Natural/paraben free moisturizers

[Consensus]

Hi! I've been slowly moving towards green/natural products for cleaners and bath products for DD and I - DH only buys into some of the 'hippie' culture as he calls it- but I'd really like to go paraben free for our entire household, and when I started looking into parabens I found they are in every single bottle of moisturizer in our house. I'd like to change to something more natural, any suggestions? I have a few good 'hippie' stores, but I live a minimum of 35 minutes away from them, and typically I order items like that off Amazon which tends to be cheaper than Whole Foods or Sunflower anyway.

DH uses a scent-free Curel product, which actually works great to keep skin moisturized, especially in hot/dry AZ and his twice per day showers. Convincing him to use something else is probably going to be a challenge unless I offer something that works equally as well that is also, for the most part, unscented. I'm not opposed to making something homemade.

Thank you for your input!

[Bridget]

We use straight coconut oil. It doesn't smell strong at all but it's a bit oily only at first. It soaks in nicely and does not leave a greasy feel. It's fantastic, really. Dbf also uses aloe vera gel but you'll have to get a natural one as well and keep an eye on ingredients because it often has crap in it if you buy it at Walmart or whatever.

[music maker]

Some brands offer a "natural" alternative and are paraben free. I'm not sure if they are really any better or if they contain other products that are just as bad.

[Bridget]

Some brands offer a "natural" alternative and are paraben free. I'm not sure if they are really any better or if they contain other products that are just as bad.

Yeah you have to be careful because just because there are no parabens doesn't mean they aren't loaded with other crap. And don't fall for the ploy of ones that say "organic avacado" and cost $18 a bottle lol. I like to keep it simple and just a couple ingredients.

Oh, and there is a website called Skindeep where you can type in your product and it tells you which chemicals are in it and how bad they are. I was surprised to find the sunscreen I was using had a bad rating. It was paraben free so I bought it but it had other poisons in it that I didn't know about.

[i.<3.cheesysmiles]

I have used beauty without cruetly's frangrance free moisturizer. I like it.

I looked it up on the skin deep database, and according to the database, there are parabens, but there are none listed on my bottle. Nor is there any vitamin a.

[Consensus]

Thanks for your input and the website, I will check that out.
So is there like a `dirty dozen` list of things to watch out for like there is for pesticides?
Bridget, where do you get your coconut oil? are these products easily orderable from amazon?

[i.<3.cheesysmiles]

I try to avoid parabens and fragrance. I try to also get vegan body products for personal reasons.

I actually saw a list of ingredients in children's products to avoid. I didn't keep it though.

I can get coconut oil at my grocery store and I noticed trader joe's sells it too, now.

[iMom]

We switched to Coconut oil as well.. I "wash" my face with it now. We also use pure shea butter from ghana. I ordered it on Amazon. DD and I do not use anything with parabens... It will cause me irritation/redness. So I try to avoid anything with it. I use Yes to Cucumbers as well as a lotion for my face. I also use 'SET' make-up. but I do not wear a ton of facial make up or anything.

[midgeend]

Like Bridget (sort of) we use just shea butter. It's actually the best moisturizer I've ever used. I'm sure coconut oil is very similar.

[Andrea Rikuski]

I have tried all kinds of moisturizers--always looking for paraben free and organic. During my third pregnancy I discovered kukui oil and have used it ever since for everything skin related. I usually rub it on right after my shower and it soaks right in. It is a very light oil and soaks in easily. My skin is smoother and dewier. I have used it as sunburn treatment and on heat rash and am very pleased with the way it seems to "be made for human skin."