Unlike the food and drug industry, there is little regulation when it comes to cosmetic and beauty products. As a result, many cosmetic and beauty products contain toxic ingredients, because they are considered inexpensive and ensure a long shelf life. These ingredients include coal-tar colors, phenylenediamine, benzene and formaldehyde—believe me, nothing you’d want to put in your body!
Unfortunately for your health, these potentially harmful chemicals are absorbed into the body and can get into the bloodstream in many different ways. Hair sprays, perfumes and powders are inhaled, eye makeup is absorbed by mucous membranes and lipstick can be swallowed. (Apparently, on average, women eat four to seven pounds of lipstick in their lifetime!) And shampoos, hair dye, conditioners, body creams and blush are all absorbed through the skin. Here are three things you can do to protect your health where cosmetics are concerned:
1. Read the labels to make sure that your makeup has natural and organic ingredients, made from botanicals and natural minerals, colored clays and vegetable oils. You are looking
for makeup that contains ingredients that you recognize from nature. By rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce a name on the ingredients list, it probably isn’t good for you.
2. If you don’t know what an ingredient is in a product, look it up before you buy it. Often the ingredient names are code for hidden ingredients. For example, the word fragrance is often used to refer to the many chemicals in a fragrance. Talc sounds safe, but it is actually similar to asbestos, and parabens are preservatives that increase the shelf life of products but are known to be toxic. You will notice that many healthier products will mention that they are paraben free on the label!
3. If in doubt, go light on the makeup. A more natural look is very appealing—perhaps just shape your eyebrows nicely, put on some mascara, wear a little bit of lip gloss and a dab of powder where you need it.
From How Happy Is Your Health? 50 Great Tips To Help You Live A Long, Happy And Healthy Life By Sophie Keller
This December, life coach and author Sophie Keller will be sharing tips on Intentblog about raising your level of happiness in the areas of your love life, marriage life, home and health. Check back every day for new happiness tips and quizzes. To learn more about Sophie Keller and the ‘How Happy is’ book series go to www.howhappyis.com.
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