We don’t want to ruin your bubble bath fun, but chances are you’re using toxic body products on a daily basis.
Today we have to read the labels for everything. From what we put in our bodies to what we put ON THEM. Similar to the way you read the nutritional label on a box of your favorite granola, it’s also important to turn the bottles around of our go-to lotions and soaps, too.
And for good reason.
Unfortunately, we now know that some of our (former) must-have products are really must-not’s. With harmful chemicals, additives, and toxins in them, they cause more harm than good..
Here’s what you need to know about the common ingredients found in many commercial bath and body products…
Toxic = Hormone Blockers
In a word… parabens.
Typically listed as methyl-, butyl-, or propyl-paraben on the ingredient list, these act as preservatives in your everyday bath and beauty products.
The issue with parabens is their potential to disrupt hormones in the body. This causes an increased chance of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity, due to their ability to mimic estrogen.
Other hormone blockers are phthalates, commonly found in hairsprays, plastics and nail polishes. These have also been found to have adverse reactions in the hormones, and more specifically, in the reproductive systems of children and men.
Do Your Part For Mother Nature
Did you know that many commercial beauty and body products actually have plastic in them? The reasons this is bad for our own bodies—think: unnecessarily abrasive on the skin—is obvious. How about the earth?
It’s true; after scrubbing your face with products containing tiny plastic beads, they have no place to go but down the drain. And then? Straight into our oceans. Exactly what you would suspect happens next: the tiny beads get mistaken for food by fish. The fish eat them, and if it doesn’t kill the fish, we end up EATING THE FISH with the plastic beads inside. You see the problem, right?
Well, so did our U.S. Congress, ordering all production of these products to be halted permanently with The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015. Amen to that.
Avoid Risks of Cancer
As if enough things in our environments aren’t suspected of causing cancer already, we hate to say we have more bad news. Many popular commercial bath products include ingredients that are classified as carcinogens—aka substances that can cause cancer.
Found in everything from soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, lip glosses, hair sprays, and more, they penetrate our bodies via our largest organ… our skin.
Here are some toxic ingredients your family should eliminate exposure to:
- Triclosan
- Formaldehyde
- Hydroquinone
- Phthalates (again!)
Too Harsh to Help
Finally, it’s important to remember that most of the commercial products on the market today are actually not “soaps” at all. Instead, they are detergents that damage our skin. The toxic, harsh chemicals found in these products ultimately dry out our skin, leaving us to resort to other products for the moisturizing components that should already be found in them thanks to the natural byproduct of soap-making, glycerin.
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