We all know that eating a healthy diet of minimally processed, organic food is the best way to keep your body in tiptop condition. Foods that are grown and raised without the use of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic preservatives are really a no brainer for most health conscious folk. That’s all fine and dandy for what goes in our bodies, but what about the outside? What we are putting on our bodies is just as important and it’s high time we treat our outsides with the same care and respect that we give our insides.

The thin protective membrane of our bodies, skin, is actually a major organ which absorbs substances into the bloodstream. Of course, it keeps a lot of things out as well, thank goodness, but tiny micro-particles still get absorbed and can affect us in many different ways both good and bad. Water, for instance, is constantly being absorbed by our skin as well as expelled by our skin in the form of sweat, tears, saliva and mucous. These are good things. But have you ever heard of laureth sulphate or sodium lauryl sulphate? This is a common ingredient in many over the counter personal care products…like shampoo, face wash and even toothpaste (it’s what makes your mouth all foamy). Sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium lauryl sulphate (SDS) is a corrosive industrial grade detergent and when this little nasty gets absorbed by your skin it collects in the brain and kidneys.

According to Wikipedia, a number of safety concerns about SDS have been raised in published reports. These include claims that:
• SDS causes a number of skin issues (for which the non-specific term is dermatitis), with some people being affected more than others.
• When combined with certain chemicals, SDS may become a carcinogen (cancer causing substance).
• SDS is known to cause aphthous ulcers, commonly referred to in some countries as “canker sores”.
• SDS may be used in place of the less irritant SLES (sodium lauryl ether sulfate) in many soaps, shampoos, washing powders, toothpastes and other bathroom products because of its lower cost.

Ok, ok, if you’re like me, you may be rolling your eyes at this stage thinking “great, now I have to worry about my toothpaste causing cancer”. Well, the answer for me came when I actually had a cancer scare. Not wanting to repeat the experience again, I immediately began to eliminate, within reason, all the known carcinogens and pollutants from my diet and environment and replacing them with certified organic products as much as they were available. Where they weren’t available, I just did a little research and stayed as organic and natural as I could, however these terms have been misused a lot lately and it really pays to be consumer aware because “natural” and “organic” can mean a lot of different things…I mean some things in nature can still be very harmful and anything that contains carbon can be classified as “organic”, even if it is carcinogenic!

Not only did I change my personal products from commonly known brands to certified organic ones, I also began using more natural and environmentally friendly household cleaners, as SDS is a common ingredient in the store bought variety. I figured that what’s good for my body can be good for my household as well.

Yes, it did take getting used to at first…natural toothpaste tastes different (some would say yucky, but I actually like it now) and it’s not as foamy…but it still cleans my teeth and the baking soda in the one I use leaves them naturally whiter. The other products took some getting used to as well…my house hold cleaners for instance didn’t seem to work as fast or as well…until I rediscovered the secret ingredient: Elbow grease!

Here are some common (and potentially harmful) ingredients in off-the-shelf personal care products (taken from a certified organics product brochure):

Dimethicone (silica): Harmful by skin absorbtion, eye irritant, skin irritant, causes tumors in lungs, thorax and endocrine system. Toxicological properties have NOT been thoroughly investigated.

PEG-50 Almond Glycerides (almond): May contain dangerous levels of 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen.

Sodium Laureth sulfate (coconut): Composed of 4 known carcinogens: Formaldehyde, Dioxane, Ethylene Oxide, Acetaldehyde.

Cocoamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine: Causes eye stinging and redness, causes redness and burning of skin. Toxicilogical properties have NOT been investigated at all.

Triethanolamine (TEA): Severely irritating to body tissues, corrosive to the eyes, reacts with nitrosating agents to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone: Harmful by skin absorbtion, corrosive and burns the eyes and skin, permanent irreversible eye damage, nitrosating agent.

Phenoxyethanol: Toxic to kidney and bladder, causes reproductive disorders, serious damage to the eyes, causes brain degeneration.

Methyl Paraben (also known as an “organic preservative”) : Is called “organic” because it contains carbon! It is also a Xenoestrogen (mimics the sex hormone estrogen) found in 90% of breast cancer tumors tested.

FD&C Yellow No. 2 (coal tar dye & azo dye): Banned in Russia, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and USA. It is a Tertogen associated with cancer, asthma, hyperactivity and malignant tumours.

Fragrance: Can be composed of hundreds of different synthetic-chemicals. Some problems caused are headaches, dizziness, rash, hyperpigmentation, violen coughing, vomiting and skin irritation.