Check out my new aritcle called Mineral Cosmetics and their ingredients part One and Part two here @ www.bigarticle.com

Mineral Cosmetics and their Ingredients: Part 2

 We know that Parabens are in almost everything we eat and use on our skin and hair daily!

Parabens prevent mold, bacterial and fungal contamination. Widespread types of parabens include: Methylparaben, which is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract or through the skin. More importantly p-hydroxybenzoic acid is rapidly excreted without accumulation in the body, which is good news as it is the one paraben found in most products use daily. Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben and Benzylparaben. Are used as well. I am not writing an article on parabens, the only reason I bring them up is if you have skin issues that are caused by parabens, then read the label of your cosmetics to see if they are listed.

I would like to put my 2 cents in on the use of parabens. Although their function to prevent mold, bacterial and fungal contamination; think what might happen to the products that don't have any parabens in them? Take mascara, my studies found that paraben free mascara was useless. As without parabens, it makes mascara flaky, and worse the overall texture were clumpy! Do you remember the 1% or less rules I told you in part one? Well, my research showed that mascara's that had even the smallest amount of parabens like 1/10^th of 1 percent and as low as 115^th of 1 percent of parabens. Was amazingly great mascara in that they didn't flake or clump and the ones that had a cream base stayed all day! Creating beautiful eyelashes, and they were as low as 115^th of one percent containing parabens!!!

There are some cosmetics that don't ever need parabens. Take eyeliners and lip liners. If they contain natural plant parts and custom mineral blends. With the base formula of oils and natural waxes with ingredients like vitamin E (made from the soy plant) as well as Mica, Iron Oxides and Titanium Dioxide.

Quality Mineral lipsticks also don't need any parabens in them. My own lipstick research taught me that if a formulator uses quality ingredients. One can delete all dyes, fillers and lakes and only uses pure pigment for coloring. Ingredients like Castor Oil, Sesame Oil, Coconut Oil, Fractionated, Cocoa Oil, Candelilla Wax, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Cocoa butter, Mango butter, Shea butter and Vitamin E. The results are: lipstick that will never bleed and moistens your lips all-day. Then you add mica, Iron Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, and you have the perfect formula. Of course this lipstick is not cheap, however quality should never suffer ingredients and women should get what they pay for and rightfully so!!!

Natural preservatives: such as rosemary extract, vitamin C and E, citric acid, green and white tea extract (antioxidant), grape, apricot or pomegranate seed extract (Antioxidants) Vitamin B17 in apricot seeds has been said to be Anticarcinogenic. Tea tree extract as an antibacterial to also prevent spoiling. If one uses natural preservatives (in especially liquids), there will be no need for parabens.

Organic Cosmetics:  Found in some high-end mineral cosmetics, however I would like to let you know the true amount found sometimes is questionable in that do they really do anything? Here is where the rule of one percent or less may come in to play! While it’s stated that if a product has one percent or less it doesn’t have to be listed as an ingredient!

Some cosmetic companies may list organic names like the list above of natural plant parts, when in fact they could be as little as one 10^th of a percent or much lower. Remember even with this small amount of organic additives one can claim their cosmetics have natural or organic ingredients. The reason then for using the word organic drives the price up about 30% more than the standard pure minerals.

Here is some food for thought: during my research on organic extraction of plants I found out there could be as many as 200 chemicals in one plant. Now try to imagine processing only 3 or 4 chemicals that are pure enough to use as an additive. This means the overall process is time-consuming and time is money right? This is what lead me to believe that it would only stand to reason for one adding a specific additive that has a value may cost $35.00 for only a few grams or a mere 1/8 of an oz. How much product would a formulator add to a so called organic cosmetic. Of course then one might consider some additives may even cost more and after all profit is the results needed to stay in business.

Please realize that a plant has different parts, such as the steam that feeds the leaf and then there are the feeding veins to nourish the plant. During this natural process, insect’s fungus, mold and all of earth’s free radicals attack the plant life and often destroy or alter the plants (Anti-oxidants). Further some plants can only be grown and harvest at certain times of the year, for full benefits.

It’s in my option that organic research needs more investigation. However not by the FDA rather a private sector that is not basis and short handed. Perhaps organic matter that is pure belongs in our system through diet! Ingredient labels are important to read, as you now well know. 3 to 7 % of women can have an allergic reaction to certain organic plants and bi-products there of is why the FDA requires ingredient labels in the first place. The FDA has little control of ingredients with over 5000 listed in cosmetics! You can well bet some are rated at the 10 scales as being harmful as a rule these are laden chemical cosmetics.

Micronized and Nanoparticles: This falls in to common sense the smaller a particle is the deeper it can penetrate your skin. This defeats mineral cosmetics, because your pores will clog. Mineral cosmetics should’t clog your pores thus leaving you with a light protective covering that has a light feeling on your face.

This is one more reason I only use loose mineral cosmetics on my models, clients as well as students! Micronized and Nanoparticles are the result of minerals that our crushed or put in a blender. Most often used in preesed powders, because a chemical has to be added to press the powder. Yet most women like pressed powders because they are less missie than loose minerals. Perhap those of you who lean towards pressed powders should give them a second thought especaily knowing you most likely are’t getting what you pay for?

I give loose mineral cosmetics five stars for the simple reasons above and it appears fewer ingredients are needed and the best part is loose minerals will never require parabens or filers. While pressed minerals only get three stars because of additives most commonly used and micro as well as Nano particle size are not good for your pores.

Copyright Sir James AKA Serjame Bayliss 2008

http://www.mineralbrushes.com