Every morning, you wake up, shut off the alarm and begin applying, spraying, brushing and patting from ten to thirty products on your body — all of which may contain chemicals that might be slowly killing you!
We are being bombarded from every side with toxins — often from sources we never consider. Do you actually know the ingredients in your hair conditioner, makeup, deodorant, perfumes, colognes, hair sprays, and hand sanitizers?
The perils of personal products can silently undermine the safety of your home. Without your knowledge, poisons and cancer-causing substances can be absorbed slowly over time through your skin and lungs, and they can accumulate in your body. Some personal and home products are made from some of the toxic ingredients in existence. You can eat right, exercise, still be filling your body and the bodies of your loved ones with dangerous toxins. What you don’t know about the products you use may be killing you and your family.
Personal care products and common household chemicals often contain an alphabet soup of chemicals and solvents. We are rubbing chemicals on our faces, applying them to our skin, spraying them on our hair, using them to wash our hands and clothes and cleaning our homes with them.
What is the harm? We are becoming toxic. Over time, the solvents found in personal care products and household products may collect in our central nervous system, in our tissues and in our organs. Products that contain petroleum derivatives have properties that can damage our cardiovascular systems. they also have the potential to cause cancer.
You may think, “What on earth can I do? Are you telling me that even my deodorant, hair spray, and cosmetics contain toxins? That’s right. And these accumulate in your body over time.
There are things that you can do to eliminate these toxins from your home and body. Start by using the following information to help you understand the problem and find solutions. You can radically change this situation by making better choices about personal care products and household chemicals that you use. Take a close look at each of the products.
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS:
Cosmetics and Personal care products have been around since civilization began, and it’s doubtful that we would ever want to give up the primping and pampering of our bodies that personal care products were made of natural ingredients. The products that feel so good to our skin and look and smell so good on our faces and bodies often contain chemicals and dyes that we should be warned about.
A medication that is applied through the skin. This method is used for administering medicine for hormone replacement for both men and women, and also, a patch is used to treat high blood pressure. Skin patches can also be purchased over the counter to help smokers stop smoking. Although the body takes substances in through the skin in a much slower way, what you apply on your skin will eventually make its way into your body.
So why is that most of apply many personal products to our skin throughout the day but never consider that these products will end up in our organs and tissues throughout our bodies? They most certainly do.
Like most of us, you probably use your favorite personal products with the complete assurance that the federal government carefully tests and screens each one and would never permit products with dangerous or toxic ingredients to reach the supermarket, drug store and department store shelves. Sadly, your confidence in government screening to protect you may be naive.
This means that it’s up to you to understand what you are purchasing and to make wise, healthy choices, regarding the personal products that you and your family will use.
The cosmetic industry may not tell you that some of the ingredients uses in its products are hazardous to your health. Become informed about the possibility of allergy-producing and cancer-causing substances in your personal products — your life may depend on it.
TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT YOUR TOOTHPASTE:
Toothpaste can be highly toxic and can cause poisoning. So, be very careful. Most people never read the back label of their toothpaste, which usually issues a warning.
Be sure and rinse your mouth out well after brushing your teeth’ make sure your children do the same. I recommend rinsing the mouth out three times if using regular toothpaste. There are natural, alternative brands.
Some alternative natural choices: Beehive Botanical Propolis Toothpaste, Nature’s Gate toothpastes, Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, as well as many more.
MOUTHWASH:
Mouthwashes made of 25 percent or more alcohol have been found to increase your risk of cancer.
A survey of 866 patients with oral or pharyngeal cancers and 1,249 people without the disease showed that regular use of mouthwash may contribute to increased risk of cancers of the lips, tongue, mouth and throat.
Never let your children swallow mouthwash — it can be fatal. Mouthwashes with large amounts of alcohol can cause seizures, brain damage, and comas in small children, and drinking 5 ounces can be fatal.
If you are in the habit of buying and using mouthwash, and especially if you allow your small children to use it, check the labels carefully before a brand. Never buy brands that contain high amounts of alcohol. Avoid brands contaning sacharin, and blue, green or yellow dyes.
Some alternative natural choices: Desert Essence, Logona, Cistacea Oral Spray, Tom’s Cinnamint Mouthwash.
THE CONCERN ABOUT SHAMPOOS:
If you are like most of us, you’ve never even read the warning label on the back of your shampoo bottle. I encourage you to read it. What chemicals does it contain?
Your skin — even the skin on your scalp — is an organ that is able to absorb chemicals. If you don’t believe me, try rubbing raw garlic on the bottom of your foot. Within minutes, you will taste in your mouth. Why not try it? It will certainly bring home the point I’m making. Be sure you know what you are putting on your body’s largest organ.
Use the mildest, highest quality shampoos you can buy. Look for brands containing the following gentle cleansers:
- Amphoteric
- Cocamide derivatives
- Lauramide (diethanolamide or monoethanolamide)
- Polysorbate (20 or 40)
- Sodium lauraminopropionate
- Sorbitan derivatives
- Stearmide derivatives
Avoid products with DEA and sodium lauryl sulphate.
Some alternative natural choices: There are many natural shampoos available, both in mainline department stores or in health food stores. Recommendations include Bindi Hair Wash. Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, Earth Preserve Shampoo, Faith in Nature shampoos and Ivory shampoos.
HARMFUL HAIR-COLORING PRODUCTS:
Do you color your hair? The chemicals in hair dyes can be very dangerous, especially if you use the darker colors. Using them for years can increase your risk of certain cancers.
The use of permanent and semipermanent hair dyes is associated with significantly increased of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease as well as possibly breast cancer. Women who use black, brown/brunette and red hair dyes have a greater risk than women who use lighter color dyes.
Never use any product with the following disclaimer on the package:
Caution: This product contains ingredients that may cause skin irritation on certain individuals.
Recommend:
- Never use a product that lists a phenylenediamine compound on its label.
- Bleaches are much safer than dyes.
- Put off using hair dyes as long as possible.
Some alternative natural choices: You can find some very acceptable all-natural hair coloring products. One line that is becoming widely popular is Igora Botanic from Schwarzkopf.
THE HARM OF HAIR SPRAYS:
Avoid using aerosols! Aerosol particles are easily breathed in and are so fine that they penetrate to the deepest parts of the lungs where they are transferred, like oxygen, into the bloodstream.
If you are in the habit of using an aerosol spray, my advice is to consider other alternatives.
Everything in that hair spray enters your lungs. Some hair sprays contain dyes and many other chemicals that are known to cause cancer.
Although pumps are better than aerosols, they still can cause chemicals to become airborne where you can breathe them. Use pumps in well-ventilated areas. Better yet, try using hair-setting lotions instead.
Some recommended choices include Alberto VO5 with Cholesterol Damaged Hair Treatment, Aloegen hair products, Giovanni hair products and White Rain hair products.
Some alternative natural choices: Aubrey hair products use natural products such as ginkgo leaf, ginseng root and chamomile; they are excellent choices. Naturade products offer nonalcohol spray with jojoba.
THE MIRE OF MAKE UP:
Make up can cause skin irritations and acne. If you are experiencing acne, beware of the following acne-causing ingredients:
- Butyl stearate
- Cocoa butter
- Corn oil
- Isopropyl myristate
- Lauryl alcohol
- Linseed oil
- Margarine
- Methyl oleate
- Mineral oil
- Oleic acid
- Olive oil
- Peanut oil
- Petrolatum
- Safflower
- Sesame oil
- Stearic acid
HARMFUL HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
You probably use about ten to forty different household products both in your home and yard in and effort to create a clean, sanitary environment for your family. What you may not realize is that the products you are using to make your home and lawn safe may be polluting your home environment with chemicals that are quietly harming you and your family!
More than seventy thousand chemical compounds are commercially produced. Many of these chemicals can accumulate in your body and some can cause cancer. Others have not been adequately tested.
Your home should be a safe place, not a toxic environment. The cleaning agents and household products will help you to reclaim a safe environment for both you and your family. Although I will not be able to list all of the many products you and your family may use.
THE PERILS OF ALL-PURPOSE CLEANERS:
Many all-purpose cleaners in themselves are not generally dangerous. But what can be dangerous is how use them? Do you mix chlorine cleaners with ammonia-based products? If you do, you could be creating dangerous, cancer-causing poisons. Never mix cleaners without carefully reading labels.
THE DANGER OF DISHWASHING LIQUIDS:
It’s best to use a dishwasher and stop washing dishes by hand. If you do still wash your dishes by hand, be sure to wear rubber or vinyl gloves. They will protect your skin from any harmful dyes and chemicals that dishwashing liquids may contain. In addition, some dishwashing liquids may contain. In addition, some dishwashing liquids are petroleum based and contain harsh detergents. These should be avoided.
DEALING WITH LAUNDRY:
DETERGENTS AND SOAPS
The gentlest brands of detergents are those made with vegetable-based detergents instead of harsher petroleum-based detergents. In addition, some detergents contain dangerous chemicals like triclosan.
Triclosan is a favorite antibacterial chemical used in detergents, dishwashing liquids, soaps, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions, creams and even toothpaste. The EPA registers triclosan as a pesticide. It is a chlorinated aromatic, similar in molecular structure and chemical formulation to some of the most toxic chemicals on earth: dioxins, PCBs and Agent Orange.
Avoid eye contact with laundry detergents and store them in a childproof area.
THE PERIL OF PESTICIDES
Some of the most dangerous environmental poisons may be found right in your backyard, or worse under your kitchen sink!
A highly increased risk for leukemia exists for infants born immediately after the parents spray their home with pesticides. Pesticides are also suspect in the rising incidence of brain cancer in children. No-pest strops, pesticides to control termites, flea collars on pets, diazinon in the garden, pesticides bombs in the home and herbicides to control weeds are associated with childhood cancer.
INSECT REPELLENTS
Insect repellents are also of great concern — especially to parents. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages consumers to use nonchemical means of repelling mosquitoes whenever possible, such as screens, netting, long sleeves and slacks.
Remember that what you apply on your skin will be absorbed into your body. It’s best to never use chemical insect repellents to get rid of pesky mosquitoes. Look for natural methods instead. Your local health food store may be able to help. Soapas and lotions are available that are far less dangerous.
