Cosmetics, Skin Care, Chemicals and You: Are You Getting What You Want?
We all want to look good, feel good, smell good. So, day in and day out, we layer on products designed to give us what we want: a beautiful, timeless look; smooth and radiant skin; and a scent that will attract the man or woman of our dreams. But are all these products giving us what we want or are we getting something we didn’t trade for? It has been estimated that, on a daily basis, most people use between 10 and 13 personal care products. For men, it’s closer to the lower end of the scale.
Most women are at the high end and will also use half a dozen additional cosmetics on top of that. So what’s the problem, you ask? Well, there are several. You may have been taught that your skin is a barrier and prevents unwanted substances from entering your body. Wrong! Your skin is highly permeable. If it weren’t, using nicotine patches to quit smoking or progesterone creams to help with hormonal imbalances wouldn’t be as popular. What you put on your skin is just as likely to end up in your body as what you put in your mouth.
To make matters worse, manufacturers add what are called “penetration enhancers” to their products to help some of their most desirable ingredients penetrate. Of course, that also helps undesirables to get in. And, in today’s high-tech world, we are faced with the additional spectrum of “nanoparticles” that can transport materials even deeper into the body’s tissues. Therefore, it is safe to say that almost everything that is contained in your cosmetics, skin care or personal care products is being absorbed by your body to some degree.
Because of that, you really don’t want to put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth. Actually, when something is applied to the skin, it bypasses the liver’s filtering process, which captures and neutralizes many toxins that we eat. So those things that you apply directly to your skin go the fast route right into your bloodstream. If all of that isn’t enough to make you dread applying your next round of skin care, think about this… you don’t normally apply just one product, do you?
No, it is more likely to be between 10 and 13, as stated above. The layering effect is now taking place. There is a chemical concoction that is brewed daily on the surface of your skin that has never been tested in a lab, with multiple layers of chemicals combining on the surface of your skin and being absorbed to do who knows what. So maybe it’s time to ask again. Are you getting what you want? Otherwise, you may want to seriously consider ditching all your regular cosmetics, skincare, and personal care and switching to natural and organic products.
We’ll be discussing some of the actual chemicals in your current products, along with better alternatives soon. In the meantime, try choosing a product to eliminate or substitute a more natural brand. Deodorants are a good place to start. You can even use a bit of baking soda under your arms if you like.
Remember… a few small changes every day in your lifestyle habits could add up to big changes in your health over time.