Monday, August 25, 2008

Chemicals to be aware of.

I decided to start adding a chemical a month to our blog. Chemicals that you as a consumer should be aware of if you are concerned about staying healthy. The chemicals we will list are ones found in everyday products that people use. Cleaning, Laundry, Cosmetics, Bath and Body Products are packed with chemicals that can cause an array of aliments.

The first one we will discuss is SLS this is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. This is commonly used in shampoos, bubble bath, shower gels, and shampoos. This ingredient is potentially harmful to skin and hair. Studies have shown that exposure to SLS can lead to many physical reactions such as coughing, wheezing, headaches, hair loss, skin rashes, and many other uncomfortable reactions. The Material Safety Sheet for SLS indicates that SLS penetrates into eyes, brain, and liver. It can degenerate cell membranes and damage your immune system.
This is just a tidbit of information on this chemical. SLS can be found in hundreds of products.

Many people may not associate their chronic headaches, dermatitis, wheezing etc to the use of SLS. If you experience these symptoms you may want to eliminate this chemical from your daily use and see if you experience a change in how your feeling. Its been said that the average person will encounter over 100 toxins a day. This alone should be of concern. It just boggles my mind to think that so many people are unaware of this fact.

Just because we purchase our cleaning products, moisturizers, shampoos off the shelf of our local supermarkets, and department stores does not mean they are a healthy and safe choice. Please check out the ewg at http://www.ewg.org for information on the toxicity of ingredients used in our daily lives. This is a terrific resource for you to look up the products or ingredients of items you use. Take a look and start changing the way you feed your skin you may just find you feel and look better than you ever have!
Peace,
Shelly