Welcome to The Definitive Guide To Healthy Hair & Skin (Men & Women!). I think we can all agree that there is an abundance of options when it comes to shampoos, conditioners, soaps, lotion and more. We see commercials for Pantene, L'Oreal Paris, and Dove all the time, and they do a great job of making their products look great and glamorous.
But here's the deal:
Many of these big companies use harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances, parabens (mimics estrogen) and surfactants (chemical foaming agents) that can cause a wide range of health problems, like cancer, and leave your hair and skin itchy and dried out.
Here's an example:
Go to your shower and check out the list of ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle. I bet that one of the first three ingredients is either sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate (SLS).
This is where you say, "wow Jordan! How'd ya guess that??"
Well, I'm no magician, but I do happen to know that it is a cheap surfactant that many shampoo and soap companies use to make you feel like you are getting clean.
But there's a catch:
SLS is the main component of garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers that causes skin irritation and corrosion causes rough and flaky skin, corrodes hair follicles (and even impairs growth) and causes biological dysfunction of skin.
And that's not all:
It's is flammable and emits toxic fumes when heated, like toxic sodium and sulfur oxides. This makes a hot shower seem scary.
SLS is also found in toothpaste, laundry detergents and stain removers, body wash, mouthwash, lotions, shaving cream, carpet cleaners and a host of other personal care products.
Behold, the healthy solutions:
Shampoo - Rahua is the key to beautiful, hydrated hair. It's made with 100% natural and organic ingredients. You could drink this and be fine, that's how clean it is. It's about $30, but I've been on the same bottle for almost 2 years now.
Worth mentioning: John Masters Organics shampoo, Nauture's Gate shampoo/conditioner.
Body Soap - Kiss My Face bars of soap are free on any synthetic ingredients, they come in packs of 3 for about $4 and the bars last about 2 weeks. That's $36 per year.
Worth mentioning: The soaps at Whole Foods are AWESOME!
Face Wash - GR8 SKN Clean. It's sulfate and paraben free with all natural ingredients that cleanse without stripping the skin of natural moisture.
Toothpaste - Xyliwhite. No SLS, flouride or parabens. 100% clean and made with natural ingredients that will whiten your teeth.
Worth mentioning: Earthpaste (5 ingredients!).
Shaving Cream (or butter?!) - Dr. Carver's Easy Shave Butter. It's free of harsh chemicals and provides a super smooth shave. It's $8, but a little goes a long way; I had the same bottle for a year (shaving every other day) and was only halfway through it before it got taken at the airport. This product has nearly 5,000 5 star reviews, a must-have.
After Shave - Pacific Shaving Co. Caffeinated After Shave. Caffeinated? Cool concept, it gives the skin a cool sensation. It's made with organic ingredients and hydrating oils. About $6. Again, a little goes a long way here, I'll have the same bottle all year.
Lotion - GR8 SKN Hydrate. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E, combined with green tea, honeybush tea, and olive extracts. This lotion moisturizes without clogging pores.
Worth Mentioning: Coconut oil and olive oil are the perfect moisturizers.
Exfoliators - Lush products, good stuff. I believe they might have some products with SLS but most are made with organic ingredients.
Hair Stylers - John Masters Organics has 2 great products here: pomade and hair texturizer. They are made of a variety of different oils and fruits. They smell absolutely delicious and this is another product that you could actually consume and be totally fine (it's made from things we eat anyway).
Worth mentioning: Pureology hair spray.
Deodorant - Kiss My Face
Worth mentioning: Every Man Jack
Sunscreen - Organic Goddess, Elemental Herbs, Aruba Aloe
Taking it to the next level:
Proper nutrition plays a large role in the health of your hair, skin and nails. Don't miss out:
- Collagen - Regenerates skin, hair, joints, bones, tendons and more.
- Vitamin C - Increases your body's collagen production and neutralizes free radicals in the skin.
- Vitamin E - Treats wrinkles by speeding up skin cell growth and regeneration.
- Vitamin A - Encourages healthy skin cell production and stimulates fibroblasts (keeps skin firm).
- Biotin - Increases hair, skin and nail growth
- How to make your skin glow:
- Drink lots of water! - Rids the body and skin of toxins.
- How to hydrate your hair, skin and nails from the inside out:
- Consume lots of healthy, stable fats (cold-pressed, not cooked at high heats, heat damages fats and turns them into free radicals).
- Cold-pressed, unfiltered coconut oil
- Cold-pressed, unfiltered olive oil
- Grass-fed, pasture-raised organic butter
- Avoid: Gluten and sugar!
Well, there you have it: Your Personal Care Bible!
Did I leave something out? What do you use? Leave a comment below!
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To maximizing health,Jordan Paris, NASM CPT
