Your Skin Says, “What’s for Dinner?”

I’m not talking about food solids, here

My dad used to tell me (prankster that he was) that if I went to sleep with a pea in my bellybutton, I would wake up with it in my mouth. I will not divulge whether I tried this or not.

 

But seriously: YOUR SKIN EATS!

Now, if any of you have ever taken a First Aid course, you will remember having to recite the four routes of entry into the body: INHALATION (breathing), INGESTION (eating), INJECTION (puncturing), and ABSORPTION…whaaa? You mean that solid layer of armour on our body that we call “skin” is permeable??

…Well, YES!

Think of the nicotine patch or the birth control patch. Both of these patches just look like little stickers but they contain chemicals and/or hormones inside that enter the bloodstream via the skin. No ingestion, inhalation, or injection necessary.

Now think of that perfumey lotion, deodorant, sunscreen, bug repellant, shaving gel, self tanner, aftershave, or face cream you have. Think it’s any different?

Think again.

Previously, I used to think that my Victoria’s Secret “Romantic Wish” (err, was I wishing to smell better?) lotion was some magical velvety lotion that I would just rub on my skin and leave it at that. Naturally, I believed this product’s action only happened on the surface of my skin. It didn’t even occur to me that the bulk of those ingredients would be travelling through my bloodstream within a couple of hours.I also didn’t think about this possibility with my Clearasil face lotion, my Gillette Satin Care shaving cream, my Lady Speed Stick antiperspirant, or my Banana Boat self-tanner.

I can’t deny that these commercial products work. They do. They make our skin softer, give us a close shave, keep us smelling fresh, and looking unseasonally bronzed.

But what’s the cost?

It was a process, but product by product, I started questioning the safety of all of these long, foreign-sounding ingredients. The more I researched, the more motivated I became to invest in more natural alternatives.

There were ingredients in my old products that were literally poison. Linked to cancer. Brain damage. Hormonal abnormalities. Scary stuff, you know?

Now, from an environmental point of view, I wouldn’t advise going on a rampage and hucking every commercial cosmetic product you own in the trash. Remember that the first of the three R’s of Recycling is REDUCE! Simply buying less stuff is where you can make your biggest impact. That being said, finish what you have, and then replace it with something more natural. If you’re really anxious to start changing, I would say that body lotion (because it covers such a huge surface area), shaving cream (because it is on your skin when you are at your most raw- skin fresh and exposed from shaving and pores open from the hot water of your shower) and antiperspirant (because this stuff can have toxic metals in it, and ladies, look at how close your armpits are to that sensitive breast tissue!) are the top ones to change.

And speaking of armpits.Everybody sweats. When I was in high school, I was very self-conscious of how much I sweated. Like every other 16 year old in the world, I always thought everyone was looking at me and judging. Looking back, I DID sweat a lot, but how I chose to deal with it makes me very sad. When regular drug store antiperspirants didn’t seem to keep me dry, I turned to an industrial strength antiperspirant called Drysol (its chemical name is aluminum chloride hexahydrate). I would use it once every couple of weeks and wouldn’t sweat a DROP in between (umm, self, that is NOT normal!). At the time I thought this was wonderful, but now I realize how awful that kind of product is.

Most people know that we sweat to keep ourselves cool. People from hot countries naturally sweat more because their sweats glands are more efficient at cooling their bodies down. Athletes tend to be big sweaters too (even when they’re not doing intense activities). Sweat is composed mostly of water, with a little sodium, potassium, and ammonia in it. It also has fatty acids in it, but most importantly, waste material in our body find an escape route through our armpits and other sweaty areas. Sweating helps us detoxify.Goodness knows that with all the pollution, food additives, and chemicalized tap water we’re exposed to, we need every chance we can get to detoxify. Sweating is a REALLY good thing! Don’t hinder this natural and necessary process.

Before I get to a list of ingredients I want you to stay away from, I’d like to give another statement on another controversial topic:

You’re not a vampire, so don’t avoid the sun.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have been hearing about all the new research coming out about the benefits of vitamin D, and many of you know, we get vitamin D from the sun! My teacher at school recently told us about a lecture she went to given by a doctor who specializes in skin cancer. She asked him the question everyone wonders: “Is being out in the sun good for us, or not?” He gave her a very concise answer. He said, “Regular sun exposure protects us from every single other cancer, except skin cancer.”  And he left it at that. Sun is a necessary energy force for all living beings. So long as you are not getting sunburned, regular time in the sun (without sunscreen) is the best was to get our vitamin D stores, which many of us are deficient.  Scientists are now agreeing that the benefits of sun outweigh the risks. However, if you are staying out for a longer period of time, you can slather on some pure shea butter to avoid burning. This is a natural sunscreen, with no scary chemicals. The SPF of shea butter is roughly equal to SPF 8, so you’ll need to reapply every once and awhile if you’re out for the day. It also works really well as a lip balm. This is what I used all summer, and it worked great!

More and more companies are beginning to list ingredients, which is great. Just like we have the right to know the ingredients in the food we eat, we have the right to know what our skin eats through its pores.

I have put together a list* of ingredients that should be highly avoided. Depending on the criteria (most popular, most harmful, etc), the order would shift in this list, so mine is not necessarily in any particular order. Let’s just say, TRY TO AVOID THEM ALL!

Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates:This is what gives many soaps, detergents, toothpastes, and shampoos their frothy lather. Not only is SLS toxic to the liver, the gastrointestinal system, and the urinary system, but it may also heighten the absorption of other toxic chemicals. Look for this in shampoo, facewash, bubble bath, toothpaste, lotions, and detergents. In other words, most cleaning agents.

Aluminum:This is what’s in our antiperspirants! Often listed as Aluminum chlorohydrate, this neurotoxin has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer (specifically breast cancer, likely because of the fact that deodorant is applied so close to the breasts), organ disfunction, and learning disabilities.

Lead: Lead is a heavy metal that is insanely toxic to our brains and internal organs. Our bodies do not efficiently rid themselves of these heavy metals so they can accumulate in our liver and other areas of the body over time. Lead can be found in lipsticks (which we end up eating!), hair dyes, and other hair products. It can also be listed as lead acetate.

Petroleum/Mineral Oil:The same factories that make gas for your cars are now making cream for your face! Nice, eh? (Petroleum is even found in some foods, like soft-serve ice cream, but that’s another story) Otherwise known as mineral oil, petroleum is a cheap ingredient for cosmetic companies to use, and it is often found in “moisturizing” products such as face creams, body lotions, sunscreen, and lip balm. It can also be found in concealer, eye makeup, and antiperspirants. Petroleum clogs the pores, inhibiting detoxification, but even worse is that this gasoline-by product is frequently contaminated with known carcinogens.

Mercury:Along with lead, Mercury is one of the most poisonous subtances known. Even in small amounts, mercury can cause brain damage. In large doses, it is fatal. Mercury will appear as a preservative, often under the name of “thimerosol“. Look for it in mascara or eye drops.

Parabens:Parabens act like synthetic estrogens in the body. They are linked to breast cancer in females, and abnormal breast tissue growth in males, as well as a host of other abnormal hormonal activity in both sexes. They are found in deoderants, sunscreens, lotions, shampoos, and some makeup. Parabens can be listed as a number of names (methylparaben, propylparaben, etc), so just avoid all ingredients with the word “paraben” in it.

Triclosan: If something says “Antibacterial” on it, it probably contains Triclosan. Big ones are hand-sanitizers, anti-bacterial hands soaps and lotions. Triclosan reacts with the chlorine in our water to produce chloroform, which is a toxic compound that depresses the nervous system and can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmia. The rise of “antibacterial” cleaning agents has also been pointed to for encouraging the emergence of superbugs(hyper-resistant strains of bacteria). Regular hand soap works just as well for killing germs, but if you want an extra antibacterial agent, natural tea tree oil is a fantastic choice for household use. EcoYogini has more on this topic here.

Write these ingredients down, or do your best to memorize them so that the next time you go to the store, you will know which cosmetics to avoid. Please don’t be discouraged. You can do this gradually. A more natural approach is easy, and is becoming more and more economical and readily available.

Companies that I like and trust include: Dr. Hauschka, Jason, Desert Essence, Dr.Bronner, and Green Beaver. This postI did a while back includes some of my favourite products from these wonderful companies. For a great review of natural deodorants AND a link to a super simple make-at-home recipe for deodorant, visit Yoga Witch’s postat GreenSpell. Angela at OhSheGlows has also been encouraging her readers to glow naturelle with Project Natural Glow…I’m a fan, Angela!

That being said, if you really want to simplify, pure, unrefined coconut oil is a fantastic beauty product. I use it primarily as a moisturizer, but I’ve heard it used as a shaving cream, a conditioner, and a lip balm! I keep one jar in my bathroom for cosmetic purposes, and one in my kitchen for cooking   

In a few days, I will be posting on a related topic. I will be honestly reviewing a product that Dr.Hauschka has so graciously sent me! I love freebies See you then!

Take care,

 

Alex

 

 

*Sources:

http://www.jashbotanicals.com/articles/top_ten_toxic_cosmetic_ingredients_1.html

http://www.naturallydahling.com/Top_Ten_Toxic_Ingredients.html

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/toxic-cosmetics-ingredients.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/494331/Toxic-Cosmetics-Whats-In-Your-Cleanser-