Toxins in Your Beauty Products that Could be Making You Sick
I am NO scientist or expert. I just want to put that on the table right now. In fact, my whole life I have NOT been one of those people who even looked at ingredients. Until I hit 40 and started to have digestive issues so started to be more conscious of food I was eating. Less processed and more whole foods. Still didn’t even think about other products I put ON my body. Enter cancer. Ugh - then I had to definitely start to pay attention to what I was putting on my body and what was in my surrounding environment. So at that point, I HAD to pay attention.
I’m learning a TON but it still does not come easy to me. My brain is not hard wired to absorb facts and figures. This girl thinks in concepts and pictures so please know that this information and advice comes from a place of CONCEPT with the goal of hopefully convincing you to do your own research to investigate this further.
Okay, are we cool? Can we move forward now? Okay - let’s do it!
I’m going to share with you three MAJOR toxins that you need to know as they are commonly in cosmetics, skin care and hair care products and they are NOT your friend, and I share with you why. There are a lot more toxins to be aware of and I would highlight recommend you do your own research, yet this is a good place to start. Here we go:
Parabens - This is probably the most commonly used in most health & beauty products and potentially the most harmful. Essentially parabens help to preserve ingredients and expand shelf life. Think about that for a second. In order to preserve something natural, you have to disrupt the molecular structure of what is natural in order to make it last. When your fruits and veggies are sprayed with chemicals to make them LOOK ripe and appealing by the time they hit the grocery stores, they are covered in chemicals. You can wash them off (for the most part but that is a different process for a different day) and still reap the benefits but they do lose nutrients in the process.. The process of using synthetic parabens in beauty products is like that but worse.
Synthetic parabens have a molecular structure that mimics your body's natural hormones and can trigger the development of too much estrogen. This overproduction of hormones is known to contribute to the growth of breast cancer tumors and can also disrupt the endrocrine system potentially leading to reproductive complications (2004, Dr. Philippa Darbre) yet it's effects are still being debated which is why their use is still approved through the FDA.
You may notice that this is why you may see a more limited shelf life on naturally based products that do not use parabens as a preservative.
You may see parabens listed as ingredients such as hydroxybenzoic acid, methylparaben (E218): ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216), butylparaben and heptylparaben (E209). So be on the lookout for these.
Sulfates - Another common chemical used in beauty products are sulfates. Their purpose in shampoo, soap and toothpaste is to create foam and lather. This creates the illusion that as long as your product is 'foaming and lathering' it must be working. We think that we are getting our hair, face and skin squeaky clean. Yet the danger in sulfates (otherwise known as SLS) is that they can strip away natural oils and leave your hair feeling dry & parched, and skin feeling dry and potentially red and itchy. This is because these sulfates are stripping the GOOD oils from your hair, skin and scalp and causing bigger problems with time such as dry scalp, dry damaged ends, breakage, and irritated dry red skin.
More naturally based products tend to not create the same foaming effect. This does not mean its not working. On the contrary, it likely is doing its job by removing buildup and cleansing without stripping away your natural oils essential to overall scalp and skin health!
Silicones - Silicones are also commonly used in hair and skin conditioners/moisturizers since they help to emulsify and combine other active ingredients to distribute evenly. The problem is they can tend to 'coat the hair/skin and cause buildup without allowing the benefits of the product to penetrate the scalp/skin to properly condition. It creates a cover layer (think plastic wrap) making it 'appear' as though it's working, when really it's really just putting a ‘coating’ over your skin so that nothing else can penetrate. Think of a time when you bit into a cake that looked so beautiful with an elegant frosting, only to find out the cake tasted dry and gross and was likely the worst cake you have ever eaten. Can you relate? This is exactly what silicones do to your hair and skin. They are the pretty wrapper that just is a mask over otherwise unhealthy hair and skin. It’s an illusion and you don’t want to fall for that! You want happy, healthy, nourished hair!
In cosmetics, silicone can show up on an ingredient list as: dimenthicone, cyclomethicone, cyclohexasiloxane, ceteryl methicone and cyclopentasiloxane. Note that because silicones do not allow the scalp and skin to breathe (like that plastic wrap) they are considered toxic in Europe and banned from all beauty products. (www.healthline.com). US - perfectly legal ;-) Remember though - just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s good for you!
The health of your skin, hair, scalp are not to be taken lightly and are NOT about quick fix. They are living, breathing organs and need nourishment from the inside out first. From there, products that work WITH your body and not against it, is critical. A couple of additional things to keep in mind as you are sorting through this information. Since organic and ‘all natural’ are all the rage right now, large brand names are using creative marketing strategies to lead us to believe that something is good for us when in fact, it may not be. So here are a few things to look for:
“Certified Organic” - In order for a product to earn the official USDA seal, it has to have 95% or greater organic ingredients. And the remaining 5% has to include ingredients that aren’t banned from the National Organic Program. But a good thing to know: “certified organic” and “organic” are not the same thing. A label touting that it’s “made of organic ingredients” only has to hit 70% of its contents as organic, though it is still part of the National Organic Program.
“All Natural Beauty” - The term “natural” in beauty means the complete formula is 100% synthetic free. But unfortunately, there isn’t a regulating body for all “natural” products. Be sure to see if your product in question passes the standards by Ecocert, an organization that works to specifically certify ingredients as natural.
Other key sites/apps to check your ingredients are Think Dirty & EWG Healthy Living
Okay friends - that is a LOT of information in this little blog post and like I said, this does NOT do this topic justice. I’m just skimming the surface here because I want you to start paying attention to what you are putting ON your body, in addition to IN it. I would HIGHLY encourage you to do your own research and be sure to look for credible sources such as a few I listed above.
It’s important to start with a few key items to start your transition to a naturally based regimen. Next week I will highlight items you should start with and some things to watch out for as you make that switch. Keep in mind that your body is used to the toxins you are using and so it’s important to know and expect that there will be a bit of ‘detox’ that will happen as you make that switch. I walk you through - step by step!
As always, I hope this was helpful! It’s my commitment to you to always be REAL and relevant, coming from a place and heart of service! I appreciate you!
xoxo