How to Avoid Adding Harmful Chemicals to Your Beauty Routine

It’s often been said that beauty is pain, but that doesn’t mean that you have to add harmful chemicals to your routine that could have long-lasting effects.  Every year women find new ways to help enhance their beauty, and every year companies find new ways of sneaking chemicals that they claim to support your beauty routine but may be doing lasting damage.  If you’re concerned about what could be in your beauty routine that could be doing more harm than good, start reading your labels and avoiding the substances mentioned below.

Parabens
These products are traditionally used as a form of preservative and include an entire family of parabens that include ethylparabens, propylparabens, methparabens, and butylparabens.  What most people don’t know is that these substances, while excellent at preserving products, also can disrupt our delicate hormonal balance by mimicking estrogen in the body. With enough of these in our systems we can find our delicate fertility and reproductive systems suffering serious concerns.

Phthalates
It’s ok; we don’t know how to pronounce it either.  What we do know is that this substance is commonly used in products to help makes the plastics found in our beauty products more flexible.  The result is that these products have an easier time sticking to our skin. Unfortunately, Phthalates also are known to cause congenital disabilities and be endocrine disruptors, so you should definitely avoid them if you’re pregnant.  You should also ensure that products containing them never get used on children.

Fragrance
This one is a sneaky one, as most products contain something labeled “fragrance.”  What exactly goes into this substance varies from company to company, and the contents are protected as a trade secret, so companies don’t have to reveal what’s in them.  Typically speaking they’re an assortment of chemicals that can lead to hormone disruption and allergies, which is why many people are sensitive to strong fragrances.

BHA & BHT
This is another family of preservatives that are commonly used in cosmetics and health products to help products last longer on the shelves.  The problem is that these same products are known to be hormone disruptors and carcinogens that can also cause damage to the liver. Our liver works hard to protect our bodies from toxins, and if it becomes damaged, it can impact the functioning of every organ in our body.

Lead
It’s hard to believe, but lead is still a common ingredient in many cosmetics, even more, concerning when you realize that it’s been used in them for hundreds of years and has been known to be damaging for most of that time.  It’s a common ingredient in lipsticks, which is odd when you consider that it’s not allowed to be gasoline anymore due to its environmental and health hazards. Be sure to read your lipstick labels carefully to avoid this heavy metal that can cause learning problems and behavioral issues.

If you’re looking for healthy alternatives to these products and would like a little professional health, pick up the phone and contact Dr. Sam Olu Faleye to learn what kind of other options exist.  They’ve been helping patients maintain an effective and healthy beauty routine as a primary part of their practice, and would be proud to help you keep your natural allure for a lifetime.