This is something I try to teach my clients. Personal care products don't have to taste good, but they should be safe to eat before you put them on your hair or skin.
You are what you eat... either through your mouth or your skin. The average person is exposed to over 126 toxic chemicals per day through their body care products alone. There are over 10,000 chemicals used in the personal care products and only 13 percent of these have been tested for safety.
The skin is the largest "organ" of the body. It serves several functions:
1. It cushions and protects the deeper tissues
2. It is a sensory organ to detect pain, pressure and temperature
3. It helps regulate our internal core temperature
4. It is the largest organ of elimination
Any substance that is applied to the skin inevitably ends up in the bloodstream.
If you apply it to your skin, you are then "eating" through your skin. Many skin care products are also ingested through the lips and through inhalation of powders and perfumes. Some people have the notion that since these products are used in such small amounts, then they could not possibly cause any harm. But consider how the day-to-day application of a body lotion adds up.
Applying one tablespoon of lotion to your skin every day for five years equals over seven gallons of toxins in your body.
If that lotion contained silicone derived ingredients, petroleum byproducts, chemical fragrances and artificial dyes, then you are subjecting your body to gallons of toxins that accumulate in your liver, colon and fatty cells.
There are thousands of chemicals in the personal care products industry. Here are just a few samples of the effect these have on your health:
1. Phenoxyethanol:
Reproductive toxin
Preservative and fragrance in lotions
2. Parabens:
Reproductive toxin
Found in breast cancer tissue
Preservative in lotions and shampoos
3. Propylene glycol:
Toxic to the immune system
Used as a humectant and fragrance ingredient
4. Sodium Lauryl sulfate:
Toxic to the nervous system, skin, eyes and lungs
Used as a foaming agent
5. Formaldehyde:
Powerful carcinogenic and damages DNA
Used as a preservative
Being proactive with prevention involves taking responsibility for what we put IN our body and ON our body. Start by simply replacing one toxic product and introducing an organic and non-toxic product. Before you know it, you will have one fewer source of toxicity in your life. Be diligent about reading your labels to ensure that your body care products are safe enough to "eat."
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integumentary_system
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/faq/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emollients
http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6351353
Dr. Veronique Desaulniers
