We generally douse ourselves in numerous chemicals each day, sometimes hundreds before we even eat breakfast. Soaps and shampoos contain many sketchy chemicals that can harm us or the environment but more alarming is the chemicals in products like cosmetics and deodorants because these products spend more than a few minutes on our skin before being washed away.
Some beauty ingredients that you should be wary of:
*Diethanolamine (DEA): suspected carcinogen
*Formaldehyde: carcinogen; on the label “imidazolitdinyl urea” “DMDM hydantoin” and “quaternium-15″ all contain it. You breathe it in if the product is wet.
*Parabens: all types are pseudo-estrogens which act like female hormones in the body.
*Petrolatum: comes from crude oil, mineral oil also petroleum based.
*Phenylenediamine (PPD): found in all permanent dyes linked to bladder cancer.
*Phthalates: hormone disrupter; usually called “fragrance”
*Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS): skin irritant;
*Talc: can be contaminated with asbestos; probable carcinogen
*Toluene: solvent found in nail polish remover; affects nervous system, liver and kidneys; contributes to smog
*Triclosan: turns into carcinogenic dioxins in the environment outside the treatment plant; found in antibacterial products.
So next time you get set to lather up or make up, you might want to think about what exactly you are putting on your face and body.
I’ll be posting some alternatives in the next little while.
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