If you purchase your cleaning and personal care products from the local or chain department or drug store and don’t pay attention to the ingredients label and what each item is and what those individual and mixed items can do to your body, chances are, you have a toxic home. Although your body is incredible at “taking out the trash.” extended exposure to these toxins will build up in your body and can negatively impact your physical health, mental health, fertility, and even child development.
Through this series of posts, I hope to take out the overwhelming factor in identifying toxins and removing them from your home by outlining one room at a time where you can find toxic products and natural, yet effective, alternative options.
Have you ever wondered about what is in the products you use everyday to clean your home or clean your body?
How many different chemicals are you exposed to every day?
Have you ever watched drug commercials on TV and cringed over their side effects? Ever pay enough attention to recognize the those same medications are now the same ones in the lawsuit commercials?
Did you know your diet can play a HUGE role in preventing and even overcoming illness and disease?
We spent so much time and effort reading and obsessing over food labels, that I was a bit shocked when I found out what all is in our personal care and cleaning products. SHOCKED.
I always assumed with the prevalence of the FDA and FTC needing to approve seemingly everything that we wouldn’t need to be concerned about our shampoo or makeup. I was WRONG.
Federal law spans a whopping 1.5 pages of regulation pertaining to the cosmetic industry. (There are hundreds upon hundreds of pages regulating food, and even more regulating medications.)
How many chemicals could there possibly be?
Since World War II there have been over 85,000 new chemicals registered for industrial use, 10,500 of those are used in everyday cosmetics. Only 20% of those have actually been tested for safety (not proven safe… only TESTED for safety data).
Isn’t my skin supposed to protect me?
While, yes, your skin does protect you from things like dirt… it is also the largest organ in your body that does act like a sponge.
26 seconds is all it takes for the small particles (like the ingredients in your lotion) to be absorbed into your skin and enter into your bloodstream. 26 Seconds.
Your skin is great at protecting the rest of your body from larger debris. However, your skin is also you body’s largest organ and is porous. It absorbs anything small enough that touches. Lotions, soaps, liquids, solids… if its small enough, it will be absorbed.
What happens after those harmful chemicals are absorbed?
They enter your bloodstream and are filtered by your kidneys and liver. Why is this important? Because many health ailments can be attributed to a congested liver.
Do you know what is in your personal care products? Do yo know what those ingredients can do to your body? What ailments they may cause?
It’s a sad day when we have to be concerned about corporations legally misleading and poisoning us in the name of profits. But with some due diligence, you can maneuver your spending around their selfishness to take care of you and your family.
Top 10 Toxic Ingredients in Common Household Products
The top 10 toxic ingredients found in common personal care products, such as shampoo and conditioner, makeup, deodorant/antiperspirants, lotions, soaps… etc:
- Parabens
- Fragrance (or Parfum)
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- Phthalates
- Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
- Formaldehyde
- Diethanolamine
- Triclosan
- Benzoyl Peroxide
- Artificial Dyes and Colors
I challenge you to look at some of the product labels in your home and learn what’s in them. If you see an ingredient you don’t recognize or know what it is, please look it up and see how it can impact your health. The next post in this series is all about what you are likely to find hiding in your kitchen cleaning products, and how it can impact your health.
Are you ready to take on the challenge to remove the avoidable harmful chemicals from your home? Don’t miss our Healthy Home, Happy Life online course!
A Note From Nicole
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Nicole
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Looking for more info about adopting a healthier lifestyle? Check out our online courses or my home business opportunity centered around maximizing your physical and mental health.
Nicole is a military-trained research analyst, homeschooling mom, healthy lifestyle coach, flexible business consultant, and writer for MotherhoodTruth.com and GracefullyAbundant.com. After living through and overcoming a season of homelessness and chronic health, Nicole developed a passion for helping others develop healthier habits using functional nutrition, herbalism, and renewing faith.
