What’s In Your Personal Care Products?
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Every day we use products that are advertised for helping our skin be cleaner, our complexion clearer, our chin firmer, and our eyes brighter. We use hair products that are supposed to make our hair practically grow ten times faster, shine like glass, and bounce around beautifully while never once looking messy. Add to these the various soaps, lotions, cosmetics…well, you get the idea. The problem is that many of these products are not adequately tested for safety, and some even contain chemicals that are known to carry health risks. Here are some ingredients to avoid in order to reduce your risks associated with these types of products.
Ingredients To Avoid:
- Antibacterial products. Regular soap and water have been proven to work just as well, and over-use of antibacterial agents has been shown to eventually render them ineffective against infections when they truly are needed. Hand sanitizers are nothing more than gelled rubbing alcohol, which is drying to the skin and increases the likelihood of surface cuts and splits in the skin.
- Diethanolamine (DEA), 1,4 Dioxane, formaldehyde, lead, and mercury are all neurotoxins and some have been proven to be carcinogenic in laboratory settings
- Coal tar, commonly used in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams and powders, has long been known to be carcinogenic. Tea Tree oil is a safe and effective alternative. Add ½ teaspoon pure Tea Tree oil to a quart of mild shampoo and use regularly.
- Nanoparticles of any substance. These are tiny particles that are so small they can actually penetrate the skin and be carried to the brain, causing damage. The worst seem to be zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, commonly used in sunscreens. Look for particles larger than 100 nanometers. Many manufacturers are now including this information on product labels.
- Parabens and petroleum distillates of any kind. All are known to contribute to cancer cell growth in laboratory studies, and some are banned for use in cosmetics in Europe.
- P-Phenylenediamine and Hydroquinone, both neurotoxins, are found most often in hair dyes and skin lighteners.
- Unnecessary fragrances. Not only can perfumes be irritating to the skin, but many also contain phthalates, which can cause endocrine disruptions, reproductive difficulty, and developmental harm. Substitute with an essential oil instead.
Read The Labels
It all boils down to reading labels on the products you buy, and choosing to buy products that use natural elements rather than toxic chemicals. There are thousands of good products available that keep safety in mind without sacrificing the benefits the products are designed to deliver. Discovering these products and choosing them over their chemical-laden counterparts can be enjoyable and beneficial, so give it a try. You will be glad you did! Here’s to your health.
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Not to mention, all the petroleum bases products (including most modern fragrances) have been shown to cause reactions including headaches, asthma, ADD/ADHD, and many others. (see http://www.feingold.org for more info. It’s changed our lives)