Our skin, the human body’s largest organ, is essential to our overall health. It has a big job to do. Our skin works constantly to:
Almost all commercial name brand toiletries and household cleaners contain hidden carcinogens. Don’t believe me?. Let me prove it to you: Go to this search results page for “Pantene” products. Don’t use Pantene? Search your favorite bath product instead. Like what you see?
Our favorite shampoo, body wash and floor polish all leave a lingering smell that we have learned to associate with a good, clean feeling. We simply assume that cosmetic and cleaning supply companies wouldn’t put harmful chemicals into their products – the ones we rub into our skin and use in our surrounding environments daily.
But there are lots of reasons why using chemicals are beneficial to the companies that produce them. Most of these chemicals act as a preservative which means these products have a long shelf life. They are also cheap, so they can make a big profit. These chemicals can create “good” smells and create lots of foam that we associate with cleanliness. They are allowed to market their product as “natural” and “dermatologist tested” and “hypo-allergenic”.
They are allowed to make you believe their product is really full of that nice fresh picture of fruit on the front label, and we want to believe that! However, the truth is, of course, that they just used chemicals instead to make that smell. There are no real strawberries or lemons in your window spray or lip gloss.
The other truth is that these products usually contain a few of the following:
In her booklet Why are you poisoning your family?, Kare Possick writes:
“Seventy thousand new chemicals that have been introduced since World War II were developed out of the extensive research in chemical warfare! That’s 250 billion pounds of synthetic chemicals produced each year in the US (according to the California Public Interest Research Group)!”
If we clog up our skin with these chemicals, how can we be sure it can (or be willing to!) continue protecting us? Also, the more we protected and take care of it, the more beautiful and young we look. The more chemical-laden products we rub on our skin, the faster our skin ages. This bad habit also contributes to disease.
It hasn’t yet been proven to scientific standards that prolonged exposure to household chemicals can directly cause cancer and other illnesses. I have been looking for hard evidence that says it actually causes cancer and other diseases (If you have any info on this, please post in my comments section!) It is kind of comparable to how long it took us to find out Global Warming was real!
The reason we can’t find hard evidence is that each product used alone does not single handedly cause a disease by itself. BUT several products used over time can cause a build up contributing to cancer. Think of how many products a teenage girl uses and how many times a day they use them!
I’ve concluded companies get away with including lots of possibly dangerous ingredients in their cleaning products (for body and home) perhaps because the chemicals they include, used alone, do not cause disease.
However, who is monitoring which chemicals these chemicals react with? Labels don’t tell us not to use ‘product a’ with ‘product b,’ or to discontinue use if we have a family history of x?
Over time, we are exposed to all these various chemicals. They are directly absorbed through our skin easily and quickly into our internal systems, and they build up inside our bodies as one big chemical cocktail.
This build up of chemicals in our bodies contribute to:
That, in my opinion, is proof enough that using many personal and household cleaning products indeed is contributing to our high rate of disease. With all the other factors we don’t have control of, I think it’s wise to control the ones we can, and reduce our risk of cancer and other nasty diseases!
For further evidence, The Environmental Working Group is working to test the levels of chemical build up in humans. It is called the Human Toxome Project. All of their findings are available on their website: http://www.bodyburden.org
You can buy truly natural products that don’t contain these chemicals. You might have a hard time finding a major commercial brand without these chemicals in most major stores. Fortunately, they are widely available in health food stores or whole foods super markets.
You can also become a label reader and avoid these ingredients:
I want to hear about products that you know to be safe. List them here in the comments!
Similarly, I want all my readers to go to the cosmetics database and search their favorite products. Share what you found out in the comments section!
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I use vinegar and water to clean everything! If it is real grimy I add a drop or two of dawn dish soap! This help[s to cut through grease or real dirty grimy things. Also, good old fashined elbow grease can do wonders!! I think it is pretty safe! As far a s makeup goes…I havnt been wearing any lately!, but will have to check into that!
I fully agree with U..:)
I loved this information, Jade. Great blog.
As for cosmetics, I think that raw coconut oil is the very best skin moisturizer I have ever used. It’s a little too heavy for the face though. AND, you’ll smell like vacation.
Best,
Tamara
Thank for your info. I never know our skin play such a important part..
@Tamara Thanks I never tryed raw coconut oil, been meaning to also try cooking with it, do you cook with it too?
I have to agree with the SLS/SlES. I have two children, and refuse to use most baby products. When my son, the oldest, was four months, I threw out every bottle. I don’t understand why companies say they are safe product when they aren’t truly safe.
the safest products in the world without harmful chemicals, leading technology safe and healthy products for over 20 years. http://www.ineways.com/positivehealthyliving
Im the director of the Cancer Prevention Coalition for Los Angeles. We give seminars to the public on awareness of avoidable risks of cancer. Signer of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
http://www.healthy-communications.com/cpc.html