January 2009 - How Chemical Safe is Your Skin Care?

Got your resolutions lined up for 2009? How about adding one more to the list? "I firmly resolve to read ALL food labels and not purchase or consume any products containing hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and artificial ANYthing (flavors, colors, sweeteners, etc.)."

If one makes and sticks to this resolution, come January 2010 a healthier, energized, vibrant and more focused individual will appear. Actually, you won't have to wait a year to see the results--the "new you" will show up just weeks into keeping your resolve.

Want to go one better? You are what you eat, so let's look at our health from the outside in. The cosmetics and bath and body products industry is HUGE. Hair care product sales alone rake in billions of dollars each year. As consumers, we have way too many choices.

Here's a challenge, readers: Visit your nearby Wal-Mart or chain drug store and count the types of shampoo in the store. An easy way is to take one brand at a time and count the different choices under that brand name, i.e., Neutrogena, Dove, Suave, etc. All readers who send their counts to me via email or postcard (P. O. Box 34, Millstone, WV 25261) will have their name in a hat for a chance to win a prize and one winner will be announced in the March issue.

Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? Do you know what your skin does for you? While your skin acts as a covering for your muscles, bones and vital organs, it secretes water, oils, and toxins and acts as a barrier to prevent damage to tissues and systems. But your skin is not a one-way street. Skin also absorbs many substances while doing its job in protecting you as an entity.

We've all heard the horror stories connected with chemical dumping in waterways and the sea by huge international companies. But guess what? Some of these companies are dumping chemicals daily onto your body in the guise of bath and body products. This affects men, women and children because it includes hair care products, deodorant, shaving cream, soap, mascara and lipstick, and baby shampoos and soaps, and more.

Chemical Safe Skincare’s web site ChemicalSafeSkincare.co.uk states, " . . . the average woman uses 12 toiletries every day and applies more than 175 chemical compounds to her body in the process." Two chemicals high on the "must avoid" list are parabens and phthalates. Both chemicals cause disruption of normal hormone function and increase breast cancer risks. Parabens, found in deodorant, cream, body sprays and many other cosmetics, are antimicrobial preservatives. Phthalates are used in hairspray, nail polish, deodorant, and perfumes and are linked to liver, lung and kidney problems.

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org) warns consumers that several children's bath products are made with the cancer-causing petrochemical 1,4-dioxane, a proven animal carcinogen and probable human carcinogen. CSC states that shampoo and bath products may contain ingredients such as sodium myreth sulfate, PEG compounds and more that include the clauses "xynol," "ceteareth" and "oleth" which may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane. No problem, right? We'll just check the label on all cosmetics to see if they contain the above chemicals and more, like formaldehyde and sodium laureth sulfate, and avoid their use. Wrong -- neither the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor any other agency requires cosmetic companies to disclose the full contents of their products.

What can you do to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones? Find and use products free of harmful chemicals. Go to CSC's website where you can search by product category (i.e., shampoo), or manufacturer and see how your favorite bath and body products rate in their ingredients composition. Each product is rated from 1 to 10 with one being the safest and 10 considered hazardous. And check in here next month where the focus will continue on baby products.

Meanwhile, Chew On This: "You are what they eat, too." Jessi Cosgrove, Arla Lane, Social Studies Fair, 2004.

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