Having spent twelve years as a stylist, I have a reputation among women for being a dependable authority in the world of beauty. However, they fail to realize that simple being a sharp, gay male at an attractive 6′2” does not automatically qualify me as an authority on the subject of beauty. It is true, though, that I always look out for any information that can help me get ahead among my colleagues .

Not long ago I was giving highlights to a client who had been coming to me for about 5 years. She struck up a conversation with the stylist next to me, boasting about how well her recent 54th birthday party had gone. I couldn’t believe my ears; all this time that I had been styling her hair I had always assumed she was no older than her mid forties.

I managed to hide my inquisitiveness about this woman’s secret to youth for a couple more minutes, but I ended up having to inquire as to how she managed to stay looking so young. Procedures like face lifts and Botox were the first to come to my mind, but I knew I had been mistaken about their use before, and I was in this case too.

I managed to get the confidence to ask her how she did it, “Girl what are you doing to keep yourself looking so young?” After we shared a laugh together, she asked me “Do you promise not divulge my secret?” in an elaboratively secret manner. I agreed enthusiastically, and so as she pulled me close to her she said in a whisper, “I found the fountain of youth”. I couldn’t help but laugh.

My client elaborated; she told me about her success in capturing her youth by using an organic skin cream rather than the lab created skin creams she used to utilize. I was skeptical, however, I wondered if there was really that big of a difference between the two types of creams.

That night, I decided to dig up a little information on my own. Upon doing so, I found out that most skin creams used preservatives that caused inflation of price and a decrease in the quality of the cream itself; even those that used the phrase “organic” had this problem.

It turns out the company my client referred uses no potentially toxic ingredients and all of their ingredients come from certified organic farms. They do not water down even their most potent ingredients and add no colorings agents or fragrances, both of which can affect results of the product.

I know now that it is vital to look at what potentially toxic ingredients are present in skin creams when looking for one to begin using; most will contain some of they are not 100% organic. A study done in 2004 found that Prebens, a preservative used in many beauty products, was also a component of 18 out of 20 malignant breast tumors. Overall, sticking completely organic products when searching for a skin cream is the most healthy, economical, and successful option.