It’s nearly impossible to avoid everything that is bad for you ALL of the time. Often times there are ingredients in the food we eat or the products we use that we would never know were even there or that they are not great for our health.
Here are a few things that you may not know about that you may encounter in your daily life. Some of these ingredients are irritants, carcinogens or have other negative impacts on your body or well being, both immediate and long term.
- Synthetic Fragrance: Due to trade secrets, companies do not have to disclose what ingredients are being used in the fragrance.
- Parabens: Used as a preservative. Look for ingredients with parabens, or benzoic acid or propyl ester.
- Phthalates: Used as a preservative. Avoid products with diethylhexyl phthalate, dibutyl palate, dimethyl phthalate, or diethyl phthalate.
- I, 4-Dioxane, Ethylated Surfactants: Stay away from ingredients that contain the letters “eth” and “PEG”.
- Proplyne Glycol: A petroleum based chemical that is found in baby wipes and is used to absorb liquids and maintain moisture levels.
- Mineral Oil: A cheap byproduct of petroleum processing and acts as a barrier on the skin, not allowing the skin to breathe or release toxins.
- Triclosan: Anything that is labeled as ‘antibacterial’ likely contains triclosan, which is an endocrine disruptor and harmful to the environment.
- Bisphonel-A (BPA): A hormone disrupting chemical that can cause damage to the brain, reproductive system, heart and liver.
- SLS & SLES: Commonly found in personal care products and are what cause those synthetically made products to foam.
- Talc: A powdered mineral added to baby powders as a drying agent, but is known as a lung irritant and may be carcinogenic.
We all do the best we can to protect ourselves and prevent health issues, and you should always rely upon your own research. Having a little extra information to consider can’t hurt!