tube. Other good lip balms worth your money include Burt’s Bees, Badger SPF 15, and Dr. Hauschka.
There you have it, Taazies. Now that you know, be sure to put your knowledge (and money) to good use.
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