Photo by Vanicream
Vanicream’s line of fragrance-free personal care products are some of the first products I used after I became chemically sensitive. All of their products are “free of dyes, fragrance, masking fragrance, lanolin, parabens and formaldehyde. In addition, they’re all gluten-free.”
The line contains skin cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, hair care and shave cream.
I grew up in a household where both my parents sung the praises of Vaseline. It was a cure all for cuts, scrapes, ashy knees and my mother even used it on her face as a moisturizer. While petroleum jelly is fragrance-free, I’ve had my doubts for a while on whether I wanted to continue using it, especially when the smell really started to drill the point home that this is a petrochemical waste product. See, petroleum jelly is a byproduct of oil refinery.
In 1859 Robert Chesebrough discovered that he could distill the unrefined black rod wax into a light colored gel. Chesebrough traveled around New York demonstrating this jelly’s ability to heal burns and open wounds on his skin that he inflicted upon himself as part of his demonstration. Now that’s some belief in your product.
I, on the other hand, am not so convinced that petroleum jelly is a great option. Although I have had dermatologists tell me they have never seen ANYONE have a reaction to petroleum jelly, I prefer to stick with a more natural product.
I really like Alba Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly. I use it for everything I would use regular petroleum jelly for. I mostly use it for my chapped lips and it works great to remove eye makeup.
Ingredients: Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, beeswax, hydrogenated castor oil, tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol (Vitamin E).
Free of: Petrolatum, paraffin, mineral oil, artificial fragrances and parabens.
Fragrance in lip balm was not something I ever thought about until I had a problem with (synthetic) fragrance. I used to use Chapstick until the smell was so bothersome I was forced to fine something to replace it (and yes, Chapstick contains synthetic fragrance).
I also may be one of very few people who can’t stand flavored lip balms as well, which makes it really difficult to find a lip balm that I can use. Even many so-called “natural” lip balms are scented and flavored with plant oils that can cause reaction.
This is why I like Badger Unscented CERTIFIED ORGANIC Lip Balm. I came across this lip balm at a local health food store in my town and am very pleased with it. While it has no chemical fragrance to it, the CO2 Extract of Rosemary (used as a preservative) does give the product an herb smell, which (to me) is not overpowering and quite nice.
Check out the company’s website Badger balm
Also, check out Vitacost, which is where I bought my lipbalm for $2.55.
Ingredients: *Extra virgin olive oil, *golden yellow beeswax, *castor oil and CO2 extract of *rosemary.
* = Certified Organic
Disclaimer: This is my personal recommendation. I am not sponsored or compensated in any way by the above company. Depending on your levels of tolerance, not all products are right for everyone. Use at your own risk.
Scent Free Girl 