I have a history of skin issues, including severely dry hands in the winter, acne issues and itchy rashes and hives on various parts of my body. Thankfully, due to the MANY changes we’ve made here at the Yankee Homestead, these conditions have vastly improved.
Lotions, Before
These are the brands of lotion I used before, thinking they were safe. Because, after all, many were DERMATOLOGIST RECOMMENDED. And if a dermatologist recommends it, it MUST be safe, right? 😉
- Cetaphil
- Cerave
- Eucerin
- Aveeno
- Vaseline
So Aveeno does make a few low-rated lotions, but some of their products score up to an 8! And some of their older products even scored up to a 10. Yikes!
The other lotions all start at scores of about 3, and they go up from there. (And some of these are “Baby” products! PLEASE, please know what’s in the products you use on your children. For so long, I was clueless. Stay tuned to this series to find out more about my favorite natural products for kids…)
Want to know where these scores are coming from? Read this and this.
And now for the good part: my favorite natural lotions and creams!
Lotions, After
1. Coconut Oil
Yes, just straight-up coconut oil. The same kind you’d cook with. I store small quantities in little tubs: one near each changing table in the house and one in my medicine cabinet for facial moisturizing. It’s what I’ve been using lately when my face needs some moisture, and I’m very happy with it. More on that later….
2. Tropical Traditions Moisturizing Coconut Lotion – Unscented
This is now my go-to, all-purpose lotion. It’s FANTASTIC as a carrier for essential oils.
I use it:
- on my legs after shaving or when my skin feels irritated
- on my face every day
- after too much sun (at the beach!) with essential oils such as Lavender and Melaleuca
3. Tropical Traditions Coconut Moisturizing Cream – Unscented
Between the Tropical Traditions lotion listed above and my own homemade lotion bars, this cream isn’t actually necessary at my house. We could do without it, but I like to keep it on hand anyway. It’s much thicker than the lotion and it’s a bit easier to work with than the lotion bars. We primarily use it during the winter.
4. Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Cream (Extra Sensitive)
This was a splurge that I thoroughly enjoyed! It’s got a short list of ingredients, all of them great for your skin. Have you heard about honey’s fantastic effects on skin? The extra-sensitive version of this cream is “fragrance-free,” but it really does have a lovely, natural scent.
Note on Honey Girl Organics: I LOVE their products, but they are a bit out of my normal price range. They do make nice gifts, though! If you’re interested in ordering $75 or $90 worth of their products, you might find a better deal going directly through their website. Local folks can also find them (and free samples!) at The Merc. And they’re available from Amazon and Vitacost, as well.
A Few Words about Tropical Traditions
No doubt there are many other great lotions out there that would meet my criteria, but these are the ones that work best for me. I absolutely love Tropical Traditions, and I already order my coconut oil from them. So it’s a no-brainer to add the lotions (and other products which I’ll mention soon) to my order. I trust this company and I LOVE their super-short lists of ingredients. Plus, coconut is so good for your skin! And it smells great. And it’s reasonably priced. You get the idea.
Did I mention that I love Tropical Traditions?
Stay tuned for more favorite natural products from the Yankee Homestead…in my Day 5 post for the Goodbye To Toxins series, I’ll tell you all about my favorite Homemade Hard Lotion Bars. [Read it here.]
Did you miss the previous post in this series? Read it here: Goodbye To Toxins (Day 3): My Favorite Natural Soaps.
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