It Is That Deep
Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? Well, now you do. Just like the other organs in your body has very important functions: protection, absorption, secretion, excretion, regulation and sensation. What steps are you taking to care for your largest organ?
During my time in chiropractic school I started to learn just how important our skin is. I learned that our skin is a reflection of our internal health. I learned that whatever we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. I learned that our skin is more than just a protective barrier.
Around this time I started to take a deeper look at the products I was putting on my body. I read that many cosmetic and personal care products contain ingredients that are known hormone disruptors, carcinogens, respiratory irritants, and/or are neurotoxic. YIKES! In an effort to decrease the toxins that I was exposing myself to I began to read up on which ingredients to avoid and find products/companies that generally produce “clean” products. Ingredients that I learned to steer clear of:
Parabens (isobutylparaben, butylparaben, isopropylparaben, propylpareben)
Phthalates (dibutylphthalate - DBP, diethylphthalate - DEP, Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate - DEHP)
Fragrance (use caution with “natural” fragrance)
Formaldehyde (formic aldehyde, formalin, methanediol, methanal, methyl aldehyde, methylene glycol, methylene oxide)
Sulfates (sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate)
and the list goes on…but this is a good place to start.
When starting to evaluate the products you have on your bathroom shelf it can be overwhelming. If you are wanting to make “cleaner” swaps, you may be tempted to purge your entire bathroom and replace every product you own. You will soon find out that this can be very costly. Instead, try making the swap as you finish the products you’ve already bought. When making the swap make sure to read the ingredient label to check for any ingredients that you want to avoid, if this is too time consuming for you consider the Environment Working Group’s “Skin Deep” Database to quickly look up the product you wish to buy.
Happy swapping!
