So as you can see blogging will not be that easy from the road. Thank goodness for technology because I scheduled this post over the weekend! I'd never abandon you, even if it was for the open road! This just means that I won't be able to reply to your comments right away but if you follow me on Twitter you'll see my instagrams as well as me tweeting updates from my phone. Most likely while I'm filling up at Gas Stations or being a silly tourist.
Anyways, today I wanted to talk to you about beauty awareness and not just being aware that you're beautiful! I am talking about knowing the ingredients of your products and knowing if they are tested on animals, if they come from animals, what kind of chemicals are used and what those chemicals can do to your body.
For example, I already talked about parabens when I reviewed Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelette's.
"Parabens are not bad parse but for most people they aren't good. There's a lot of debate on whether this preservative causes cancer or leads to hormonal imbalance (because it is said to mimic estrogen) and I already have the whole hormonal imbalance problem and I'm not trying to exacerbate it."Now the reason I'm so into this is because I have been using some facial products for a long time and some not so much but I've noticed a trend in what seems to make my face break out or thanks to that lovely hormone problem I get facial hair. Not just peach fuzz, even though I have that too, but I am talking about chin hairs. To the point of almost having a full on beard if I let it go. A lot of people have the mustache problem but few have to deal with looking like the bearded lady! So I started to look at the product labels of what was in the products I was using most often. Which lead to research on what those ingredients are, what they are used for and the effects of their long time use.
Two of those chemicals I researched was Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS ) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) because both can be used in soap making. If I'm putting it into my soaps I want to know what it does. I don't want to give it to my friends and family or worse sell it to someone I don't know who will turn around and try to sue me because the product I sold them had some shoddy chemicals in it! The reason they are used in soaps, shampoo's, body scrubs and the like are because both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants.
"Although SLES is somewhat less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, it cannot be metabolized by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting.
A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health "Household Products Directory" of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain sodium lauryl sulfate. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called "highly irritating and dangerous".
Shampoos are among the most frequently reported products to the FDA. Reports include eye irritation, scalp irritation, tangled hair, swelling of the hands, face and arms and split and fuzzy hair. The main cause of these problems is sodium lauryl sulfate." - Natural Health Information CenterSo basically, make sure that your beauty products do not contain these chemicals! Can't be metabolized by your liver? Your liver filters out all the bad things out of what you eat and drink (hence why alcoholics tend to have bad livers) and if your liver can't handle it your skin, the largest organ on your body, sure as hell can't handle it either.
Before I started making soap and went into researching products and developing my own I didn't know any of this. I had no clue what I might be using was bad for me. I don't want to put anything containing SLS on my head or on my skin. I promptly threw out tons of product this weekend in an effort to be more health aware and to save space in my bathroom box (the box is huge and takes up my whole bathroom - my room mate joked that all I left was the toilet).
The other chemical I researched was petroleum (also listed as mineral oil, paraffin wax, and petrolatum [slick change there] to name a few). Yes, the same thing that is used to make plastic bags and make your car run. This stuff is actually used in a lot of different products. I discovered it is used in carpeting. Who would have thought that black grimey stuff on your car was also on your carpet? Ugh, I don't want to set Ivory on it anymore. HARD WOOD FLOORS PLEASE!
I researched it because it's often used in soaps and other beauty products but the reasons why it's actually harmful are easy enough to see. Oil in your pores is something you typically want to get rid of right? Because it leads to acne. Well, the oils that occur naturally are ok for your skin. Some are even extra helpful like Olive Oil or Sweet Almond Oil. "Mineral Oil" actually smothers your skin and makes it hard for the skin to breathe. If your skin is smothered then nothing else can get in like your natural oils and nothing can get out like toxins. Petroleum also slows the rate at which cells are renewed, thereby damaging collagen, connective tissue, and elastin - all of which contribute to the way skin looks and feels. So you end up getting wrinkles a lot faster. Everyone remember my "OHMYGLOB I'M GETTING OLD" post? Yeah, crows feet, laugh lines, forehead wrinkles, saggy necks, all of that can be due to using petroleum in your beauty products. It's kind of counter-productive to use beauty products containing a chemical that ages you AND anti-aging creme right? THROW THAT SHIT OUT.
Also, National Geographic Green Guide states that "petroleum distillates" are possible carcinogens, meaning that they can cause cancer. Yes, I'm aware that EVERYTHING causes cancer now. You can look at a cigarettes ad and end up with lung cancer, I get it. But honestly, do we want to help death along? I mean, if you're into that thing go for it. But I'd kind of like to see what life has to offer me and I'd rather not do it looking like the Crypt Keeper or a pug at 25.
(Information on Petroleum came from Natural News)
Go grab any beauty product you have and see what ingredients are in it. If you come across something you've never heard of write it down and research it before you use that product again. It is completely worth it to avoid things that are harmful to you. I know that takes the fun out of buying beauty products but really, is your health worth it? If it is, go for it but for me I'd like to be healthy. If I am healthy rather than model size and magazine pretty then that's fine by me.
What's in your beauty products?
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