Happy 2011!
Please join me in welcoming the new year and kicking the nasties out of our bathrooms!
Making informed decisions can be both exciting and frustrating - exciting because by choosing sustainable products we do a great thing for ourselves and for the environment (e.g. by opting for chemicals-free items and items containing less chemicals we reduce the carbon footprint of our shopping basket, we make sure that less waste goes into the environment and well... your body will thank you for not letting more toxins in). Why frustrating? Because when we actually stand in front of the shelves containing dozens of products we simply don't know where to start...
While issues like labeling and misleading information are highly important, let's not talk about politics now and try to focus on actual labels-reading. I am also not a scientist, so I am not going into scientific explanation of elements.
So, what do you think - is going natural as simple as buying the cream that says Natural? Or choosing shampoo that claims it's made with Pure Essential Oils? Or getting that "Herbal" shower gel? Not too fast... First of all - read the back label as claims you see written in big letters might not mean much... When you get onto the ingredients list (which might look very long and very "scientific" at first) there are few very important things you need to look for. Let's start with Sodium Laureth Sulphate and Paraben.
Sodium laureth sulphate (SLS).
How to spot?
Go to you bathroom and you'll see "Sodium laureth sulphate" written in the beginning of ingredients list on most of the "foamy" products - shampoos, soaps, shower gels even the toothpaste, detergents.
Why?
Its main role is to make foam, I'd say "synthetic foam" as natural products can be produced without SLS and have a nice bubbly foam. It's quite inexpensive and widely used in the great majority of products.
Why is it bad?
It's a very harsh chemical, that can irritate skin, eyes and hair. As studies show in the long term it can be linked to serious diseases like cancer. You might wonder how long is that "long term", but just imagine how many times you washed your hair with SLS-loaded shampoo last year, scrubbed your body with that "SLS-shower gel", washed your dishes with super-foamy detergent, etc... And by the way, many of those tests were performed on animals - another argument against using products containing SLS...
Is there an alternative?
Yes! Use SLS-free products! To know for sure - read your labels.
Paraben
How to spot?
Paraben has many cousins - Butylparaban, ethylparaben, methylparaben and other, key combination is "-paraben". Today it is the most used and available preservative, so chances that your beauty products contain paraben are quite high. It can be found in items that contain water (or "aqua" as it might be written on ingredients list) - moisturizers, shampoos, etc
Why?
If a product contain water and is intended to have a long life it needs to be preserved to avoid bacterial growth. Just imagine leaving your soup on the counter for a few days and you'll get an idea of what I am talking about.
Why is it bad?
Parabens are the most widely used preservatives, they've been on the market for a long time and the truth is that they do what they are supposed to do. However similarly to SLS, parabens have a controvertial reputation. They can be harsh and nasty on skin, especially in the amounts they are used in the commercially produced beauty products. If you google "paraben" you'll get all sorts of contradictory information - some claim that parabens are currently the best available preservatives; others say that paraben have been linked to serious diseases including breast cancer. It's only fair to add that those claims have not been proved or disproved.
Is there an alternative?
Yes!
First, if you are choosing paraben-free but water-based products, keep in mind couple of things:
- if it's a trully natural product without preservatives it has a shorter shelf life, so you need to make sure you are using it as fresh as possible and follow sellers usage recommendations
- check for other nasty preservatives ("no parabens" does not equal "no chemicals") - popular ones are Phenoxyethanol and Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate...
Second, you can switch to the waterless alternatives - use soap instead of shower gel, oil and butter-based lotions and moisturizers, solid deodorants, etc. Generally oils do not need to be preserved, but as usual - always consult the labels to make sure threre is no paraben in your soap bar.
Hope this information was useful! We'll be back with more soon.
