The majority of shampoos and other personal care products do not have their ingredients tested for safety before being sold. While it is unlikely that any one-time use of a body care product or cosmetic will cause any immediate harm, most of us use many products per day, such as shampoo, conditioner, make-up, facial cleanser, moisturizers, etc., and all these exposures most certainly will add up.

Did you know that pharmaceutical companies have investigated putting drugs into shampoos because the scalp is so thin that it readily absorbs substances that are put on it? Many other personal care products are put on our skin and stay there and are absorbed all day long, like moisturizers and lotions -- do you ever wonder about their safety?

According to the Environmental Working Group, in the United States, the FDA has banned or restricted nine (9) ingredients out of 1,175 that are used in personal care products. The European Union, in contrast, has banned 450 ingredients for use in cosmetics. Hmm, that makes me wonder about the long term safety of body care products in America, how about you?

Some further food for thought: Cancer rates are now approaching 1 in 2 American men and 1 in 3 American women -- this is up from 1 in 4 Americans in the 1950s despite huge expenditures on the "War on Cancer." A lot of us think that these rising cancer rates are at least in part due to our increasing exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, often in small amounts that accumulate in our bodies over time. These come from our food, our air and water, household furnishings and building materials, cleaning products and personal care products.

Commonly Used Chemicals in Personal Care Products That May Be Toxic:

Synthetic Fragrances

Artificial fragrances are derived in large part from petrochemicals, not flower essences or other herbal products as many imagine. These petrochemicals release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that often cause headaches, skin irritation, nausea and allergies. Some are carcinogenic, contain or release formaldehyde, or are toxic to the nervous system. Many artificial fragrances also contain phthalates, which are linked to birth defects in the male reproductive system.

Paraben Preservatives

The family of preservatives known as parabens has recently been identified as xenoestrogens which mimic the sex hormone estrogen. This can increase cancer rates, especially estrogen-related cancers like breast cancer. They are widely used in shampoos and cosmetics for adults as well as children, even in many so-called "natural" products.

DEA and MEA Foaming Agents

Diethanolamine (DEA) is often used as a foaming agent in shampoos in spite of a study that found a link between cancer and the DEA and other DEA-related ingredients. DEA can also lead to the formation of nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens. In response, many manufacturers switched to cocamide MEA or TEA. However, according to the FDA, cocomide MEA and TEA often contain DEA.

PEG or Polyethylene Glycol

Polyethylene glycol (PEG), is contained in many shampoos, lotions and other personal care products. However, a report in the International Journal of Toxicology found that PEG often includes many impurities, including ethylene oxide and 1,4-Dioxane. Ethylene oxide increases the risk of uterine, breast and other cancers. 1,4-Dioxane is a suspected human carcinogen. Testing has shown that significant levels of 1.4-dioxane is found in around 1/2 of all personal care products.

High Quality Natural Body Care Products

If you are serious about reducing the amount of chemicals you are exposed to on a day to day basis, you need to search out truly natural body care products that are free of the above mentioned chemicals, as well as other toxins and carcinogens. A good place to start is to go to a health food store -- either online or a physical store, and make sure and read all the ingredients on the labels. Many products that call themselves "natural" contain questionable ingredients like PEG or parabens that you will be absorbing on a daily basis.

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Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and has written numerous articles about nutrition, vitamins, healthy living, whole food supplements, natural body care and cleaning products, natural weight loss and more. More information and many truly natural, healthy and organic products including whole food supplements, virgin coconut oil, air and water filters and more can be found online at http://www.EcoViva.com

For more information on vitamins and what to look for in finding truly healthy whole food supplements, go to http://www.Healthy-Vitamins-Rx.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Pijuan

Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and has written numerous articles about nutrition, vitamins, healthy living, whole food supplements, natural body care and cleaning products, natural weight loss and more. More information and many truly natural, healthy and organic products including whole food supplements, virgin coconut oil, air and water filters and more can be found online at http://www.EcoViva.com

For more information on vitamins and what to look for in finding truly healthy whole food supplements, go to http://www.Healthy-Vitamins-Rx.com

By Karen Pijuan
December 03, 2008

Copyright 2008, Karen Pijuan. This article may be copied in its entirety if and only if all links remain intact, including those in the resource or about the author section.

Source: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Pijuan

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