The Cost of Beauty

For most people, the process of choosing a skin care product or cosmetic can be daunting. You want it to work well and make you look and feel great. You may look for a particular brand or price, but what you should really be looking at are the ingredients. Your daily skin care regimen can be doing much more harm than good. This goes for men, women and the whole family. What you use on your skin affects you and what you use in your home effects everyone.

We are exposed to thousands of chemicals each and every day. These chemicals can come from:

• Cosmetics
• Air fresheners
• Skin creams
• Hair dyes
• Household cleaners
• Fragrances
• Cologne
• Body spray
• Sunscreens
• Food packaging
• Plastics

These everyday items contain toxic chemicals that can disrupt hormones, cause chemical sensitivities, exasperate asthma, cause fertility issues, affect your metabolism and cause certain types of cancer. Now, these chemical toxins have been around for quite some time. We have been exposed to them and have been exposing our families and unborn children. In a study done in 2005 by the Environmental Working Group, it was found that there were around 200 different chemicals found in the umbilical cord blood of babies born in America. This just proves further that we need to do more to ensure that we reduce our exposure immediately. You can start by avoiding these ingredients.

1. Triclosan – found in hand soaps
2. Formaldehyde – found in keratin hair treatments
3. Synthetic fragrances – found in perfumes, cosmetics and skin care
4. TEA and DEA – found in cosmetics
5. DMDM hydantoin – found in skin, body and hair products
6. Polyethylene glycol – found in skin care products, shampoos and soaps
7. Petroleum – found in Vaseline and lip balms
8. Phthalates – found in fragrances, air fresheners and skin care
9. Synthetic colors – found in cosmetics
10. Sodium lauryl sulfate – found in shampoos, soaps and skin care
11. Parabens – found in skin care, cosmetics and soaps
12. BPA – found in plastic bottles and can liners

Once you have begun to switch over to more natural products, you will see and feel the difference. Many individuals have said that certain skin conditions have gotten significantly better or even disappeared since switching over to natural skin care or soaps. Many who have gotten rid of air fresheners have claimed they can breathe easier and with diminished symptoms of asthma.

Making sure to read labels carefully is critical. If you can’t get the ingredients on the product itself, then you should call the company directly and ask. It’s important to be informed. One site you can always refer back to is the Environmental Working Group or www.ewg.com. They have some of the best resources out there to help you.