Think of the last time you shopped for personal care products. How did you determine what type of shower gel or shampoo to buy? Do you typically choose the best price, what’s on sale, or do you have a favourite brand?
How we typically choose a brand has a lot to do with the packaging and marketing. For instance, when we think about a baby lotion we are imagining ‘gentle’, ‘fragrance-free’, and ‘chemical-free’ right? What if I told you that all baby lotions, creams, and ointments found in the drugstore or supermarket contain harmful chemicals. That’s right, even the so-called gentle baby products contain chemicals.
I’m sorry to bear the bad news, but the purpose of this post is to encourage you to READ THE LABELS.
When my children were born, I too wanted to provide them in the most natural products. Aveeno seemed like a great choice because they use oatmeal, and lavender, and those ingredients are natural, right? Right. But what I didn’t read, (because who has time?) is the the label which listed a dozen ingredients with scientific names I couldn’t pronounce or understand.
Once I began to really take the time to read the product label on commercial brands, and even so-called natural brands I was astounded that they ALL contain chemicals.
Chemicals applied to the body everyday build up as toxins. The average person can apply up to 4-5 products daily. Toxins have many health concerns. I’ve listed just a few common ones below.
Fragrance or Parfum – fragrance is a loose term for a slew of chemicals that create an imitation scent. These fake scents are cheap to create, and the aroma is designed to linger a long time. Fragrances cause irritation and allergies. Manufacturers are not required to name what’s in the fragrance as it is protected by a ‘trade secret’ agreement.
Dioxane (Myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth) – found in cosmetics and are linked to cancer and birth defects.
Paraben (Methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl) – found in cosmetics and deodorants. Linked to breast cancer.
Pthalates (di-butyl, di-ethylhexyl) – add fragrance to shampoo, and makeup. Linked to organ damage.
| Talcum (talc) – used in body powder, deodorants, and makeup. Talcum is linked to ovarian cancer. |
So what can you do? Make your own products when possible, or buy 100% natural products. You can find all-natural products at your local artisan shop, farmers’ market, etsy, and sometimes the health food store, but again double-check the label first.
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Stay well.
