Non-Toxic Skin Care and Cosmetics

Nox-toxic skin care for cancer patients

Self-Care Products for the Anti-Cancer Lifestyle

The anti-cancer lifestyle is simple: 

1. Give your body the finest nutritional foods and supplements. 

2. Remove anything that takes energy away from your healing. 

I don't think any of us believe that chemicals belong inside our bodies. But in today's world, we unwittingly subject ourselves to many more toxic substances than we realize. Once chemicals find their way inside the body, the immune system must spend precious energy removing them. If we continue putting unwanted chemicals into our bodies, the immune system will not be able to spend all of its resources on healing disease. That's why I choose to reduce my chemical exposure by selecting makeup and skin care products with better ingredients. 

When I was diagnosed with Uterine Leiomyosarcoma, I went to see a Naturopath for a complete battery of tests. I wanted to know what types of things might be taxing my immune system and preventing it from stopping the cancer. The results came back:  my body had excessive amounts of parabens and phthalates. Personal care items containing phthalates include perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap and hair spray. Parabens are man-made chemicals that are used as preservatives. They are widely used in self-care products and makeup. 

If you have high levels of toxins in your body, you may wish to include some homeopathic treatments that promote the release of these chemicals from the system. The medications I used are made by Professional Formulas. Sometimes you can find them online, but most often they are supplied by a Naturopath or other homeopathic doctor. 

Here are some of the products I used from Professional Formulas for my detoxification:

Beautox (for chemicals related to beauty products), Enviro Detox, Household Dust and Mold, Sick Building Detox, Mer Detox (for high levels of mercury)

For more details about my lifestyle of diet and supplements, please visit this page:  Surviving Uterine Leiomyosarcoma - How I Fit Everything Into My Day

My Naturopath warned me that if I continued my exposure to these same chemicals, it would be useless to detox them. So I replaced all of my self-care and makeup products with safer, less toxic ones. I wanted products that performed as well or better than the products I had used before, so it took a bit of testing to find which ones would be acceptable. 

Here are my favorites:

Household

The Ecover line of Dishwashing Soap and Automatic Dishwashing Tablets do a great job.  Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products smell wonderful and offer a bit of aromatherapy while you are cleaning. The Method brand makes a great line of cleaning products, too, including Wood for Good and Daily Granite Cleaner. Microfiber cleaning cloths and mops are a great way to clean without chemicals. If any harsher chemicals need to be used, I let others do the application and keep windows open.

Skincare

I cream my face with Earth Science A-D-E Creamy Cleanser both morning and night, using a soft microfiber cloth and warm water to remove it. Eye makeup comes off easily with Earth Science Chamomile and Green Tea Eye Makeup Remover, and you only need a small amount. Twice a week I exfoliate with Earth Science Apricot Gentle Face Scrub which has a nice fragrance. My favorite anti-aging product is Earth Science A/B Hydroxy Acid Night Rejuvenator. I use three pumps every night, and two pumps every morning before applying my makeup. The Hydroxy Acid Rejuvenator keeps lines and wrinkles away and leaves skin feeling soft and silky. For more dramatic results, I combine the Hydroxy Acid Rejuvenator with 3 pumps of Derma E Evenly Radiant Overnight Peel and apply them together at night as often as needed. A spa facial moisturizer that is less toxic and really works to plump up the skin is SkinScript's Hydrating Moisturizer. You only need a tiny bit applied with damp fingertips so it lasts and lasts. 

Makeup

My foundation used to be Ecco Bella Flower Color Natural Foundation in "Natural." Now I am so pleased to be using Mychelle's Cream Foundation in Ivory and/or Porcelain since I discovered it about two months ago.  It is so natural looking but has coverage at the same time!  I follow it up with a light dusting of a loose face powder with no parabens.  I don't have a favorite yet. Next, I brush on Jane Iredale's Cotton Candy blush. It's such a pretty, natural-looking pink. (BTW I have tried Ecco Bella's blush and it is way too bright!) I like Jane Iredale eyeshadows, and prefer matte colors.  The quality is so nice! I suggest going in person to a spa where you can try on their products and find just the right color for you. There are several non-toxic mascaras that are good, but Mineral Fusion has one that is reasonably priced and works well. I line my lips with Ecco Bella's lip liner in pink, and then apply just a dab of Gabriel Color Sheer Rose lipstick for a bright pink, OR I line my lips with Boots No. 7's rose colored lip liner and fill it in with Gabriel Color's Rosewood lipstick for a more natural or "nude" look. For a glossy shine, I like Alba Botanica's Hawaiian Clear Lip Gloss in Coconut Cream. 

Self-care

For self-care, I use non-toxic hand soap, lotion, and body wash. There are lots of good products to choose from - Nature's Gate liquid hand soaps, Avalon Organics liquid soaps/ shower gels, or Alba Botanica shower gel. I brush my teeth with Eco-Dent Tarter Guard Mint Tooth Powder, and whiten with Eco-Dent Extra Brite Special Care Tooth Powder. For deodorant I prefer Alvera All-Natural Deodorant in Aloe and Almonds. Perfumes are more difficult - right now I am using Yakshi Essential Oil Roll-On Fragrances in Whitestar Jasmine. I'd like to try something new. 

Please feel free to comment on your favorite non-toxic beauty products!