Ditch Your Foundation Make-Up

A few months ago, I did my first 7-day “Ditch It” challenge. It was such a great success, and I got such wonderful feedback, that I wanted to do it again… this time, with a 7-day “Ditch Your Makeup” challenge. So, are you ready to detox your life… again? I got you! The first item up: Ditch Your Foundation Make-Up.

Detox Your Life: Ditch Your Make-Up Day 1

As a kid, I used to watch my mom do her make-up every. single. morning. I never understood it, to be honest. She was beautiful without make-up. But no matter if she was headed to town or just taking me to the bus stop- she put that full face on.

As a teenager with an interest in make-up, I never liked the feeling of foundation. I felt weighed down, like I was wearing Halloween make-up. I hated it. My face needs to breathe. 20+ years later and I still feel like that… (plus, I hate covering my 3 billion freckles).

But…

This is just my personal experience and preference.

I totally understand that most women love make-up and love foundation. That’s cool, too.

If you’re that woman, I’d love to take this time to explain what might be hiding in your foundation that can cause health issues…

Because the last thing I want if for you to develop health issues from what you are putting on your face every day.

Why You Should Ditch Your Foundation

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

Please note that each brand of foundation has different formulations.

Not all of these ingredients are found in every foundation.

Additionally, there are other questionable ingredients in foundations.

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.

Propylparaben*

Propylparaben is commonly used as a preservative and as a fragrance ingredient.
It’s considered harmful because people can be allergic to it (which can cause skin and respiratory issues).
Science has also found that propylparaben is a possible “endocrine disruptor.”
Endocrine disruptors mess with hormones and can potentially cause a slew of health effects like birth defects, cancer, and even developmental defects.

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.

Phenoxyethanol

Cosmetics and personal care products use phenoxyethanol as a preservative and to kill germs.
The first reason to eliminate this ingredient is because it can act as an irritant to your skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
It may also cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even toxicity to organs.

PEG-10 Dimethicone Crosspolymer

This ingredient is a type of silicone and is most often used as a thickener, softener, and/or moisture-carrier in beauty, skin, and hair products. This basically means that it’s what coats your skin and/or hair.
The biggest concern with this product is contamination. When PEG-10 Dimethicone is made, it may be contaminated with two other ingredients: ethylene oxide (known for causing respiratory issues) and 1,4 dioxane (a known carcinogen).
Scientists have found that skin and eye irritation is a real factor with this ingredient. This includes redness, itchiness, and irritation.
Another downfall is that Dimethicone is non-biodegradable and terrible for the environment.

Cyclopentasiloxane

Cyclopentasiloxane is another silicone-based compound and used as a hair conditioning and skin conditioning agent.
Some health issues this compound may cause is endocrine disruption, organ toxicity, and bio-accumulation (when an ingredient builds up in the body or environment, which negativity impacts our bodies and environments).

What to Use Instead

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

Check out:

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Cream Foundation
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Full Coverage Water Foundation
W3LL People Narcissist Stick Foundation
Burt’s Bees Mattifying Foundation
A few other safe brands are Elate, Rejuva, and Tropic.

Extra Challenge

Go without!

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

But… you. are. beautiful. with or without foundation.

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

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