WARNING: This is a long post, but an important one. In an effort to prevent "information overload", I created notecards, yes...we are back in school. 😉 I will explain the notecards in a bit. Let's get started...
Did you know 40% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life? I don't like those odds. We will never be able to avoid everything that is linked to causing cancer & other health problems, but what we can do is limit our exposure to toxins by controlling the things we can. I lost both my grandmothers to cancer, I personally struggled with infertility for six years and I now have a son that is my responsibility as a parent to protect. I don't have a surefire, bullet-proof plan but I am diligent about the products that I use and I continue to research and learn so I may limit my family's exposure to toxins.
BIOLOGY: the skin is the largest organ in the body, remember that from biology class? With that being said, what you put ON your body is just as important as what you put IN your body. The skin is very porous and the absorption is high, therefore, products are quickly absorbed and end up inside your body. If the products you are using contain toxic chemicals, preservatives and fragrances, guess what? Those chemicals are now in your body (who cares?, you should). The majority of skincare products on the market contain parabens, phthalates and/or other carcinogens which are linked to cancer, asthma, behavioral disorders, hormone disruption and reproductive issues. Hmmm, not interested. Now let's move on to Chemistry.
CHEMISTRY: parabens, phthalates, carcinogens and other difficult to pronounce words have become part of mainstream marketing/media. In an effort to be cool, several companies like to market "paraben free" but leave all the other crap in there. Seriously? I thought it would be helpful to do a high-level overview of what all these "bad things" are, why it is in your best interest to avoid them and how to identify them in the products you use.
NOTECARDS: My recommendation is to not try to digest all this at once. To prevent overwhelm, follow these steps:
1. Print off the notecards one at a time by clicking on each image. For example, choose the "Paraben" card.
2. Start with looking at the ingredients in your makeup to identify if there are any parabens lurking in there.
3. Make a list of the makeup you find that has parabens and then choose ONE of the products and work on finding a replacement.
4. Once you are happy with your toxin-free replacement, move on to the next makeup product that needs replacing.
This is a SLOW journey. I am still on the journey and it has been many years, but it is about progress. Don't overwhelm yourself and don't feel like you need to make all the changes at once. Ready...set...dive in!
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
click image to print card
Phew. That was a lot, but hopefully you found it enlightening. Over the next several weeks, I will share the products I have found to replace the nasty ones that were hiding in my cabinets. I hope to make your journey a tad bit easier than mine as I have already done the homework...you can cheat off my notes. 😉
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Health & Beauty Series: Makeup