Sami Rapp photo: Assistant Professor Meredith Bollheimer, J.D., gracing the cover of a Fresh Face Forward poster.

I never thought much about ingredients in personal care products until I took Environmental Communication and learned that many of them are toxic chemicals. More than likely, you too have used untold personal care products without knowing much about their toxic ingredients.

My name is Leann Krysiak and I am a communication major with a minor in sustainability and each week I will present a DIY recipe that you can use to replace some of your not-so-nice personal care products.

These recipes are just one component of Fresh Face Forward, a campaign my Environmental Communication class created in partnership with Pennsylvania Sea Grant to spread awareness about this issue.

Speaking of ingredients, what do you know about parabens? Listed under a variety of names like Methyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isopropyl- and ethyl- parabens, they are added to products to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus. These chemicals pose a range of health and environmental concerns. Parabens alter hormone function, cause allergies, are toxic to the brain, cause male sterility, premature skin aging and were even found in breast cancer tumors.

The only ingredient you need for this week’s DIY recipe is honey. That’s it. It’s a great cleanser by itself and paraben free. Apply it and rinse it off immediately with lukewarm water or leave it on for up to 30 minutes and rinse. The honey will moisturize your skin. For extra cleaning power you can add a little bit of brown or white sugar to the honey. This leaves your skin clean and moisturized naturally.

Would you dare show off your natural glow during Fresh Face Forward’s No Make Up Monday? No Make Up Monday occurs on the first Monday of each month and the first one is Oct. 7.
Some ingredients you will need for upcoming recipes you already have in your kitchen and some will require a trip to a specialty store. I recommend looking up the approximate cost of the ingredients and if it seems too much, split the cost with a friend.

Tell me what you think of the recipes on Fresh Face Forward’s Facebook page or by sending your comments to freshfacefwd@gmail.com.