INFO | Natural? Where to start? How to start?

Ah yes...the famous questions: Where to start, and how to start?

When I first started going natural, everyone was telling me to look at the ingredients, as this is the key point in going natural. I almost gave up with the amount of research I had to do! While I was looking for a clean cleanser, I had to Google every single ingredients and try to find as much information as possible for every ingredient! And then I had to look for a moisturizer, and had to go over the same process again. Imagine there's around 10-20 ingredients in every single product...OMG! Isn't that a lot of work? 

But then I came upon a couple of sites, after tons of research, to help me with the ingredients and products to purchase. If you're reading this blog, it's probably because you are also interested in going natural. And if you're new, just like me, the following information might be helpful to you (I hope so...because they helped me greatly!). 

RESOURCES 

• http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

EWG (Environmental Working Group) created the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database which is the world's largest personal care product safety guide. This site saved me so much time! If you are a starter, definitely check it out to help you a little with the ingredients. 

They have information on:

1. Products: 79,090
2. Brands: 2,897
3. Companies: 1,999
4. Ingredients: 152,157

Here is a link that will give you a little guide on how to use the EWG database. It's very simple!

IMPORTANT! Not all information are accurate (WHAT?). You have to consider that this is a database...So for a detailed instruction on how to use this database, please check out this awesome blog.

• http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/

Wonderful and helpful blog written by Stephanie. Every once in a while, she would post information about a certain chemical.

She would provide:

1. Rating of the chemical (based on the EWG's database) 
2. Risk of the chemical
3. Extra important information about the chemical

There's also a list of "BAD" stuff in natural product, such hair care, body care, oral care (yes! oral care is also very important), etc. Definitely a great place to learn and get more information on clean/natural product.

• My Inspirers

This is a list of wonderful bloggers that provide tons of detailed information about natural/organic products. On a regular basis, these bloggers would post natural/organic products reviews which they have personally used. If you don't know which product to start from, visit their blogs for some ideas.

• Labels

Learning the labels is a really important process of switching to natural. Many products have the label "Natural" or "Organic" on it with beautiful green leaves illustrated on their products. However, having those do not mean they are actually "Natural" or "Organic". The website provided have a list of green labels along with the two most popular labels, which are the USDA Organic, and the Ecocert. 

When looking for clean products, look for those labels!

MY ADVICE

• Switch the item you cannot live without first.
• Gradually replace the products that you have finished, or almost finished (to not break your bank)
• To make sure that the product works for you, ask for samples.
• Learn the ingredients (blogs! resources!)
• Read LABELS + INGREDIENTS

Hope these information may help you! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment, find me on Facebook or Twitter, or email me!

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xoxo,
Kiwee