The Importance of Natural Skin Care Products
In the past, I have written and posted articles on the importance of choosing natural skin care products. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and unlike your digestive tract, it produces no enzymes to help breakdown and filter any toxic exposure. Therefore, it can be said that what you apply is just as important as what you ingest. This week’s edition of Dr. Mercola’s Health News reiterated several very important reasons to avoid personal care products which contain the harmful ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).Here are the top four reasons:
1. SLS can penetrate and accumulate in your eyes and other tissues
2. SLS produces nitrosamines which are known carcinogens
3. SLS strips your body of moisture and protective oils
4. SLS has been linked to damage of DNA
Article Excerpt:
The list of dangerous ingredients is quite long — the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has stated that nearly 900 of the chemicals used in cosmetics are toxic — but here are some of the major ones that you will definitely want to avoid:
- Paraben, a chemical found in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics that has been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can drive the growth of human breast tumors.
- Phthalates, plasticizing ingredients (present in nearly three-quarters of 72 products tested by the Environmental Working Group), which have been linked to birth defects in the reproductive system of boys and lower sperm-motility in adult men, among other problems.
- Musks, used as fragrances, can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer in laboratory studies.
- Artificial fragrances, which are among the top five known allergens, and can cause asthma and trigger asthma attacks.
- Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a chemical used in shampoo to prevent bacteria from developing, which may have detrimental effects on your nervous system.
- Toluene, made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus.
- Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum, these products coat your skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins. They also slow cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging, and are a suspected cause of cancer and disruption to hormonal activity.
Therefore, I am very pleased to be working with a practicioner that is knowledgable in holistic medicine and uses organic products in her fascials, Ms. Reisa Mehlman.
In health,
Dr. Sarah