Do you have dry skin, acne, age spots, oily skin, sensitive skin, rosacea, or get allergic reactions to skin care products? Are you having problems with skin care products that have preservatives such as parabens in them? Have you ever tried natural skin care products to evaluate if they make a difference?
Preservatives like parabens and worse substances are used in many consumer products from pharmaceutical medications to personal care items such as skin care products, cosmetics and other products you are putting in your body or on your skin that’s getting absorbed. Parabens may make good preservatives but they are also being associated with serious diseases such as breast cancer since they have been found in cancerous tumors.
Can you see how natural skin care products may be beneficial to your health? And if they provide excellent benefits for your skin, it seems like a true Win-Win to take a closer look.
How many products do you put on your skin every day? Do you use a face wash, sunscreen, makeup or maybe just some chap stick? We all apply these products to our skin every day, but do you really know what’s in them? According to National Geographic’s Green Guide, the average adult uses at least nine personal care products a day, which contain approximately 120 chemicals. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to us and can easily be replaced with healthier, more natural ingredients.
Of course we could never remember every single chemical to watch out for, but there are a few harmful ones to keep in mind. Here are 12 particular chemical ingredients to avoid in cosmetics and other personal-care products. They are what National Geographic Green Guide authors call “The Dirty Dozen.”
The Dirty Dozen
- Antibacterials: Overuse might be contributing to increasingly resistant bacteria, and they contaminate the environment. Triclosan is the agent used in many soaps.
- Coal tar: Possible carcinogen in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams. Dyes with a coal tar base are used in toothpaste (FD&C Blue 1) and mouthwash (FD&C Green 3).
- DEA: Stands for diethanolamine and is used in shampoos to increase lather. Can affect hormones and cell functioning and development.
- 1,4-Dioxane: May show up as a contaminant in personal care items, including shampoo and body wash; in products that contain sodium laureth sulfate; and ingredients expressed as “PEG,” “-xynol,” “ceteareth,” and “oleth.”
- Formaldehyde: Found in such products as baby bath soap, nail polish and hair dyes as a contaminant or break-down product of diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, bronopol and quaternium compounds. Formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen and can have other toxic effects.
- Fragrance and phthalates: The term “fragrance” can be hiding suspect substances called phthalates, which may affect hormones and cause reproductive and developmental harm.
- Lead and mercury: Lead can show up in products that have hydrated silica, such as in toothpaste. Mercury, found in the preservative thimerosal, is in some mascaras.
- Nanoparticles: Tiny particles of such things as zinc oxide and titanium oxide in cosmetics and sunscreens could cause cell damage, but they’re tough to track. Some manufacturers now advertise products that are free of nanoparticle-size ingredients.
- Parabens: Common preservatives in toiletries, parabens grew controversial due to their weak estrogenic effects in some animals studies. Check for methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and isobutylparaben.
- Petroleum distillates: Check for the terms “petroleum” and “liquid paraffin” in such products as mascara and foot-odor powder. The European Union restricts or prohibits petroleum distillates as possible human carcinogens.
- PPD: P-Phenylenediamine can be found in hair dyes and may cause irritation and damage to the nervous system and lungs.
- Hydroquinone: Can be found in skin creams and under-eye treatments. Limited evidence links it to cancer in laboratory animals.
Paraben Free Skin Care
Vitamins A, C and E, and grapeseed extract are some of the same nutrients that we use to build good health and also are important to our skin. They not only protect your skin from free radicals and improve the look of your skin right now, but they can actually reverse and also help slow down visible facial skin aging – including reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fighting UV-induced collagen breakdown, and fighting facial skin aging.
Nutrition for your skin, in the form of natural skin care products, can provide skin renewal, recovery, moisturization, nourishment, and protection. Your skin can become measurably brighter, clearer, and smoother.
We all know that clean, healthy skin is important. However, we need to make sure the products that are helping us maintain our skin, are really doing their job. Always be cautious when looking for products and keep in mind that the ingredients in natural skin care products are the best for naturally beautiful, healthy skin.
The same nutrients that help keep your body healthy, help your skin as well. Skin is your body’s largest organ. See more in this video: