Not All Vitamin E Are Created Equal

I'm thinking I'm not the only one who is wondering about which vitamin E to get. I get so confused when I go to the store because they have so many brands, forms, and kinds of vitamin E. It's so hard to choose. This doesn't help me since I am very indecisive. I've been reading and watching a lot of ads and videos on beauty that pretty much say, "Contains vitamin E! IT'S SO GOOD FOR YOU OHMERGERD!!" Okay, well maybe that not straight forward but you get what I mean. :) It's pretty much everywhere like lip balms, cosmetics, food, lotions, shampoos, facial cleansers and the list goes on! I could see why because vitamin E has so many benefits.

• Protect your skin from ultraviolet light (your natural sunscreen!)
• Prevent cell damage from free radicals (helps prevents cancer!)
• Allow your cells to communicate effectively
• Help protect against prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease

So it makes sense to have it in beauty products! But you have to be careful and always read the label and make sure you're getting the right vitamin E. Wait, what?! There are different kinds?! Yes, just like you I didn't know there were different kinds. To save you guys some headache I researched for hours about different kinds of vitamin E I found one that is only found in nature which is the d-alpha tocopherol. All the others are synthetics with the exception of mixed tocopherol which are used in food and feed products. They contain a mixture of d-alpha, beta, gamma, and delta tocopherols. Starting to sound too scientific, what's going on?! 

Don't worry! Just remember to get the d-alpha tocopherol which is better retained in our bodies so try to get this one if possible. Our bodies only recognize the D form and not the synthetics. Based on the Food and Nutrition Board Expert Panel report on Vitamin E, d-alpha-tocopherol has twice the activity of synthetic forms which is 100%. Watch out for similar name dl-alpha tocopherol is not naturally derived and is synthetic.

Synthetic names to watch for:

dl-alpha tocopherol
tocopherol acetate
dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate

*Note: I'm not saying to not buy the synthetic ones because they're bad for you or anything. I wrote this blog because I'm sure there were a lot of people like me wondering about which one is better to get. Not one is better than the other but for this post it is focusing on preference. I prefer nature-derived material and products which actually work. I hope this was helpful in your search of vitamin E. =D

Always remember though the BEST way is to get it through your dietary intake, folks. It's as easy as that. I'm trying to incorporate more vegetables in my diet. If you find this list to hectic then start off with one and then build on top of it. I have spinach and almonds in my list which are easy to incorporate into my meals. I put spinach in almost everything! 

I'm so glad I researched this because I have been using a synthetic version of vitamin E which was the tocopherol acetate which I'm going to stop using. I rather get the natural vitamin and can't wait to order mine after I use up all of the one I have at the house. If you're looking for liquid form Mountain Rose Herbs has it but they're sold out at the moment but you can sign up for their email and get notified when it comes in. If you want supplements you can look around Amazon or Google. There are tons I know. I'm going to try this one out and let you guys know what I think of it in another blog.

I don't take supplements as I try to get my vitamins and minerals through my diet but I am going to use this for my homemade lip balm and moisturizer at home.

Try these great sites

MountainRoseHerbs.com (my number one choice)

BulkApothecary.com

Voyageursoapandcandle.com

May 26th 2013 Update:

I found a great brand of natural vitamin E.

It was a bit pricey. I bought mine for about 13 or 14 US dollars at Natural Grocers. You can find this online like amazon for like 10 dollars (w/o tax and shipping) or at your natural grocery store. I've tested it out and it's amber colored and thick. It is quickly absorbed into my skin and works wonders. It's helped with my acne and acne scars. I completely recommend this product. Share your favorite brands below.