The “Terrible Touch-Me-Nots” are ingredients to AVOID in personal
care, beauty and skin care products. What you put on your skin can go
into your body to affect your health and sense of well-being – either
negatively or positively. You can choose which … if you know the facts.
As our body’s biggest organ, your skin is your most important immune
defense barrier as well as your largest organ for eliminating waste.
Commercial products with harmful petroleum ingredients can plasticize
and “constipate” your skin, making germs more likely to get in and
toxins less likely to get out of your body. The result: Neither you
nor your skin are as radiant or as healthy as you could be.
Every day we use products that we think are safe; but the truth is
that products are NOT safe – and manufacturers don’t have to tell us so.
Ever since 1938 – when the FDA granted self-regulation to the cosmetics
industry – such products can be marketed without government approval of
ingredients, regardless of what tests show. Most of the 25,000
chemicals used have not been tested for long-term toxic effects. In a
typical day, you might be exposed to over 200 different chemicals, many
of which are suspected of causing cancer or juggling hormones. EPA tests
conclude that ingredients in shampoos, dyes, and other personal care
products “may be playing havoc with hormones that control reproduction
and development.”
Start checking all product labels. Avoid these harmful, hazardous “Terrible Touch-Me-Not” ingredients!
Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40): a very drying and
irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin’s moisture and
natural immune barrier, making you more venerable to bacteria, molds and
viruses. It is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative and is found
in many skin and hair products, fragrance, antibacterial hand washes as
well as shellac and antifreeze. It can act as a “carrier” accelerating
the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin. It may
promote brown spots and premature aging of skin. A Consumer’s Dictionary
of Cosmetic Ingredients says it may cause headaches, flushing,
dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, anesthesia,
and coma. Fatal ingested dose is one ounce or less.
DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine) & TEA (triethanolamine):
hormone-disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates and
nitrosamines. These chemicals are already restricted in Europe due to
known carcinogenic effects. In the United States however, they are still
used despite the fact that Americans may be exposed to them 10-20 times
per day with products such as shampoos, shaving creams and bubble
baths. Dr. Samuel Epstein (Professor of Environmental Health at the
University of Illinois) says that repeated skin applications…. of
DEA-based detergents resulted in major increase in incidence of liver
and kidney cancer. The FDA’s John Bailey says this is especially
important since “the risk equation changes significantly for children”.
DMDM Hydantion & Urea (Imidazolidinyl): just two
of many preservatives that often release formaldehyde which may cause
joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest
pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep.
Exposure may also irritate the respiratory system, trigger heart
palpitations or asthma, and aggravate coughs and colds. Other possible
side effects include weakening the immune system and cancer.
FD&C Color Pigments: synthetic colors made from
coal tar, containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins into the
skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation. Absorption of certain
colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death. Animal
studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.
Fragrances: mostly synthetic ingredients can
indicate the presence of up to four thousand separate ingredients, many
toxic or carcinogenic. Symptoms reported to the FDA include headaches,
dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and
vomiting, and skin irritation. Clinical observation proves fragrances
can affect the central nervous system, causing depression,
hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral
changes.
Alternative – Organic Essential Oils.
Mineral Oil: petroleum by-product that coats the
skin like plastic, clogging the pores. Interferes with skin’s ability to
eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. Slows down skin
function and cell development, resulting in premature aging. Used
in many products such as baby oil which is 100% mineral oil!
Alternatives – Moisture Magnets (Saccharide Isomerate) from beets; Ceramides, Jojoba and other vegetable oils, etc.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): potentially carcinogenic
petroleum ingredient that can alter and reduce the skin’s natural
moisture factor. This could increase the appearance of aging and leave
you more vulnerable to bacteria. Used in cleansers to dissolve oil
and grease. It adjusts the melting point and thickens products. Also
used in caustic spray-on oven cleaners.
Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol: gaseous
hydrocarbons which in a liquid state act as “surfactant”
(wetting olagents and solvents). They easily penetrate the skin and can
weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make
extracts from herbs. PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats!
The EPA considers PG so toxic that it requires workers to wear
protective gloves, clothing and goggles and to dispose of any PG
solutions by burying them in the ground. Because PG penetrates the skin
so quickly, the EPA warns against skin contact to prevent consequences
such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. But there isn’t even a
warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the
concentration is greater than in most industrial applications.
Alternatives – water extracted herbs, Therapeutic Essential Oils, etc.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES):
detergents and surfactants that pose serious health threats. Used in
car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers – and in 90% of
personal-care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experience eye
damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation,
and even death. Young eyes may not develop properly if exposed to SLS
because proteins are dissolved. SLS may also damage the skins immune
system by causing layers to separate and inflame. When combined with
other chemicals, SLS can be transformed into nitrosamines, a potent
class of carcinogens. Your body may retain the SLS for up to five days,
during which tie it may enter and maintain residual levels in the heart,
liver, the lungs, and the brain.
Alternative – Ammonium Cocoyl Isethionate.
Triclosan: a synthetic “antibacterial” ingredient –
with a chemical structure similar to Agent Orange! The EPA registers it
as a pesticide, giving it high scores as a risk to both human health and
the environment. It is classified as a chlorophenol, a class of
chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans. Its manufacturing
process may produce dioxin, a powerful hormone-disrupting chemical with
toxic effects measured in the parts per trillion; that is only one drop
in 300 Olympic-size swimming pools! Hormone disruptors pose enormous
long-term chronic health risks by interfering with the way
hormones perform, such as changing genetic material, decreasing
fertility and sexual function, and fostering birth defects. It can
temporarily deactivate sensory nerve endings, so contact with it often
causes little or no pain. Internally, it can lead to cold sweats,
circulatory collapse, and convulsions. Stored in body fat, it can
accumulate to toxic levels, damaging the liver, kidneys and lungs and
can cause paralysis, suppression of immune function,brain hemorrhages,
and heart problems. Tufts University School of Medicine says
that triclosan is capable of forcing the emergence of “super bugs” that
it cannot kill. Its widespread use in popular antibacterial cleaners,
tooth pasts and household products may have nightmare implications for
our future.
Alternative – Therapeutic Essential Oils.
Article from: http://www.organicbeautytalk.com/ingredients-to-avoid/