By John Cheyne
We visit the EWG website on a regular basis to check on some of the latest information available for thousands of consumer products. EWG measures and compares toxic ingredient levels of products you may use everyday. In this case, we wanted to find an affordable lotion that we could infuse with essential oils. EWG rates these lotions from 1-10 with 1-2 being low on the toxicity scale. Some products that we used in the past, before we were knowledgeable about ingredients, included Jergens and St. Ives and we were actually very surprised that they did not rate well and both have a slight risk of cancer-causing additives. Aveeno is another lotion that we have used in the past, and Aveeno has a few products that rate a 2 on their toxicity scale. This is an affordable and easy to find product, so is now our preferred moisturizing lotion to mix with essential oils. You can view which Aveeno lotions rate a 2 here.
We have also made our own lotions from scratch using shea butter, aloe vera, vitamin E, bees wax, and essential oils, and doing this can provide you with a high-quality and very effective lotion. But I wanted to find something that would be effective yet absorb into the skin faster, and be easier to make with a very low toxic risk. I think Aveeno fits the bill.
To make your own lotion, simply take the unscented Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion (rated 2 by EWG) and mix 150 ml of Aveeno in a glass jar with 10 drops of Frankincense, 7-8 drops Myrrh, and 5 drops of another oil like Lavender. I personally like 5 drops of Black Spruce and 2-3 of Lemongrass.
Frankincense and Myrrh both have incredible health benefits. They are cell regenerators and using them daily can help reduce the appearance of skin blemishes, aging skin, and help retain a youthful complexion. Frankincense and Myrrh have both shown the ability to inhibit cancer cell growth, so it stands to reason that using these products daily can have huge health benefits.
If you buy Aveeno in a 532 ml bottle you can make 3 jars with different scents. Maybe the ladies would prefer Lavender or Geranium and the men would prefer Cedarwood, Black Spruce or Sandalwood. Essential oils have incredible healing properties, and there are so many different options for what you can create! Experimenting is the only way to know what you personally like.
Remember: Always purchase unscented lotions, or ones that are scented with essential oils only. The artificial scents added to most health and beauty products contribute to the toxicity of these products.
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