I've been thinking organic thoughts lately! What do I mean by that??? I have been doing lots of reading about products that offer us a more natural alternative but still perform. It is difficult to find products in regular stores (around where I live anyway) that consider the ecological effects, health effects or cumulative effects of the products.
Today's blog is for the beginners in this arena! I just want to use this blog to inform regular moms like myself who want to look out for the health of their families and friends, and of course, anyone else who is researching ingredients and product safety.
It doesn't take much googling to find "dangers" related to PARABENS, petro-chemicals, talc, mineral oil, silicones and pthalates. So, unless you are already a "granola" type person or big into researching skin care products, you probably don't know what these things are or why they might be dangerous.
I'm including an excerpt from an email that I sent out to my customers. I make my own brand of mineral makeup, Lisha Lynn. That's how I got started in the beauty of health and the health of my beauty products.
Here it is:
These days we have a product for everything: cleanse, condition, tone, firm, deep conditioning, soften and so on. While there are benefits from these types of products, we may be getting MORE than we bargained for:
carcinogens, reproductive disruptors, pesticides, endocrine disruptors, plasticizers, surfactants and degreasers. Betcha didn't see that listed on the bottle!
There are many ingredients with potential for harm, but I'll just start with a few here today.
PARABENS - (Preservatives used in just about everything from makeup, lotions, deodorants, toothpastes, and even food. Researchers have proven that parabens, used as a preservative is a known endocrine disruptor, as it has estrogenic properties. Traces of parabens have actually been found in breast cancer tissue. As around 57% of cosmetic products contain penetration enhancers such as urea, this can drive any potentially harmful ingredients quickly into the blood stream. Cosmetic ingredients do not sit on the surface of the skin - they are designed to penetrate, therefore, while it may seem that we are using all of these ingredients at safe levels, it is likely that we are being overexposed each day, by the fact that we layer products on our skin - if all of this is absorbed, then the concentration would be anything but safe to our bodies.
While there is no link that the parabens pose a risk of causing development of cancer tissues - it does show that paraben remains in the body tissues unmetabolised, therefore leading to overexposure. Further studies may at a later date, make this link. It is certain that many parabens have an estrogenic affect on the body, but it has not been made clear if this is in a high enough concentration to cause damage to the tissue.
PETROLEUM Products -potential carcinogens. Trace contaminants are usually found in petroleum based ingredients which are readily absorbed by the skin, and this is due to the use of ingredients which have been used without testing for any potential contamination. Or it may be that the ingredients meet the FDA standards of 1 part per 10,000,000. This may be so for that particular ingredient - but then add it in with another 5 ingredients in the same product with the same levels!
DIOXANE
Consumers need to beware of products potentially contaminated with 1,4 Dioxane (Diethylene Oxide). 1,4 Dioxane is a trace contaminant of some chemicals used in cosmetics, detergents, and shampoos.
(blog.wellness-shop.com)
Being a carcinogenic ingredient, it can also affect the kidneys & liver and cause nasal irritation when the vapor is inhaled from showering or laundering. What really is SCARY is DIOXANE 1,4 is found in high levels in the childrens products tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. (See their website for more information) Furthermore, this can be in a mixture of different products, and the risks associated are not worth gambling with.
Beware of these dioxane related ingredients: "PEG," "polyethylene," "polyethylene glycol," "polyoxyethylene," "polyethoxyethylene," or "polyoxynolethylene", -eth-" (such as sodium laureth sulfate), "oxynol" "ceteareth," or "oleth.". (blog.wellness-shop.com/wellness/Cosmetic-Ingredient-Safety.html)
Mineral Oil
Mineral oil is actually a petroleum by product, and is a mixture of refined hydro carbons. It leaves a coating on the surface of the skin, almost like plastic, and is renowned for the fact that it blocks the pores of the skin, preventing the release of toxins from the skin, causing acne and infection.
And one more reason to use Lisha Lynn Makeup: I do not use Bismuth Oxychloride like the huge mineral companies do!!
Bismuth is known as synthetic pearl, but occurs in the earths crust. Many bismuth compounds used in cosmetics have a low toxicity when ingested, but do have a very high potential to cause allergic reaction when used externally on the skin. In 1992, the FDA placed a ban on the use of Bismuth in fever blister & and cold sore treatments as it was not as safe as had been claimed.
