Sitting down to write this morning, there was so much information swirling around in my brain, I am on overload. The only thing that popped into my head was my favorite 80’s rapper, poet, rebel, activist. “Don’t believe the hype, it’s a sequel". Chuck D.-Public Enemy.
I am in no way saying Chuck D and I are on the same page in relation to my business of natural skin care but, we do share a common thought, “put the left in effect”.
We have heard the claims: “studies show” ,“dermatologist tested” , “blah blah percent of all people using this product showed fine lines and wrinkles disappeared“, or better yet a new “rare ingredient” that only celebrities seem to have had access to now is sold to us the consumer.... Do we need a celebrity sales pitch? I would think we all realize by now that these celebrities pitching us these products have access to estheticians, make up artists, personal chefs, personal trainers daily or weekly…they better look good right?? Who are these dermatologists? Do they have any ties to the company they are testing for? Studies? What studies are done and are they done on humans?* *the FDA at this point in time only accepts animal safety data. Say what?
Don’t believe the hype…can you see how that wound up in my brain?
I am “left” in many ways in my life and no one has to agree but, here’s the thing with your skin care you may need to function in the left field.
Do you want to just slather, spritz, and spray without knowing what is being put on you? Think of your morning routine. You get up, you shower, you use shampoo, soap, body wash, personal care wash (some of you), then if you do your hair there are gels, creams, sprays, and molding creams. If you use cosmetics there are blushes, pigments, FD & C colors, dyes, fragrance. Lastly you may spray some perfume. I can’t even begin to calculate how many chemicals you have just put IN your body without even leaving your bathroom let alone your house. The average woman uses 515 chemicals per day.
We don’t even need to go into what happens next…what are you eating for breakfast? Is it processed? Are there preservatives? Chemicals?
I can’t emphasize this enough…what you put on your skin goes IN your body. Our skin can absorb up to 60% of what is topically applied. Keep in mind facial skin absorbs ingredients 20 times faster than thicker skin (palms of our hands).
Keep in mind cosmetic products and ingredients are not reviewed by any government health agencies before they are sold in stores. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) doesn’t regulate products until after they are sold. In fact they only step in when a consumer files a complaint. Then comes the burden of proof that a specific product/chemical/byproduct is harmful.
The FDA has banned or restricted only nine personal care ingredients in my lifetime. It took the FDA 20 years to ban the use of lead in paint and on toys yet it we still have recalls on millions of toys, furniture, and sunglasses that have been contaminated by lead paint.
Over time I will go over many ingredients, from parabens to phthalates, from aluminum to synthetic fragrances. All in time.
A few of you who keep up with my Skin and Tonic Facebook page may recall my disgruntled post the other day. I had bought an organic natural shampoo and was grief stricken to find it was full of harmful petrochemicals. How can you the consumer possibly know that? How can you read between the lines? I am going attempt to break it down. Simple and easy.
1,4-Dioxane called the “silent killer” by Julie Gabriel author of the Green Beauty Guide*. 1,4-Dioxane is a by petrochemical byproduct. 1,4-Dioxane is formed during a process called ethoxylation, which is used to make cleansing agents less abrasive and offers foaming characteristics to a product. A great example of this is sodium laurel sulfate is often converted to the less harsh chemical version sodium laureth sulfate (the “eth” being ethoxylation).
Let me break that down:
Ethoxylation is an industrial process in which ethylene oxide is added to alcohols and phenols to turn it into a surfactant.
Let’s break that down:
“Ethylene oxide (EtO) is produced in large volumes and is primarily used as an intermediate in the production of several industrial chemicals, the most notable of which is ethylene glycol. It is also used as a fumigant in certain agricultural products and as a sterilant for medical equipment and supplies. Unfortunately, EtO possesses several physical and health hazards that merit special attention. EtO is both flammable and highly reactive. Acute exposures to EtO gas may result in respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and cyanosis. Chronic exposure has been associated with the occurrence of cancer, reproductive effects, mutagenic changes, neurotoxicity, and sensitization.” (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ethylene oxide)
Super sketchy. Hum. Even sketchier, you will not find 1,4-Dioxane on ingredients lists nor will you see any warnings for it because it is a contaminant byproduct produced during manufacturing therefore the US Department of Agriculture does not require it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels.
Let’s break it down even further, so that you the consumer can be aware of some of the chemicals that may be a part of your daily routine.
Any ingredient containing an “eth” most likely would test positive for 1,4- Dioxane. Let’s name a few for you to look out for: sodium laureth sulphate, polyethylene glycol, oleth, myreth, cateareth. Alarming.
The health concerns of 1,4-Dioxane is that it readily penetrates the skin and hot water facilitates this quicker. The National Toxicology as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consider this a carcinogen for animals and humans. It is on a list of chemicals known to cause cancer and or birth defects.
Cleansers, toners, scrubs, lip lubes not containing any of these products, or byproducts:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/skinandtonic
Yes, my shameless plug. I think anything you put on your skin should be something you could eat, albeit you may not want to eat it…but, you could. Personally I do not want to put an ingredient on my skin that has about 12 vowels, a couple x’s and a couple y’s. I am guessing I wouldn’t want to eat that either.
Research is at the tip of our fingertips. I will help you do some of the leg work with whatever rant du jour.
If you don’t know what something is in your shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and especially your facial skin care. Look it up. Be your own advocate. Become a label expert. Once you know it, you can’t un-know it. It may prolong your life or at the very least ease your conscience.
Please if read this article to get further information about the harmful effects of 1,4-Dioxane http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=288
Also, The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel is a wealth of information. She is my hero.http://www.amazon.com/Green-Beauty-Guide-Essential-1&keywords=the+green+beauty+guide
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