Safe Cosmetics May Save 
Your Sensitive Skin!

What are safe cosmetics, and how can they help your sensitive skin? Here you will learn about the daily exposure that your skin faces each day, to environmental pollution, household chemicals and even your toothpaste and skin care products!

Did you know that most of the personal care products and cosmetics that you use on a daily basis are filled with chemicals that cause allergies, rashes, skin irritation, and even more serious health effects such as hormonal disruption, damage to the immune system, the organ systems of the body and the nervous system?

If that isn't enough, many of the products which are labeled natural, organic or hypoallergenic also contain ingredients which are irritating or toxic and which may have side effects both for your skin and your whole body.

In addition to this sobering fact, your home is also filled with hundreds of chemicals that can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions.

Many people who suffer with acne, rosacea, eczema and sensitive skin are discovering that making a few simple adjustments in their daily routine can completely eliminate their skin problems, without expensive medications or skin treatments.

Two Simple Ways to Reduce Skin Irritation

Here are some simple tips that will help you to drastically reduce the amount of irritating chemicals in your environment, and to learn how to find non-toxic safe cosmetics and personal care products.

1. Clean your home with natural or homemade cleaning supplies. You might need a slight amount more "elbow grease" to clean your shower with Bon Ami instead of those highly irritating scrubbing bubbles cleaners, but your sensitive skin will thank you!
2. Eliminate toxins from your personal care products by switching to hypoallergenic, chemically safe cosmetics and products that a free from many of the common allergens and irritants that most products are made with.

Simply by taking a look at the label on the household and personal care products you are using can be very educational. What are these ingredients doing to your body?

Commonly Used Chemical Irritants

You can quickly educate yourself about safe cosmetics by eliminating some of the most common chemical irritants from your daily routine.

Here is a short list of some of the ingredients in personal care and skin care products that have been shown in research to cause allergies, skin irritation, and other side effects. These results have been documented by safe cosmetics researchers, and some are even restricted in some countries because of their health effects.

If you have sensitive skin, you may very well be able to clear up your skin problems simply by eliminating these ingredients from your personal care products!

Fragrance is added to most shampoos, personal care products, skin care products, laundry detergents and household cleaners. Fragrance is considered one of the top five allergens in the world and is highly irritating to anyone with allergies or sensitive skin. It is also a potent neurotoxin and has negative effects on the brain. Some types of fragrance have dozens of different chemicals in them. Look for products that are fragrance free or that have no added fragrance.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, also known as SLS is found in most shampoos, many toothpastes, facial cleansers, and laundry detergents. It is a known skin irritant and also has many other side effects to the brain, and the endocrine and reproductive system.

Parabens are preservatives such as methylparaben, propylbaraben and butylparaben which are used in most any kind of skin care or personal care products. These can cause skin, eye and lung irritation and other allergic reactions, and also have been linked with other more serious side effects to the nervous system.

Propylene Glycol - is used in many facial creams, deodorants and other personal care products. It is nearly non-toxic when consumed but in even small doses can produce significant skin irritation. It is absorbed quickly through all the layers of the skin and can cause side effects in the organ systems of the body.

Aluminum - is present in many deodorants and cosmetics, and has been shown to build up in the body and especially the brain, contributing to Alzheimer’s and neurological problems.

Phthalates - are found in many nail polishes, cosmetics and wart removal products. These are considered high health hazard ingredients which have been linked to hormone disruption, toxicity to the immune system, brain and nervous system, and are considered hazardous.

Formaldehyde based preservatives are commonly used in hair care and skin care products, and these are know carcinogens, skin toxicants and immune system toxicants. These can irritate your eyes and lungs as well as your sensitive skin.

Common formaldehyde based preservatives include DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxylmethylglycinate.

There is Hope for Your Sensitive Skin!

I know this may seem like a long and intimidating list of ingredients that can irritate your sensitive skin... and I haven't even included all of them in this short article!

The good news is, more and more companies are learning about safe cosmetics and are beginning to reformulate their products to be more chemically safe. Although it is difficult to find products that are both chemically safe AND hypoallergenic, it is now at least possible!

The other good news is that there are more and more citizen action groups such as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics which are working to educate the public and to help the cosmetics industry be more accountable for the ingredients they are putting in their products.

I hope this information is helpful to you in finding solutions to your sensitive skin challenges!