Today we are going to get rid of cosmetics containing harmful chemicals and replacing them with healthy items having recycling packages. Cosmetic producers are interested in our money more then our health and the result is painful. You can find the scary sale strategies of pharmaceutical industry in old books. You earn your money by spending all your time and energy, make sure where you spend it does not damage your health and environment.
We need a big table and 2 boxes labelled as “Throw away” and “Keep” for our Project. Collect every cosmetic and personal care products on the table including make up items, shampoos, soaps, parfums, creams, after shave lotions, natural and organic products in your home and bag. We are eliminating them by label. If the product has any certificate such as BDIH or ECOCERT then put it in “Keep” box. For the rest, check if the products have any of the ingredient below;
Benzoyl Peroxide: Frequently used in acne products, the MSDS states: “Facilitates action of known carcinogens. … Possible tumor promoter. May act as mutagen; produces DNA damage in human and other mammalian cells in some concentrations. Also, toxic by inhalation. May be harmful if swallowed and in contact with skin. Eye, skin and respiratory irritant.”
DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), & TEA (Triethanolamine): This foam booster is a skin/eye irritant and causes contact dermatitis. Easily absorbed through skin to accumulate in body organs, even the brain. Repeated use resulted in major increases of liver and kidney cancer.
Dioxin: Won’t appear on an ingredient list. Often contained in antibacterial ingredients like triclosan, emulsifiers, PEGs and ethoxylated cleansers like Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Dioxin causes cancer, reduced immunity, nervous system disorders, miscarriages and birth deformity. It’s a hormone-disrupting chemical with toxic effects measured in the parts per trillion–one drop in 300 Olympic-size swimming pools! Our bodies have no defense against its damage. Most visible example was Yushchenko, the Ukrainian President, who suffered from dioxin poisoning and looked old overnight.
DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl): Just two of many preservatives that often release formaldehyde which may cause joint pain, cancer, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Exposure may irritate the respiratory system, trigger heart palpitations or asthma, aggravate coughs and colds.
FD&C Color & Pigments: Synthetic colors from coal tar contain heavy metal salts that deposit toxins in skin, causing skin sensitivity / irritation. Absorption can cause depletion of oxygen and death. Animal studies show almost all are carcinogenic.
Parabens (Methyl, Butyl, Ethyl, Propyl): Used as preservatives and aren’t always labeled “parabens.” They’re used in deodorants and antiperspirants and have been found in breast cancer tumors. Parabens, as xenoestrogens (hormone disruptors), may contribute to sterility in male mice and humans. Estrogen-like activity causes hormone imbalance in females and early puberty.
PEG (Polyethylene glycol): Made by ethoxylating Propylene Glycol. Dangerous levels of dioxin have been found as a by-product of the ethoxylation process. PEGs are in everything including personal care, baby care and sunscreens.
Phthalates: Xenoestrogens are commonly found in many products, usually not listed on labels. Health effects include damage to liver/kidneys, birth defects, decreased sperm counts and early breast development in girls and boys.
Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol: Petroleum plastics act as surfactants (wetting agents, solvents). EPA considers PG so toxic it requires protective gloves, clothing, goggles and disposal by burying. Because PG penetrates skin so quickly, EPA warns against skin contact to prevent brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. There is NO warning label on products where concentration is greater than in most industrial applications.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): Detergents and surfactants that pose serious health threats. Used in car washes, garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and 90 percent of personal-care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation–even death. SLS may also damage skin’s immune system by causing layers to separate, inflame and age.
Sunscreen chemicals: Avobenzone, benzphenone, ethoxycinnamate, PABA are commonly used ingredients that are known free radical generators and are believed to damage DNA or lead to cancers.
Triclosan: Synthetic “antibacterial” ingredient with chemical structure similar to Agent Orange! EPA registers it as a pesticide, posing risks to human health and environment. Classified as a chlorophenol, chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans. Tufts University School of Medicine says triclosan is capable of forcing emergence of ’super bugs’ it cannot kill.
Source : Planetgreen.discovery.com
Put any product containing any of these into the Throw Away box. If any item has no label on it, then put it in the same box too, because cosmetics have effects-side effects like medicine and they should have prospectus likewise. The user should be warned about the result. For example, if our colorful, lovely nail polishes had prospectus, many of us would give up using them.
We should also check our natural/organic products. I bought many creams, shampoos and other stuff from Yves Rocher just because they are herbal and natural. However I was wrong, there is Sodium Laureth Sulfate in the shampoos and Paraben in the sunscreen. I e-mailled them about it and they said FDA doesn’t think that these chemicals are harmful. They might be right but these chemicals are harmful as explained above. I also bought many soaps from Lush because they are hand made. And when I saw chemical ingredient I asked them and they said there is min. amount of chemicals in their products. Let’s say you use the product every morning regularly and that min. amount of chemical will accumulate in your organs. Then our body will respond to us.
Unfortunately some of the ingredients are not written on labels. In this case I recommend using certificated products.
We will talk about what natural products to buy in our next article.
Fill a little jar with white sugar.
Wash your face with a soap free cleanser and dry.
