Toxic Beauty

It all started with vanity: I hadn’t meant to change my purchasing practices or become a “label-reader,” that’s just how it turned out.

One day I decided that I wanted to have my dream hair: long, full, and healthily growing out of my own scalp. I did some research and joined an online community of women interested in growing longer and healthier hair. Naturally, much of the discussion on these forums is about the various products and concoctions that have worked or not worked on each person’s “hair journey.”

There was always a new ingredient to look for, or rather look out for, and soon a list of products containing said ingredient would be compiled. Soon I began to notice that women were looking for “paraben free” products. Not knowing what a paraben was, but assuming it couldn’t be good, I did a quick Google search and found that parabens are cheap preservatives used in cosmetics and personal care products, and that exposure to its various forms have been linked to breast cancer. Taking a look at the commercial hair products I already owned, not a single one was free of parabens.

The search for “sulfate free” shampoos was another common source of discussion on the hair boards. Sulfates, such as the popular sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), and ammonium laureth sulfate, are detergents: they create that satisfying foam and lather you get when you brush your teeth, use soap, do laundry, or wash your hair.

Most disturbing, the power of SLS as a detergent is so strong that it is also used as an engine degreaser. In addition to being very harsh, drying, and sometimes irritating to the hair and skin, sulfates have been linked to some pretty scary health effects.

SLS is in a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors, which are chemicals that mimic the activity of sex hormones, such as estrogen. These chemicals interfere with the sex hormones in your body and are associated with male and female infertility, male sex organ abnormalities, early onset of puberty in females, and increased rates of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

Of course, it doesn’t stop there.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Inna G.

10:14PM PDT on Jul 25, 2011

I finally found face care that is 100% toxic free 100% natural 100% results in wrinkle reduction and is actually good for you because what we put on our sin gets absorbed in our blood stream www.myhavvn.com/glad

send a green star

Fleur B.

12:08PM PST on Feb 5, 2011

visit this link
https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/Fleur
Organic Award Winning, safe to use, you can even ask the experts, detailed on the bottom of the link page. Download a catalogue and view all the information. I feel so happy with these products. I have learned of other lipstick containing lead..... we should be more aware and take a look at what we use.

Beng Kiat L.

1:26AM PDT on Jun 22, 2010

Thanks

Stefani A.

5:32PM PDT on Jun 18, 2010

thanks

Josï¿½ M.

3:46AM PDT on Jun 12, 2010

I don´t know that simple things can produce even cancer

Guifang R.

6:52AM PDT on Apr 27, 2010

thnx!

Past Member .

12:17AM PDT on Apr 16, 2010

It makes people feel better to believe this, because they think it would make my opinion less credible If it is less credible, than people can close their eyes and ears and do not have to face the truth.
usb flash drive

Maira S.

1:36PM PDT on Mar 27, 2010

Merci!

Linda M.

11:22PM PDT on Mar 26, 2010