But, let's talk about this a little bit before you run off and stock up on whatever's on sale at the grocery store or WalMart.
This is the label of a bottle of well known brand body wash. It has been in my closet for a long time, because I found something better, and haven't needed to use it. (We'll talk about that in a little bit). And, it's hard to throw away a brand new bottle of anything, even it if was "cheap." But, now I don't want to use it. It's going in the garbage as soon as I finish writing this article.
Why?
That's what I'd like to talk about....
As I have said before, our skin is our largest organ, and our first line of defense against anything that may be attacking our body from the outside. This includes anything from bacteria to toxic chemicals in the air, water, and purchased products that come into contact with our skin. We have little to no control over a lot of those things.But we do have some control over the cleansers, shampoos, lotions, etc. that we apply to our skin.
The problems come in when manufacturers of skincare products are looking for ingredients that:
1 - make our skin feel soft
2 - make the products smell good
3 - give the products a long shelf-life
We want our skin to feel good while we are using the products, and then throughout the day. We want the products to smell good. And, we don't want them to start growing mold and bacteria, or dissolve away as soon as we open the package.
So here are some problem ingredients to look for that soften and "moisturize":
Petroleum
DMDM, or hydantoin
Quaternium-15
Mineral oil, hydrocarbons, or paraffin oil
Parabens
Just to name a few..
These ingredients make our skin feel soft, but they don't allow our skin to breathe. It's not only our lungs that need to breathe, but our skin as well. These ingredients coat our skin and trap in heat, sweat and bacteria. When the heat and bacteria get trapped in, our skin objects with rashes and acne, or even a skin infection.
What about extending shelf-life? The following list is just an example of some of the ingredients used:
Diazolidinyl Urea
Bronopal
Imidazolidinyl
Dimethicone
These products are in the class of additives, when mixed with other ingredients, that become "formaldehyde releasers." They keep personal care products from breaking down, or growing bacteria, yeasts, and molds.
Wait!! Isn't formaldehyde used to preserve biology specimens? Yes, it is. That's why it makes an effective product preservative, and manufacturers use various different forms of it to preserve multiple products for use in our homes, and on our bodies.. Albeit, they are in very small and "safe" amounts, but in multiple forms, and in multiple products that are not easy to recognize on a product label. Tests that are done are normally evaluating the amount of a particular substance in one product at a time, not multiple products. Think exponentially with me. These products appear in laundry detergent, shampoo, hand soap, lipstick, face wash, body wash, foundation, mascara, shaving cream deodorant, hand sanitizer, household cleaners, air fresheners, etc., etc. These kinds of ingredients frequently cause allergic reactions, and are very suspect in causing cancer.
Yikes! What's a person to do? I hate scare-mongers, so I don't want to be one. However, what I do want to do is encourage you to ----- stop, look at, and evaluate every product that your skin comes into contact with. Don't automatically go for the cheapest or most popular product on the shelf. Read the ingredients label. There are lots of natural ingredients, like essential oils and other plant based products that are very effective as preservatives, moisturizers, and fragrances. And fortunately, there are usually lots of choices and alternatives, both in stores, and from your family and friends, that are directly selling, and standing behind high quality products. Take advantage of what they have to offer.
Yes, the more natural ingredients tend to be more expensive, and that brings us back to our original question. Saving a little money on less expensive products may actually cost you a lot more in the long run. What price do you put on protecting and promoting your health? What if we can prevent some health problems by simply avoiding those products that are known to irritate and are highly suspect as cancer causing agents, or hormonal disrupters?
Look for high quality, effective, multi-functional ingredients like collagen. Collagen (one of the good guys) works in a similar way to hold needed stuff in, like clean moisture and skin treatments, and to help keep out the bad stuff, like environmental pollutants. It is a substance that naturally occurs in our body, but declines in supply as we grow older, or over-clean our skin.
Take time to ask questions, do some research, or just ask someone like me that enjoys finding the answers for you.
This is what I use...check out the differences in the labels of the two products. And this one is not expensive.
So, if I were you......make yourself stop, look, and listen. Just like you did when you were learning to cross the street. Even for us grown-ups, the world can still be a scary place.
