You may be asking yourself, does it really matter if I use natural skin care products or not? The answer is an emphatic, YES.
Every living organism has a “skin”. Even single cell organisms have an outer membrane that is essential to the survival of that organism. The skin is the interface between an organisms internal and external world, protecting the organism from the noxious external environment.
Your skin is a very important organ. It is involved in the maintenance of body temperature, synthesis of Vitamin D, recognition and defense against other organisms, sense of touch, protection from the harmful external environment, sexual attraction to preserve the species and the prevention of the lose of moisture from the body.
Skin was once viewed as an impregnable layer providing absolute protection from the harsh environment around us. This is not the case. The skin readily absorbs chemicals. This is demonstrated by the ever-growing list of medications administered through the skin via transdermal patches.
For example, nicotine and hormone patches such as NicoDerm and Estraderm. Drug companies have used the skins natural absorbability to their advantage, as a new method to deliver these drugs.
It is not the patch forcing the medication through the skin rather the skin drawing the drug out of the patch. Almost any chemical applied to the skin will eventually be absorbed into the body. This is a scary thought if you consider some of the harmful chemicals we place on our skin every day in the form of shampoos, conditioners, lotions, make-up, etc.
The body does have the ability to excrete these chemicals by breaking them down and then passing them out of our bodies via the kidneys (urine) and/or the liver (feces).
The body is a wonderful machine and these processes are very efficient but these processes can become overloaded. When overloaded the detoxification process is overwhelmed and chemicals begin to build in our body.
These chemicals cause the production of free radicals or harm the body’s tissues directly causing sickness. Free radicals are very reactive molecules that cause damage to tissues by stealing electrons and causing a cascade of harmful chemical reactions. It is believed that free radical damage is the cause of cancer and other serious health concerns.
You are probably asking yourself, do the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada not review all cosmetic products and make sure that they are safe for me to use?
The answer is no they don’t. It is impossible for the FDA and Health Canada to review all products and the chemicals within them.
These regulatory bodies do however have extensive lists of chemicals that cannot be used in cosmetics but every year thousands of new chemicals are developed and used in cosmetics. It is not possible for the FDA and Health Canada to review all these new chemicals.
Once the harmful effects of these chemicals are proven they are then added to “the list” and removed from the market. Not all new chemicals have harmful effects but would you want to use a product for several years only to find out later the harm that you were doing to your body?
The best way to prevent these issues is to avoid applying harmful synthetic chemicals to your body in the form of “unnatural” cosmetic products. The use of natural and/or organic personal care products will help you avoid unnecessary harmful chemicals. Anything you apply to your skin should be considered safe enough to eat.
The reality is that anything you apply to your skin ends up inside your body just as if you had ingested it. We understand that it is important to look good – but not at the expense of your health. Natural products not only help you to look good but they also help you to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
