Protecting Our Largest Organ: The Skin
This blog took me days to write because there is just too much information on this topic to share. Half the chemicals in our skin care products I can't even pronounce. And the fact that many of them are toxic, is just abhorrent to me.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body. It does so many cool functions from protecting us from physical injury and pathogens, to temperature regulation, to the synthesis of Vitamin D. Our skin is vital to our well-being. And we all have a terrible habit of not treating it with respect.
I've written a few blogs lately about the chemicals in some of our foods and what it does to our bodies. But I haven't yet touched on the chemicals we put on the outside of our bodies and their cumulative effects.
If you think about some of the things, that we don't think about, that we do to our skin such as:
1. Using alcohol to stop the spread of germs
2. Swim in a pool of chlorine
3. Sit out in the sun until we burn our skin
4. Cause physical injury to our skin with our daily activities
5. Use harsh chemicals on our skin, most without our knowledge
You can see why it's important that what we put on our skin should help us to protect it, not further cause it damage.
When I first went down the cosmetic rabbit hole, and started looking at all my skin care products from soaps to shampoos, to skin care creams to lotions, I must have tossed about $500 worth of products in the garbage. I know, some of you just gasped. Yes you did. Don't lie. I heard it. But hear me out. The reason I trashed these products was because to my surprise, the products I was using, that were marketed as good products for our skin, turned out to be the complete opposite.
I don’t know about you all, but the last decade has been extremely tough on my skin. After going through menopause and being diagnosed with hypothyroidism (60% of women in America suffer from this), I can't explain how dry my skin had become. The skin on my hands was always wrinkled and dry. On occasion, I was still getting acne on my face. When I took a bath, my skin would itch for an hour afterwards. My face creams weren't hydrating my face and I noticed my skin would often start to peel. Certain hair care products such as shampoos & conditioners, would cause my scalp to itch. Sunscreens left a heavy residue on my skin. Mousse products would make my hair sticky. Scar cream would make my skin itch and be annoying. The list goes on. And here I thought it was because I was getting older and this is just what happens to our bodies as we age. But then, I started looking at the ingredients of these products. And the moment I trashed all the bad ones and began to use all natural products, everything changed. As it turns out, for years, my skin was trying to tell me that the products I was using were actually poisoning my skin.
Below I'm going to list many of the things I learned about the ingredients in most over the counter skin & hair products. And I am only going to highlight the worst of the worst. Trust me, if I had to list everything in these products that was bad for our skin, I'd have to quit my day job.
Shampoos & Conditioners:
We put these products on our hair almost every day. They should moisturize and nourish our hair and scalp. But unfortunately, the chemicals they are putting in most common brands are doing the complete opposite.
1. Zinc Pyrithione: this is an anti-dandruff agent used in a lot of anti-dandruff shampoos. Be honest. You're thinking of a few right now. One in particular. These chemicals were BANNED in Europe in 2022, because they are carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic. In english, they cause cancer and affect our reproductive system.
2. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: this is in many of our shampoos and conditioners. It's a skin, eye and scalp irritant. So ask yourselves, if it irritates the scalp, why would I want to put it on my head? And if you have children, their skin is more sensitive than ours. And it's in many of their products too.
3. Phenoxyethanol: This chemical pops up everywhere in our skin care products! It's also found in some diaper creams & baby wipes. And it can affect the blood, liver & fertility. It's also irritating to some people's skin. Especially young children.
Sunscreens:
The importance of sunscreens is obvious to most. But the problem with many sunscreens is that they may protect us from the sun, but many may cause reproductive harm and are in some instances are considered cancer causing.
1. Octocrylene: This chemical is used as a UV filter. But it's also known to have adverse effects on reproduction and organ development. And it can break down over time and have a carcinogenic effect. It also has a negative effect on our coral reefs & marine life.
2. BHT: this chemical affects Thyroid Function, fertility and development. Plus it's toxic to the liver, kidney and lungs.
3. Methylisothiazolinone: Say this 10x fast. This chemical is BANNED in the EU and is now used to replace parabens. It's a skin and respiratory irritant and is also toxic to marine life. It's also an endocrine disruptor and affects the Thyroid
Of course there are a number of other chemicals in our sunscreens but these 3 were by far the worst. And many of the other chemicals in sunscreens tend to be skin irritants. So once again, why would we want to put anything on our skin that irritates it?
Moisturizer & Lotions:
Before I start this shit list of toxic crap, I want to explain something. This topic pissed me off above all others. The reason is because I have spent years trying to find lotions, moisturizers and skin care products that were supposed to help me with my extremely dry skin. Many proclaimed they were anti-aging. They had healing properties. They were supposed to promote elasticity. They contained vitamins and minerals that were supposed to give us that smooth skin. And nothing worked. Then once I started looking up why these things weren't working, I got my answer.
The same chemicals that are in many of our sunscreens, are also in our face moisturizers such as BHT, Octocrylene, and Phenoxyethanol. So we now know these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, possible carcinogens and skin irritants. But how are some other doozy’s below.
Propylparaben: Another endocrine disruptor. Which means, it affects the Thyroid again
Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral oil): When this chemical is organic mineral oil, it's totally fine for everyone to use. But many companies do refine this chemical in our skin care products to the point it becomes toxic. So this is another chemical that is "partially" banned in the EU because it depends on processing. But here in America it's processed to be used as a softener and moisturizer and can become carcinogenic during the processing. This crap can trigger inflammatory responses, build up in the lymph nodes and affect the liver. And it's in a lot of children's skincare products.
Benzophenone-3: this beauty is used as a UV filter and light stabilizer. It’s an endocrine disruptor, skin irritant and has been known to cause cancerous tumors in rats.
Alcohol: Now, I can’t talk about skincare products of any type without mentioning the word alcohol. It's in many of our products. And while it’s not toxic, if you worry about skin dryness, like me, it’s best to stay away from alcohol based products or at least use them at a minimum. Believe it or not, most hand sanitizers (not the wipes because they are full of extra chemicals) are okay to use. If you’re like me and you are trying to get away from alcohol based products, I will have a suggestion below that is much easier on your skin.
In my blogs, I like to give examples of how my findings tie together. So below I'm going to list what was in my products that I was using before I started questioning what was in them. And then a second list of the products I have moved to now that have vastly improved my skin.
Former Skin Care Products:
Moisturizer: potential endocrine disruptor, allergen
Hand Lotion: potential endocrine disruptor, allergen, carcinogenic
Sunscreen:potential endocrine disruptor, allergen
Toothpaste: irritant
Vitamin C Lotion: potential endocrin disruptor, carcinogen
Eye Serum: irritant
Night Moisturizer: thyroid disruptor
Shampoo: irritant, allergen, potential endocrin disruptor
Conditioner: allergen, potential endocrin disruptor
Mousse: potential endocrin disruptor, carcinogenic
Hairspray: potential endocrin disruptor
Scar Cream: 3 Different Endocrine Disruptors, possible carcinogenic, allergen
Skin Oil: Endocrine Disruptor
And this isn’t everything I use in a day. Not to mention all the similar chemicals, that cause the same issues, in the food I was eating prior to knowing what I know now. So it’s no wonder that myself and 60% of women in the United States have hypothyroidism. And that cancer is on the uptick.
Some of these chemicals are so harmful for us, that women below the age of 50 in the last 20 years, are now seeing a rise in breast cancer at the rate of 1.4% a year. In the United States, that’s equivalent to over 1.5 million women under 50 are getting breast cancer.
For every hundred thousand men in the United States, 490 of them right now will develop colon, prostate or lung cancer. Prostate cancer is the most prevalent in men and has gone up 2.9% yearly in the last 20 years.
Below I want to mention what products I use now and the difference it has made in my life. Keep in mind, what works for me, might not work for you. But when one product doesn't work, trust me, there are other similar options out there if you research hard enough.
A few things before I show you my list. Korean Skin Care products are da bomb! My skin has never felt better. I will be listing a few below.
Most of these products I found that were better for our skin, are actually less expensive than the ones that were marketed to all of us that had harmful chemicals in them.
Also many goat milk hand creams are excellent but you have to check the labels. A lot of the commercialized ones still have a lot of chemicals in them. But that goes for just about any product nowadays.
My Skin regiment Now:
Mousturizer: Skin1004 (they make a great travel kit)-it’s a Korean Skin care line and this 5 piece travel set is $16 on Amazon. Yep, you read that right.
Beauty of Joseon Face Moisturizer. This is my favorite. What an amazing product. It's inexpensive and my skin feels like silk. This is a quarter in price of what I was paying for other commercialized face moisturizers.
Good Molecules Vitamin C Serum: Nourishes and balances the skin without all the harmful chemicals.
Night Cream: Caudalie Reservatol-Lift: Super soft on the skin and nourishing. Out of all the products I'm buying now, this was the most expensive at around $55. But well worth the money.
Hand Lotion: Beekman 1802 Goatmilk Lotion. I LOVE this stuff! My hands have never felt better. Two men bought a goat farm and make this product. No chemicals at all. I have coconut, lavender, lemon, you name it!
Shampoo Bars & Conditioners: My wife introduced me to shampoo and conditioner bars. What a find. They are all natural and my favorite is from the Zero Waste Store. Their products are incredible. And my hair and scalp have never felt better. The bars are about $16 and last me 6 months (and I wash my hair every day). They foam up nicely. They smell great. They come in all types for different hair needs. HIGHLY Recommend
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