STOP!!!! Before you put that on your skin, read the label!!!!
(Please grab yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, get comfy and open your mind.. this is a lengthy informative post. )
Now keep in mind, this post is not to scare you, no not at all, this post is to educate you. Why? Because even though I may be a stranger to you and your family, I still care. I care enough to take the time to give you information that could potentially change your way of life and how you purchase items for your family, which could possibly, be guiding you away from potential health concerns later.
In Part 1 of "The 'Skin'ny of Soap", I shared with you a quick study of our skin and it's basic levels and how it connects to our blood stream. We learned that what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies. So it's safe to say that if the ingredients in a product are not safe to consume, then they are not safe to put on our skin either. In fact, what we put on our skin is even more dangerous than what we put into our bodies. When we eat something, the enzymes in our saliva and the acid in our stomach help to break down and wash out these harmful chemicals. When we apply these harmful chemicals onto our skin, they are taken directly into our blood stream and without any filtering process, so there is no defense against these toxins.
There are many medications that are administered directly to the skin. Nicotine patches, birth control patches and medicinal creams are applied to the skin. These medications are more easily absorbed into our bloodstream through our skin. Therefore, putting these harmful chemicals on our skin is essentially more dangerous that consuming products with harmful chemicals.
It is very important to know what you are putting on your skin. Synthetic chemicals are linked to skin irritation, inflammation, even cancer and tumor growth. Many products that are labeled as being "natural" and "organic" contain dangerous ingredients. Several "organic" beauty products contain a very small percentage of organic ingredients. That's why it's so important to know what ingredients are in the skin care products that we put on our skin.
Today I'm going to share with you what the FDA & CPSC has sealed with their stamps of safety approval and permits companies to put into our products. Baby lotions that you feel you are lovingly putting on your new babe, can potentially be breaking down their immune system. Shampoos that you are applying to your child that could possibly be causing allergies that after tests have been proven "unconfirmed allergy sources." Lotions and creams that you are putting on your own skin.
Now that I have driven the point of my message, below you will find what I have been researching.
There are primarily eight categories of chemicals that are deemed to be harmful and toxic to your body over prolonged use. Unfortunately, it is because of this prolonged use that you most likely will not recognize the compromised condition that your body is gravitated toward until it is too late.
So grab one of your favorite famous box store, named brand body products and let's get a checklist of ingredients that are listed on your product.
* Alcohol (Isopropyl) - This is a solvent that is found in hair colorants, body lotions, after shave, perfume and fragrance. It is also used as an anti-freeze. It has been linked to causing depression, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and liver toxicity. The fatal dose if taken internally in only one ounce.
* BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) - chemically derived of phenol, this is an additive to embalming fluid, hydraulic fluids, jet fuels and gear oils. This cam affect you as you breathe, it may damage a developing fetus, it can irritate eyes and skin, can cause headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion and passing out and my cause damage to the liver.
* Fragrances: most beauty products contain fragrance and this includes shampoos, conditioners, facial skin care products, soap and bath products, as well as sunscreen. In fact, the list is endless and up to 4,000 chemicals can be involved. Many of the properties in fragrance are potentially carcinogenic and toxic and can affect the central nervous system causing dizziness, vomiting and nauseas amongst other symptoms. Fragrances are also linked to immune toxcity which can cause health problems that are noticeable as allergic reactions or a weakened ability to fight disease and restore damaged body tissue. Fragrances are also linked to irritation of the skin, eyes and lungs.
* Sodium Lauryl Sulfate / Sodium Laureth (SLS) - this dangerous additive is in over 90 percent of all shampoos, liquid soaps and that doctor recommended "safe" bar soap and anything that foams up. It is a surfactant and also used in detergents. Research has shown that it is damaging to the immune system, the eyes and skin and when combined with other chemicals in products it can be carcinogenic. SLS is a very drying and caustic chemical that is likely to cause infection. SLS has been linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity. SLS, and SLES are very dangerous ingredients.
* Polyehelene glycol (PEG) - is a polyether compound compound with many uses in the industrial manufacturing of medicines. PEG's contains toxic impurities and is nephrotoxic if applied to the skin. This caustic chemical is found in facial cleansers and is added to dissolve the oil and grease on our skin. It also thickens the product to make it creamy. This is used very effectively as an oven cleaner. PEG disrupts the immune system stripping our skin of it's natural moisture and is potentially a carcinogenic.
* Proplylene Glycol (PG) - is found in hair care products, cosmetics, after shave, deodorants, mouthwashes, toothpaste and is also used in processing our food. It is the active ingredient in anti freeze and industrial workers handling this product must wear gloves and eye protection because of its toxicity to out skin, yet it is high in concentration in products that most people are using on their skin daily and even putting in their mouths. It is also used to dispose of hazardous waste and was used in the BP Oil Spill to disperse the oil from the water. It's other uses are airlines anti-icing agents, The FDA also approved this agent to be put in our food and dog food as an additive, but not cat food because it causes Heinz body anemia. This dangerous additive is linked to organ system toxicity. Although Propylene Glycol has been established to aggravate skin irritation and sensitization in people in as low as a 2% concentration, the industry review panel advocates that cosmetics (beauty products - which does include soap, shampoo, etc) can contain up to a 50% concentration of this harmful chemical.
* Mineral Oil- Sounds safe, but it is NOT. It acts like a seal over our skin and stops the skin from breathing, disrupting our natural immune barrier. It stops the skin from eliminating toxins naturally causing them to bio-acculate in the body. Besides the increase toxic burden, this can cause acne and premature skin again.
* Methylparaben and Propylparaben- these are dangerous... period. Parabens are used as preservatives in cosmetics and there are four main parabens in use: Metylparaben, Tylparaben, Propylparaben and butylparaben. But they can also be listed as: Ethyl paraben, Isobutyl Paraben, Isopropyl Paraben and Benzyl Paraben. They are also osteogenic, which means that they can mimic estrogen in the female body. Parabens have been found in most breast tumors and they have also been shown to escalate the progression of a tumor. Parabens are also found in a lot of prepared foods such as: mayonnaise, salad dressings and candy. Studies have revealed that parabens can affect our bodies comparable in ways that estrogens do. This can lead to reduced muscle mass, weight gain and breast growth in men. Parabens are linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive toxicity. They are also linked to irritation of the skin, eyes and lungs.
* Imidazolidinyl and Diazolidinyl Urea - These are most commonly used as preservatives after parabens. They have been known to cause contact dermatitis and release formaldehyde which is both very toxic and carcinogenic. This is also used to create some polymers.
* Triethanolamine (TEA) - is used primarily as an emulsifyer and surfactant. It is used in the base of a product to adjust the PH. TEA causes allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of the hair and skin and can be toxic if absorbed into the body over time. Some common products TEA is used in is: liquid laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids, cleaning agents, polishes, metal working fluids, paints, shaving cream and printing inks. A 2001 study proved that once TEA was put into a sunscreen base, it caused an allergic dermatitis reaction. Reports in a 2004 study indicated that TEA increases the cause and growth rate of tumors in the liver. Also in a 2009 study, TEA was proven to be chronically toxic to aquatic species. (our water drains out somewhere doesn't it? now think outside water sources - rivers, ponds, lakes, our beautiful oceans)
* Phthalates - Very harmful chemicals that are not easily identified in a product. Phthlalates are linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive toxicity. They are also linked to immunotoxicity (harm to the immune system), which can cause health troubles that ware noticeable as allergic reactions or a weakened ability to fight disease and restore damaged body tissue. Phthalates are linked to endocrine disruption and organ system toxicity. They are also linked to irritation of the skin, eyes and lungs. Most labels do not list phthlates as an ingredient. Although very seldom, you may see "phthalate-free" on a label. Phthlates are not only in personal care products, they are also in our car and floor cleaners, PVC plastics and insect repellants and pesticides. Certain phthlates have been found in people's urine from exposure to skin care products. There have been (2) independent studies linking phthalate exposure and breast cancer, endocrine disruption and metabolic disruption.. so in fact this also leads to obesity in some people.
Ladies and Gentleman, the list of dangerous chemicals in our food and body products is astounding. I have spent weeks studying and choosing which ones to write about. Honestly, I am truly sickened and saddened that our governments allow such chemicals in our products.
I can not urge you enough to educate yourself on what you are putting on your skin and in your body. I know.. I know.. everything is bad right? Well no, eat healthy, eat in moderation, control what you put onto your skin, what chemicals you allow in your home (including candles, air fresheners, laundry additives, cleaners etc). You have control of your environment in your home. We can avoid the poisoning of ourselves and loved ones... read labels and remember " if we are careful about what we put INTO our bodies, we should be equally as careful with what we put ON our bodies"
Soon to follow: Part 3 of "The 'Skin'ny on Skin"
With Heartfelt Hugs,
=) Kristina
OH.. and here's a fun experiment: go pull out one of my product labels and/or check out my product's list of ingredients on my website.. I promise that I do not use any of the above additives.. (other than customer requested fragrance oils) ..that is why my motto is: Inspired by Nature, Made with Love......
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