Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Personal Hygiene - Lotions / Creams

We all use lotion whether it is for chapped skin, sun tanning, a baby's skin, or for a massage.  Lotion contains a variety of different moisturizers and oils that soften and hold in moisture.  Some of them are good for your skin, and others are not so good... and some are completely toxic.  Remember from our previous discussions - your skin is your largest organ - it protects all the rest of your body in a way that nothing else can - if you can't eat it or if it is toxic to ingest - DO NOT USE!

We will start with baby lotion.  We all think that baby products are made with the gentlest of ingredients - that they should be the safest in the industry.  That isn't always true.  Phthalates is in many baby products.  It has been banned in California due to the carcinogenic effects on infants.  And the scary part - it doesn't have to be included in the ingredients listed on the label!!

Recommended Reading - http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1108938
More recommended Reading: http://antiagingchoices.com/infant_children/baby_wipes_and_lotion_dangers.htm

Recommended Site - This is one of my favorite sites.  It is a database on chemical composition of products and how toxic they are on a scale of 0 - 10.  http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?maincat=babycare&nothanks=1

Hand Sanitizers / Antibacterial Lotions. I want to talk about hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial lotions before we discuss the dangers in skin lotions.  Hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial products initially provide the desired effects, but they also create super bugs that are immune from the drugs we have used to kill them for years.  Now we have MRSA which is one of the deadliest and fastest growing - UNCONTROLLABLE staff infections there is.  MRSA is widely known to live in hospitals and nursing homes due to the high usage of hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial agents rather than good old soap and water.  Cleaning with bleaches and complex chemicals instead of with hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. 

Hand / Lotions. Many chemicals cross the personal hygiene platform - shampoos, conditioners, makeup, hand soap, etc... Methylparaben is one of them that we discussed in the shampoo segment.  Parabens create an environments where cancers and other diseases thrive. Perfumes (discussed in yesterday's post) can create sensitivities or even allergies to certain lotions and creams.  Petroleum and alcohol products are not toxic but are dangerous - they have unwanted effects (drying, chapping) and when was the last time you drank gas?  Petroleum is an oil based product in gasoline... yuck!  I don't want that on my skin, absorbed into my body, or anything else.  There are plenty of organic lotions out there that will really help your skin, just remember to read and research your labels.

Suntan Lotion.  This is another of my soap boxes... I will try not to hop on and stay for too long.  Simply put, suntan lotion with SPF protection is a CARCINOGENIC.  Your potential for getting skin cancer dramatically rises with the use of suntan lotion and any skin products with SPF protection.  As a society we are always in a rush - to get here, to get there, to do something faster.. but good old fashioned time is the best for you when it comes to skin protection.  Don't spend too much time the first couple times in the sun after a long winter.  You need to slowly build a base so that your skin can tolerate time in the sun.  Your skin needs sunshine to produce vitamin D.  You need sunshine to stimulate your brain.  On the flip side, too much sun will cause your skin to dry up and age substantially faster than it should - I have seen women that have been in the sun so much that their skin looks and feels like leather - hmm... cooking a turkey in the oven?  That is the picture I get in my head.

Recommended reading: http://www.mychildcareguide.com/blog/?p=107

Here are some good sites with recipes for making your own lotions: http://naturalnailcarerecipes.homestead.com/handcream.html
This one is good but make sure you read up on your base oils - it is VERY Important that you use good safe oils that are good for your skin and body: http://montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/2007/08/make-your-own-hand-lotion.html
And another good one with a variety of types: http://www.rachelssupply.com/bwax.htm

Blessings... E

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