Favorite Natural Beauty Products of 2014

I’m not one to peel, slice and mash fresh produce in order to make pure, organic beauty products at home.

However, I do seek out convenient pre-packaged beauty products that contain natural ingredients. I’m always thrilled whenever I find an effective product that contains less manufactured chemicals that I can’t pronounce and more ingredients that I can. These are the products that I feel comfortable using on my body.

I’ve put together a list of my favorite natural beauty products of 2014. Not all of the following are certified organic products, but they do contain mostly natural ingredients. 

Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

1. Love & Toast Honey Coconut Handcreme (1.25 oz.) – $9

I swear I’ve tried every hand cream on the market. Most do little to quench the perpetually dry skin on my hands. Or, if I do find one that is effective, I’m turned off by its overpowering scent or the fact that it contains lots of chemicals that I don’t want to slather on my hands several times a day.

Enter Love & Toast’s Honey Coconut Handcreme. Made with ultra-rich shea butter, macadamia nut and olive fruits, plus moisturizing sunflower and avocado oils, this hand creme feels luxurious without being greasy. The honey coconut scent smells delicious (it reminds me a bit of vanilla buttercream frosting). My preschooler always asks me to put the “yummy lotion” on her hands, and I feel good about doing so because it’s made with natural ingredients and is paraben-free.

2. Alba Botanica Good & Clean Toxin Release Scrub (4 oz.) – $7

I like using a face scrub in the shower every morning because it helps wake me up (and I need all the help that I can get!). For years I had been using St. Ives’ Apricot Scrub, which contains ground up walnut shell. But the bits of walnut in the St. Ives’ scrub were rather large and I felt like the scrub was too harsh on my skin. So I decided to search for something new.

When I read the ingredients in Alba Bontanica’s Good and Clean Toxin Release Scrub, I hesitated. It contained walnut powder. But, I felt the consistency and it was wasn’t coarse like the other scrub, so I thought I would try it.

The scrub has a light, energizing citrus smell (due to the fruit acids that help slough the skin), and a texture that feels like superfine sugar. I use it every morning, and it makes my face feel soft without overworking the skin. It does not contain any artificial colors or fragrances, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium myreth sulfate.

3. SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Body Lotion (13 oz.) – $11

I first used SheaMoisture products with my infant daughter. Vowing only to use organic products on her young skin, I found SheaMoisture Baby Healing Lotion at our local Target. This lotion contains shea butter, chamomile, and Argan oil to help calm and moisturize sensitive skin. After moisturizing my daughter’s skin, I found that my hands were exceptionally soft, and I loved the way they smelled.

I did some research and discovered that SheaMoisture sells a similar product for adults that has the same great fragrance and contains softening shea butter and coconut oil, as well as an anti-inflammatory/anti-bacterial frankincense and myrrh extract which helps heal dry, cracked skin (and makes me feel wise using it). All of the ingredients are natural and organic, which makes me feel even wiser.

By far, this is the most moisturizing body lotion I’ve ever used, and I love how the light scent lingers on my skin throughout the day. My only complaint about this product is the packaging. Because this product feels more like a body butter than a lotion, and because the bottle it is packaged in is made from a rigid plastic that doesn’t allow for squeezing, it is nearly impossible to dispense the lotion. I finally had my husband saw off the top of the bottle and then I scraped the lotion into a storage bowl with a lid, making it a lot easier to access.

After I went through all the trouble to transfer my bottled lotion to a container, I discovered that SheaMoisture sells an actual body butter in a container, so you can forgo the sawed-off bottle option and just try the body butter instead of the lotion. The body butter costs $10 for 4 oz. compared to the lotion which costs $11 for 13 oz., so keep that in mind.

4. SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Body Wash (13 oz.) – $11

Yes, another SheaMoisture product has made it on the list. This time, it’s the ultra silky body wash that has the same amazing scent as the lotion and feels like liquid gold (see how it absolutely glistens in the photo?).

When I first bought this, it felt so great on my skin that I used way too much and was emptying my bottle too quickly. I’ve learned to pour a quarter-sized amount on a body puff and that is enough. Portion control!

In addition to the Raw Shea Butter Body Wash, SheaMoisture offers these body washes: African Black Body Soap, Coconut and Hibiscus, Lavender and Wild Orchid, Olive and Green Tea, and Argan Oil and Raw Shea. As the seasons change, and my skin care needs along with them, I’ll be sure to sample these other body washes.

5. Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste (4.7 oz.) – $5

I started using Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste years ago and now I can’t stand using anything else. The biggest reason for this is that Tom’s of Maine uses natural flavorings (peppermint oil) and sweeteners (xylitol), leaving my mouth minty fresh without tasting too sweet.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found this toothpaste in a travel size. So when I travel I pack a small Colgate or Crest tube, and I notice a difference immediately. The artificial flavors and sweeteners they contain seem so much more pronounced to me after getting used to brushing with Tom’s of Maine.

I use the Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque and Whitening formula because it does not contain fluoride. Many of us brush our teeth with water that has already been fluoridated, but too much fluoride can cause disturb dental enamel. This condition is called dental flourosis and, in the past, I’ve had white spots form on my teeth because of it so that is why I choose the the flouride-free formula.

If you do want fluoride in your toothpaste, Tom’s of Maine does offer a formula called “Whole Care” that contains it.

What’s your favorite natural beauty product? Share it with us by submitting a comment form below. 

 

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Living Life to The Fullest!

I love seeking out new experiences and finding places off the beaten path. I started Joplin MO Life in August 2013 as a way to share my discoveries with others in the Joplin community so that they can learn about the resources that exist right in their own backyards.

I have worked in education and event planning, and have always loved to write. I hold a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor's degree in marketing from Tulane University.