Finding a truly organic natural body care product can be tough. The manufacturers are not required to prove that the ingredients are naturally occurring and if they are, they are not required to prove that the farmer avoided the use of herbicides or pesticides. Since they are not foods, the applicable regulations are quite different from those required for organic foodstuff.

The better manufacturers have websites. They walk you through the manufacturing processes and explain why their products are better than others. You have to pay more for organics. You should understand why you are paying extra.

The manufacture should test the raw ingredients for contaminants and purchase them from a reliable farmer. The final batches should be tested to insure that no contamination occurred during processing and that's a step in which most companies are lacking.

Recently, the state of California was made aware of testing conducted in part by a group of public safety advocates. The group was concerned that an organic natural body care product containing ethylene oxide might also contain dioxane, a substance that is listed in California as a known human carcinogen. Dioxane sometimes forms when ethylene oxide is used to emulsify ingredients.

Other health organizations list the substance as a "probable" human carcinogen. There's a problem with that listing. To some health organizations, a substance can only be listed as a "known" human carcinogen if there were studies involving human subjects. Other than observational studies, which include groups that are and those that are not exposed to a substance like chlorine, there is no way to conduct a study proving that something causes cancer in humans. It would be unethical.

But, substances that cause cancer in laboratory animals are likely to be cancerous in humans. Many factors come into play, of course, including genetics. But, when it comes to dioxane, there is no doubt that it is at the very list a toxin and an organic natural body care product should not be contaminated with it.

Four different cleansing products were found to be contaminated with high levels of dioxane. When the manufacturers were notified, only one of them said that they would make efforts to correct the problem. None of the four were aware that dioxane contamination was a problem and the state did not force a recall. They are likely to be fined and may need to correct the problem or else label the package as cancer-causing, but the cleansers are still on the market.

The best organic natural body care product is designed for use after cleansing. It contains ingredients that are moisturizing, nourishing and counter the signs of aging. It contains natural antibacterial agents that help prevent infection and stimulate the immune system.

If you are not using a moisturizer after you shower, you should start. Just make sure that you buy it from a reliable manufacturer. I wouldn't say that the well-known brands are reliable. Hopefully, the information in this article gave you something to think about, but there is always more to learn about choosing an organic natural body care product.

By Dr. Valerie Rosenbaum
January 03, 2009

Dr. Valerie Rosenbaum is a board certified dermatologist who has done extensive research on the way many chemicals used in skin care products do more harm than good. If you have fine lines, wrinkles or damaged skin then visit her website http://www.DefendYourSkin.com to find out which skin care products she uses and recommends.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Valerie_Rosenbaum

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