The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (19 page)

At your local health food store or online, you can find a multitude of inexpensive, very basic lotions that contain few plant ingredients that are unlikely to interact with the active ingredients you are going to use. You can buy a large bottle of good organic body cream and turn it into several jars of antiaging, antioxidant-rich facial moisturizers. You should look for formulations that contain no irritating ingredients, such as peppermint and eucalyptus oils. Other things to avoid are citrus oils and juices, including those of lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, and bergamot. Their acidity is not compatible with many active ingredients. Of course, there should be no propylene glycols, parabens of any kind, and artificial fragrances. Ideally, the carrier lotion should contain as few ingredients as possible.

When you come across a good carrier lotion, buy a larger size. It’s much easier to make a large batch of an upgraded product and distribute it among friends and relatives than count drops in order to safely blend one ounce of a potent cream. If you have a “holy grail” product you’ve been using for ages, you can add active ingredients to it too, provided that they mix well.

I like to play with active ingredients, using large bottles of organic body moisturizers or organic unscented face lotions for sensitive skin. By trial and error, I figured out that the strongest players (idebenone, hyaluronic acid, various peptides, and EGF) behave best in Burt’s Bees Carrot Skin Lotion and Jurlique Soothing Day Care Lotion. A tiny tube of palmitoyl pentapeptide makes a whopping 8 ounces of Strivectin-strength antiaging lotion—without the steep price.

By all means, do not try to mix too many active ingredients in one product. You may think there isn’t such a thing as too much of a good thing, but by trying to beef up your cream with every possible anti oxidant, you are in fact nullifying their effectiveness. Moreover, too many active ingredients have more chances to interact and synergize in unwanted directions, leading to side effects and irritation. Keep your formulas simple with two or a maximum of three ingredients instead of turning your cream into a fruit salad with high irritation potential.

According to Dr. Sivak, a cream with added actives will last as long as the shelf life of the starting cream. If you add more than three active ingredients, limit the shelf life to six months. Make sure you use good-quality actives. If a botanical extract was not prepared properly, it can add a large load of bacteria and mold to the cream, and no amount of preservatives will be enough to cope with that.

Because a home-mixed product is less expensive, you should not feel guilty when using it often and on areas in need, like hands, neck, and décolleté, which age even faster than the face.

A Few Words of Caution

Just as you can suffer adverse reactions to conventional cosmetics, natural, homemade lotions and potions can also trigger sensitivity. Avocado oil, essential oils, glycerin, lanolin, a simple tincture of benzoin, sweet almond oil, and wheat germ oil have all been known to cause irritation in some people. Be aware that when you are under stress, your skin may be more sensitive than usual.

With many active ingredients, it’s important to use the exact amounts as specified by the manufacturer.

Make sure you use ingredients that are fresh, and, of course, organic whenever possible. As a rule of thumb, discard any ingredient or carrier that has developed an odd smell, discoloration, or has become foggy and uneven in texture.

No matter how you take your green beauty—buying it ready-made, working as a couturier creating your own products from scratch, or being a bit of a tailor, making sure that this particular product perfectly suits your needs—I hope you are keeping it as natural as possible. Exclude all synthetic chemicals, if possible; if not, keep the safe and beneficial ones and ditch parabens and formaldehyde-containing preservatives, as well as mineral oil and other petrochemicals.

Green Beauty Ingredients

Most green beauty products rely on the same naturally derived ingredients. The only difference might be the amount of hard-to-find exotic plant extracts, triple-distilled extracts, and rare essential oils in a finished product. Once you know what works for your skin, you can make a new beauty product in seconds.

This section describes plant-derived and natural ingredients that are used in popular green cosmetic products and in recipes in this book. I also share with you some of the newest achievements in cosmetic chemistry that shed light on traditional familiar ingredients.

Don’t be surprised when you find a synthetic enzyme idebenone next to lemon oil and milk in the next few pages. Many newly synthesized proteins, enzymes, and acids made this list because they meet the green beauty criteria discussed in Chapter 3, “Become an Ingredients List Expert.” Some organic ingredients, such as minerals and clays (technically organic, since you cannot organically certify sea salt), are also included. Aromatic chemicals are discussed in Chapter 15, “Green Fragrances.” At the same time, many natural plant extracts didn’t make this list because they are found to be detrimental for your health.

Now, let’s take a look at the building blocks of green beauty products.

Almond (Sweet)
(Prunus amygdalus dulcis)

Sweet almond oil is used in moisturizers, hair conditioners, and body oils for its great emollient properties. A green beauty mainstay, sweet almond oil is prized for its high content of fatty acids that appear to be close to skin’s own sebum. Almond meal makes a very gentle skin exfoliant rich in minerals and vitamins. Sweet almond oil is commonly available in health stores and online. Beware of bitter almond oil, which has a disputable safety record.

Aloe Vera
(Aloe barbadensis)

Aloe has been used as a first aid remedy for wounds, irritations, skin infections, and burns since the era of ancient Egypt. Cleopatra used aloe as a skin rejuvenator. Aloe is rich in polysaccharides, galactose, plant steroids, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, and even natural antibiotics. You can buy aloe juice or extract in health food stores, or you can grow aloe plants at home and squeeze the juice to use in your beauty preparations.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Alpha-lipoic acid is also known as lipoic acid. This naturally occurring substance works as a potent antioxidant that stimulates cellular metabolism and protects cells against the destructive effects of free radicals. When taken internally, lipoic acid is effective against liver disorders and diabetic neuropathy. Recently, Thai biomedics found that alpha-lipoic acid could stave off skin cancer by decreasing skin inflammation. Earlier studies showed that alpha-lipoic acid could increase cellular energy, decrease UV-induced damage to skin, and even neutralize heavy metals (Ho et al. 2007).

As a cosmetic ingredient, alpha-lipoic acid is both versatile and economical. It can be added to toners, moisturizers, and sunscreens. It is available in health food stores in capsules and online as a fine yellowish powder. It can be dissolved in most base products in the following proportion: 300 mg of alpha-lipoic acid to 1 ounce of base product, keeping the concentration of alpha-lipoic acid in your preparation under 3 percent. Please note that it may not dissolve easily, so start slowly and blend thoroughly. As with any acid, ALA can sting when applied topically, so if your skin is on the sensitive side, always perform a patch test. Start with a lower concentration of ALA and build it up as you become handy in mixing your DIY products.

Apple
(Pyrus malus)

This popular fruit is used in cosmetics in the form of juice or concentrated extract that is a source of alpha hydroxy acid. Apple juice is used in exfoliating peels and masks. Apple juice contains the phenolic compounds quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B-2, which may be cancer-protective, as it has demonstrated powerful antioxidant activity.

Apricot
(Prunus armeniac)a

Apricot kernel is rich in oil that is believed to have anticarcinogenic properties. In the seventeenth century, apricot oil was used in England against tumors and ulcers, and Laetrile, an alleged alternative treatment for cancer, is extracted from apricot seeds. Crushed apricot kernel is commonly used in face and body scrubs.

Arbutin

This glycoside, which is similar to hydroquinone, prevents the formation of melanin and is used as a skin-lightening agent. Arbutin is extracted from bearberry plants, and it is also found in wheat and pear skins. In November 2007, Korean scientists found that a new arbutin compound, arbutin-beta-glycosides, synthesized from bacterium
Thermotoga
neapolitana,
inhibits melanin production in melanoma skin cancer cells by up to 70 percent (Jun et al. 2007). However, since arbutin is very similar to hydroquinone, it may pose the same carcinogenic risks. German microbiologists found that intestinal bacteria can transform arbutin into hydroquinone, which may promote the formation of intestinal cancer (Blaut et al. 2006). Until science knows more, it may be advisable to use arbutin-containing compounds with caution.

Arnica
(Arnica montana)

I personally have very mixed feelings about arnica. I was introduced to arnica extract when I was looking for a chemical-free topical pain-relieving balm to use postpartum. Arnica extract has been traditionally used to alleviate muscle pain and help heal bruises. Arnica, rich in sequiterpenes, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, is well known for its potent anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects. However, some studies note that the terpenoid helenalin found in arnica is a highly toxic compound. Arnica can be very irritating, and medical science knows quite a few cases of severe allergic dermatitis to this plant. Most often, people who are allergic to chamomile are allergic to arnica as well. Because of its high irritancy potential, arnica is not recommended for use in baby products. My skin tolerates arnica very well, and I find it an effective pain-relieving addition to massage creams.

Avocado
(Persea americana)

This tropical fruit contains more fatty alcohols than any other fruit known to man. Avocados are rich in potassium and vitamins B, E, and K. Avocado oil is a highly effective emollient and can be used in many cosmetic products and home recipes.

Azelaic Acid

This acid is found naturally in wheat, rye, barley, and
Malassezia fur-fur
(also known as
Pityrosporum ovale
), yeast that lives on normal skin. Azelaic acid is effective against acne when applied topically in a cream formulation of up to 20 percent. “Azelaic acid 15 percent gel represents a new therapeutic option for the treatment of acne vulgaris,” wrote acne expert Dr. Diane Thiboudot, professor of dermatology at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, in her 2008 study on this exciting new green beauty ingredient, adding that “most physicians (81.9 percent) described an improvement in patients’ symptoms after an average of 34.6 days” (Thiboudot 2008). Another important benefit of this plant-derived acid is its activity against excessive pigmentation, including melasma and post-acne brown marks. As if it weren’t enough, azelaic acid wards off free radicals, reduces inflammation, appears to be virtually nontoxic, and is well tolerated by most complexions.

Baking Soda
(Sodium bicarbonate)

This fine white powder is in natural deodorants for its ability to absorb odors. Baking soda is traditionally used as a tooth whitener because of its abrasive properties. Last but not least, baking soda makes a gentle antibacterial facial scrub, which is especially good for acne-prone skin.

Beeswax
(Apis mellifera)

This natural wax is produced in the beehive of honeybees. Beeswax is rich in fatty acid esters and is used in cosmetic products like emollients, thickeners, and emulsifiers. A controlled German study found that a barrier cream with beeswax was more effective in baby care than a commercial product with petroleum jelly (Frosch et al. 2003).

Beet
(Beta vulgaris)

Beetroots are rich in the nutrient betaine and red pigments betalains and indicaxanthin. This pigment has been shown to be a powerful protective antioxidant that also prevents the breakdown of alpha-tocopherol, or vitamin E. Beet juice can be used to prepare liquid blushes and lip colors.

Bentonite

This natural clay has the chemical name aluminum phyllosilicate. Clays are used cosmetically in facial masks for their ability to absorb oil and protein molecules. As aluminum salt, bentonite and kaolin are less toxic than aluminum hydroxychloride, which is used in antiperspirants. However, bentonite clay may be toxic to the central nervous system and detrimental to bones because aluminum competes with calcium for absorption. Currently, cosmetic manufacturers consider bentonite clays safe for use in cosmetics based on a study in which aluminum silicate was applied to human skin daily for one week (Elmore 2003). Long-term effects of exposure to aluminum salt in facial masks and creams are as yet unknown. Keep this in mind when buying clay masks based on salts of aluminum. There are many wonderful aluminum-free clays that have healing potential. Natural muds, such as volcanic fango mud and marine muds from the Dead Sea, are naturally rich in thermal water and minerals. They are used in spa procedures at balneological resorts.

Birch
(Betula pendula)

Birch extract has traditionally been used to promote hair growth. Birch bark is rich in anti-inflammatory tannins and saponins, while the leaves contain betulorentic acid, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-HIV activity. Birch extract is used in shampoos, conditioners, and body treatments for cellulite. You can prepare a birch leaf infusion at home to rinse your hair after shampooing.