Making The Switch To
Natural Mascara

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Is natural mascara safer than many of the commercial brands of mascara being sold today?

Many questions are being raised about the questionable ingredients in our skin care products and rightly so. We need to be careful and informed about products that come in contact with our skin.

We also want to look good. I know many women would be hesitant to give up their favorite brand of mascara even if it had problem ingredients but the natural mascaras being made today can compete with the commercial brands and a lot more safely.

Increasingly women are finding that they are experiencing irritation and redness if not worse reactions to mascara. Sometimes this happens as our bodies change and all of a sudden something that never bothered us is all of a sudden a problem. Or is it the synthetic ingredients in our products that are bothering us? Many people think so.

Maybe it's time to switch. Besides did you know that some of the most popular brands of mascara are made by companies that do animal testing. This is nasty business and I'm hoping you agree with me and want no part in this.

High Expectations From Mascara

We expect more from mascara than any other cosmetic product. There are a whole vocabulary of words used to describe a mascara's qualities. Words like thicken, lengthen, extreme volume, luxurious, luscious, maximize, lush, moisturize, conditioning and let's not forget waterproof are just a few of the most popular words we've all seen used.

To accomplish all this many of the most popular mascaras being used today are made with a long, complicated list of ingredients some of them considered by Compact for Cosmetic Safety (Skin Deep) to be unsafe.

Today's Natural Mascara

Simple, pure ingredients.

Less irritation.

No animal testing.

Better formulas to create the looks we want.

Wax, oils and pigment, that's how mascara was made hundreds of years ago and what do you know, natural mascaras today are returning to an improved version of this same formula. Simple, pure ingredients that worked in the past and improved on for today's demands.

What to Expect From Natural Mascara?

Unfortunately, they aren't waterproof yet. Companies are working on it but the ingredients presently being used have no place in a natural product. If you absolutely need a waterproof mascara choose one of the safest varieties you can find on Skin Deep.

I don't care what brand of mascara you buy whether conventional or natural you will find brands that work for you and some that don't. Some natural brands can flake, smear or clump just like commercial varieties. I wish we could get samples to find out how they will work but I just don't see any companies that offer that although sometimes you can find a travel size.

You are going to find some great natural ingredients. Remember what I said above, wax, oil and pigments form the base. Plant waxes like candelilla, carnauba and beeswax, vegetable oils like linseed or calendula are used along with mineral oxides to provide color.

If you are avoiding parabens as I am, make sure and check for these preservatives. Not every one is in agreement about parabens. Some companies choose to use these ingredients in their products. (See nontoxic skin care.)

Great ingredients cost more. It's just a fact. Expect to pay more for your natural mascara.

A Few Brands to Consider.

InterNatural carries a couple of different brands.

Suncoat
PVP(polyvinyl pyrolidone) is a plastic that is used in commercial mascara to coat the lashes and make the mascara wear better. The creators of Suncoat have developed a sugar based biopolymer that rivals the wear-ability of the commercial stuff without resorting to plastic. Vegan.

Lagona
Pure waxes and oils and gentle natural colors make this a product that gives long lasting, thick lashes. Also conditions to help keep eyelashes in good shape and prevent breakage. Vegan

This company not only offers great natural products and good prices but they also guarantee satisfaction.

Gabriel Cosmetics

ZuZu Luxe and Gabriel Color, two separate lines of cosmetics at Gabriel Cosmetics offer gentle vitamin enriched mascara that's good for your lashes. Skimpy lashes? Their mascara brush has been designed to make the most of what you have without clumping. Also a vegan mascara.

Dr Hauschka

The most expensive of the brands but many women swear by their products. Two different kinds of mascaras available.

Volume Mascara is a combination of plant waxes and silk powder for volume and Mascara Intermezzo which provides thickness and color with ingredients that are said to strengthen lashes over time. Good for sensitive individuals. Contains beeswax although they do say it has been harvested with care for the bees and silk powder so would not be considered vegan.

All Natural Cosmetics

Two different brands are offered, Real Purity and Earth's Beauty which comes in a smaller travel size. Both of these products are worth considering. Real Purity is vegan. Earth's Beauty uses organic beeswax.