Beauty | Tips for Exfoliating + Cruelty-Free, Paraben-Free, Phenoxyethanol-free Skincare Line

*Thanks to Mirada de Provence for sponsoring today's post; all opinions and reviews are my own.

I am so excited about today's beauty post! I'm sharing a line that I am very proud of and have enjoyed learning about. Mirada de Provence features skincare products made from the rich farmland of Provence in France! I love that these products are inflused with botanical traces of the plants harvested there  - literally, it doesn't get more natural than that! They are also completely paraben-free and most importantly phenoxyethanol-free!

I also firmly believe that no one really teaches you about skincare unless you actively seek the information. My family wasn't super explicit about teaching me about skincare or skin products, so this is something I've been sure to think about when G gets a bit older. I want her to know what she's doing so she can take care of the largest organ on her body!

What is Phenoxyethanol and What Are Parebens? 

Both of these words are buzz words that you'll start to hear more often. Phenoxyethanol and Parabens are both preservatives that help extend a product's shelf-life. You see, most people hear that and think, "Yes, so my make-up and skin care products last longer... what's the big deal?" 

The big deal is that these synthetic preservatives have been found to cause tumors, are known carcinogens, and hormone-disrupters. In products like nipple cream, phenoxyethanol can cause vomiting, diarrhea and a slew of other side effects for infants. It's honestly a scary product and likely the next target for people who are looking to lead a more chemical-free lifestyle.

In this article, a researcher states "Phenoxyethanol is restricted for use in cosmetics in Japan, which is alwasy ahead of the curve when it comes to cosmetic safety." Honestly, you guys - it can be disheartening as literally EVERY beauty brand (except a select few) uses these synthetic preservatives to keep costs down. They could use natural preservatives like herbs, etc, but it would cost way too much.

I urge you to research the products you're using - especially if you are pregnant of breastfeeding! Apps like Think Dirty are amazing for starting to clear out the chemical-ridden products from your medicine cabinet! Also, you can start with finding brands you trust to not use these chemicals, like Mirada de Provence!

Cruelty-Free!

Not only are Mirada de Provence's products pure in form, they are also cruelty-free. This means they do not test their products on animals! I love when companies commit to this important issue because several big brands in the beauty industry are huge culprits for animal testing. You should definitely check out this comprehensive list of cruelty-free beauty lines here! It helped me so much.

This Aromatic Herbs Nourishing hand cream I am using smells divine! I loved that I didn't need to worry about synthetic fragrances while using it, and could just enjoy the scent of freshly harvested flowers!

My good friend (who is a licensed esthetician) and I were just discussing exfoliaton and she shared some amazing, professional insight, so I thought I'd share that with you! It was super eye-opening to me. 

Tips for Exfoliating

Only exfoliate once or twice a week MAXIMUM.

Exfoliating too much can be very bad for your skin - it needs to to recuperate and rebuild!

Do NOT use any type of sugar scrub when exfoliating.

This one really surprised me. Apparently sugar breaks down skin tissue and can cause tearing on your skin! The face tearing has me all sorts of scared, so I won't be using any sort of sugar on any part of my body ever again, haha.

Using a brush like Clarisonic is okay... in moderation.

It's marketed to be an every day use product, but brushes like Clarisonic are not the best thing for your skin's integrity and can cause tearing as well.

Use something natural.

I adore this Fig Lemon body scrub pictured in the photo below! It seriously made my legs sooo soft and smooth! Definitley use something without chemicals - just not sugar!

Be sure to look up the products that you use on your hair, skin, and even nails! These things are used on our bodies daily and we have a right to use safe ones in order to ensure optimal health and longevity, am I right? 

Also if you decide to place an order with Mirada de Provence soon, be sure to do it while shipping is free! Thank you so much for reading!

*Photos by Erika Greene Photography | @erikagreenephotography

 xo. L