Ditch Your Face Powder Make-Up

I’ve helped you ditch your foundation and ditch your concealer so far. It’s incredible, isn’t it? Our products contain so many ingredients that we literally have NO IDEA what they even are, how they are made, or even what they’ll do to our bodies. Okay, incredible is the wrong word. SCARY!!! It’s scary isn’t it?! Since you’ve learned this much already, we might as well keep detoxing your life, right?! The third item up: Ditch Your Face Powder Make-Up.

Detox Your Life: Ditch Your Make-Up Day 3

It was 10th or 11th grade…

I was in Teen & Law. My BFF and I watched an older popular girl apply face powder over 30 times (30 times!!!) in a 42 minute class.

That day changed my life.

I never wanted to be that girl… that obsessed with my looks… whether I was popular or not.

Why You Should Ditch Your Face Powder

Here are 5 common ingredients in most major name brand face powder, why they are used, and how they are detrimental to your health.

Please note that each brand of foundation has different face powders.

Not all of these ingredients are found in every face powder.

Additionally, there are other questionable ingredients in face powder.

In an effort to spare my sanity and not inundate you with TOO much information, I decided to pull out 5 of the most commonly found ingredients and explain those.

Please feel free to do additional research on the other ingredients in your products.

Talc

Talc is a type of magnesium silicate that even at cosmetic grade can be toxic and carcinogenic, especially for the ovaries.
It’s usually used as an abrasive, absorbent, anti-caking, bulking, and/or skin protecting ingredient in cosmetics.
Scientists have found this ingredient to be extremely dangerous to children when inhaled, but it can be detrimental to everyone that comes in contact with it as it causes respiratory and skin irritations.
Additionally, talc is dangerous because it can be contaminated with asbestos fibers which can be inhaled.

PTFE (Teflon)

In cosmetics, PTFE, also known as Teflon, is used as a binding and skin conditioning agent.
Like a lot of other cosmetic ingredients, PTFE is a possible carcinogen.
Teflon skillets and pots are known to release toxic fumes when heated, so that’s not saying much for Teflon use in cosmetics.

Dimethicone

Dimethicone is a silicon based polymer and is used as a moisturizing ingredient in cosmetics, skin care, and/or hair care.
It is known to be toxic to our bodies and to the environment.

Octinoxate

Octinoxate is usually used to protect skin against UVB radiation.
It’s used in products like cosmetics and sunscreens.
It is a known endocrine disruptor (endocrine disruptors mess with hormones and can potentially cause a slew of health effects like birth defects, cancer, and even developmental defects).
This ingredients also: changes thyroid and estrogen activity, has been linked to breast cancer, alters body functions like development and metabolism, may cause allergic reactions and/or irritations for the eyes, skin, and lungs.

Methylparaben*

Methylparaben is also a commonly used preservative and fragrance ingredient.
Like propylparaben, science says that methylparaben alters our cellular composition and can disrupt hormones as well.
Methylparaben can actually mimic estrogen in the body and may play a role in breast cancer as some studies show methylparaben build up in breast tissues of breast tumors.

*All parabens (propylparaben, methylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, etc.) are frequently used in cosmetics and deodorants because they are anti-fungal and anti-microbial. This is great for killing fungus, yeast, and germs, but the health consequences are far too great.

What to Use Instead

There are safer alternatives than those major name brands we are all accustomed to.

Check out:

Rejuva Minerals Multi Purpose Pressed Powder
Dr. Hauschka Translucent Face Powder
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Powder Foundation
100% Pure Bamboo Blur Powder
Burt’s Bees Mattifying Powder Foundation

Extra Challenge

Go without!

Oy. I know I’ve probably struck a cord there.

But… you. are. beautiful. with or without face powder.

I promise.

**The information on the ingredients in this blog post come largely from the Think Dirty App. If you don’t already have the Think Dirty App (where I check the safety of all my products), you really need to.

Please know that the products I recommend at rated at a 0/10 in terms of toxicity. They are as safe as they can ever be. To me, if it’s not a zero, it’s a definite no-go.

If you want to check out my last challenge, you can find the links here.

Ditching:

Plastic Cooking Utensils

Dryer Sheets

Did you enjoy this post? Please pin this image ↓ Happy Homesteading! (: