Category: Skin Deep

Parabens most certainly effect you from the OutsideIN and, yes, there are different "voices" commenting on this issue. As with the tobacco industry, the voices (experts, scientists, doctors, manufacturers) speak from their respective camps; meaning you need to do some digging to find out which side of the argument is delivering their financial encouragement. This should not come as a shock since we've all recently lived through Big Tobacco's legal battles. To many, this is just business. To me, it is my life.

So, where do we go from here? I think we can tell when something is dangerous by the way it suddenly gets defended in the media. Lets face it, we all know there is a lot in our food and living "tools" (furniture, clothing, body care products) that is harmful to our health. In this modern age I do not believe we can roll back the hands of time and live totally without contact to anything toxic - bleaches and fire-retardants in clothing, glues and lacquers on furniture and flooring, chemically treated food ... we must resolve ourselves to doing the best we can to clean up the immediate environment we live in but cannot escape it completely (not that I can imagine).

There are some dangers that are easier to get around by making choices; organic food comes to mind. There are, similarly, bigger dangers in our environment and others we can let slide when we have to. I believe parabens to be one such "bigger danger" and they are used in the majority of skin care and cosmetic products. Unfortunately, this hit list also includes many natural products as well. Yet, fortunately, I found a line of body care products which are paraben free, before I knew what a paraben was!

The Paraben Paradox is that:
"For many years, parabens were considered among those preservatives with low systemic toxicity, primarily causing allergic reactions. However, as we have become aware that some synthetic chemicals mimic the female hormone estrogen, our understanding of the toxic effects of both synthetic and natural substances has changed." *

Now, I don't want to sound alarmist nor do I wish to be guilty of taking information out of context, however, this quote is quite well stated and does seem to represent the current view on parabens. The jury is still out on toxicity levels, absorption in the blood, build up in the human body over time, and the direct possible connection to breast cancer.

I am not appointing myself as the decision maker, that's your place for your life's choices. Do, however, be mindful of the information and use your authority to make choices for better health from the OutsideIN !

*David Steinman, 1999

Category: Skin Deep

"Hair" tops things off on my list of toxic-shock victims!

We shampoo, condition, deep treat, gel, mousse, ice, colour, perm our hair without even thinking twice. Why is it most hairstylists with a conscience will not colour or perm a head under 12yrs of age or that of an expectant mother?

What is a "shampoo"? Do you know there is drying alcohol in your hair treatment products? All the more reason for the rest of the product line to take up residence in your bathroom. The host of unpronounceable ingredients decorating the plastic vessels have us turn a blind eye to what we are applying to our hair; in turn, our scalp!

Our hair fights cold, wind, pollution, sun, chlorine, salt water, and acid rain to survive and we add the toxic cocktail "shampoo & company" to the mix, of our own volition. Together with our environment, we stress our hair and scalp through the choices we make.

The suggested cure: polymers, shine agents, thick creamy leave-in conditioners, spray detanglers, and the like. We lather, cream, and comb-in these to give us that "healthy" look.

What do you want? Do you want a virtual healthy "look" or would you rather opt for bonafide healthy hair to top off your humanbeing. The commercial hair care products really are a family of poisons we are introducing, freely, from the OutsideIn to our largest organ (skin/scalp) and body's first defense against disease. We are trying to fight a problem (stressed hair and scalp) with the same type of ingredients that contributed to it in the first place.

Now, you didn't read this far to find out there are no alternatives, did you?!!

Realize, however, this is not an easy problem to solve. The environment is beyond our day-to-day control. Life is busy, fast paced, and we all need conveniences in our day. Commercial hair care products offer just that. Here is the question: "Is the toxic price tag too high?"

Consider, also, that most so-called "natural" products contain surfactants to make "foam" because that is what we associate with a cleaning product. These ingredients are frequently missing from the ingredients list (Canadian labeling laws have changed and will soon put an end to that loop-hole) or are written in such a way as to appear "natural".

For example: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is detergent, a surfactant, and an inexpensive and very effective foamer. It is also a known scalp irritant, among other things. It is an ingredient in most natural body/bath gels and shampoos. All too frequently it is listed on pseudo-natural products as "comes from coconut" (which it can be when not included in a synthesized form). None of this changes the dangers this ingredient poses to your body from the OutsideIn!

So, what choices are there? There are few - but you CAN chose!

Firstly, be as wise in your choices for hair care products as you are when you opt for pesticide-free apples and lettuce. Read the labels on the products and remember that the poisons and toxins ARE absorbed by your skin and DO affect your health!

Secondly, there are alternatives available - if you can change the way you think about "clean"*.

Curious?



*We are conditioned to understand clean comes from foaming cleansers. Bubbles in your dishwater: scientifically bubbles are proven to reduce the grease in your dishwater because the grease clings to the exterior of each tiny bubble, trapping it there and keeping it out of your water. Dishes, however, do not have any concerns for overall "health" and won't absorb the products used to remove the grease/oil.