An owner of a natural beauty line once said, “You should never put anything on your body that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.” The long list of ingredients on personal care products can be confusing. If you have a question about a particular one, try consulting “The Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients” by Ruth Winter, MS for more clarity on healthy living for your personal care products.
What Can You Do to Improve the Healthy Living Impact of Your Personal Care Products?
This tip is for every member of the family—not just women for beauty products and makeup. Improving the health of your personal care products includes everything from the soap and shampoo we use to the basic medical care products we keep in our bathroom cabinets.
According to an article on toxins in beauty products, “The beauty and personal care industry are virtually unregulated, and therefore are allowed to use untested chemicals in their products. Of over 80,000 chemicals available today, only a handful are banned in consumer products. Because of this, we’ve got hormone disrupting ingredients in skin care, cosmetics containing lead and other heavy metals, carcinogens in shampoos, and many more harmful chemicals in products we use on our bodies every day.”
Try these Improvements for Improvements with Healthy Living in Personal Care
- Take an inventory of all the personal care products in your home including toothpaste, shampoo, face wash , soap, moisturizer, deodorant, etc. Be on the lookout for products with artificial preservatives or chemicals.
- Buy all natural products without artificial preservatives or chemicals. For example, choose a deodorant that doesn’t contain aluminum chlorohydrate.
- Switch your toothpaste to one that doesn’t contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a detergent that can also be a skin and mouth irritant.
- Go to Natural Remedies and Treatments for the latest home remedies for a variety of ailments. Badger also makes many natural remedies.
- Remember, using an SLS Free Shampoo is safe for your family and the environment.
- Read the Ingredients-If you can’t pronounce it, consider putting it back
- Search for Certifications-If the product had to be third-party certified, they must have met higher standards of qualifications
- Honor the Hazard Label-A group called EWG (Environmental Working Group) gives labels assessing the health hazard of most products.
By using chemical free products, you can help assure that your family is safe from toxic chemicals.
By David M. Spitz DC
Dr David M. Spitz is the founder and clinic director of the Chiropractic Health Center of Bristol, located in Bristol, CT. Since 1982, he has treated thousands of patients for various conditions ranging from neck and back pain, to migraine headaches. He specializes in treating patients who have suffered whiplash injuries and/or back injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
Dr Spitz was a volunteer EMT-I and a lieutenant for several years at the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department. He has lectured throughout CT on various topics including, chiropractic, stress management, headaches and preventing back injury in the workplace.
