BODY LOTION

I was about .2 seconds away from ordering my old trusted Hempz lotion on Amazon. The weather is getting colder and my skin is noticing. Also, working as a nurse I am constantly washing my hands and using harsh hand sanitizer all day long. My skin is dry and my hands are cracking so I needed to figure this out before January rolls around.

Before pushing "order" I took a closer look at some of the ingredients listed in Hempz lotion and I really was not surprised. Like most body lotions, fragrance is listed as an ingredient. Fragrance is the first thing I look for AND avoid when searching personal care products- it is easy to spot and probably one of the most common...and it is absolutely NOT necessary. Fragrance has a rating of an 8 on the EWG due to the potential of so many hidden and undisclosed chemicals and ingredients that fall under under this label. Methylisothiazolinone, another ingredient on Beautycounter's never list and rated a 7 on the EWG was also included in this list along with Retinyl Palmitate.

After glancing the ingredient list I knew I could and needed to find some better options for myself this winter. Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs what you put on it all day long. The last thing I want to do is cover it with chemicals that have the potential to cause hormone disruption, allergies, reproductive toxicity and increase my risk for cancer. We are exposed to many things we have limited control over however we do have full control what we put on our bodies---and a great place to start is your body lotion!

Here are a few safer alternatives I found and I am looking forward to giving them all a try this season. They can be found at Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Marshalls, Amazon and of course Beautycounter.