What is Natural Beauty?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 9:49PM 
I read somewhere before I started this Natural Beautee blog late last year that your first blog should introduce your blog, your intention, explain what you plan to write about, why, etc. Well my style has always been to plough ahead, throw caution to the wind, act now and think about things later. And so like that my Herbatint blog posting was what kicked the whole thing off. It took me some time to develop the topics that I wanted to blog about. And despite the fact that since I’ve started my aromatherapy course my content has been focused more on product reviews and less on how-tos and tips (due to time constraints) it’s only been recently since the light bulb went off for me what this blog is all about – namely education, empowerment, practical advice, and fun (in that order). My interest in natural beauty started about a year before this blog did and after almost two full years spent trying to navigate the gauntlet of the natural beauty world I have a few points to make.
What Natural Beauty Means to Me
I bang on all the time about “natural” beauty and “natural beauty” products. Turns out, there is no legal definition for the word “natural” so it’s important that I clarify what I mean by this. When I purchase beauty products I look first at the ingredient list and try to select products with the highest quantity of naturally-derived ingredients and the lowest quantity of synthetic ingredients. At the same time I look at other factors like the length of the ingredient list (the fewer the better) and try to avoid the usual nasties like sulphates, parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, and any chemicals containing “eth” in the name. Then finally I look at the performance of the product. Does it live up to my expectations? This process is a little subjective at times, but for a little more objectivity I don’t use any products that contain an ingredient rated 7 or higher in the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database. It can be challenging to balance all of these things and there is a lot of grey area. However I don’t beat myself up about it, sometimes it just comes down to a judgement in the moment of purchase. I might change my mind later, or bin the product.
The second component of natural beauty to me is making the most of what god gave you and doing what you can do to enhance it (read don’t cover it up with loads of war paint). I take offense to the stripping, bedazzling, and painting of female private parts. On a lesser scale I take offense to fake nails with brightly covered pictures painted on. My beauty icons are the Hepburns (Audrey and Katharine), Lauren Hutton, and Christy Turlington. Smart, fun, and sexy. They are also women that you can really look up to. Did you ever notice a woman looks more beautiful when she smiles, and can be downright intoxicating when she laughs? That’s because it’s at those moments when her inner soul bubbles up to the surface. Unfortunately you rarely find these sorts images captured on film and presented in fashion magazines. Instead we’re bombarded with the images of stick-thin pouty teenagers. It’s a real travesty on the part of women everywhere that there is such a narrow version of beauty portrayed in magazines, media, and internet.
What Natural Beautee Means to Me
The reason why my blog is named Natural Beautee was because I was looking for a fun and fresh way to express how I described natural beauty above. Natural Beautee represents brains, fun, health, celebrating yourself and not covering yourself with harmful chemicals. For me this blog a labour of love. I want to reach as many women as possible and I hope that you’ll see yourself as a natural beautee too. If you have suggestions or stories to share about your search for natural beauty products, let me know. I would love to know how you feel about natural beauty. What’s your take?
Courtesy of Every Old is New Again - tribute to the Katharine I was (partly) named after
Reader Comments (11)
I completely agree with you on your take on natural beauty. I don't think we should beat ourselves up about choosing natural products, but it's about trying to educate ourselves a little bit and make more positive choices. I read your post about food and nutrition tips just now too and again, completely agree. If everyone could learn to listen to their bodies and eat what your body is telling you to eat I believe obesity wouldn't exist. If you stop eating when you're full and only treat yourself with sugar etc when you really want it, then you're getting a balanced diet based on what your body craves.
I believe, as you do, that natural beauty comes from within. The better we look after our body and our soul, the more beautiful we look on the outside. Eat good food, drink plenty of water, exercise, and above all, enjoy life. That means if you eat 7 Krispy Kremes ;-) then don't beat yourself up over it. And make time to look after yourself every day - even if that just means taking a relaxing bath - as there is nothing more aging than stress.
Anyway, that was a long ramble! Enjoyed your post as always :)
Your take on natural beauty already makes you beautiful. I hope more women can relate to this blog and to you. Thank you for sharing!
Natural beauty for me is a person who is radiant and pretty even without any make-up. She has this aura that exudes beauty.
Eva Doogle
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Natural beauty is the way to go! After all, we all want people to see the beauty we possess even without all the makeup and the glamorous clothes and accessories we don.
Naomi Ford
www.envision-beauty.com
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I definitely agree with the intentions of your philosophy, but I firmly believe that people have the right to look and feel beautiful through any means that feels right to them. Technology has given us the fantastic opportunity of enhancing what we already have, and if that makes them better and more confident for it, then more power to them.
Brad Kent
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I definitely agree with the intentions of your philosophy, but I firmly believe that people have the right to look and feel beautiful through any means that feels right to them. Technology has given us the fantastic opportunity of enhancing what we already have, and if that makes them better and more confident for it, then more power to them.
Brad Kent
Botox Woodland Hills
Hi
I enjoyed reading your post a lot,and i agree to take time when we purchase any beauty product.
Nice post! i definitely agree with your take on natural beauty. To me, beauty is confidence from within, the way you carry yourself. Not necessarily worrying about others opinion of you, but dedicating yourself to being the best version you possibly can of yourself. Having a knowledgeable mind, a strong body and a peaceful soul is beauty defined. I don't necessarily agree on fake nails, use of beauty products or grooming preferences being bad, everyone has a right to their personal opinion, and as long as you are confident in your own skin that's truly all that matters.
Hi Katherine,
I've only just discovered your blog and I was quite excited to find such a kindred spirit. Like you, I write my own blog about natural beauty, health, wellbeing and more besides. Like you I have an underlying interest in holistic care and will be starting my aromatherapy course at the ITHMA in September. Are you still studying there? I'd love to know how you got on during the course and whether you enjoyed it.
For me, natural beauty is about taking positive control of my health. I got so sick of dubious, overblown claims, impenetrable chemical-based ingredients lists and the endless focus on beating our bodies into submission by bombarding them with harsh, counter-intuitive products. I feel like I know where I am when I use natural ingredients. I don't believe in miracle cures but I do believe my body worked better after I made more of an effort to 'listen' to it. It's nice to find someone else who puts my thoughts into words!
Faye