The best bargain brains on the web come together to share money saving tips to finely tune your personal finance in a coupon blog you can't miss. Join us on our quest of living well – while spending less!
Categories
- All
- CompanyStaff
- DealPro Tips
- Featured StoreStaff
- Freebies
- GiveawaysStaff
- Holidays
- InfographicsStaff
- Loose Change
- Money Saving Tips
- Newsworthy
- Personal Finance
- Polls/Quizzes
- Product Review
- Shop Smarter
- Special Events
- Spotlight Deals
- Stuff We Like
- Behind The Scenes: Employee Spotlight with Tim
- Freebie Round-Up: 5/25
- Giveaway: $50 Worth of Peeps Goodies!
- MagicJack Plus Vs. NetTalk Duo WiFi: Either Way, You Win
- DealPro Blog RoundUp- 5/23
- 5 Free Apps That Can Help You at the Grocery Store
- Better Leftovers, Better Savings
- Extreme Couponing Myths
- Tips for Tipping
- Behind The Scenes: Employee Spotlight with Allegra
Living Well, Living Green: Eco-friendly Skin Lighteners Help Erase Summer Sun Damage
By RachelSarnoffGuest Blogger(view all posts by RachelSarnoff)
at 8:22AM Sunday September 12, 2010
under
Shop Smarter
Ah, September. Back to work. Back to school. And looking back at you in the mirror is the evidence of how much fun you had in the sun for the past three months: Dark spots. Weird freckles. Not-so-fine lines.
We know what you did last summer and you shoulda worn a hat.
But don't fret, pet. We sussed out the best botanical remedies--as well as nearly $1,300 in giveaways--to bring back your spring skin! Once upon a time, we might have reached for a conventional prescription or over-the-counter skin lightener to combat this kind of sun damage. But now we know that their key ingredient--hydroquinone--is one of the suckiest suckies on our Big List.
Hydroquinone has been linked to cancer and neurotoxicity; it's toxic to the immune system, a known skin irritant and allergen, an endocrine disruptor, and classified as an air pollutant and pesticide by the EPA.
And although it's used for skin lightening, this stuff has the oh-so-ironic side effect of making the skin hyper-sensitive to the sun, so that the minute you go outside without the kind of head-to-toe, sun-shielding getup last spotted on Madonna, the spots come back.
Fun stuff.
Here are some non-toxic skin lightening alternatives
C*Perfect Skin Organic Foaming Face Cleanser with Enzymes, Antioxidants & Vitamin C (vegan, $32)
Along with a veritable cornucopia of extracts from alpha-hydroxic apples to vitamin C-rich watermelon, C*Perfect Skin Organic Foaming Face Cleanser calls on the exfoliating enzyme papain, naturally derived from the papaya fruit, to help reduce freckles and brown spots associated with sun damage.
Cygalle Licorice Spice Face Wash ($22 two-ounce trial size)
Strange as it may seem, the same root that inspired your childhood Twizzlers has been used for centuries—especially in China—to combat sun and environmental damage. Part of Cygalle Dias' made-to-order organic skincare line, which was popularized as a mobile-spa-to-the-stars service for greenies like Rosario Dawson, the Licorice Spice Face Wash is also enriched with antioxidant powerhouses vitamins C and E.
Anthology West Indies Facial Scrub ($12.95, PETA approved, vegan)
If you want to put your best face forward, you've got to inspire cell turnover. How best to do that? Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! (But not too hard!) We love Anthology West Indies Facial Scrub, which utilizes poppy seeds rather than plastic beads to create an exfoliating powder that you customize to your skin type by adding just the right amount of water. Plus all of Anthology's ingredients are USDA Certified Organic and presented in recycled and recyclable glass jars that are pretty enough to display.
EmerginC Scientific Organics Spirulina Toner ($30) vegan
That blue-green algae isn't just for your protein shake. Packed with amino acids and enzymes, spirulina is the perfect addition to EmerginC's potent cocktail of antioxidant ingredients--from green tea to grape stem cells--that remove dead cells, nourish and re-balance the skin.
Amala Rejuvenating Eye Cream ($116)
Crème de la Mer's got nothing on eco anymore. For those of you who want luxury and sustainability, check out Amala's ridiculously gorgeous new line of head-to-toe skincare, where the costs go into sustainably-sourced organic ingredients. Sun squint left you with spiders next to your eyes? Try Amala's Rejuvenating Eye Cream, which has an apothecary's worth of amazing natural ingredients to smooth fine lines--including the aforementioned licorice root which brightens dark under eye circles, to boot!
For more eco-friendly skin lighteners including a DIY at-home treatment recipe and more giveaways check out EcoStiletto's Beauty section.
We know what you did last summer and you shoulda worn a hat.
But don't fret, pet. We sussed out the best botanical remedies--as well as nearly $1,300 in giveaways--to bring back your spring skin! Once upon a time, we might have reached for a conventional prescription or over-the-counter skin lightener to combat this kind of sun damage. But now we know that their key ingredient--hydroquinone--is one of the suckiest suckies on our Big List.
Hydroquinone has been linked to cancer and neurotoxicity; it's toxic to the immune system, a known skin irritant and allergen, an endocrine disruptor, and classified as an air pollutant and pesticide by the EPA.
And although it's used for skin lightening, this stuff has the oh-so-ironic side effect of making the skin hyper-sensitive to the sun, so that the minute you go outside without the kind of head-to-toe, sun-shielding getup last spotted on Madonna, the spots come back.
Fun stuff.
Here are some non-toxic skin lightening alternatives
Along with a veritable cornucopia of extracts from alpha-hydroxic apples to vitamin C-rich watermelon, C*Perfect Skin Organic Foaming Face Cleanser calls on the exfoliating enzyme papain, naturally derived from the papaya fruit, to help reduce freckles and brown spots associated with sun damage.
**During the week of 1/3/11, four EcoStiletto free newsletter subscribers will each win a $32 C*Perfect Skin Organic Foaming Face Cleanser.**
Strange as it may seem, the same root that inspired your childhood Twizzlers has been used for centuries—especially in China—to combat sun and environmental damage. Part of Cygalle Dias' made-to-order organic skincare line, which was popularized as a mobile-spa-to-the-stars service for greenies like Rosario Dawson, the Licorice Spice Face Wash is also enriched with antioxidant powerhouses vitamins C and E.
**During the week of 1/10/11, five EcoStiletto free newsletter subscribers will each win a $22 trial-size bottle of Cygalle Licorice Spice Face Wash.**
If you want to put your best face forward, you've got to inspire cell turnover. How best to do that? Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! (But not too hard!) We love Anthology West Indies Facial Scrub, which utilizes poppy seeds rather than plastic beads to create an exfoliating powder that you customize to your skin type by adding just the right amount of water. Plus all of Anthology's ingredients are USDA Certified Organic and presented in recycled and recyclable glass jars that are pretty enough to display.
**During the week of 1/10/11, eight EcoStiletto free newsletter subscribers will each win a $12.95 jar of Anthology West Indies Facial Scrub.**
That blue-green algae isn't just for your protein shake. Packed with amino acids and enzymes, spirulina is the perfect addition to EmerginC's potent cocktail of antioxidant ingredients--from green tea to grape stem cells--that remove dead cells, nourish and re-balance the skin.
**During the week of 1/17/11, four EcoStiletto free newsletter subscribers will each win a $30 bottle of EmerginC Scientific Organics Spirulina Toner.**
Crème de la Mer's got nothing on eco anymore. For those of you who want luxury and sustainability, check out Amala's ridiculously gorgeous new line of head-to-toe skincare, where the costs go into sustainably-sourced organic ingredients. Sun squint left you with spiders next to your eyes? Try Amala's Rejuvenating Eye Cream, which has an apothecary's worth of amazing natural ingredients to smooth fine lines--including the aforementioned licorice root which brightens dark under eye circles, to boot!
**During the week of 2/7/11, one EcoStiletto free newsletter subscribers will win a $116 Amala Rejuvenating Eye Cream.**
Savings.com Green Guru Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is a writer, producer and marketing consultant who focuses on sustainable fashion, beauty, lifestyle and parenting--and the creator of EcoStiletto.com, an online magazine which explains, in real-girl terms, how eco-friendly choices can help turn your carbon footprint from a ginormous Ugg into an oh-so-slender Manolo.
Comments