Living healthier is not a fad, it’s a trend that will continue to expand our knowledge and take a front seat in our quest to improve the quality of our lives. We’ve come to understand that our world has evolved into a chemical wonderland.
Why have we been brainwashed to believe that chemical laden products are so good for us? Because the “beauty” industry has conned us into thinking that the only way to get rid of wrinkles is buy their $150 bottle of ingredients we can’t pronounce, and we really have no idea if they’re hurting us.
Every year we learn of another chemical or non natural additive in our cosmetics or our food supply and we wonder why cancer rates are so high.
So let’s focus on the skin, because what we put on our body is just as important as what we put in our body. We all know from anatomy 101 that our skin is our largest organ and it is porous, it absorbs nearly everything we put on it.
Studies have been conducted on the skin’s absorption rate, one such study published in the American Journal of Public Health measured the skin’s absorption rate of chemicals found in drinking water to be an average of 64% of the total contaminants found in the water.(1)
Additional studies found the face to be several times more permeable than nearly all other bodily surfaces. Surprisingly the skin on underarms and genitalia had an absorption rate of 100%.(2) Other peer-reviewed studies showed 100% absorption for synthetic fragrance ingredients.(3)
It’s pretty clear that most of what we put on our skin ends up in our bodies. So your skin care products should be front and center in reducing the quantity of bad players that enter your system. Products that contain harmful ingredients make their way into your body, your blood and lymphatic system. Most mainstream skin care products contain a plethora of allergens, non-natural preservatives, carcinogenic chemicals, and irritants.
Reading your skin care labels might be a lesson in mumbo jumbo - take, for instance, Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion:
Ingredients straight from the container: ACTIVE INGREDIENT: ETHYLHEXYL P-METHOXYCINNAMATE (SPF 5). OTHER INGREDIENTS: WATER, GLYCERIN, STEARIC ACID, GLYCOL STEARATE, SUNFLOWER SEED OIL, SOYA STEROL, LECITHIN, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, RETINYL PALMITATE, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, CETYL ALCOHOL, TEA, MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, FRAGRANCE, DMDM HYDANTOIN, STEARAMIDE AMP, CARBOMER, CORN OIL, METHYLPARABEN, DISODIUM EDTA, IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, PG, BHT, YELLOW NO. 10.
Maybe if you can’t pronounce it you shouldn’t put it on your skin. Dyes, preservative, synthetic fragrances, petroleum derivatives have many names. Examples of all too common ingredients to watch out for are Olefin Sulfonate, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Potassium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Luaroyl Sarcosinate, Parabens, Sulfates, and Phenoxyethanol.
Choosing natural and organic skin care products can lead to a healthier lifestyle. Wild Oasis Naturals has a fabulous line of organic tallow based skin products. And, guess what? You can pronounce the entire list of ingredients. Not only that, we believe in transparency. Each ingredient list on our site details what it does for your skin, so you know exactly what it is and why we’ve included it.
Our product list continues to grow - so make sure you get on our list. We love our subscribers and they get first dibs on our new products and great deals!
Citations:
Brown et al. The role of skin absorption as a route of exposure for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. Am J Public Health. 1984 May; 74(5): 479–484.
Kasting and Kretsos.Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2005;18:55-74
Robinson et al. The Importance of Exposure Estimation in the Assessment of Skin Sensitization risk. Contact Dermatitis 2000; 42:251-259.
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