To start of my organic-ecothemed blog i thought i would enlighten you guys about the most basic things in natural beauty care. In this post i will be teaching you the simplest things to guide you to a more natural based skin, body and hair care. On my following posts i will be leading you to the deeper depths of this exciting and vast field on a more detailed level.
But first things first. In order to get the hang of natural beauty care you have to know what your beauty products are made up of and understand what these weird, long and complicated terms and labels printed on the back of your bodywash, shampoo and conditioner bottles actually mean in plain everyday language.
For you to actually aknowledge what you are putting on your skin is a turning point (for me atleast it was), to actually try and achieve a more earthly way of taking care of yourself and your body. Did you know that your skin, the biggest organ in your whole system, actually absorbs a big part of the chemicals you put on it letting them all in your circulation?
So to begin with please understand that the beauty industry is very cruel. As the competition between companies is so crazily intense, big brands don't think about the side effects of the ingredients in their products as long as the products sell and bring income. When money is involved people tend to forget what is actually good for us and what would actually cause harm. So today im going to be listing some of the many harmful ingrdients in beauty products that are being used shamelessly eventhough they are well known to have negative effects on human health.
Here are the ingredients you should avoid.
(Luckily for us Finns, we are a bit more safe from these than people around the world, because the EU has regulated and illegalized many poisonous toxins and prevented beauty suppliers from using them. To you guys who order beauty products online from the USA especially, please be aware and check the label tags!)
Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD 40): Alcohol also labeled as Isopropyl is commonly used in hair and skin products like facial/bodywashes and shampoos. Alcohol is a very drying agent and it causes irritation on skin stripping it from its natural moisture and weakening the skins immune barrier making the skin more prone to bacteria, molds and viruses.
Aluminium: Aluminium is mainly found in deodorants and antiperspirants. It has been linked to breast cancer, according to studies they have even found traces of aluminium in breast tumors and Alzheimers disease patients.
Fluoride: Opposed to the common belief, fluoride has no direct correlation with tooth health. According to a new research fluoride does not prevent cavities nor does fluoride have any benefits to our health. Its is actually associated with many problems, like calcification of the muscles and the pineal gland, weakening of bones and its effect on the functioning of the thyroid.
Paraben: Parabens (alkylparahydroxybenzonate, butylparabens, methylparabens, ethylparabens, propylparaben, isobutylparaben) are used as a preservative in skin, body and hair care. Parabens tend to mimic estrogen (the female hormone) disturbing the endocrine system (the glands that produce hormones to control various things in our bodies). Parabens have been assosiated with the rise of breast cancer rates and infertility. Also a study conducted in rats showed a alarming decrease in sperm cells in the rats that were dosed on parabens.
Petrolatum/Mineral Oil/Pariffinum Liquidum: Petrolatum is used in many cosmetics to provide lubrication and moisture to the skin, lips and hair. It is produced on the side when refining oil to make gasoline/petrol. Petrolatum is commonly used because its cheap price and ability to work easily with other substances. Mineral oils are my personal enemy. They are known for their tendency to clog pores and promote acne. The biggest no-no for blemish prone skin like mine. I have seen a major improvement in my skin after giving up on products that include mineral oils. Petrolatum slows down cell development making it harder for the skin to rebuild itself and it also disturbs the skins ability to eliminate toxins making the skin very unhealthy.
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate: Sulfate is the ingredient that makes most of our toothpastes, soaps, shampoos and bodywashes foam. It is a very harmful ingredient that dries the skin and hair from essential natural oils causing a lot of skin irritations and premature aging (dry skin wrinkles faster). When combined with other chemicals sulfates can be transformed into carsinogens, agents directly linked to cancer.
Triclosan: Triclosan is a synthetic ingredient commonly used for its antibacterial properties in for example handwashes and cleaning products. It is also been used as a pesticide and it is very risky for both humans and animals when spread to the environment. Triclosans manufacturing process produces dioxin, a powerful hormone-disturbing chemical that causes a decrease in fertility and sexual function as well as an increase toxin levels in the human body.
Other ingredients to be aware of:
Dea (diethanolamine)
Tea (triethanolamine)
Mea ( monoethanolamine)
PEG (propylene glycol)
Butylene Glycol
These are the ingredients me myself I mostly stay away from. For some it may be a lot but it's everyones own choice whether they decide to continue using them or not. I have personally heard a lot of people telling me: ''Oh, you are so ridiculous!'', ''You are taking it too far!'', ''Everything can cause you cancer!'' and all that but i have still decided to atleast try and decrease the outer factors that are harmful to my body. Some people feel like they don't have enough evidence of these ingredients being toxic, not enough studies showing the horrific side effects of these toxins but for me all i need to know is the possibility. Why would i risk the chance in a world full of chemicals (in the air, in the food we eat, even our drinking water!), when i can atleast decide what i put on my skin. My motto is if you cant pronounce it, ditch it! That is pretty easy for me, because most of the substances I use are straight out of my kitchen, ingredients that are mostly even edible. But about that in my next post, stay tuned!
PS. I hope this post got you people thinking about of the things you put on your skin, hair and body. A little awakening of the chemicals you might have not even heard of before and imagine, you are being exposed to everyday! I wish i can atleast get some of you to actually take a little time away from your day to check out your beauty product labels and maybe even try out a sulfate free shampoo next time! It starts from the little things.