Beauty industry appeals to our most innate desires – to look healthy, rich and attractive. No matter what it takes. How many times were you told that a cosmetic product will make you “appear younger” or your skin “look healthier”? Most often, nothing happened except for a brief cosmetic effect – potato starches tightened your skin, harsh solvents temporarily cleared up your pores, silicones made your hair shiny and limp. Aside from deceptive advertising and not quite scientific laboratory tests, these claims cover the ugly truth. Many cosmetic products “multitask” by improving a minor cosmetic problem – say, a shiny t-zone – while worsening the overall condition of your skin.
Green Beauty Recipes: Easy Homemade Recipes to Make Your Own Natural and Organic Skincare, Hair Care, and Body Care ProductsLearn how to make your own beauty products at home using only natural ingredients. After reading this book, you will be able to create your own creams, lotions, cleansers, toners, masks, hair treatments, sun protection and baby care products.Current edition is an updated and slightly revised version of the 2010 book.
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Inevitable evil of body washes and facial cleansers, sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) and its relatives aggravate dermatitis, acne, eczema, and psoriasis as they wick the moisture from the top layer of the skin. They can also damage eye tissue and promote scalp dryness and flaking.
Paraffin, a.k.a. mineral oil and petrolatum, clogs pores and covers the skin with airtight film thus messing up natural processes of skin perspiration and toxin removal from skin cells. This causes skin cells to shed abnormally which results in worsening of acne, eczema and dry skin. Petrolatum also slows down skin function and cell development which speeds up premature skin aging.
Propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are known to trigger allergic dermatitis. Present in great many moisturisers, tooth pastes, shaving foams and baby lotions, these solvents boost the penetration of cosmetic ingredients into skin, making it even more vulnerable to toxic and bacterial attacks from outside.
Polypropylene, the allegedly non-toxic plastic used in powders, eye shadows, foundations, eyeliners, mascara, cleansing cold creams and pads, often contains potentially toxic UV-absorbers, whiteners and antioxidants such as phenols and phosphites, coumarins, benzoxazoles, and heavy metals.
Bronopol causes allergic contact dermatitis. Sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, is used to adjust pH in moisturisers and lotions for sensitive skin. It may actually increase skin’s sensitivity to other chemicals.
Isopropyl alcohol, which is made of water and petroleum-derived gas propylene, is a popular ingredient in skincare for oily skin. It’s about twice as toxic as ethanol, grain alcohol and another popular solvent used in toners, makeup removers, and antibacterial wipes. Both work by stripping your skin’s natural acid mantle (which causes oily shine), making skin more vulnerable to UV rays and bacteria. Frequent use may result in brown spots and premature aging. Another relative, isopropyl palmitate, a fatty acid from palm oil combined with alcohol, is often used in moisturisers. It’s a known skin irritant and a comedogenic substance that promotes acne.
Popular shampoo ingredients called cationic surfactants (stearalkonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride and cetalkonium chloride) cause the hair to become dry and brittle.
Triethanolamine (TEA) and diethanolamine (DEA) cause allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin, and could be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time.
Lipsticks that are made of synthetic wax and coal tar dyes may cause an irritation of the lips called cheilitis. Lipstick is ingested when it comes into contact with food that touches the lips. Over a lifetime, that adds up to a great deal of toxic eating.
Preservatives such as parabens and diazolidinyl urea are strong irritants and may causes burning, stinging, eye irritation, and painful blisters. Even most conservatively-minded dermatologists recommend people with sensitive skin to avoid using products that contain parabens. Another group of preservatives Quaternium-7, 15, 31 are also known to cause skin rashes and allergic reactions.
