Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Use Natural Enzymes to Replace Plastic Scrubbing Beads

I just came across this article on The Smart Mama's blog. (She has a great blog by the way!). Wow! I never knew that those little micro (usually jojoba) scrubbing beads in alot of commercial scrubs could be killing our sea life! Anyone concerned about our planet (and that should be all of us, right??) needs to know about this. Smart Mama has already written such a good article about this issue that I don't feel the need to add more. Read the article and then try to stick to natural exfoliants.

The only thing I would suggest is be careful which natural exfoliants you use on your face... some natural exfoliants, such as crushed apricot seeds or almonds have rough edges that scratch the skin's surface. While you might not be able to see them, the scratches are still there and they are damaging to the skin's surface...and of course, the skin on your face is more delicate than the skin on the rest of your body.

I personally try to only use facial exfoliants that are based on AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) & BHA's (Beta Hydroxy Acids) from fruits (such as pineapple or grapefruit enzymes, etc). Doll Face's all-natural Hoopla Enzyme Cleansing Wash uses apple and lemon enzymes to exfoliate and is so amazing that I can actually feel it retexturizing my skin even before I rinse. I am totally addicted to the fresh Green Apple scent of this product as well.

Another of my favorite exfoliators is Kanebo's Silk Peeling Powder. This powdered exfoliant is based on silk enzymes and always leaves my skin silky (no pun intended) smooth. The packaging is designed so that when you turn it upside down it dispenses a pre-measured amount just right for one use.. and each bottle contains about 100 uses if I remember correctly (my bottle lasted forever and was well worth the money). It is also great for travel...no need to worry about leaks or spills (I dispense some into a re-usable plastic jar or a ziplock bag).. and these days it's one less thing to have to fit into your 1 quart ziplock bag of liquids for flying (not to mention it takes up less space). The big surprise of this product for me was how much it foams. You'll get lots of foam, and I use the premeasured amount that is dispensed on my face, front & back of neck, decollate, and my hands (yes, ladies, always exfoliate your hands at the same time you do your face... especially when using an enzyme exfoliant... it helps use up that leftover product that is on your hands and gives the enzymes on your face a little more time to do their work as well).

Whatever you do, please try to boycott those plastic micro scrubbing beads. Our planet will be a better place for it.

2 comments:

SkinWench said...

I know what you mean, Jillian. Fortunately, there are so many great options out there that will exfoliate without scrubbing beads that we can still give both our face and the planet the tender loving care they both deserve.

Isn't it amazing the things that are happening that we don't even know about?

Halley said...

hmmm... i think i'll have to look for a more environment-friendly alternative. yea, i think that'll do. =)