A friend of mine suggested to me tonight that I do a post on chemicals in our beauty products. I had been toying with the idea too and thought it would be a great one to talk about. I actually read about this last summer and it inspired me to switch all of my beauty products over to healthier ones.
There are twelve chemicals that are used in personal care products that are harmful to humans, and include things like carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. The list of these chemicals is called the dirty dozen and you can find them in your soaps, shampoos, moisturizers and make-up, among other things. One of the scariest things about this, is that though each of your products may have only one or a two of the chemicals in them (but many have more), the combination of using all of your products together means that you may be using many or all twelve of them daily. And they get absorbed into your skin when you use them. I checked all of my beauty products and every single one of them had at least one, or more, of the chemicals on the list. Even my kids' shampoo and baby wash had these chemicals in them! I couldn't believe that these products specifically, which are marketed for children and babies, have toxic chemicals in them. The stuff that is label to be "gentle" and "pure," is not at all.
So go ahead, check out that list and compare it to your beauty products. Go and see what you are really using. I bet it isn't what you thought. I went out and found some healthy alternatives at a heath food store. Even some of the big box stores are carrying organic and healthy product lines now, which aren't that much more expensive. It certainly was a switch that I am happy with. To find out more, check out this great article.
3 comments:
Wow, scary! I am going to share this post with all of my friends and family. If these ingredients are toxic carcinogens and reproductive toxins, well, that accounts for a lot of the illness, reproductive challenges and even cancer we see occurring these days. I mean look at the Bisphenol A in baby items ie. bottles. We've only just in the last few years removed it. Yuck! What are we doing to ourselves?
Love this post! Not the fact that the "dirty dozen exists, of course. But it's great you've found the information and are sharing it with all of us.
It's funny...I started my own blog to address the same issues you've addressed about the same time you started your blog. What finally moved me to action was my drive to find the genesis of some weird and annoying physical symptoms I was experiencing. And I have found out some helpful things.
What has amazed me is that what I've learned seems to be just the "tip of the iceberg". I've been shocked to see how many straight-out toxic and potentially toxic ingredients are in the products I use everyday.
My goal has been to highlight one product per post by researching and reporting on its ingredients. I've strayed occasionally from that narrow focus, but it's been on related topics -such as Earth Hour.
The family nest is now empty... so there IS that BIG difference between us. I remember so fondly what a huge (and wonderful) job it is to raise children. But I had these same concerns when I was raising a family...actually since I was in my 20's. I just have a lot more time to think and act now..
I'd love it if you'd check out my blog. My latest post is about Earth Hour...just like yours, so maybe you'll want to "mine" the Blog Archive to find something different.
I've started following you and wondered if you'd do the same for me...here's my URL - http://lifetheuniverseand-hhope.blogspot.com/
Whatever you decide...I'm glad to find another like-minded individual. Isn't the internet incredible!
Thanks for the comment Kyra, I've come to realize that I need to be better about responding to comments, sorry about that. If any of this info helps you then I am happy! And Mina, thank you for your comment too. It is crazy once the wool has been pulled from your eyes what you will discover. And after you learn the truth it's hard to go back. I know my husband isn't too happy about me spending more money on beauty products, but isn't our health more important? I was in the grocery store the other day and saw some of my old products (dove, herbal essences, soft soap, to name a few) and I thought to myself, these companies market as if they are pure and good, but they are totally lying! And as much as I still wanted to believe in them (it's hard to let go of my brand loyalty, I've been loyal for sooooo long) I cannot let myself be fooled. I know the truth now.
I will totally check out your blog Mina, thank you so much for following. When you start a blog you wonder whether anyone will read it, besides you and your friends, and if it will have any kind of significance to anyone else but you. I'm happy that I've reached someone new :)
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