One Easy Way to Choose Safe Personal Care Products
Chemical exposure is all around us. Whether we are inhaling fumes from furniture or shower curtains, or ingesting food with preservatives or BPA content, toxic chemicals enter our bodies in various ways – and not without effect. Tests have found chemicals known to be carcinogenic or hormone-disruptive in our bodies and the repercussions are only just beginning to be understood.
Personal care products like shampoos, lotions, soaps, facial cleansers, and even toothpaste and nail polish are one significant source of possible chemical exposure. Without much regulation as to what can be included in these products, chemical exposure adds up quickly when you consider how many of these products are sprayed or slathered on daily.
The safest thing seems to be to minimize our exposure where possible by making less toxic choices. Personal care products are an excellent place to start since the chemicals in these items are either inhaled or absorbed into our skin every day. For those who suffer from allergies or multiple chemical sensitivity, making natural choices is even more of a necessity; choosing products with no preservatives, such as parabens, or fragrances often makes the difference between an unpleasant allergic reaction and none.
Self-education about which ingredients to look for and diligent label-reading (which we encourage) is important, but is there an easier way to choose personal care products that don't introduce a medley of toxic chemicals into our bodies?
The Environmental Working Group provides a valuable resource for exactly this. Their Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a guide of more than 69,000 products rated according to toxicity levels. Users can search by product type, by specific product, by brand, by ingredients, and more. Results give an overall score as well as a breakdown of chemical components and their dangers.
For more on personal care products, chemical exposure, and natural alternatives, check out the following:
Olive Oil for Allergies: Face Wash and Eczema Treatment?
Check Your Labels for Common Chemical Irritatants
Free and Clear Shampoo and Conditioner Customer Reviews
Personal care products like shampoos, lotions, soaps, facial cleansers, and even toothpaste and nail polish are one significant source of possible chemical exposure. Without much regulation as to what can be included in these products, chemical exposure adds up quickly when you consider how many of these products are sprayed or slathered on daily.
The safest thing seems to be to minimize our exposure where possible by making less toxic choices. Personal care products are an excellent place to start since the chemicals in these items are either inhaled or absorbed into our skin every day. For those who suffer from allergies or multiple chemical sensitivity, making natural choices is even more of a necessity; choosing products with no preservatives, such as parabens, or fragrances often makes the difference between an unpleasant allergic reaction and none.
Self-education about which ingredients to look for and diligent label-reading (which we encourage) is important, but is there an easier way to choose personal care products that don't introduce a medley of toxic chemicals into our bodies?
The Environmental Working Group provides a valuable resource for exactly this. Their Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a guide of more than 69,000 products rated according to toxicity levels. Users can search by product type, by specific product, by brand, by ingredients, and more. Results give an overall score as well as a breakdown of chemical components and their dangers.
For more on personal care products, chemical exposure, and natural alternatives, check out the following:
Olive Oil for Allergies: Face Wash and Eczema Treatment?
Check Your Labels for Common Chemical Irritatants
Free and Clear Shampoo and Conditioner Customer Reviews
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