Lotion

I'm sure when you're in your favorite health food store, you've perused through the beauty section once or twice. Have you seen products made by Aubrey Organics? Chances are high you have since they have been making hair, skin and body care products for over 40 years.

Aubrey Organics products are 100% natural, and were the first certified organic processor. I love that these body care products are environmentally friendly, completely biodegradable, and their bottles are recyclable.

All Aubrey Organics products are completely natural, made with herbs, essential oils, and natural vitamins. No synthetic chemicals of any kind are ever used in any of their formulas.

They use liquid coconut oil in their soaps and shampoos, and coconut fatty acids and essential fatty acids in their creams and lotions, and a natural preservative of citrus seed and vitamins A, C and E. All of their formulas are still made by Aubrey Hampton (the creator), and hand-crafted in small batches in their Tampa, FL, manufacturing plant.

Aubrey Organics makes over 140 different all natural products for the hair and skin. From soaps, to hair color, to makeup, and even beauty products for your pets! Fab also clued me in to Aubrey's Organic perfumes. They're made from 100% essential oils.

Fit's Tips: You can order Aubrey Organics online, but if you're like me, you like to see and smell products before you buy them. In that case, you can look for a store near you that sells them.

Lanolin..I've seen it listed as an ingredient on many a bottle of lotion. That got me wondering what exactly it is and where does it come from? Well, I learned that lanolin is a fatty, yellowish substance that comes from the wool of sheep. It is excreted by the sebaceous glands on their skin, and acts as waterproofing so they don't get cold. You might also hear it called wool fat, wool wax, or wool grease. I prefer to call it lanolin - it just sounds classier.

Sheep are not harmed in the process of "harvesting" (for lack of a better word) lanolin. When sheep farmers sheer their sheep to get the wool (about once a year), they then extract the greasy Vaseline-like lanolin from the sheared wool before they wash it. Sheering the wool doesn't hurt the sheep, it's basically like getting a haircut.

Lanolin can be found in soaps, cosmetics, ointments, creams, as a lubricant, and in finishing and preserving leather. Surprisingly it is also an ingredient in some varnishes and paints.

Although lanolin is natural, many people have allergic reactions to it. It can also clog your skin's pores and may cause you to break out.

Fit's Tips: If you've used products with lanolin, and haven't had any bad reactions, it's fine to keep using them because lanolin is a completely natural ingredient.

As a beauty-products junkie, I'm constantly sampling new make-up, lotions, and hair products to write about here. But I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you about the first "beauty" product I ever used: Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Original Moisturizing Cream. I first tried this heavy-duty lotion when I was about 4 years old, and I've applied it nearly every day of my life since then.

This thick, creamy lotion is hands-down the best treatment I've found for severe dry skin, particularly in the harsh winter months. You know when your skin gets super-dry in cold weather and you feel like you're applying hand lotion every five minutes? That won't happen with Eucerin. Yes, it's got a consistency that's sort of like Crisco, and it's so thick you have to rub it in with all of your strength, but it can fight off even the driest skin and keep you moisturized all day. Seriously, I've tried other treatments over the years, but I just keep coming back to Eucerin. You can buy a 16-ounce jar for $11.99 here