Toxins

HOW SAFE ARE YOUR COSMETICS?

Have you ever read the label on the back of your shampoo bottle while standing in the shower?  Or how about the ingredient list on your favorite scented lotion? Could you understand or even pronounce any of the substances listed?

If not, it is because the majority of the personal care, hygiene, and beauty products offered on the market today are packed with toxic chemicals and harmful ingredients.  Manufacturers have traded consumers' safety for profit, while the FDA looks away, and customers continue to fill their shopping carts with poisons.

Every day we use multiple personal care products - from shampoo to deodorant, lotion to make-up-that contain chemical ingredients that are absorbed through the skin, inhaled or ingested.  So, it's not surprising that potentially harmful chemicals have gotten into our bodies, our breast milk and our children.  Some of these chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities and other health problems that are epidemic in our society.

The cosmetic industry says it's safe to put toxic chemicals into personal care products because the amount in each product is too small to matter.  But none of us use just one product.  Think about how many products you use in a day-and how many products you use in a year - a lifetime.  Small amounts of toxic chemicals add up and can accumulate in our bodies.

Major loopholes in federal law prevent the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other government agency from approving the safety of cosmetics and body care products before they can be sold. The European Union now bans more than 1,100 chemicals from personal care products because they may cause cancer, just 10 ingredients are banned from cosmetics in the United States:

We have to protect ourselves until we convince the government to protect us.

Our skin has the ability to eliminate two pounds of toxins per day. Are you reading your labels on the products you use in your home and on your body?  I encourage you to read the labels on your lotions, shampoos, cleaning products, detergents, etc and find out what you're really putting on your skin!

The following ingredients are commonly used and considered harmful:
You will NOT find these ingredients in the products offered on ChakraEssence website, nor are any of the products tested on animals.

Mineral Oil:  Moisturizing ingredient that blocks the pores and interferes with respiration, suffocating the skin.

Propylene Gycol:  Primary ingredient in anti-freeze in brake fluid, varnishes and resins.  A strong irritant.  Good for your radiator. Not your face!

Sodium Lauryl or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS):  Detergent and foam- building agent.  It's used as an engine degreaser and garage floor cleaner but you'll find it in shampoo, soap, facial cleanser, etc. Produces nitrates that can cause hair loss, as well as irritate the eyes, skin and scalp.

Fragrance:  When the word "fragrance" is listed on the label, it means a synthetic fragrance made in a test tube from any of over 200 synthetic chemicals.  These "fragrance" chemicals, can cause many symptoms, such as:  headaches, lung problems, skin irritation, dizziness, memory impairment, rash and more.  They are very cheap, toxic imitations of real herbal scents.

Parabens:  (Propyl, Methyl, Butyl, or Ethyl):  These cheap preservatives are used toinhibit microbial growth in skin care or
hair products even thought they are know to be highly toxic.

Imidazolidinyl and Diazolidinyl Urea:  These are the most commonly used preservatives after the parabens.  They are an established cause of contact dermatitis and release formaldehyde which is toxic.

Synthetic Colors:  Synthetic colors are used in skin cream or shampoo to make it colorful. Avoid them at all costs, along with hair dyes. Synthetic colors are labeled as FD&C or D&C, followed by a number and color.

Triethanolamine (TEA):  Often used in the base of a product and to adjust the pH.  TEA causes allergic reaction including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin, and can be toxic if absorbed into the body over time.

Collagen:  An animal product used to moisturize.  Clogs pores due to large molecules unable t pentrate, suffocating the skin.

Kaolin or Bentonite:  A fine, natural clay that dehydrates and suffocates the skin.  Use to suffocate forest fires.

Petrolatum:  Petroleum ingredient that blocks natural respiration, excretion and absorption of oxygen.

Glycerine:  As a humectant, it draws moisture out of skin leaving it dry on the inside for a moist feel on the outside.

Many companies are already making safer products and are striving to make even safer products in the future.  The good news is that the cosmetics industry is starting to pay attention to consumer demand for safer products.

Visit Skin Deep, the world's largest searchable database of ingredients in cosmetics by clicking on this link:
www.cosmeticdatabase.com   Find out if your favorite products contain hazardous chemicals and find safer alternatives.

I will continue my research and will pledge to offer safe, natural and organic self-care products (blended with the highest quality therapeutic grade essential oils for a personal touch) to support us in this effort. The body skin care line is custom designed with your personal health and well-being in mind!

It is my intention to work with a variety of companies who manufacture natural, safe and organic products so that I do not represent one lone entity.  There are several wonderful companies available to choose from and I wish to remain neutral / unbiased as I research and decide which ones are in alignment with my vision.  If you have suggestions, please feel free to email me: deedre@chakraessence.info.

Because taking care of you, in a healthy, natural and conscious way is the first step towards living a balanced life!

In loving support,
Deedre