Beautifying Ingredients?
Have you ever looked at the ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle or lipstick? (I’m sure you have.) Some of the ingredients listed sound like they could be names of planets in sci-fi movies. And when you start researching some of these ingredients? Well, it can freak a girl or guy, (cause dude! Even if you’re not using makeup, you’re still using shampoo, deorderant, and hair gel too!) out.
Some chemicals are harmful and well, scarey. (Who needs a horror movie to keep you up at night? Read ingredient labels!) Here are some of those ingredients to watch out for as well as some safer alternatives.
We ladies love having our nails painted – especially our toes when we’re showing off cute summer sandals. But it can be very difficult to find nail products if you’re paying attention to ingredients. Steer clear of a reproductive toxin that is banned in Europe because of links to birth defects called (Dibutyl Phthalate or DBP). Another commonly found ingredient called Touluene affects the central nervous system and can cause headaches. And Formaldehyde, (You know, that stuff they use to embalm dead people? Yeah THAT stuff.) can also be found in lots of polishes. Its also a known carcinogen. You know when your nails yellow after taking off your polish? This stuff is the culprit behind that. If your favorite nail salon is still using toxic polish, just remember to bring your own bottle. Safer bets are Quaternium-15, and Diazolidinyl Urea, DMDM Hydantoin, as well as Imidazolidinyl Urea.
Diethyl Phthalate is a toxin that targets the reproductive area and can affect a child’s development. Its so common that you can often find this stuff in the urine of most people. These aren’t always mentioned in ingredient lists. (They’re often called “fragrance” in perfume, hair spray and deodorant.)
A safer alternative is to use products with essential oils. While they may not last as long as synthetic perfumes? They’re just as sexy and bonus! They won’t give you a chemical headache. (And the people around you who are more prone to chemical headaches? Will thank you for sparing them the unpleasantry!) Plus, essential oils aren’t linked to infertility like phthalates.
Another nasty chemical, i-4 Dioxane is used in a wide variety of products and is considered a human and animal carcinogen by the EPA. Ironically, this stuff is a byproduct of processing harsh chemicals with ethylene oxide to make them less harsh. Got a product with sodium lauryl sulfate? I’m sure you do. It’s a very, very common ingredient found in shampoos, body washes, hand soaps and other sudsy stuff. If you see ethyoxylate in the list of ingredients and as well as sodium laureth you know that the “eth” means the manufacturer was processing chemicals to make them less harsh. Odds are you’ve also got some 1,4-Dioxane in there.
If you’re one of those people who don’t “feel” clean unless you see lots of suds in your bodywashes and shampoos? Try products with coconut-derived Cocamidopropyl Betaine or Hydroxysultaine, or Decyl Glucoside.
Oh and while I’m thinking about it, if you’ve got acne issues, you might want to watch anything with “sodium” in the ingredient anyway. Sodium Chloride and Sodium Laureth can aggravate skin issues.
You might be familiar with parabens, you might not. (I hadn’t learned of them until a year ago when I was talking to a group of women who were alarmed by the amount of these ingredients in BABY products.) Parabens are preservatives found in many, many common beauty and personal care products. Although usually the word has a “methyl-,” “ethyl-” “propyl-” “butyl-” and “isobutyl-” linked to it, it doesn’t really matter. Parabens are linked to breast cancer and reproductive disorders. —luckily, safer alternatives can be found in naturally occurring substances like Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E) and Asorbic Acid (vitamin C), among others. These preservatives keep products fresh for a reasonable amount of time, rather than extending their shelf-life into decades.
