This post is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby® and Green Sisterhood.

Our Skin, Our Health

Skin. It is incredibly complex. It is our largest organ, a protector, a regulator. It is our first line of defense against harm. It is no wonder, then, that all too often we forget it can also be highly efficient at absorption. What nasty chemicals are we putting in our bodies when we are putting something on it? Potentially a lot!

Having just come back from some high altitudes with plenty of sun, I know just how important some personal care products can be for our skin. My dry skin had me reaching for the lotion bottle many more times than usual. Repeated use of my lotion – and I certainly use more than one product on my skin every day – could mean more exposure to certain harmful chemicals. As much as we have to be concerned about the food we eat and the air we breathe, we also must pay attention to what we put on our skin.

Is it any wonder that we get confused on what to do, what to buy? We aren’t all chemists or toxicologists. Luckily we have people at our disposal who do understand ingredient labels and their potential for harm. The Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is still one of the first places I go to check ratings on specific ingredients, products, or brands. A small word of warning, it is likely the more you look at what the industry is selling us, the more angry you will get.

The world is awash with chemicals – good, bad, and neutral. Our responsibility to ourselves and our families is to seek out the best information possible and wield it wisely. Toxins do not belong in my body or on my skin. 

The Worst Ingredients to Avoid in Lotion

Fragrance (8 in Skin Deep Database) is just one of the above 6 ingredients that should really be avoided at all cost. It also happens to be the trickiest. The Safe Cosmetics Campaign says that over 3,000 chemicals can be legally hidden under this term. Many of these chemicals come with their own set of problems, but it can be difficult to know which you are actually dealing with.

Does that mean any of the other ingredients are potentially less harmful? No, but at least you know what you are getting when you see dimethicone or benzoic acid on the ingredient label of the lotion you check out. Please tell me you are reading your labels!

We Deserve Better

I know I deserve better than what can be found on the shelves of many stores, from the lowest price to the highest end. I know my babies did when they were born and still do. It doesn’t matter if your lotions, shampoos, or body washes are from multinational corporations or small natural brands, your newborn’s sweet skin, your baby’s eczema, your big kid’s stinky feet, and of course you deserve the best.

It is crucial to learn how to choose safer, non-toxic products and in this interview with Alicia from Earth Mama Angel Baby (love!), she will teach you how to do just that.

 

My opinions are my own as they can never be bought.