How Do You Know If A Product Is Natural?

I was really mad when I found the following information out. Like you might be, I was wondering how people who manufacture lotions and creams can get away with putting cancer causing agents in it. How can they get away with it? Especially with a kid's product?

The answer is very simple.

There is no legally agreed definition of what is and what is not natural when it comes to skin care products, beauty treatments, soaps, lotions and the like.

There is therefore nothing to stop a product manufacturer highlighting the use of a fragrance without suggesting that it is completely artificial.

For instance, you will see products on the drug store shelf that contain ‘fragrance' that has a picture of flowers or a summer meadow on the container, clearly implying the fragrance is entirely natural.

However, even though nothing could be further from the truth, product manufacturers know that consumers buy cosmetic and skincare products based on the smell. Hence, they make sure that they smell nice even though the fragrance is completely artificial.

You must therefore be extremely careful when buying commercial products and you need to know what to look out for.

Another argument that is sometimes put forward for including chemicals of these types in cosmetic and skin care products is that in tiny doses, they are harmless. This may be the case but it takes no account of the cumulative effect of using a product that contains these chemicals over a long period of time.

Furthermore, you should remember that make up or moisturizer that is applied before retiring for the night is going to stay on your skin for many hours giving your skin every opportunity to absorb as much of the potentially harmful chemicals as possible.

You might also have heard it suggested that people have been using skin care and cosmetic products that contained the same substances for many generations and that it never did them any harm, but do the facts support this? If you consider the statistics for the prevalence of cancer and other similar problems back in those days, the answer is, probably not.

Similarly, you have already seen that some of these chemicals cause headaches, dizziness, chest pains and depression and there can't be many people who don't know someone who suffers from some of these problems from time to time.

Of course, people suffer from these problems for many reasons but chemicals could potentially be one of the reasons.

Anyway, the bottom line is very clear. If you are going to use commercially produced skin care products, make absolutely certain that you know exactly what the ingredients are before buying, and if there is any doubt, put it back on the shelf. Do it for the safety of your kids!

More Skin Ingredients to Avoid

As promised in my last entry, here are some more skin care ingredients that you must avoid if you are going to keep you and your kids cancer free.

Stearalkonium Chloride: This is asubstance that is included in many skin and hair care products that studies have indicated is safe in the concentrations used in products of this nature.

However, additional studies have indicated that in higher concentrations, it is a known skin and eye irritant and it is also known to cause allergic reactions, particularly in those with sensitive skin. If your baby's eyes are watering, make sure this chemical is not in anything you are putting on her hair or in her skin.

Triclosan: Triclosan is regarded by the EPA as a pesticide, one that is believed to be carcinogenic for humans. It is so toxic and powerful that it is usually measured in parts per trillion, to the extent that one drop in 300 swimming pools could be sufficient to cause hormonal difficulties.

However, because it is a powerful antibacterial agent, it is used in many common household products like toothpaste, antibacterial lotions and soap. It is definitely not something that you should be washing yourself or cleaning your teeth with. Keep this mind the next time you buy that antibacterial soap.

DMDM hydantoin: DMDM hydantoin is a chemical preservative that releases formaldehyde which limits the development of microorganisms. Unfortunately, it also causes allergic reactions range from mild to severe, joint pain, rashes, depression, headache, chest pains, chronic fatigue and a loss of sleep.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): Sodium lauryl sulfate is an ingredient that is found in almost all household products that foam such as shampoo. It has been used in products like baby shampoo even though it is known to cause allergic reactions and damage to young eyes. This is another substance that is often included in toothpaste as well, but one that is to be avoided.

Diethanolamine (DEA): Diethanolamine is another chemical to be found in foaming products that is known to be a skin irritant.

In fact, because they are known to cause hormonal problems and to be carcinogenic, diethanolamine (and the ‘mono' and ‘tri' versions of the chemical) are already restricted or banned in many European countries as a result of the known risks associated with them.

These risks were highlighted on the CBS TV program ‘This morning' as long ago as 1998 when it was reported that a Federal government study had shown that DEA and detergents that contained it posed significantly increased cancer risks, particularly of kidney and liver cancer.

Mineral oil: Mineral oil is a byproduct of the processing of oil into petroleum products. When applied to the skin, mineral oil literally coats your skin with a ‘saran wrap-like' cover that completely prevents your skin from breathing.

It will clog your pores to the extent that blocked pores, spots and pimples become almost inevitable, preventing your skin from sloughing off the dead cells and getting rid of toxins.

And note that far from being as gentle and kind as you might imagine it would be, ‘Baby Oil' is almost always pure mineral oil. Be careful and read the labels!