During a women’s normal day of hair washing, skincare and body care, she will come into contact with a stunning 167 chemicals. Its important to remember that although these will all be topical interactions, our skin is a sponge, absorbing everything. Whatever you’re using, some of these ingredients will eventually reach your blood stream, guaranteed. Would be it be huge amounts? That is really quite unknown. But over a lifetime, why not be informed and choose healthy.

Some of these toxic ingredients are really scary and have no business being in your personal care. The fact is, they are cheap, easy and some manufacturers simply do not care.

In the UK, the list of banned ingredients in personal care products is over 1300. In Canada, that number is about 500, in the United States….its only 11 banned ingredients. Such a huge variance means that being your own best advocate is likely the best course. Are cosmetics and everyday personal care  products making your sick? They could be.

There is a surprising (maybe not surprising for some), surge in hormonal issues for men and women. Do you wonder why?

Nearly 50% of all women aged 30 to 60 have experienced or are experiencing a hormonal imbalance. 35% of men over 45 have a testosterone deficiency issue.

Knowledge is power. If you knew what was in it, would you use it anymore? Maybe not.

Here’s a short list of the most dangerous ingredients to steer away from and hopefully impact your long term health. Plus a huge time saving tip to use while shopping that can give you information on ingredients in a flash!

Endocrine Disruptors are natural or synthetic chemicals that can disrupt hormones, hormone production and interfere with hormone signaling. They mimic, block interfere and modify actions of hormones in our bodies. Preservatives can be endocrine disruptors. So can silicones.

Some common types of endocrine disruptor ingredients are:

Bispheonal A – commonly BPA – It can trick your body into thinking it’s estrogen. It is extremely dangerous in personal care products. Known dangers….Cancer, infertility, obesity, asthma, neurological issues in children. Diabetes, kidney disease. Kidney and liver damage.

Popular places to find these chemicals….Although popular in plastics, BPA can be found in lipstick as well as in other face and eye makeup and nail polish. It is still used as lining in food cans. Its used in personal hygiene products.

Completely banned in France. The US FDA stills considers this product to be safe. It is currently only banned in baby bottles and sippy cups in the USA and Canada. But unlimited doses are ok for everyone else. The European Union currently in litigation with plastics makers to ban BPA. It is currently heavily regulated, but not banned.

Phthalates – very common in personal care products in North America, but banned in Europe. Used as a preservative. They are an endocrine disruptors of “High Concern”. Phthalates can directly enter your body through your skin if your personal care products have these chemicals in them.

BHA and BHT – BHA is an oil-soluble waxy solid and BHT is an oil-soluble white powder. Same thing, different physical properties.

They are used as preservatives to stop food and personal and cosmetic products from going rancid. It slows the oxidation of products that may result in changes in taste and color. In other words, to make shit look good. They are banned in European Union. But is approved by the FDA and Health Canada.

BHA/BHT can contribute to cancer, organ toxicity, is a known endocrine disruptor, and a possible skin irritant.

Its in almost every personal care product you can name, it is abundant in packaged and processed foods, its in cereal, its even in Purina pet food.

Silicones Commonly written as  Dimethicone and Cyclomethiconare Cyclotetrasiloxane– AKA D4 And D5 – Found in hair products, body lotions, and all kinds of personal care products. Commonly found in hair care, creams and skincare products. They make products spread nicer, like creams. Makes them appear slippery and light on the skin. They make hair appear shiny and smooth, but very temporarily. Over time they age, become crispy and coat the hair, scalp and follicles.  Hair can’t breathe, hair becomes brittle and breaks or fails to thrive. D4 And D5 are known endocrine disruptors, interferes with human hormone function, and could possibly impair human fertility. There are currently no restrictions on these ingredients in cosmetics.

Parabens – Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Benzylparaben – Commonly used as inexpensive preservatives, these chemicals mimic estrogen in the human body and have been found to build up in essential hormone regulating organs. The UK has banned the use of Parabens. The Unites States and Canada have not.

Petroleum, or petrolatum – Vaseline –  They are all petroleum products. They are banned in food products but are permitted in cosmetics and topicals. They are problematic carcinogens. They are known to accumulate in the liver and lymph nodes and can cause inflammation. It is rated as a HAZARDOUS ingredient according to the app Yuka. Yet we find it everywhere.

Avoid all products with petroleum oils, especially in areas where they can be ingested, such as lips. Lip balms and lipsticks are popular places for petroleum. Petroleum is never fully eliminated once ingested.

About Yuka….I now have several friends and clients addicted to to this app!

Yuka is completely independent with no in app advertising. Meaning, no one is paying anyone off. The results are true and honest.

How do you use it? Either use the bar code scanner or type in a search. The platform rates personal care products and food products and lets you know immediately in list form if they contain any ingredients that you might want to avoid (with complete definitions and why), starting with the most dangerous first. It also rates every product from 0 to 100. You can literally shop and scan and keep moving, the easiest thing ever!

Recently I was shopping for a body lotion, I scanned dozens and dozens of products to find something non toxic and without petroleum. Only 2 so far have passed. One is Cetaphil, (and not all cetaphils are safe), and the other is Monats Body Care. I have not found another one yet. The really surprising thing is, even after finding a great product in a particular line, doesn’t mean you can then trust the entire line. Some of these companies are all over the place with ingredients and ratings. So a good rule is, scan everything.

Our health is an individual journey, and I do recognize that not everyone will find this compelling. If you want longevity, are finding healthcare a frightening hit and miss adventure, (I am), then being your own best advocate will be a huge help in maintaining a healthy, long and enjoyable life.

Live Free Friends ❤