Our society is all about having to clean ourselves with whatever cleaning products there are on the market. But, unfortunately, many peoples cleaning regimes have a serious down side.
Most personal care products – from shampoos, conditioners and hair dyes to delicate and wickedly expensive face creams – studies show they contain a virtual mine field of dangerous, cancer forming agents. In fact, from the moment you wake up in the relative safety of your home environment until you go to work, or drive the kids to school, you probably apply between 10-15 harmful chemical to your skin, hair, and teeth alone.
Have you read the ingredients on your shampoo bottle lately? Or ever wondered why there is a warning on your toothpaste tube many of the chemicals present in these personal products are actually derived from the petrochemical industry – toxic substances that are very effectively absorbed through our skin, scalp and mouth and which over time, accumulate in the body’s organs and tissues leading to irritations, compromised immune systems and even cancer.
Have you ever wondered what makes the white fluffy soapy foam lather up and splash all over you when you are washing your hair or taking a bubble bath? The foam is pristine white because it is bleached by a chemical called Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and its siblings, Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES). These chemicals are specifically designed to make the ingredients foam up. These chemically based foaming agents are found in almost every shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, soap, toothpaste and detergent.
SLS is also used as an engine degreaser and a floor cleaner because of their harsh chemical properties to strip off dirt. Can you imagine what that is doing to your skin? According to an American College of Toxicity report, SLS stays in the body for up to five days, penetrating though the skin and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs, and brain. It can also cause separation of skin layers, creating inflammation, and it has been linked in peer-review studies to lower sperm counts, stress related illnesses and cancer.
The issue for most consumers is to acknowledge that traditional cosmetic products are chemically based. There is already enough air pollution that we have every little control over and that our bodies already have to deal with on a daily basis.
To protect yourself and your family from these everyday toxins, you need to become educated about what kind of chemicals you are applying to your body every single day, and then seek reliable natural and organic alternatives.
But common sense should prevail, we need to protect ourselves and our loved ones form the harmful effects of chemicals. We may not have much control over the environment we live in but we can have a say in what types of products we are putting on ourselves and our family.
That is why you must read the labels of the products. Research what they mean, most people have never heard of the chemicals in the products, let along try to pronounce them correctly. Knowledge is power and with the knowledge that you learn from researching chemicals, you can make an informed decision about what products to put on your loved ones skin.
Your conclusion should be to use natural and organic skin and hair care products so that you are not damaging your skin any longer. Staying with the natural products over time will allow your health to return and to make you feel even better.