Learn how to make the most of old or unwanted beauty products with this helpful hint from The Zen Organizer.

On the outside moisturizers do a lot to make the skin more supple and radiant. But your skin isn't just a barrier against the environment. It's a living breathing organ that ingests and processes the substances it comes into contact with. Therefore, the chemicals in moisturizers can produce results that aren't quite as, shall we say, glowing?

It's time to be more selective about cosmetic products. Cosmetics manufacturers do not need FDA approval so up to 12.2 million adults are exposed to human carcinogens on a daily basis through their personal care products.

Wax on, wax off, wax on—isn’t that the way it goes with lip gloss? You paint a perfect pout only to lose it to the rim of your glass, or a lover’s cheek. The cycle of reapplying is endless, and so is the perpetual dryness that no gloss, however juicy, can seem to remedy.

The reason is, lip gloss isn't actually meant to moisturize or protect your lips. At best it contains some occlusive ingredient that sits on top of the skin, unabsorbed, acting as a barrier to trap moisture and prevent it from leaving the lips. Petroleum (propylene, butylene glycol) or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) is used commonly in lipbalms, chapsticks, and lipglosses because it is such an effective occlusive. So effective in fact it keeps the skin from breathing, which ultimately leaves lips more chapped than they were to begin with. This phenomenon can lead to lip balm addiction. Safer, natural moisturizing alternatives to petroleum are beeswax, shea butter, and vitamin E.