Detoxifying Your Skin Care Products

We are exposed to toxins in our air, water, food and personal products every day. I personally have been paying a lot more attention to these things lately--- it's a key factor to taking care of our health, feeling our best and living up to our full potential. Believe it or not, a build up of toxins in our body can cause skin rashes and itching, fatigue, headaches, body aches, and even weight gain. Not cool! The good news is that we can take control and detox our bodies of a lot of these toxins. Examples of these toxins are pesticides (in food, lawns, parks etc.), solvents (gasoline, paints, cleaning products etc.) and plastics (BPA and phthalates). How do we eliminate these from our every day life? Well we can try our best to avoid them through the products we use each day. Unfortunately, not all things are avoidable as many things are out of our control, but we can help the situation by controlling what we can!

When it comes to detoxification, the most important organs are the skin, lymphatic system, digestive system, liver, and the kidneys. Our liver is the hardest working organ eliminating these toxins from the rest of our body. But, when the liver and other organs involved in detoxification aren’t working properly, it can cause a build up of toxins in the body and sometimes more than what we can handle. When there are excess levels of toxins, we might experience the following symptoms:

• Fatigue, feeling run down and drained

• Skin rashes

• Acne

• Digestion issues – bloating, constipation, diarrhea, etc.

• Bad breath

• Headaches

• PMS, irregular cycles, infertility and other signs of Hormone imbalances

• Brain fog, difficulty focusing/concentrating

• Weight (fat) gain or inability to lose weight

• Chronic muscle or joint pain

• Inflammatory conditions/diseases such as eczema

You're probably wondering where do I start?! Other than making simple changes to your diet such as drinking plenty of filtered water, eating plenty of colored fruits, veggies and legumes and eating a variety of vegetables; you can also take a close look at your personal care products and start choosing non-toxic skincare products. I had my friend Nora Radford, my BEAUTYCOUNTER consultant, guest blog about safe products she offers and you can use for your every day skin care regimen. I personally have already swapped out my body wash, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant! And I'm currently in the midst of switching over ALL of my make-up! Get to know Nora!

Hey everyone! My name is Nora Radford and I ran cross country and track with April at good ole St. Charles North High School! I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, and have since lived in North Carolina, Georgia, and now Tennessee with my sweet Army husband. We have two little girls - Reygan who is almost 5 and Lina who just turned 1! I have always liked to take care of my body with a healthy diet and exercise, but when I came to learn about Beautycounter and the lack of regulation on personal care products in the US, I realized that I had not paid as much attention to what I put on my and my children's bodies every single day! I have since seen so many people become advocates for their families and make the switch to safer! To demonstrate the issues in the personal care industry in our country, here are some startling facts: -The European Union has banned 1400 ingredients… but the US has only banned… 30!!! -The average American woman uses between 12 and 20 personal care products per day, potentially exposing herself to hundreds of synthetic chemicals before she even walks out the door!!!! (Think shampoo, body wash, lotion, makeup, etc…) -The personal care product industry is grossly unregulated for the most part - the FDA does not have power over the cosmetics industry in the way that they do with food and drugs -The FDA has not passed a major federal law since 1938 and over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced to the market since then… with less than 10% being tested for safety!!!! -A study by the Red Cross found more than 200 industrial chemicals in the cord blood of newborn babies!!! WHAT!!!!?? Every time I hear these facts, I am stunned! Just like you, if you are reading this, I put a strong emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle. I focused on working out, modeling a healthy lifestyle for my children, choosing healthier cleaning products, buying organic and striving to make balanced meals from scratch… I considered mostly what was going in my family's bodies… but I didn't give a lot of thought to what went on our bodies. I did all of this to try to protect and encourage my family. Meanwhile, I was lathering, slathering and applying products that contain carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals and toxic ingredients every single day! I am stunned and upset at how little our government regulates our cosmetic industry. Today I am feeling thankful to have found Beautycounter, a company who has truly cared to educate myself and others so that we can make healthier choices for our families. Beautycounter's mission is simple - to get safe products into the hands of everyone. I love this! Their products go far beyond "all natural." They are 100% real and 100% effective. They have set a new industry standard by banning more than 1,500 ingredients, all while committing to the performance of their products - that they're as indulgent as any luxury face cleanser, shampoo, lipstick or oil on the market and maintain a great price! This is such an easy way to take a step toward greater health... you don’t even need to break a sweat on this one!! My Top 5 Must Have Products: 1. Dew skin - This tinted moisturizer with SPF is perfect for this non-makeup wearing gal - it evens my skin tone and I can even wear it to the gym! Find it here! 2. Rejuvenating Eye Cream - This stuff is magic on my tired mommy eyes! Check out my embarrassing before and after picture taken 15 minutes apart the other morning! Find it here!

3. Lengthening Mascara (Love the Volumizing too!)- Every girl needs a go-to mascara, and as the daughter of an ophthalmologist, I feel like I need to put safe ingredients near my open membranes!! Find it here! 4. Charcoal and Plumping Mask (I cheated and chose 2…)- AH! They both do wonders to shrink my giant crater pores and can be used to spot treat oily and acne areas with the charcoal, and the plumping can be used on other areas or all over as a “safe botox”. Charcoal Mask OR Plumping Mask. OR Grab a mini size of all three of our masks with the brush that conserves product and eliminates messes with our Multi Masker Holiday Set!

5. Concealer Pen - One click and I’m awake for the day! It makes such a drastic difference in the brightness of my face when used under my eyes and can cover blemishes in a jiffy! Find it here! Connect with Nora and start product swapping! * Email: norasradford@gmail.com * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacknora.radford * Join her Facebook page “BEAUTYCOUNTER with Nora Radford” for more health and safety education, Beautycounter product info, sales and giveaways! https://www.facebook.com/groups/466980237017964/ More Information: * Browse all of our products at www.beautycounter.com/noraradford * Learn more about Greenwashing: https://www.beautycounter.com/know-everything/greenwashing-and-what-5-popular-terms-on-beauty-products-actually-mean/ * What Is Beautycounter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCur_ywX8Lo *If this information and mission resonates with you, please reach out to Nora - In addition she can share an amazing job opportunity! At only 4 years old, our company is about to explode! This is a job where you can work 5 or 50 hours per week, contribute to a social mission, get safer products into the hands of your loved ones, and be rewarded financially! Be Unstoppable,

#Detox #SkinCare