Did you know that you skin is your largest organ? Skin is capable of absorbing topically applied ingredients which can enter the bloodstream. There are also bits of your skin that absorb more than others, like the hairy bits with large hair follicles e.g. your under arms. Underarm deodorants have attracted a bad reputation for the aluminium salts present in them, which are the ingredients having antiperspirant action.
Conventional deodorants however, tend to contain one or more of the paraben group of chemicals which act as preservatives. Examples are methlyparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, benzylparaben and ethylparaben.
The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) states: Used as inhibitors of microbial growth and to extend shelf life of products. Widely used even though they are known to be toxic. Have caused many allergic reactions and skin rashes. Highly toxic.
The estrogen/breast cancer connection is well known with the greater exposure a woman has to estrogen in her lifetime, the greater risk of breast cancer. This raises concerns about chemicals such as parabens that behave like estrogen (estrogen mimicking chemicals are also called xenoestrogens)
These concerns include:
• A report published in the Journal of the American College of Toxicology in 1984 estimated that parabens could be found in over 13,000 cosmetics products.
• Parabens are just one type of xenoestrogen to which women are exposed. Consequently, another cause of concern is both the cumulative effect and the interaction of parabens with other xenoestrogens, and with the body’s own estrogens – all of which affect endocrine function.
• A 2004 UK study detected traces of five parabens in the breast cancer tumours of 19 out of 20 women studied. This small study does not prove a causal relationship between parabens and breast cancer, but it is important because it detected the presence of intact parabens -- unaltered by the body’s metabolism -- an indication of the chemicals’ ability to penetrate skin and remain in breast tissue.
source: The breast cancer fund chemical fact sheet (available on side bar)
What can you do to avoid parabens? Use deodorants and other personal acre items that don't contain parabens. You also want deodorants that don't contain aluminium. Miessence deodorants are bicarb soda based and scented with pure essential oils, they contain no synthetic chemicals at all and unlike many natural deodorants they really work.
Click here to find out more about Miessence deodorants
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Saturday, 5 January 2008
What's the problem with conventional skin care?
Skin care is one element of an organic lifestyle; however it’s a big one because the skin is the body’s largest organ. Chemicals applied to the skin can be absorbed by the skin and can enter the blood stream, particularly areas that are hairy like the scalp due to the larger hair follicles. Also areas of thinner skin, like around the eyes.
Chemicals can also be inhaled if they contain gas or aerosols (small droplets) e.g. hair spray, deodorants, nail polish. Aerosols can also be liberated in the shower from the effects of heat on shampoos. Chemicals inhaled this way will enter the bloodstream quickly via the lungs.
None of the chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products are fully tested, therefore the magnitude of their adverse effects are unknown. Also, there is no obligation on the manufacturer’s part to sell products which actually do what they claim. This is because regulation and labelling is overseen by the Trade Practises Act (TPA) and not the Therapeutic Goods Act (TGA). Furthermore there is no regulation or official definitions of the terms, fragrance free, hypo-allergenic, natural, organic, non-cosmedogenic, low-sensitivity or dermatologist tested.
The only guarantee you are getting what is claimed on a label is to buy certified organic, which is regulated by a third party and means: No heavy metal contamination, no use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, synthetic fertilisers, growth promoters or regulators like hormones and antibiotics, no irradiation, no GMOs. To be stamped as certified organic, at least 95% of the ingredients must be organic (excluding water and salt) and the remaining ingredients only from a restricted list of truly natural ingredients.
Even conventional products using plant based ingredients are of concern because the plants have had pesticides, herbicides and fungicides extensively used on them, which can leave residues. Also, products with animal fats in them e.g. lanolin from sheep or animal based glycerine, are laced with pesticides due to the storage of them in the animal’s fat tissue, due to their diet.
Many conventional personal care products contain petrochemical by-products such as mineral oil (baby oil), paraffin (wax) and petroleum jelly (Vaseline). These are mostly used as fillers, have no nutritional value and are contaminated with carcinogens.
One of the problems with toxic synthetic chemicals is weight gain, because the body stores toxins in the fat, away from the vital organs as a protective mechanism. Therefore the more exposure to toxic chemicals, the more fat is laid down, especially around the hips.
Other problems with synthetic chemical use are obvious such as immediate irritant reactions. The more sinister reactions are those that take time to develop such as the formation of cancer (carcinogenic), mutations (mutagenic), birth defects (teratogenic) and degenerative and auto-immune diseases.
ONEgroup products are certified organic; therefore they contain none of the concerns previously mentioned, have 100% beneficial ingredients and are full of cancer fighting and anti-ageing, anti-oxidants. They also have a unique, natural & organic preservative system to ensure shelf life of the products.
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