Skin Care Chemical Based or Organic Products?

by Jemma Rivera

Exposing your skin to chemicals is not only hazardous but unnecessary. Many people in the construction business found that their livers were damaged when they handled lumber that had been treated. Of course, the wood was not consumed, the workers only touched it. This prolonged and repeated action of touching the lumber that was coated with arsenic played havoc with their bodies. Your body's largest organ is your skin. Knowing this we have to ask ourselves this question - "Are we really safe when we repeatedly use chemical based skin care products?"

Eye makeup has mercury added to it at a rate of up to 65 parts per million. Repeatedly we hear on TV that there is mercury in canned fish and pregnant women should limit their intake of fish. However no one ever mentions anything about the effect that mercury in eye makeup may have. This deadly metal is absorbed easily through the skin and accumulates in the body.

Bronopol, often found in mascara, is another chemical to avoid if possible. This skin irritant has a history of causing blindness and eventually death in lab animals. Whilst an extremely high concentration is required for this to occur, consider a woman that uses the same brand of mascara for decades.

One chemical that is found in many different lotions and hair care products is formaldehyde. Ingredients such as imidazolidinyl urea and DMDM hydantoin are known to irritate the respiratory system, can lead to skin reactions, asthma, allergies and have even been known to trigger heart palpitations.

When you have been exposed to formaldehyde you can experience such side effects as immune dysfunction, headaches, dizziness, chest pain and even cancer. Be careful about trade names that contain aminoform, formid and uritone. You should also be concerned about others, but this is a good start.

Other chemicals absorbed by the skin include coal tar derivatives. Ingredients such as 1-Naphthol and 2-Naphthol are named in this group. If these ingredients are ingested orally, only 2 teaspoonfuls are fatal.

Ingredients like vitamin C and E are often added to makeup to block the toxic effects of nitrosamines in the form of lauryl sarcosine, monethanolamine (MEA), cocoyl sarcosine, diethandamne (DEA) and laureth sulphate. When you buy makeup that touts the addition of these vitamins, read the rest of the ingredients. Instead of providing something extra these vitamins may be blocking carcinogenic substances the product contains.

Often makeup contains ingredients that act as oil emulsifiers, moisture retainers and solvents. These same ingredients also go into antifreeze and brake fluid. Propylene glycol is one of them. Because of its toxicity the EPA requires workers to wear skin protection when working with this product and Safety Data Sheets warn that absorption through the skin can cause abnormalities in the liver, brain and kidney. Despite this it remains an ingredient in makeup and some stick deodorants.

Cosmetics, skin care products and lotions are applied on a daily basis. Before purchasing a product, wisely read the ingredients on the label. The parts per million of certain toxic ingredients may be very small, but if you use a product over many years, there will be a slow and steady build-up in your body. Mysterious illnesses can often be traced back to something that a patient thought had no consequences. One good option is to go organic. This would be the kindest thing you could ever do not only for your skin, which is the largest organ of your body, but for all your other body organs too. Be sure that you begin to monitor what you put on your skin before you apply it.

About the Author:

About the author: Jemma Rivera offers more on the benefits of organic hair care on her website where you can discover details on the quality, all-natural alternatives on offer at miessence.