Dangerous ingredients in personal care products

About two months ago I made a decision to make it a point to use natural personal/beauty products. I knew that it might cost a little more and I didn't want to be wasteful, so I figured if I just replaced the products as they ran out it would be easier on my wallet and more environmentally friendly.

In case you're wondering what the big deal is about using natural personal care products, here's a few reasons...The use of organic/natural products is arguably MORE important than consuming organic food- the digestive system is designed to filter out impurities we consume, while our skin- our bodies largest organ- absorbs 60% of what's on it, directly into the bloodstream (source: Good Housekeeping Institute). In the United States the FDA has banned only 9 personal care ingredients in the past 67 years, compared to the EU, which has outlawed 450 (source: Environmental Working Group). Pretty ridiculous. For example, aluminum is in most deodorants and is KNOWN to be linked to cancer, especially breast cancer because of how close application is to the breasts. The information on all the ingredients in our personal care products we use every day is honestly overwhelming. I researched it for this post and I don't even know where to begin. Without writing 5 pages on this subject, I'll go over just four that have been banned in other countries and a brief description of why:

-Sodium laureth sulphate (banned in Europe and Central America) It’s used because it makes things foam • It’s found in toothpaste, shampoo, body and shower gels etc • It’s a suspected carcinogen linked to kidney and liver damage, nervous system disruption, eczema and dermatitis

-Parabens- methyl, propyl, butyl & ethyl (banned in Japan and Sweden- under review in the UK) It’s found in toothpaste, shampoo, body and shower gels etc • It’s a suspected carcinogen linked to kidney and liver damage, nervous system disruption, eczema and dermatitis

-Formaldehyde family- Diazolidinyl urea, 3-diol Imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM Hydantoin, Quaternium-15, Nitorpropane-1, Formalin, Methanal, Methyl aldehyde, Methylene oxide etc. (banned in Europe)• It’s used because it’s a disinfectant, fungicide, germicide, defoamer and preservative • It’s found in shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, liquid hand wash, skin lotions, bubble bath, hair care products, antiperspirants, nail polishes, talcs, mouthwash etc • It can cause allergic reactions, dermatitis, headaches; it irritates mucous membranes, is linked to joint and chest pain, fatigue, dizziness and immune dysfunction

-Phthalates (banned in Europe)• It’s used because it makes plastic soft • It’s found in nail polish, hair-straighteners and sprays, body lotions and deodorants • It’s a carcinogen linked to birth defects, lowered sperm counts, damage to reproductive organs, lung, liver and kidney cancer

I first started writing this post to rave about the moisture shave cream from Kiss my Face that I fell in love with- which was supposed to be natural. Turns out it has parabens in it, last few ingredients, which majorly busted my bubble on this one. Looks like you do really have to read ALL ingredients before purchasing a product that claims to be natural (but don't rule this line out all together- they do have a lot of great products with good ingredients- just check 'em!).

I'm now going to keep a list in my wallet for when I am shopping for toiletries and cosmetics. I found a list of 16 ingredients to avoid, but at least concentrating on the so-called "Top 4 worst ingredients" I listed above should be enough to limit what I consume. I was going to say, despite it's letdown, the kiss my face shave cream made me realize that it wasn't my skin that I always thought was dry (on my legs only...weird)- it was the product I was using before, with all its chemicals, that was causing my skin to dry out. This natural product stuff is quite a bit of work, but I really do think it's worth it. Stay posted for my investigation on all the talk about the ingredients in sunscreens...