Chemical Dangers in Personal Care Products

Drop Your Shampoo!

Have you READ the ingredients on that bottle?! What are you thinking?! The warnings you read on many natural sites would have you washing your hair with baking soda if you believed them all, and I know how unappealing that sounds. So let's take a serious look at what we are being told by a myriad of websites, and what is actually TRUE.

First, there are chemicals that you should stay away from. That much is true. But without getting a degree in chemistry, how do you know, and whom do you trust for this information? That's the tricky part, and I can tell you that you should NOT trust someone just trying to sell you their product, unless you have verified their information through other sources.

Are Your Products Safe?

Before I go on, I'd like to share an interesting article with you from a well known company, Melaleuca. I have used their products. I do NOT suggest them. I don't know how safe they are in reality, but I know that they make me cough, and my 3 year old daughter asked me plain and simple not to spray the bathroom cleaner while she was in there because it, "hurts my throat." (We make our own cleaning products now.) This article does, however, present very eloquently what I'd like to say : http://www.melaleuca.com/wc/pdf/AreYourProductsSafe.pdf

Propylene Glycol and Sodium Laurel Sulfate

As discussed in the article, two of the most abused chemicals on natural sites are propylene glycol and sodium laurel sulfate. They do everything from burn the skin to cause cancer, according to the sites who are either trying to sell you their natural products or have quoted other websites promoting this information. It is VERY common for myths about certain products or chemicals to run rampant for YEARS on the internet, especially when people don't verify sources. Many sites don't HAVE sources! Heck, I don't even use sources all the time, especially if I know that the subject is easily Googled and verified by anyone that bothers to check. But if the only sources I provide are all from other natural sites, sites selling natural products, or Aunt Looloo who is repeating the information found from other natural sites...well, you can see where the problem starts.

The ironic thing is...companies like Melaleuca, who has provided a very well written defense of propylene glycol and sodium laurel sulfate (they use them in their products), neglect to tell you of the chemicals that ARE scientifically "possible carcinogens." Even Neways, who boasts the safety of their "natural" products uses chemicals that ARE possible carcinogens. The chemicals both companies use are called parabens.

Parabens and Phthalates

Used as preservatives, parabens are added to products to increase shelf life. The truth is, all products require some sort of preservative, though many companies are finding alternatives to parabens after studies showed negative outcomes. The rule of thumb is, the more liquid a product is, the more preservative is necessary. Also dangerous are phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates). Here is an exhaustive list of recent studies on parabens and phthalates:

http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org/Pages/RecentStudies.html

Here is a great site with more info and sources of reference regarding phthalates:

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm

I urge you to review this article as well, which focuses on a wide range of breast cancer causes, not only those found in personal care products:

http://bcaction.org/index.php?page=bcrisk

So exactly how harmful are propylene glycol and sodium laurel sulfate? Well, the extent of the damage is really irritation. Common sense tells you that if you use something that irritates you, stop using it. I would be cautious of products that contain these that are meant to remain on the skin, such as make up or lotion. Studies showing the safety of them state that they are safe when rinsed from the skin. That said, there is nothing showing that leaving them on the skin will cause permanent damage. If it causes irritation, stop using. No harm done.

So what chemicals are safe, and which are not? The best thing to do if you have a product you absolutely love, is to check the ingredients list and "Google" each ingredient to learn more about it. Since labeling in the US is horrible, start with a company that at least SAYS it is organic, natural, or "safe" and check the ingredients. Typically, you want to avoid products from the grocery store (unless you shop at Whole Foods :o) and drug store. "Mainstream" products contain the cheapest ingredients, the most fragrances, and they almost always contain parabens and phthalates.

The products you need to be using are going to be more expensive. So this is a good time to also acknowledge that you can probably get by with using a little less. I would bet that a scientific experiment would show that when the products are cheap, we use them in greater amounts, even though we don't necessarily need to. We are just more careful when we know something is more expensive. So if you are searching out a new product to use, keep in mind that the small increase in price can be over come, and it is far worth it to your health.