chapterfive

Greening Your Beauty Care

I celebrated my first pregnancy with a trip to the nail salon and I dyed my hair during my second. And that’s me: the woman who researches toxin-free living. We all have blind spots. I doubt I am the only woman for whom some of them are particularly stark around beauty care. I have long since cleaned up my act as far as deodorants, makeup, and shampoo are concerned, but there were some things that just took a little longer.

When I was writing my first book, one of my most respected environmental heroes read the book to provide a blurb (read on to see who!). His one bit of advice was that I needed to warn women about just how dangerous hair dyes are. I took his research and comments to heart. I have never dyed my hair since, even with supposedly natural dyes. I figured if I couldn’t learn to love my hair as it was then, what would happen when I went grey? I have since spoken with a lot of my most health-oriented peers — including some interviewed in this book — and it turns out that hair dying is a challenge for even some of the healthiest women — even, and often especially, during pregnancy. “I couldn’t bear to be pregnant and have grey hair,” said one, and, “I didn’t want to look like I was the grandma holding the baby,” said another.

What are your blind spots? Is it that antiperspirant, the signature perfume, or that perfect lipstick? For most things there are greener alternatives. But it takes time to get used to seeing ourselves without hair colour from the bottle. Or for others to get used to the fact that, while you can definitely still smell good without antiperspirant, you may never be able to wear that polyester blouse during a presentation (man-made fibres mixed with stress equals armpit sweat, no matter how much natural deodorant you use!). Or, as another friend advised me, you are just in the habit of seeing yourself with eyeliner and mascara.

For me, at first, I simply changed to greener options, but eventually I plan on getting used to seeing my face “naked.” Luckily, I’ve been assured that this year the fashion “in” is the natural, no-makeup look. In the meantime, there are many healthier and extremely effective options as close as your local drugstore or favour­ite natural grocery. If there was ever a time to battle the beast of the beauty care industry, at least in your own personal choices, it’s during pregnancy.

The Research

Here it is in plain language: we put many of the worst-known toxins on our skin and in our hair. The average woman applies more than 500 chemicals every day. Our skin is porous and vulnerable, so 60 to 90 percent of what goes on it can end up entering our bloodstream. This is particularly a problem during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when what enters your bloodstream can pass through the placental barrier and into your baby, where neither the blood-brain barrier nor the organs of detoxification are fully formed. It takes very, very little exposure to affect a forming child for a lifetime.

It isn’t just our guts that have coevolved with bacteria and other microbes. Our skin, too, is a microcosm of about a trillion microbes — including bacteria, parasites, fungi, and even animal species — that have co-evolved along with us. And there is a great deal of difference between the microbes found in our armpits versus those found on our faces. The variance is due to the amount of light, hair, or oil that a part of the body has or receives. The microbes don’t just sit on top, either, but penetrate down through the layers to the subcutaneous fat. They also change during a person’s life: a hormonal teenager’s microbes will look very different from a postmenopausal woman’s. As with the gut microbiome research, we still don’t know what an “ideal” skin microbiome is, but, also similar to the gut microbiome, a healthy skin microbiome is an effective defensive layer against pathogens. Some of the skin microbes are better defenders than others, some are smellier than others, and some are better communicators — sending messages to the immune system to dampen or increase inflammation. As with the gut, it is assumed that a rich diversity of microbes is probably better.

We are beginning to understand through studies that our cosmetic products are capable of affecting this microbiome, sometimes quite dramatically, as in the case of routine users of antiperspirants and deodorants, who showed significant differences in types and quantity of bacteria present based on product use. Interestingly, among other findings, antiperspirant wearers were found to have significantly more opportunistic bacteria than either deodorant or no-underarm-cosmetic wearers.

An imbalanced microbiome, or skin dysbiosis, may be associated with diseases of the skin that include acne, allergies, dandruff, eczema, psoriasis, and yeast and fungal infections. Antibacterial soaps, topical steroids, and even internal antibiotics can damage the skin microbiome. Exposure to antimicrobial household products has been shown to lead to allergy symptoms like wheezing, runny nose, and congestion in children.

Cosmetic Penetration

What we put in our skin and on our hair ends up in our bloodstream, and from there it can enter our growing baby-to-be. Cosmetic ingredients are designed to do just that: penetrate. These ingredients are routinely found in human bodies, including those of newborn babies. Phthalates and triclosan are found in the urine of almost everyone, parabens and talc have been found in breast tumour tissue, and persistent fragrance components like musk xylene have been discovered in human fat tissue. Smaller is not always better: nanoparticles and micro-beads are proving to be able to penetrate right through both the blood-brain barrier in an adult and through the placenta.

Just a little bigger than nanoparticles are the tiny plastic micro-beads that are found in body scrubs, bath products, facial cleansers, creams, deodorant, fluoridated toothpaste, and even products sold specifically for babies and pregnant women. Micro-beads are just the most recent icon of a growing global plastic problem, the products that have increased more than sixfold since 1975, and which is estimated at around 288 million metric tonnes a year. The problem with plastic is that, while it can photodegrade (get smaller and smaller), it can’t biodegrade. No natural process can break plastic down into simpler compounds, even if it starts microscopically small. In the environment, micro plastics can react with and absorb other environmental pollutants, break down and release their own plasticizer components, or settle into sediment. They have been found all over the globe in deep sea sediments, ice cores, on the beaches of the Great Lakes, and in supposedly pristine fresh and seawater sources in the most remote regions of Canada. They are found in zooplankton, mussels, and fish. They can move across the food web between species that eat each other. They move from the GI tract to other tissues and cells. Perhaps most troubling, they can absorb other pollutants — such as chemical flame retardants, pesticides, and triclosan — and then release them into their new animal host, where they are able to effect embryonic development. There is good news. Canada and the U.S. are banning micro-beads from most toiletries starting in July 2018 and from nonprescription drugs and toothpaste in July 2019.

Dying for a Better Hair Colour

“I believe [hair dye] is more pernicious than women (and men) understand, know, or are told,” says environmentalist and author Paul Hawken. “Coal tar dye molecules are so small they pass transdermally into the bloodstream. From that point, there is no knowing what happens in terms of their impact. With hair dye we are doing to our heads what we are doing to our earth. Pouring chemicals on it in order to get it to be the way we want it to be.”

It is clearly an environmental issue: 90 percent of hair dye ends up going down the drain into aquatic environments. Yet, again, what is an environmental issue ends up as a human issue. “This is a ticking time bomb in women’s health,” says Hawken.

Hair dyes being advertised as natural and organic, even by recognizable companies such as Aveda and Madison Reed, are still using the same main ingredients. “All they are doing is pulling ammonia or parabens out, adding some essential oils or ginseng, but not changing the main ingredients because they cannot.” The main ingredients of concern in permanent hair colour are paraphenylenediamine (PPD) — which is made from 4-nitrochlorobenzene — and 2,5-diaminotoluene (PTD), the same chemicals used to make cartridge toner, car tires, polyurethane, colour film developer, and more.

“In research I have done with women, many know in some way that hair dyeing is bad. They almost do not want to know more because then they would have to stop using it. These are women (and moms) who use only pure water, organic food, et cetera, who are impeccable in their daily life but they cannot let their hair go grey because they are professionals or in companies where it would disadvantage them.”

Greener Beauty Care to the Rescue

When it comes to cosmetics, consumers are getting smart. Greener cosmetics are becoming increasingly popular. The global demand for greener personal care products is expected to reach US$13.2 billion by 2018, in a beauty market that is already worth $170 billion annually. There are a number of retailers helping make the consumer’s job easier. Whole Foods has been leading the charge on removing the worst cosmetics from its shelves, and Loblaws, one of Canada’s largest retailers, announced it is phasing out phthalates, triclosan, and micro-beads from its store brands. 

Wherever there is a lot of money, there are also less-than-scrupulous companies hoping to get some of the reward without doing all of the work. Thus, it’s still important to look for trustworthy green labels and avoid companies that are greenwashing (see sidebar).

USDA Organic and Other Trustworthy Skincare Labels

The gold standard of green cosmetic labels is the USDA Organic label. In order for a product to get the USDA organic seal, the product must contain at least 95 percent organic food-grade ingredients — yup, that’s right; it must be organic and edible to get this label. The other 5 percent of non-organic ingredients is restricted to food-safe standards, too. That means there are some things that will just never be able to be certified as USDA Organic because, while as safe as they can be, they aren’t edible: things like mascara, sunblock, and nail polish.

There are some second-tier standards that allow a number of synthetics and more processing — and, thus, more impurities — but that still keep you safer from most of the worst offenders and the sheer volume of chemicals that can appear in regular cosmetics. These labels include the NSF label and the NPA labels. The new COSMetic Organic Standard (COSMOS) in Europe brought together a number of Europe’s green labels under one harmonized label.

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This standard allows a maximum of 5 percent synthetic content, and a minimum of 20 percent by volume must be organic. They also offer a more lenient “natural” standard. All COSMOS-labelled cosmetics must adhere to the precautionary principle, and the product cannot contain any nano-materials or GMOs or have undergone irradiation or animal testing. Other international labels include the Soil Association in the UK, BDIH in Germany, and ACO and NASAA in Australia. These labels, however, allow some synthetic preservatives and petrochemical ingredients. Standards to avoid because they aren’t stringent enough to be meaningful include Oasis, EcoCert, and Natrue (other than their highest three-star rating).

How to Green Your Beauty Care

Here are a series of action steps listed from ♥♥♥ (biggest impact, and possibly more work) to ♥ (quick and easy) to help make your beauty care routine as healthy as possible for you and your future children.

  1. ♥♥♥ Read the label. The USDA Organic label is the safest, highest standard for beauty care items, but there are other guidelines available for beauty care items not likely to be edible. When you are shopping outside the USDA Organic label, take the list of 20 ingredients to always avoid (see the Green Mama-to-Beware appendix) and ensure the item is free of those ingredients. Beware, though! In the United States, beauty care products don’t need to reveal their ingredients on the label, and in Canada items like toothpaste, sunscreen, anti-aging moisturizer, antiperspirant, and anything else with a therapeutic purpose doesn’t need to reveal its ingredients either.
  2. ♥♥ Rethink your big users. If you like to use perfume regularly or apply skin cream as soon as you exit the shower, then apply your new label-reading talents to these favourites and hold your biggest users to the highest standards (at least for all of the pregnancy). Remember, however, that it may not be that easy to get to the bottom of what’s in your cosmetic products even in Canada, because of “hidden” ingredients. There are websites, like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database (www.ewg.org/skindeep), that have done the work of revealing and rating thousands of cosmetic and consumer products.
  3. ♥♥ Filter your shower water. Chlorine — and some other toxins found in water — are readily absorbed via the lungs and skin. It’s estimated that half of the average person’s exposure to chlorine comes through the skin. It is known that chlorine can have an antibacterial effect and disrupt the microbiome. Chloroform gas, a known carcinogen that is related to airborne chlorine, is found in just about every North American home, presumably originating from tap water. When chlorine enters the body through the lungs and skin, it enters into the bloodstream. Chlorine can also be an issue in swimming pools; it is possible to find non-chlorinated pools and freshwater swimming holes, and even just an outdoor pool will reduce exposure. A simple shower filter will remove most of the chlorine, and most heavy metals, in your shower. They install easily (even I can do it) just above your shower head and cost around $20. A similar “ball” version is available for your bathtub as well.

    Greenwashing

    Greenwashing is when a company or products pretends it’s healthier, more ecological, and socially conscious than it really is. According to The Sins of Greenwashing, more than 95 percent of companies are committing at least one of the greenwashing sins. This often happens in industries where labelling regulations are weak or confusing, which is certainly the case in the beauty industry. Beware of non-regulated but green-sounding language like “Natural,” “With Real Natural Ingredients,” “Dermatologist Tested,” “Herbal,” and even “Organic” if it isn’t backed up by the USDA organic label. Also beware of companies touting irrelevant health claims such as “Supports Green Energy,” “Profits go to Breast Cancer Research,” or “Recyclable Packaging.” Instead, look for trust-worthy labels such as the USDA Organic label. (Unfortunately, the Canadian organic/biologique label is not currently applied to any body care products at all.)

  4. ♥♥ Skip the hair dye or go for a greener option. It’s not enough for a label to say “natural” or “organic” on hair dye (unless certified by a third-party such as the USDA or COSMOS). Greener options are often called stains or washes, and they coat the hair shaft rather than being absorbed into it. That means that they aren’t permanent and, unfortunately, aren’t that effective at covering grey. Ingredients might include henna, vegetable-based colours, and hydrogen peroxide. But beware that hair dyes don’t need to disclose all of their ingredients, and even henna can contain paraphenylenediamine (a particular problem when seeking darker colours). You can make your own hair tint at home using walnut shells, turmeric, or beet juice.
  5. ♥♥ Forgo antibacterial products. Soaps, deodorants, and hand sanitizers are just as good at cleaning, but without the same repercussions to the microbiome. Triclosan, the main ingredient in antibacterial hand soaps and other antibacterial products, is a pesticide, and its use has been linked to the development of antibacterial-resistant superbugs.

    The Not-So-Hot List

    In Canada, the Chemical Management Plan does not oversee cosmetic chemicals. Instead, that responsibility belongs to Health Canada as part of the Food and Drug Act and the Cosmetic Regulations. Health Canada has developed the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist as the first step in the process of protecting citizens from the worst of these chemicals. The Hotlist has limitations.

    The list has no legal authority and cannot be enforced. For instance, coal tar or p-phenylenediamine — used in making hair dyes and some shampoos and lotions — is a known human carcinogen linked to tumours and cancer in the lungs, kidneys, and bladder. It is on the Hotlist. Yet it’s allowed to be used with a safety stamp warning on the package that warns about skin and eye irritation. The warning doesn’t even mention the known carcinogenic aspects. Not to mention that if you are getting your hair dyed in the salon, you may never read the warning label anyway. There are no other limits, such as on how much of the toxic chemicals can be used, or limits on what other toxins they can be used with, or warnings about use during pregnancy. It’s all left up to the manufacturer and whether they want to expose consumers to that Hotlist item or voluntarily remove it from their formula. While the Hotlist points to about 500 chemicals that we consider too dangerous for routine exposure, the list doesn’t keep us safe.

    Even suspected toxins aren’t put on the list until after the research has been done, and it’s slow. Of the 4,000 chemicals that are thought to potentially be eligible for the list, only a fraction have been tested. The vast majority of chemicals used in cosmetics have not yet been tested.

    The list isn’t set up to include toxic impurities or by-products. For instance, while formaldehyde is on the list, the formaldehyde-releasing preservative DMDM hydantoin is not.

    Canada is moving in the right direction, albeit slowly, with the 2006 requirement to label cosmetic ingredients. These aren’t the same as warning labels, but it does mean that many cosmetic ingredients can be found in the fine print and, if you know what you are looking for, avoided. Unfortunately, those unintentional ingredients such as formaldehyde won’t appear on the ingredient label, nor will the “trade secret” chemical components of fragrances or parfums, nor will the ingredients in products deemed “therapeutic,” including antiperspirants, toothpaste, hand sanitizers, anti-aging lotions, and just about anything with sunscreen.

  6. ♥♥ Find better toothpaste. It’s not just about fluoride. Toothpaste can contain SLS, triclosan, aluminum, and other yucky ingredients. Greener, more natural options are getting easier to find and are available at most retailers in Canada. Many voluntarily reveal their ingredients, point out that they are free of all the worst no-no’s, and may even be certified organic. Two greener, Canadian-made options I recommend are Green Beaver and Druide. Or you can even make your own toothpaste.

    While upgrading your toothpaste, also look at your dental floss. Most dental floss is made from petroleum-based nylon and is coated in both petroleum-based wax and PTFE, the toxic material used in nonstick pans. There are uncoated options, as well as dental floss made with natural materials like silk.

  7. ♥♥ Forget antiperspirants and find a healthy deodorant alternative. Antiperspirants work by blocking the sweat glands, and deodorants work by trying to prevent or kill the bacteria that cause odour. Sweating is one of the ways our body detoxifies. Adding a known neurotoxin day after day to the vulnerable skin around our armpits, while decreasing a known toxin exit route, isn’t a great idea. Especially while pregnant. We know that aluminum is able to penetrate through the skin in small amounts and enter the bloodstream and from there pass through the placental barrier. There are no safe levels for a fetus. As well, antiperspirant manufacturers aren’t required to list ingredients, and products can contain many of the Twenty Concerning Cosmetic Ingredients (see the Green Mama-to-Beware appendix). There are safer deodorants that use baking soda or cornstarch, essential oils, vinegar, and naturally antibacterial oils to work, and many of these are made in Canada. It’s even possible to make your own.
  8. ♥ Use greener makeup. There are a growing number of cosmetics being made using mineral- and food-based pigments and without the addition of petrochemicals, fragrance, or the worst of the synthetic preservatives. A number of these companies are based in Canada. You can shop for greener makeup online or at your favourite health food store or natural apothecary, like the Canadian-based Finlandia.

The DIY Green Beauty Care Handbook

Do-it-yourself (DIY) is an economical and fun way to reduce your exposure to the worst chemicals in beauty care products. When you do it yourself, you know exactly what is going into a product and you can spend all the money on getting the best ingredients and none supporting the multi-million-dollar advertising budgets of big beauty care companies. You can’t go too wrong with good ingredients, whether you are a bit more maverick like me, just throwing any old stuff in a jar and calling it skin oil, or a real DIY apothecary, like those who helped with the recipes and recommendations in this handbook. (Thank you, Summer Knight of Native Formula [nativeformula.com] and Jingo and Piper of Neitra Body Botanicals [www.neitra.ca].)

Best Oils for Skincare

Remember, as with all fats, it is particularly important to buy the highest quality organic and unrefined oils possible.

Essential Oil Safety for the Mama-to-Be

Essential oils should be used sparingly and well-diluted during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. The research suggests that there are no known cases of miscarriage or birth defects caused by essential oils when used this way. Essential oils are natural, but they are still concentrated and can be powerful, so it’s best to use just a few drops diluted in a carrier oil (like all those listed in the Best Oils for Skincare section) for topical application or diffused for aromatherapy in your home. If you want to get more adventurous, it’s best to work with an aromatherapist. Find the purest possible essential oils, which aren’t the same as perfume oils, and be careful they aren’t mixed with petroleum-based oils. It is possible to find USDA-certified organic essential oils.

Pregnancy-safe essential oils include bergamot, clove, Roman chamomile, eucalyptus, frankincense, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lime, mandarin, neroli, patchouli, petit grain, rose, rosewood, St. John’s wort, sandalwood, sweet orange, tangerine, tea tree, and ylang-ylang.

Body Care Recipes and Tips

Makeup Remover

This one is so simple. Use a vegetable or fruit oil of your choice on a cloth or cotton ball to help dissolve mascara or other makeup.

Hair Mask

Hair is best nurtured the same way the rest of us is: through good nutrition. Food, however, can also be used on the hair to add a bit of extra lustre. Apply avocado mixed with honey and a few drops of lavender for 20 minutes and then rinse off.

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Or try this recipe: mix equal parts jojoba oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil (coconut oil can be warmed by placing it in a metal bowl over hot water). Pour the mixture into a container of choice. Thoroughly saturate the entire strand of hair when applying, and leave for at least 20 minutes. For greater penetration, put a shower cap on and sit in the sun, use a hair dryer, or leave it on overnight. Wash and rinse as normal.

Easy Body Butter (created by Neitra Body Botanicals)

Use equal parts of coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter. Melt these three ingredients (use a metal bowl over warm water and stir constantly); once melted and blended together, remove from heat. If you want, you can add a few drops of your favourite pregnancy-safe essential oil at this point. Pour into a container and leave to set before using.

Lip Balm

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons (10g) pure cosmetic-grade beeswax

2 tablespoons (30ml) sweet almond oil or coconut oil

Optional: 2 drops vitamin E oil (you can get this by puncturing a vitamin capsule), 5 drops essential oil (orange, lemon, and peppermint are nice choices), or 1⁄4 teaspoon grated natural mineral lipstick for colour.

Directions:

  1. Slowly warm the beeswax in a double boiler just until it melts, then add in the oils. (If you want to add colour, add the lipstick while the mixture is still warm.) Mix well.
  2. Set aside until lukewarm; add optional essential oils and vitamin E. Pour into a small container and let sit before using.

Essential Oils: Which One Is Right for You?

All Skin Types

True lavender (flowering tops): antimicrobial, antiseptic, healing to skin; aids in cell regeneration

Carrot oil (dried fruit seeds): antiseptic, tonic; can be used for revitalizing and toning

Lemon (outer part of peel): antimicrobial, antiseptic, astringent

For Dry Skin

Sandalwood (roots and heartwood): astringent, bactericidal, tonic, strengthening; good for moisturizing dry, cracked, or chapped skin

For Normal Skin

Geranium (leaves, stalks, flowers): astringent, anti-inflammatory, tonic, wound healing

For Oily Skin

Bergamot (from the peel): antiseptic, tonic, wound healing

For Sensitive Skin

Roman chamomile (flowers): healing, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic

For Mature Skin

Frankincense (gum resin): anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, tonic; good for blemishes, dry skin, and wrinkles

Orange blossom (flowers): antiseptic, bactericidal, tonic; good for complexion

Cleansing Facial Oil and Moisturizer (created by Neitra Body Botanicals)

Blend 3 parts rose hip oil with 1 part jojoba oil. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to the blend.

Magnesium Oil

Your body needs magnesium, and it is particularly well absorbed through the skin (as magnesium chloride). Healthy magnesium levels can help with arthritic pain, muscle and joint pain, depression, insomnia, stress, and balancing blood sugar levels. It can even help with ADHD and learning disorders. Beware, though, because the first few times you use it, it stings! (For children, dilute with water by half.) Spray magnesium on your body daily (I recommend spraying on the bottom of your feet and armpits as it is readily absorbed in both places). Start with six squirts and build up to more.

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup magnesium chloride flakes (these can be found in most drug stores as well as online from sources such as Ancient Minerals)

1⁄2 cup (125ml) purified or distilled water

Directions:

  1. Boil the water.
  2. Add magnesium chloride flakes and stir well until dissolved.
  3. When cool, transfer to a glass spray bottle.

Deodorant Tips and Recipes

Making your own deodorant can be as simple as mixing 1⁄8 teaspoon of baking soda with a few drops of water (moisten, don’t dissolve). Add a pinch of cornstarch and a drop of essential oil to the mix, and you have an odour-fighting, nice smelling, easy concoction. Increase the basic recipe and store it in a jar. The final result is softer than typical deodorant, but applies easily with fingers or cloth to the underarms.

To make a final product that’s more solid (at least in cooler climates), blend 6 tablespoons coconut oil with 2 tablespoons baking soda. Add 10 to 15 drops of your favourite essential oils (e.g., tea tree oil, lavender, or wild orange). If you find baking soda irritating, try the same recipe using arrowroot instead of baking soda.

Or take your magnesium oil (which can also help prevent body odour), add essential oils (10 drops of essential oil for 2 ounces of magnesium oil), and spray on!

Springtime Cleansing Facial and Body Toning Mist (created by Native Formula)

Ingredients:

1⁄4 cup (60ml) hibiscus tea from organic dried herbs, or prepackaged organic tea (Hibiscus has softening, firming, and lifting qualities. You can use chamomile instead if you have any skin irritations or you want a calming effect.)

1⁄4 cup (60ml) aloe vera juice

1⁄4 cup (60ml) witch hazel

1 tablespoon (15ml) organic apple cider vinegar

Directions:

  1. Brew your tea in purified or distilled water for 15–20 minutes.
  2. Once cooled, combine the tea, aloe vera juice, witch hazel, and apple cider vinegar in a glass bottle with a spritzer top. Shake well.

Can be used all over. In warmer months, store in the fridge for a cool mist. Use within two weeks.

Personal Lubricants

Many women find that when they are pregnant they produce more natural lubrication along with all those other fluids they are busy producing. When trying to get pregnant or adding lubrication to your post-conception intercourse, it pays to be particularly aware of the toxins and irritants in most name-brand lubricants, including those especially designed to “enhance” fertility. Bacterial vaginosis can result from vaginal irritation and has been linked to lower rates of fertility and early miscarriage. Common lubricant ingredients to avoid include chlorhexidine, glycerin, parabens, petroleum by-products and silicone-based ingredients (including methyl polysiloxane and dimethicone), phenoxyethanol, and propylene glycol.

Instead of name-brand lubricants that may contain harmful or unnecessary ingredients, I recommend using natural oils such as canola (which Dr. Oz calls “sperm-friendly”), olive oil, and cocoa butter. For those using latex condoms, try plain yogourt or aloe vera gel.

Easy Rose Toner (created by Neitra Body Botanicals)

Blend equal parts distilled water with rose distillate (rose water). Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. Pour into a glass bottle with a spritzer top.

Fairy Kisses Facial Serum (created by Native Formula)

This is such an easy, light, and nourishing moisturizer. Try using while your skin is slightly damp from the toner above.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon (15ml) avocado oil

1 tablespoon (15ml) apricot oil

2 tablespoons (30ml) aloe vera gel

3–5 drops of pure essential oil (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in a small glass bottle, shake, and enjoy! You may add essential oils of your choice, but opt not to if you have overly sensitive skin.

Mama Bear Belly Rub and Balm (created by Native Formula)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon (5g) beeswax

1 tablespoon (15g) cocoa butter

1 1⁄2 teaspoon (7g) shea butter

7 tablespoons (105ml) oil (pick a favourite or a mix from the Best Oils for Skincare list)

1 teaspoon (5ml) raw manuka honey

1 vitamin E capsule, or a few drops of vitamin E oil

10–15 drops of pure essential oil of your choice

Directions:

  1. Place the first four ingredients in a clean glass jar.
  2. Take a medium saucepan and fill with about 5 centimetres of water. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Once the water has reached a low simmer, set your jar in the middle of the pot of water. Let the butters and oils slowly warm.
  4. Once the mixture has melted completely, remove the jar carefully using a towel and set on your countertop. Add the manuka honey, vitamin E, and essential oils. Swirl about to gently mix. Once mixed, quickly pour the melted balm into the tin or jar of your choice. If you notice separation developing, just pop the jar back into the hot water for a few more minutes to let it melt again. Take out, swirl, and pour into a container.

DIY Sunscreen

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup (125ml) olive oil

1⁄4 cup (55g) coconut oil

1⁄4 cup (57g) beeswax

2 tablespoons (27g) shea butter

2 tablespoons (30g) zinc oxide (high quality)

Optional: 2–3 drops of an essential oil that is safe for use in the sun (not phototoxic), such as cold-pressed mandarin, sweet orange, or tangerine, or steam-distilled bergamot or lemon

Directions:

  1. In a double boiler (or a jar in a pan of water over low heat), melt the oils, beeswax, and shea butter together.
  2. Once melted, remove the mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the zinc oxide at this point, being very careful not to breathe in the fumes. You may also add the essential oil at this point, if using.
  3. Store in a glass container in the fridge between uses. It is not waterproof, so reapply often.

Shortcut DIY Sunscreen Recipe

Take your favourite natural skin cream, baby’s bum balm, or belly rub and whip in 2 tablespoons (30g) of zinc oxide.