Where do you start if you want to eliminate chemicals from your beauty cabinet?

According to natural health advocates, the average woman exposes herself to 168 chemicals a day in her array of beauty products. So is it possible to ditch the baddies and still look good?

EVER stopped to think about the amount of chemicals you slather on your skin in a day?

According to natural health advocates, the average woman exposes herself to 168 chemicals a day in her array of products, from toothpaste to shampoo, primer to moisturiser, deodorant to hand cream.

So how dangerous are they? According to Dr David Suzuki of the Suzuki Foundation, the answer is very.

He says many chemicals used in cosmetics are toxic and carcinogenic. Baddies he lists include BHA and BHT preservatives in moisturisers and make-up, coal tar dyes: DEA-related ingredients used for creamy and foaming properties in moisturisers and shampoos and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives such as DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine and quarternium-15, which may all cause cancer.

Parabens and triclosan in antibacterial cosmetics, such as toothpastes, cleansers and antiperspirants are suspected endocrine disrupters and may interfere with male reproductive functions just as are ingredients ending in “-siloxane” or “-methicone”. Even parfum can be toxic.

Swapping to natural, safe beauty products takes a bit of time and research.

So where do you start if you want to eliminate chemicals from your beauty cabinet? It’s all about reading labels. “Most natural ingredients state the common name like natural plant oils, jojoba, shea butter or coconut,” says Belinda Hughes of naturalbeautyexpert.com.au.

“If they’re not natural it’ll read like a science experiment.”

She recommends downloading The Chemical Maze app to check ingredients when shopping.

Samantha Taylor, beauty director at Bellabox.com.au, which sells a toxin-free beauty kit, agrees.

“INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) can sound pretty scary, even if the materials are natural. I reference Paula Begoun’s Don’t Go To The Beauty Counter Without Me book. It is well-researched and impartial.”

Banaban Virgin Coconut Cream soap, $5.50

I decided to challenge myself to avoiding as many chemicals as I could in my skincare regimen. The first step was research. Forget filling your supermarket basket with chemical-free products — they take some hunting out. And don’t be fooled by “natural” or “organic” labels, as these don’t guarantee they are chemical-free.

The second shock was the price. Although some products were great value, such as rosehip oil instead of moisturiser, others, such as natural toothpaste, were four times as costly.

I also had to get used to different formulations — a lot of chemicals are there to make the product feel nice, like foaming agents, or creamy formulations, so you have to embrace the fact that your moisturiser is flaky, your shampoo doesn’t foam and your deodorant doesn’t roll on.

There were some misses — I thought olive oil moisturisers smelt disgusting and some natural conditioners left my hair dry and tangled, but these are the products I decided to stick with.

Banaban Virgin Coconut Cream Handmade Soap 120g, $5.50

Rather than buying a cleanser, I decided to keep it simple with a bar of soap. Banaban’s coconut oil range using Extra Virgin Coconut Oil from Fiji and Banaba Island was great and didn’t dry out my skin.

RosehipPLUS Rosehip Oil, Black Chicken Axilla Deodorant and Divine Tooth Mousse by Therese Kerr.

Divine by Therese Kerr Tooth Mousse, Peppermint and Chamomile, $19.95

The biggest negative to this is the price — $20 for toothpaste takes some serious commitment. I was intrigued to see if this chemical-free natural version would leave my mouth feeling clean, but it did. It doesn’t foam, but it’s a mousse and tastes nice. It doesn’t contain fluoride, though, which is one chemical you may want.

RosehipPLUS Rosehip Oil, 30ml, $19.95

Having tried various potions, I am completely converted to this 100 per cent natural rosehip oil. You apply to warm damp skin — and even though you’d think it would make your skin oily, it doesn’t. It’s also great as a base under foundation and a little jar goes a long way.

Black Chicken Axilla Deodorant, $18.50

Many people are concerned about aluminium and other chemicals in deodorants — especially when applied to freshly shaved armpits, although it’s worth noting that medical experts have not found any links to deodorants causing cancer.

For a natural alternative, I tried Axilla deodorant, which comes in a little pot and requires you to paste it on with your fingertips. I was extremely sceptical, but it did work, even on the hottest days.

Miessence shampoo and conditioners and Banaban Virgin Coconut Cream body butter..

Miessence Lemon Myrtle Shampoo, $25.65, Shine Herbal Hair Conditioner, $22.95

It was tricky finding all-natural hair products, but after Miessence was recommended, I could see why. The lemon myrtle shampoo smelt wonderful and worked brilliantly, so I am sticking with this. However, I found the conditioner wasn’t strong enough for my long hair and left it dry, so I ended up cheating with a chemical product.

Banaban Virgin Coconut Cream Natural Body Butter, 250g, $15

I LOVED this, as well as the coconut oil version. The only downside was getting used to scooping out flaky coconut and warming it up in your hands so it applies properly.

Originally published as Where do you start if you want to eliminate chemicals from your beauty cabinet?