When we think of being healthy we think about eating well, reducing the number of processed foods we consume, drinking more water and cutting down on the caffeine and alcohol and moving the body a bit more.

But what if we could be undoing all that by what we put on our skin?

We often don’t consider that our skin is our largest organ in the body and whatever we are putting on it is absorbed straight into our bloodstream.

It should be easy enough if we buy products that say “natural” then surely there are no chemicals in them? Wrong!

In the beauty industry the word “natural” is not regulated so a product might have some natural ingredients but can have far more chemicals and still claim to be natural.

So why should we care?

As a women’s health practitioner specialising in hormonal and reproductive health, believe me it matters. Our hormones are the body’s chemical messengers, they regulate our menstrual cycles, support healthy egg and sperm development, fertility, impact on our mood, support our immune system, support sleep and help us to maintain a healthy weight amongst other things.

We are all exposed to toxins daily, some we can avoid and others we can’t. But understanding when we are unconsciously putting these toxins in and on our body is something we can control.

Chemicals found in household cleaners, skincare, body care, deodorants, shampoos, perfumes and makeup are things we come into contact with daily and yet many of us firstly have no idea how toxic they are or understand how they can be disrupting our hormones and our fertility. Phthalates is often found in these products as “fragrance”.

A great way to find out how clean your current products are is through using an app such as Think Dirty as it uses a traffic light system similar to those found on food packaging to let you know if the product contains harmful chemicals. This can be really interesting as I truly believed what the packaging on many of my products, only to find that they came up red indicating the level of chemicals in them.

So what do I use now?

Skincare and makeup I now use predominantly Tropics as they have absolutely no nasties and are made to order. Having used the ABC skincare for over 18 months now I not only notice a difference in my skin but I know I’m nourishing my body from the outside in. My absolutely favourite products has to be the smoothing cleanser, skin feast and the Super Greens Nutrient oil.

Night time I have created a little ritual around my skincare and I love the Bodyshops camomile cleaning balm and tropics Skin Dream.

With all of the awareness around breast cancer, I switched my deodorants to a natural one and although I’ve used a few different types over the years I’m currently using Tropics Feel Fresh.

Haircare and Body Care

In the last 4 months after being fed up with copious plastic bottle in my shower that I’ve looked at my shampoo and shower gel. So I’ve switched it to Thrives Hemp Shampoo and Rose Hemp Soap.

I must admit I wasn’t sure how it was going to be. As someone with natural curly hair, conditioner has been my friend forever but since using this I haven’t needed it. My hair feels in good condition and actually stays clean for longer.

The Rose Hemp Soap is amazing, it smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling great. It’s so lovely I'm tempted to hide it from my hubby and kids but I won't. Rose is beneficial in balancing our emotions, supporting our female hormones with the Hemp creating calm in the body and mind.

Makeup

I’ve used mineral makeup for years and am currently using Tropics mineral foundation and there beauty booster foundation, bronzer and blusher. But love Mac for mascara and lip gloss.

Keep it simple, small changes make a big difference.

I’m not suggesting that you get rid of everything but maybe just be a bit better informed about what you are currently using. Tropic also offer a 30 day refund if you don’t like them you can get your money back. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

To try some of the tropic products please visit my online shop.

Amy Simpson

www.amysimpson.co.uk