Why Should I Look Out For Parabens and Sulfates? (Pt 2 of 2)
November 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Many skincare products are unfortunately rushed to market to meet this demand without any real consideration to research and development. Most of the budget may go into the marketing of the product. On the surface everything looks great. The bottles and jars that the creams come in look appealing. The magazine advertisements are glossy, complete with a youthful looking model or a well known celebrity who may not even use the products themselves. But underneath the jar lid, one can typically find un-pronounceable ingredients chemically formulated to “imitate” their natural predecessor.
WHAT ABOUT SULFATES?
Sulfates is another name for a common skincare ingredient called “Surfactants” which are designed to dissolve oils and hold dirt in suspension so it can be rinsed away with water. Mostly used in skin cleansers and shampoos.
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and lowering of the interfacial tension between two liquids, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as: detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants.
What all this means is sulfates are used to make the product lather or foam. However, that rich “lather” you get from sulfates may not really be good for your hair and skin as they can strip away natural oils. Despite what many been led to believe, the lather or foam does not actually help you get cleaner.
Natural Surfactants.
As is usually the case there are natural alternatives that do the job much better and safer than synthetics. Natural Saponins (foaming agents) gently cleanse the hair and scalp without stripping away the natural oils. These natural surfactants are a core component of any organic skin care regime. Some recommended organic skin care surfactants include, castile soap, yucca extract, soapwort and quillaja bark extract.
According to Skin Deep – the cosmetic ingredient database, www.cosmeticsdatabase.com , Synthetic Surfactants To Avoid Include: Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Lauroyl/Cocoyl Sacrosinate, Cocomidopropyl Betaine and Quanternium -7,15,31,60 or Disodium Oleamide which can be a potent carcinogen when mixed with Nitrosamines.
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate are the most commonly used in shampoos and lathering types of skincare. They rate around 4 on the scale of 1 to 10. Studies and results are conflicting for potential toxicity, so most err on the side of caution.
Time Saving Tip: This class of toxins is quite easy to pinpoint. They are listed on labels as either ending in -eth (Laureth) or contain the phrase PEG (Poly Ethylene Glycol) or PPG (Poly Propylene Glycol).
According to some sources, while many of these particles are too large to penetrate the skin, they can result in allergies and health problems. Increasing use of Sodium Laural sulfate (SLS) in skin care can cause major skin irritations and even organ system toxicity. Other studies show that chemicals like this clog the skin pores and don’t have any benefit to the skin.
Unfortunately, cosmetics are the lowest priority for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Their priority, naturally, has to be the foods and drugs we are consuming. They do not have the funds, staff, or authority to monitor what cosmetics companies are putting in their products. In addition, no ingredient has to be approved for use in products, and according to the FDA website.
There are two major classes of surfactants used in synthetic skin care products:
1) Ethoxylated Surfactants: The chemical reaction required to mix Ethylene and Propylene Oxide together has a serious side effect, that is they can be contaminated with Dioxane‒a potent carcinogen.
2) Amides: These are listed on labels containing the term TEA (Tri Ethanol Amine), DEA (Di Ethanol Amine) and MEA (Mono Ethanol Amine).
Why are these chemicals hazardous? Well, all compounds containing TEA, DEA and MEA undergo nitrosation with other chemicals to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.
So again, it is up to you to be the educated consumer. Understanding what you purchase and how it can potentially affect you and your family.
When in doubt, it is best to choose naturally-based products or wholly organic ones than to use skin care products that contain potentially dangerous preservatives and chemicals, especially ones that are applied directly and/or massaged into the skin.
By Rachelle Dupree
Your Face Reflects Your Diet
You may have heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” Never does it ring more true when we consider the quality of our skin. It’s not a fallacy to say we feel better when we eat pure, healthy foods that support and nourish our bodies as compared to a diet of over-processed, chemical-laden foods. Without proper nutrients, the body just can’t function optimally. It will be sluggish, lack vitality, and lack muscle mass. On the surface, the skin may show wrinkles, sagging, acne, age spots and appear overall to be dull. Free radicals can take the blame for some of this skin degeneration, but if you want beautiful, healthy, glowing skin – you have to feed it right.
Antioxidant-rich foods that contain vitamin C and E have been found to defend against free radicals by giving them their own electrons and forming a barrier that protects skin cells. You may already know certain behaviors and habits will either help or harm your skin, such as proper diet, exercise, smoking and sun exposure. One of the most significant sources of skin-damaging free radicals is cigarette smoke.
The modern Western diet is filled with carbohydrates, unnecessary sugars and salts, fats and caffeine. Most would be shocked to learn just how many of these detrimental elements they consume in a day. According to current research, it is the sugars and carbohydrates that have the worst effects on your complexion. They rob your skin of the oxygen it needs to stay youthful and can also cause inflammation.
In opposition to the processed foods, a diet that is pure and natural to its original essence as possible will provide your skin with vital nutrients and oxygen. Fruits and vegetables are on the top of this list of course, but other vital fats like walnuts, olive oil and fresh fish oils will also contribute greatly to beautiful, glowing skin. You cannot improve your skin without first improving your daily diet. Take the time to research various natural foods and their beneficial qualities. Try to incorporate these foods as much as possible into your lifestyle. Also beneficial is to replace those sugar-laden sodas with fresh water and teas. Proper hydration will help flush residual toxins from your system while you are optimizing your diet.
Once you consider what foods you are ingesting, you may also need to consider your smoking and drinking habits. We all know how harmful excessive smoking or drinking can be for our health, but our skin will be the first to show the signs of damage–long before our bodies give any indication of disease or imbalance. Smoking creates a toxic metabolism in your whole body. Many know the lungs are damaged by smoking–which is bad enough in itself–but the lack of oxygen will show on your face first. You will see more wrinkles around the eyes and mouth and smokers also have skin that is slower to heal. Blood is actually directed away from the skin by the destructive effects of nicotine, resulting in a sallow, grayish skin tone. On a scientific level, the nicotine blocks the oxygen supply to your skin, causing the subdermal capillaries to go into spasms, eventually increasing the rate at which your skin ages.
If you are hoping a cosmetic procedure will “erase” all the damage you have done – be aware that many doctors today will not perform any invasive procedures on a smoker due to the slower healing rate and lack of it results it can cause.
Once you have incorporated healthier foods into your life and reduced or eliminated smoking and excessive drinking, it is guaranteed you will see noticeable positive results in your skin’s appearance and in your overall health.
Your Organic Skin
February 14, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Your Organic Skin
Skin is the armor of the body. It is the outside waterproofing, element-fighting surface that protects our internal organs and skeletal structure from the harsh outside elements. Yet skin, overall is ignored most of the time. Healthy skin is important for a glowing completion of course, but if your body is unhealthy – your skin will be also.
The toxic world of industrialization has finally caught up with us. Producing toxic waste disasters, disease and tons of garbage buried so deep it can never breakdown. All these “modern advancements” have left our food supply as little more than a chemical compound in itself. If you can do ONE thing to give your skin and your body a fighting chance, you would be wise to choose as organic a diet as possible. To maintain a healthy skin, organically grown food is must. Read more
Organic Skin Care
February 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The market today is flooded with beauty products. Everywhere you look, another new product is on the shelf (or on the website). So, how does one choose which is the best product for them? If you are inclined to treat your skin naturally-meaning without harsh chemicals-then organic or natural skin care may be the best for you. Not only do these products help your skin in a more balanced, natural way, they are also much less harmful to yourself and the environment.
Below are five basic steps in keeping skin healthy, along with the use of organic skin care products.
Eat and maintain a balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals that help you maintain a healthy skin the natural way. Avoid processed and greasy foods. Familiarize yourself with healthy, organic food that you enjoy and will promote better health. Supplements will also provide assistance in keeping your whole body healthy. Keeping the entire body healthy is the primary key for healthy cells. This is the most important organic skin care tip. Skin can only look as good as the nutrients you feed your body. The skin is the primary conduit for the liver to process toxins.
1. Drink plenty of water. A huge percentage of the body is composed of water. Water intake will help you clean the body. Water also hydrates the body and helps prevent dry skin. Well-hydrated cells function well. Cells that function well can help maintain youth. The more active a person is, the more water he/she needs. Eight glasses of water a day is the recommended amount of water intake, however, as for athletes and energetic people, more is needed to replace the fluid they excrete through perspiration. There is no replacement to drinking plenty of water and this is not only a great organic skin care rule but a great habit to adopt.
2. Exercise. Aside from a boost in energy, moderate work outs promote blood circulation and increase oxygen in the blood stream. Both help in maintaining the youth of your skin.
3. Wash your face with mild cleansing products. Cleansing products with strong substances can harm cells. Ensure that you use clean water when washing the cleansing products off your skin. Don’t rub your skin vigorously with the towel - it irritates the skin. Wipe gently with soft cloth. Organic skin care products are milder than those with synthesized or processed ingredients and don’t need to be scrubbed off.
4. Use organic skin care products when possible. Products with natural ingredients will clean you r skin just as well as those full of chemicals. The closer the ingredients are to their natural state, the less harmful for your skin. Most organic products work with the body’s natural process in fighting harmful elements and potential diseases as opposed to chemically forcing the skin to respond to treatment.
5. Moisturizers are recommended for all skin types. Even oily skin loses its natural moisture after using harsh cleansing products. If your skin is not properly moisturize, it will dry and age faster. Toners help in cleaning traces of dirt and cosmetics not easily removed with the use of cleansers. Try to use a product containing zinc or a natural sunblocking agent to protect your face from the harmful UVB rays of the sun.
Organic skin care gives you the greatest opportunity to have a healthy skin, without using harmful ingredients. The appearance of your skin indicates the state of your health. If you are suffering from acne or any other skin condition, try treating it from the inside out first. Give your body a chance to balance itself with healthy foods and supplements before you spend hundreds of dollars on topical treatments. Your skin is your body’s armor, protecting your from the elements. Help it do its job.
Herbal Facial Masks and Proper Skin Care
November 17, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
The secret to proper facial cleansing and radiant skin is to get rid of any dead cells and toxins not thrown off naturally by the skin; remove all makeup, dirt, grime and chemical pollutants; clear out clogged pores and eliminate infection-causing bacteria without stripping away the skin’s natural oils and hydration. Read more
