by beata rydyger, bsc run

by now we all know the two commandments of good health: thou shall eat a healthy diet, and though shall exercise regularly. but beyond avocado toast and morning dates with the treadmill, we tend to overlook another key gatekeeper of our health—our skin!

whether it’s the makeup on your face, the lotion on your hands or the perfume on your neck, the ingredients in your beauty products are just as important as the ingredients on a food label. that’s because the skin absorbs as much as 60% of what you slather on it. the toxic chemicals that comprise conventional beauty products then seep into the bloodstream and wreak havoc on your health. yikes!

so to lessen the burden of toxic topicals, it’s important that we be mindful of not only what we put into our bodies, but what we put onto them too. enter basd body care line of scrubs, lotions and washes. not only are they super-effective but they’re also non-toxic because they use only the best, naturally sourced ingredients.

here’s a look at some of these ingredients and why they’re good for our health:

organic arabica coffee granules: the days of tossing out coffee grinds are long gone! move over, microbeads, because coffee is one of the best natural exfoliators around and forms the basis behind basd body scrubs. potent levels of caffeine work to minimize cellulite and wrinkles, reduce puffiness and redness, encourage firmness and improve circulation in the skin for a bright and beautiful glow. the coffee in basd’s scrubs is roasted to preserve caffeine levels, and it’s organic, which is important because conventional coffee is among the most heavily chemically treated foods.

organic sunflower seed oil: who doesn’t enjoy the sight of bright yellow sunflowers or the taste of salty sunflower seeds? I know I do! but did you know that the oil of sunflower seeds is a powerhouse of health? nutritionally speaking, sunflower oil’s impressive content of polyunsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid help boost the immune system and protect the heart. when it comes to the skin, sunflower oil helps moisturize and is rich in vitamin e, a powerful antioxidant that protect the skin against uv damage.

organic aloe leaf extract: there’s a reason why you’re told to smother yourself in aloe after too long in the sun! thanks to its mucilaginous and anti-inflammatory properties, aloe enjoys skin-boosting benefits that range from combating dryness to minimizing stretch marks and wrinkles. when its gel is consumed, aloe even heals irritated gut lining. aloe is the soothing star behind all of basd’s body lotions.

theobroma cacao seed butter: also known as cocoa butter, theobroma cacao seed butter is the fat portion extracted from the roasted seeds of the theobroma cacao, a tree native to the americas. cocoa beans have been harvested for centuries and the fat used as a natural skin moisturizer going all the way back to the mayan civilization! cocoa butter is not only rich in fabulous saturated fat—which is beneficial for healing dry, cracked skin—but it’s also high in antioxidants like polyphenols that help restore skin elasticity. basd is crazy for cocoa butter!

there you have it! these are just a few of the clean, non-toxic, mostly organic and good-for-you ingredients found inside the basd line of body care products. if you care about your skin care then why not step up your self-care game and start swapping your conventional chemically laden beauty products for some chemically free products? your beautiful body will thank you!