POP QUIZ! What is your body’s largest organ? Is it your large intestines, small intestines, or your plica semilunaris?
Trick question, it’s none of those! Your plica semilunaris is not even an organ; it’s your third eyelid located near your tear duct.
The answer is your skin.
You may not think of your skin as an organ, but it is the largest, and most absorbent part of the body. Watching what you eat is vital, but being mindful of the things we expose our skin to is equally important. From the cleaning products you use on your floors, doorknobs, and countertops to the toothpaste and skincare products you use in your morning routine, your body is drinking every single one of those chemicals.
Just like food, it is easy for commercial beauty and cleaning product industries to sell the benefits of their products with attractive models, stickers you don’t understand but look credible enough, and words like all-natural or guarantee slapped on the packaging somewhere. Unfortunately, it is a distraction from the truth; these products are popular hosts for loosely regulated chemicals.
The United States government approves an average of seven industrial chemicals every day. Eighty percent of those chemicals are scarcely tested, if at all. What is worse is that these companies are not required to be transparent about their product’s contents. They can disguise any ingredients they want under umbrella terms like fragrance or natural ingredients. These terms protect their trade secrets. I have always said, “Toe jam is a natural ingredient!”
Companies within these industries defend their methods by spreading the belief that they use too little of each chemical to do any harm.
Does a little fire still burn your finger?
Let’s ignore logic and assume their argument is valid for a moment. If a tiny amount of a harmful ingredient loses its sting, then you’re perfectly safe, right? Well, what about ten small amounts of those chemicals? Try eighty to one hundred every day!
The Environmental Working Group performed a study revealing that “On average, women use 12 personal care products a day, exposing themselves to 168 chemical ingredients. Men use six, exposing them to 85 unique chemicals.” Those small amounts add up! This study doesn’t account for reapplications. If you’re washing your hands 5 to 10 times a day, think of how often these products are permeating your bloodstream. Your mouth has more vessels than any other place in your body, and they go straight to your heart, yet leading mouthwashes and toothpaste have ingredients that could lead to cancer or developmental issues.
Some ingredients may be beneficial in moderation. Phthalates, for example, are estrogen mimickers. That sounds good because you need estrogen, but too much of a good thing can hurt you. Overdoses of estrogen lead to increased fat deposits, decreased muscle mass, reproductive issues, dramatic changes in your endocrine system, and more.
Observing how this affects children is deplorable and disheartening. Hormone disruptors and estrogen found in phthalates confuse the body on how to develop. The average newborn is exposed to two hundred eighty-seven chemicals in the umbilical cord blood, including pesticides, metals, mercury, and phthalates. Children are starting puberty earlier than ever! Girls are starting their cycles and growing into full figures before the age of ten. Both genders are fighting uncontrollable weight. It’s not necessarily because they’re eating too much or not exercising enough. It may be estrogen overload from products like lotion, sunscreen, bug spray, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, and of course, food.
What can we do about this?
I always aim to know what is in my products. Look to avoid the following ingredients:
Parabens
Phthalates
Sodium Laurel Sulfate
DEA
Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
Triclosan
Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Siloxanes
Coal Tar Dyes
Petrolatum
Unsubstantiated Fragrance or Parfum
These Dirty Dozen chemicals are famously linked to cancer, inducing insulin resistance and obesity, altered thyroid metabolism, and countless other issues.
These toxic ingredients are well camouflaged. The best ways to fight the effects are to:
Monitor in-home toxins (paint, flooring, water treatments, etc.)
Use purer cleaning, hair, and skincare products
Avoid products with wheat binding
Eat more whole foods (especially cruciferous vegetables to detox)
It is most beneficial to find products that are not struggling in the safe zone but find and use those with the fewest harmful toxins that specifically contribute to your wellness. We designed Skincare by Sakinah B. to provide just that.
We use one hundred percent pure essential oils, natural ingredients that come from God-given nature with true health benefits-not some beaver’s anal glands-this is an actual ingredient that falls under the FDA’s approved “natural ingredients.”
We offer a monthly subscription and a quarterly subscription, so you can seamlessly knock out some of your toxin-free household shopping without having to think.
Our skincare line has gone through extensive research and trials for over four years to ensure quality, results, and most importantly, wellness in ourselves and our families. We are continuing tests to bring you more household products you can trust.
Bringing the family back to the table,
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