We already know that “we are what we eat”, and that eating natural and organic food is healthier for us and keeps toxic chemicals like pesticides out of our bodies. What we may not know however is that toxins are sometimes more lethal when entered through the skin, because they go directly into our bloodstream.
The skin is the largest organ in our body, and absorbs 64% of what we put on it. Cleansers, masks, creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, are all things we use daily, sometimes several times a day, and are absorbed into our bodies. What is really concerning about this is that cosmetics and skin care products are not as rigorously tested as food and prescription drugs, and often times contain ingredients that not only may cause the skin to have a dependency on chemicals, long term irritations and sensitivity, but are also harmful for our bodies and may lead to serious health risks such as Cancer and birth defects in babies.
For women in particular, going ‘green’ with personal products is extremely important, especially when it comes to deodorants, make-up and body lotions that remain on the skin. Synthetic chemicals commonly found in most skin, hair, and body products such as Polyethylene Glycol (PPG or PEG) as well as Diazolidinyl Urea have been known to mutagenic properties and increase the risk of leukemia, uterine, breast and brain cancer for several years now. Academic studies have also found other toxic ingredients such as Phthalates found in most hair sprays and perfumes, in addition to Parabens found in deodorants and skin products, to cause birth defects and reproductive abnormalities in children exposed to these chemicals both in the womb and after birth. Even when it comes to make-up, one cannot be too careful. Most lipsticks contain petroleum waxes, toxic coal tar dyes and other animal fats and according to a study from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a woman on average will have over 5 lbs of indigestible lipstick by-product in her stomach and women who use lipstick three times a week are 40% more likely to develop lupus in addition to some form of cancer in the course of her lifetime.
For men, going ‘green’ with personal products is extremely important, especially with that age-old problem of hair loss and with shaving products. Nearly all of mainstream hair shampoos use the chemical Sodium Laureth Sulfate to increase the foamy appearance of shampoo when you wash your hair. What most people don’t know however is that Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the same ingredient used in industrial cleaners to clean floors and is extremely harsh on the scalp and hair follicle, ultimately causing hair loss and damage to hair. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is also used in most shaving products and face cleansers and tends to strip the skin of it’s natural oils, leaving dry skin more prone to wrinkles, and oily skin oilier as sebaceous glands overproduce oil to compensate for the dryness. Similarly, the synthetic ingredient Petrolatum, a derivative of Petroleum, also used in most body lotions and lip balms and actually dries out the skin and lips, despite giving the temporary illusion of moisture, causing the user to use more product more frequently without the results they were looking for. Other ingredients such as Polyethylene Glycol (PPG or PEG) as well as Diazolidinyl Urea used in most body lotions and skin care products, are highly toxic and have been known to mutagenic properties and increase the risk of leukemia, uterine, breast and brain cancer for several years now.
So what can we do? Do we have to choose between looking good and feeling good? Absolutely not. Today’s top natural and organic skin care brands such as Osea, Red Flower, VitaMan, and Kimia all use high quality ingredients full of anti-oxidants that are actually much more effective than the synthetic ingredients used in mainstream luxury brands. Best of all, because the ingredients are not as harsh and abrasive as synthetic chemicals, your skin will not become dependent or immune to the benefits of organic skin care in the long term as you may find with non-organic products.
One of the biggest secrets in the “Green” world however is that not all ‘natural’ products are non-toxic. Many pseudo natural products contain the exact same toxic chemicals as mainstream products, but only add in one or two ‘natural’ ingredients to market themselves to consumers as a green product. That’s why Kaia House recommends reading the ingredient labels on every product you purchase regardless of how ‘natural’ the label or store claims the product to be. Kaia House was actually founded on the idea that while having natural and organic ingredients is important, the idea is to be Non-Toxic.
Organic skin care is not just a passing trend, besides being the best thing for our looks, it’s a necessity for our health, the one thing in this fast paced world that we just cannot risk.
