Being Beautiful Doesn’t Need to Be Toxic - A wake up Call

So we hit that alarm or snooze button and we somehow manage to get ourselves out of bed and into the shower. This is our ritual. Shower shampoo, conditioner, energizing body wash, lotion or oil. Then we start on our face astringent/toner, moisturizer of some sort, makeup, antiperspirant/deodorant and then we top it all off with our favorite fragrance. Does this sound familiar? Within that hour or so we have added hundreds, yes hundreds of chemicals to our beautiful skin. It doesn’t end there then we go outside and have to deal with pollution, cigarette smoke, dust, and other yucky stuff out there we can’t see. Then we eat a meal and that may or may not have chemicals and preservatives to add to our bodies. We have just become a toxic dump. Makes me think and I hope it makes you think, too. We need to be aware of what we are doing to our bodies since we only have one.

In 2006 the Environmental Working Group with several cancer advocates had released a study of over 7,500 ingredients that were found in commercial beauty products. At least 90% of the ingredients found in cosmetics have NEVER been analyzed for any type of health impact! More than 70 known and popular hair coloring products contained ingredients derived from coal TAR, a carcinogen. About 55 products had penetration enhancers which we know increases the ability of the chemicals to enter our bloodstream and harm us.

There have been tons of times when we’ve come across certain phrases like “our studies show” and “dermatologist tested”. We have almost become immune to these phrases. The cosmetics industry, one of the most profitable of all, spends more money on advertising than any other business or trade. That’s amazing. We see that a cream can deliver 500% more moisture or how a shampoo makes your hair have more volume. Can they show us the proof? Some officials may say “The cosmetics Directive requires that when a claim for efficacy is made for a product, a full and substantiation for the claim should be made available” this was said by the EU Cosmetics Directive. It seems that quite often these claims are validated through consumer testing, surveys, and clinical studies. So when we slather our face with these creams on our fresh and clean faces we will have a miracle performed, our skin will be moisturized and with less wrinkles. Maybe when we wash our dull, greasy hair with the newest fruit infused hair volumizing shampoo our hair will look clean and full of volume, WOW a miracle again. I really don’t think so.

How do we know who the dermatologist is and who is paying them to say these things? How do we know where and when the study took place and if there was a control group or peer reviewed, or done by an independent lab? We don’t know and no one gives us these important answers. So if the study consisted of 70 people and they claimed to have better skin after using the product, how old were they, when did they apply the product and what type of skin did they have prior to the study? These claims may look great in the ads trying to convince us to buy, but do they really work and are they validated? All these things may impress some, but does it really give the consumer the information we need? Not till after it has been released are the products really evaluated.

I believe that this is another reason to use organic natural skin care products and read our labels!

It seems that a good majority of countries leave it up to the manufacturer that their product is safe. The ingredients are not questioned, and here in the U.S. the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, takes a hands-off approach to the cosmetics companies, can you believe this? I was amazed when I found out. Unless there are a number of reactions to a product, they go unnoticed. The tests that are performed on the products often are on smell, texture, feel of the product, these are the human studies.All products seem to be animal tested. Also the USDA, U.S. Dept’ of Agriculture, gently lets us know that labels with claims such as “allergy tested,’ “nonirritating,” and “sensitive”to name a few have no guarantee that these reactions will or will not happen, they only prove what they claim the product is effective for, for example, moisturizing and dandruff.

Lets say we have a reaction and we want to make a complaint, it may take years or even longer to come up with enough complaints to make an investigation. Manufacturers would rather recall a product than go through an investigation. How wrong is that? A good example is here in California. The state filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers whose products were tainted with 1,4 Dioxane, only 1, yes ONE, company changed its formula and removed the toxic compound from its product. Beaumont is the company. The other companies obviously know of the harmful ingredients that are being used and still do nothing about it, until they get slapped with a lawsuit. And who’s to say that a lawsuit will do anything to change their ways. We aren’t able to even get warning stickers or notices on these products. They have them on cigarettes, after a long fight.

In the 70 years or so the FDA has banned or restricted only 9 products! They should think twice since recently we had quite of few recalls with the children's toys, pet foods, and baby formula. You have to even be careful of “green” products also, they can contain toxic chemicals. Here are some to look for such as 1,4 Dioxane - may cause cancer, phthalates, a hormone disruptor, aluminum breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, propylene glycol, cancer and birth defects, metabolic issues, preservatives, allergies and other sensitivities. These chemicals may have a number of names and chemical make up that are outrageous. It’s amazing that they are allowed to be used and We use them! They not only give us some killer disease, they give us allergies too. This can be anything from redness, skin irritation, rashes, and even pimples. This is because a chemical has related to our bodies chemistry and they don’ t like each other. So our beautiful body is reacting to it.

Ladies, this is a wake-up call. Be aware of what you use and how you treat your own body. 

*Browse our Natural and Organic Products. 

//Guest Blog