There’s a dirty little secret that our nation’s cosmetic companies are keeping. They don’t want you to know that the products they make contain toxic chemicals. And we are not only impacted by these chemicals when we use their products, we are also affected by them in the pollution that their plants give off. How do they get away with it? They are an industry worth $50 billion a year in sales, and with all that money, they have a lot of power. In fact the cosmetics trade association employs lobbyists who make sure that only the laws they want are passed. These powerful lobbies have fought against laws that would monitor pollution at their plants, require additional safety labeling on packaging and insist on recycled materials in packaging. They say that they are able to regulate themselves, which sounds a little like have the lions shepherd the lambs. And do you know who currently reviews the safety of new cosmetic products? Think it’s the FDA? Or maybe another government agency? Wrong! It’s a cosmetic industry funded panel. If you think it’s like letting kids monitor themselves, you’d be right.
Some people may ask, “What’s the harm? Is anything bad happening because of it?” Here are some scary facts. Every day we use personal care products with a plethora of toxic chemicals in them. How can this be? The laws that govern the industry were passed over seventy years ago. Think of how many new chemicals have been created over the past seventy years. Those obviously aren’t included in any laws. In Europe, the EU has listed over 1,000 chemicals which it considers toxic and that are banned from being included in products. How many chemicals are banned in the U.S.? Ten. Yes, that is not a type- it is just ten chemicals which are considered too dangerous to use in our personal care products. This means that even chemicals which are known to be toxic are allowed to be used in our products, and they are. They also leech into our rivers and landfills in the form of pollution, so even if you buy organic products, you are still exposed to these toxins.
So what can you do if you want to protect your family and the environment? You must vote, and you can do this in two ways.
- First, vote with your dollars. Every time you purchase a product you are casting your vote for the company who manufactured it and the product itself. The more votes, the more a product will be produced. If we stop buying toxic products and demand organic ones, companies will be forced to stop producing them. They are reasonable entities who first and foremost want to make a profit. Make a product unprofitable and we make it go away.
- Second, vote with your vote. What does that mean? Elect government officials who support anti-pollution laws and regulation of the cosmetics industry. We have seen that the industry cannot regulate itself, so we need to step in and make sure that they are not irreversibly polluting the environment.
Remember that we are now powerless. In fact, no one is more powerful than the American consumer. So flex your power and let’s clean up the mess that the cosmetic industry has left.
There are few different things people can do to prevent skin irritations from their phones. The first is to use an earbud or Bluetooth headset. If the phone isn’t touching your face, then it can’t cause problems on your skin. Another option is to check with the phone manufacturers and find cell phones that don’t contain nickel. And of course reducing the amount of time that you talk on your cell phone will help.
But luckily there is change coming, much in the same way change has come to our food industry. Small manufacturers are starting to make their own natural and healthy products which work better than the traditional chemical ones. Some are organic certified and some just use wholesome, good ingredients. How can you tell which products are good for you? Turn over products and start reading labels. A good rule of thumb is, if you know what it is, and it’s something you can eat, then it’s probably OK. Don’t be confused by the Latin names under which many ingredients are listed. Usually the common name will put in parenthesis as well since few us speak Latin. For example, if you see “Helianus Annuus” you may think that it’s a chemical because you don’t know what it is, but in fact it is just sunflower seed oil.
Another great benefit of exercise is that it stimulates detoxification. This is the body’s opportunity to get rid of the toxins floating around and to sweat them out. As the skin is one of the major organs involved in eliminating toxins, there is a tight connection to skin health and toxins. If the body cannot eliminate the toxins, they are going to sit in our systems causing damage, including damage to the skin. But in order for the skin to function effectively, the pores cannot be blocked. This means that it’s better not to exercise with makeup on. Makeup often clogs pores and prevents proper sweating or elimination. Also, after you work out, it’s a good idea to wash your face and body to get rid of the oil, sweat and toxins you’ve produced during your work out. There’s no point in doing all the work to get rid of the toxins just to let this sit on top of your skin for hours.
There are numerous essential oils which can help with the symptoms of eczema. Essential oils have numerous fatty acids, phytosterols and polyphenos which can help with the symptoms of eczema. Some of the ones which may be helpful include:
Punicic acid is good at reducing inflamed skin as well as regenerating new skin and improving skin tone and elasticity. It has been shown to be anti-microbial and effective at improving epidermal differentiation. Remember that our skin has many conflicting functions such as keeping things in (like moisture) and keeping things out (like germs and bacteria). There are different specialized cells in the skin which each perform specific functions. So punicic acid has been shown to promote this differentiation. CLA has also shown promise in tests in lightening skin and reducing the effects of photo aging. There is also evidence that it can help with skin that has suffered sunburn as well as with collagen production. Because of all of its wonderful properties it is often used in skin care, and particularly in lines for mature skin.
Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid with a lipid number C12. Because there are no double bonds in this fatty acid, it can last a long time without going rancid. In the body lauric acid is converted into a substance called monolaurin. Monolaurin has antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial and antiprotozoal properties. It operates by a mechanism whereby it disrupts the lipid membranes in foreign organisms such as viruses, fungus and bacteria. While monolaurin kills off these unwanted organisms, it is completely nontoxic to humans and to our normal functioning tissues.
