CEF's Product of the week- Alba cocoa butter hand and body lotion

Cocoa butter has always been one of my favorite moisturizers. It maximizes and extends my tan, smells yummy, absorbs naturally, helps my skin retain moisture, and even prevents and diminishes the appearance of stretch marks. Before I became the Eco Freak I am today, I used all of the typical drugstore cocoa butter brands like Palmer’s and Queen Helene. While both of these labels use real cocoa butter and are most definitely wallet friendly, they also contain carcinogens and other chemical contaminants such as parabens (see upcoming post). The following is a full list of ingredients present in one of these popular cocoa butter lotions: Deionized Water, Cocoa Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Mineral Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocoa Butter, Palm Oil, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Fragrance, PEG 8 Stearate, Methylparaben, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylparaben, CI 19140, and CI 15510. Wow! It looks like a whole other language right!? Ingredient lists like this can be intimidating so people typically just choose to ignore them (twenty bucks-you just scanned past this one!) Trust me, I totally get that most of us have very busy lives and just don’t have the time to stop and read labels or research ingredients all day, and I understand the whole ignorance is bliss adage... but in the case of prolonged exposure to carcinogens and other toxins, ignorance can equal disease or even death! No need to worry though... that's why I created The Chic Eco Freak. So I can break it all down for you. So stay posted for in depth descriptions of the dangers of many of the above ingredients and more. In the meantime try out this paraben free, 100% vegetarian cocoa butter lotion by Alba Botanica (summer essential #7) that still won’t break the bank. Not only is it safe for daily use but it smells and works even better than its predecessors. Bonus: it’ll keep that summer tan you’ve been working on glowing well into fall! Cop some today @ Vitacost.com

Out with the Deadly, In with the Eco-Friendly

When I first learned of the dangers of the hundreds of synthetic products I owned I had to ask myself this question...Do the benefits outweigh the risks? The answer was obvious...Absolutely not! In my mind health not only comes before but is necessary in attaining real beauty . While I became uber concerned with the health risks of my current beauty regimen, I was definitely not about to start growing out my leg hair, stop wearing deodorant, or live off a diet of strictly granola and sprouts. I have always been on trend and well maintained and there was no way I was going to give that up! But could I really still be as appealing and current without my Nars make-up, Fake Bake Self Tanner, and Chi hair products!? The answer is Yes! In some aspects I actually look and feel much better than before! After much trial and error, I uncovered hundreds of green alternatives for all of my elaborate beauty routine needs that are not only free of harmful chemicals and other menacing ingredients but are just as addicting and fabulous as my old products. Actually, green products are even more fabulous! They not only make you look great but by ditching all of those preservatives you will feel liberated, all the while making a positive impact on the environment. How many of your everyday products can do that? Being that I love to write and I haven't been able to stop bragging about my amazing eco-friendly finds I decided to create TheChicEcoFreak.By way of this blog I will clue you in on the best of the best eco-friendly goods, display links to websites where you can purchase some of my fave products, and of course give you all the dirt on what's hiding in yours! So Stay Tuned...