What’s the personal care products you buy?

You try and be healthy and include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, go organic where possible, avoid processed foods, check packaging for preservatives and additives, but you still could be exposing your body to a number of potentially harmful toxins each and every day in the products you use to wash your hair and body and clean you teeth.

These toxins are able to enter the body easily through our skin and get in to our blood stream.

Chemicals in Popular Shampoos, Shower Gels, Toothpaste and Other Personal Care Products

Did you know that many of the popular brand name products contain chemicals which have been shown to be potentially toxic?

Take Sodium lauryl sulfate for example, this is added in part to produce the froth and foaming you see on those hair care adverts. Its in your shampoo, shower gel and even toothpaste. This chemical is used by garages to clean engine oil of cars, which gives you an idea of how potent it can be. It has been shown to cause skin irritation (as well as linked to more serious illness) and we don’t know the long-term effects that exposure to these kind of chemicals can cause.

Another ingredient to watch out for are Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl & ethyl). These are banned in some countries already and have been linked to hormone disruption that could lead to other diseases in the future

And this is just the start, take a look at the ingredient list on the back of your shampoo, deodorant, shower gel and other personal care products and you’ll find a cocktail of petroleum based chemicals and toxic substances that you really shouldn’t be putting anywhere near your skin.

What’s the solution?

Go natural! This doesn’t mean not using shampoos and soap any more, but finding a natural alternative. There are many brands in Australia now that produce personal care products using only natural ingredients that are gentle on the skin.

Just be aware that not all natural ingredients are good – some plant based chemicals are also bad for the skin. Many companies will use terms like ‘natural’ on their products, but this doesn’t mean that all ingredients are natural – check on the bottle and look for 100% natural, Sodium lauryl sulfate, paraben free etc.

Also for environmental reasons look for products that are Palm Oil free, in countries like Indonesia massive areas of beatiful rainforests are being destroyed to make way for Plam Oil Plantations to meet growing demands. Take a stand and avoid Palm Oil products.