What’s lurking in your beauty cupboard?

Written By Deborah Meyer

Do you know what toxins are lurking in your beauty products?

On their Skindeep database site, Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that there are over 10,000 chemical ingredients used in health and beauty products. Some of these are known carcinogens, toxins or endocrine disruptors. And the U.S. government has no requirements for testing these ingredients or verifying claims made by manufacturers.

What does this mean for you? More likely than not, you are being exposed every day to dangerous chemicals in your beauty routine.

One category of hidden chemicals are endocrine disruptors. These chemicals (both natural and manmade) can interfere with the proper function of the endocrine system by mimicking or interfering with the body’s hormones. Hormones are the chemical messengers in our body that help regulate everything from metabolism to sexual function.

Endocrine disruptors commonly found in health and beauty products include:

  • Phthalates - Used as solvents and stabilizers in fragrances and found in hair sprays, nail polishes, shampoos and cleansers. 

  • Parabens - Used as preservatives. Found in makeup, moisturizers, hair and shaving products

  • Dioxins - Chemical byproducts of manufacturing processes. Can be found in tampons and pads.

Even small amounts of these chemicals build up in our bodies with repeated exposure and can interfere with hormone function, increasing chances of obesity, diabetes, infertility and cancers. 

What can you do?

Visit EWG’s Skindeep database at https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/  to search beauty products, see ratings, and learn more about the chemicals in your cosmetics.

Even better; Be sure you know EXACTLY what is going in your products by making them yourselves.

Here is my favorite recipe for body lotion. It has no nasty chemicals and makes your skin incredibly soft.

Ingredients:

  • 584g distilled water or combo of distilled water and pure aloe gel

  • 16g vegetable glycerin

  • 56g emulsifying wax

  • 56g shea or cocoa butter (I use a mixture of both)

  • 88g liquid oil like olive or avocado

  • 16g Vitamin E oil

  • Essential oil (optional)

Directions:

  • Sterilize all your containers and utensils with alcohol or boiling water prior to beginning.

  • Combine water and glycerin in a glass container and heat gently to about 100 degrees. I use a double boiler for this.
    Combine emulsifying wax, shea/cocoa butter and liquid oil in a metal pan and melt over low heat and cool to around 100 degrees.
    When both mixtures are approximately 100 degrees, combine them (the mixture will turn opaque) and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk every 10 minutes or so until it has cooled.

  • Stir in Vitamin E oil and essential oils as desired.

  • Place in sterilized containers of choice and enjoy.

Because this contains no preservatives, any lotion that won’t be used in the next 4 weeks should be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

I get my ingredients from a wonderful company called Mountain Rose Herbs. You can find them at https://mountainroseherbs.com 

Resources:

Deborah Meyer
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