Esther 2:12
New International Version
12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.
This bible verse in Esther talks about the preparations the girls did before they presented themselves to the King. Skin care and cleansing is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. The important part is what you are cleansing yourself with.
Your skin is the largest organ in the body. I often talk about eating clean, and not eating chemicals and toxins, but it can also enter your body by what you slather on it. Your skin absorbs 60% of what you put on it. If you wouldn't eat it, why would you put it all over your skin. Now, by that, I don't mean..Would it taste good? I mean, it wouldn't cause you harm to eat it.
One of the first strategies you can use to improve your skin health is to make sure you are getting enough high quality omega-3 fats.
Your skin has three jobs. It protects, produces, and absorbs. Your skin grows from the inside out, so your overall nutritional levels really matter. It is not only the largest organ, it is the thinnest with only 1/10th of an inch separates you from all sorts of toxins. Your skin is highly permeable, allowing what you apply to your skin access to your bloodstream (and thereby to the rest of your body)… That said however, caring for your skin is not just an inside job -- it's an outside job too.
Studies show that one-third of all personal care products contain at lease one ingredient related to cancer. The reason being is because the chemical products are easier to manufacture and they are cheaper and help your skin to absorb things better.
Organic doesn't mean a thing, by the way.. You may assume that products with the word "organic" on them are safe to use, but they may still contain synthetic chemicals.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has certain requirements for an "organic" label. In order for a food to be labeled "100% Organic" it must contain only organically produced ingredients. To be simply "organic" it must consist of 95 percent organically produced ingredients; and to be labeled "containing organic ingredients" it must have 70 to 95 percent organically produced ingredients. The FDA has no such requirements when it comes to skin care products..
Here is a list of ingredients to avoid in your skin care items:
Mineral
Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum -- Petroleum
products that coat the skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up
of toxins, which in turn accumulate and can lead to dermatological issues. Slows
cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging.
Suspected cause of cancer. Disruptive of hormonal activity. By the way, when
there's an oil spill in the ocean, don't they rush to clean it up -- fast? Why
put that stuff on your skin?
Parabens
-- Widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry
(including moisturizers). An estimated 13,200 cosmetic and skin care products
contain parabens. Studies implicate their connection with cancer. They have
hormone-disrupting qualities -- mimicking estrogen -- and interfere with the
body's endocrine system.
Phenol
carbolic acid-- Found in many lotions and skin creams. Can cause
circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma and even death from
respiratory failure.
Propylene
glycol -- Used as a moisturizer in cosmetics and as a carrier in
fragrance oils. Shown to cause dermatitis, kidney or liver abnormalities, and
may inhibit skin cell growth or cause skin irritation.
Acrylamide-- Found in many hand
and face creams. Linked to mammary tumors in lab research.
Sodium
laurel or lauryl sulfate (SLS), also known as sodium laureth sulfate
(SLES)-- Found in car washes, engine degreasers, garage floor
cleaners... and in over 90% of personal care products!
SLS breaks down the skin's moisture barrier, easily penetrates the skin, and
allows other chemicals to easily penetrate. Combined with other chemicals, SLS
becomes a "nitrosamine", a potent class of carcinogen. It can also cause hair
loss. SLES is sometimes disguised with the labeling "comes from coconut" or
"coconut-derived".
Toluene --
Poison! Danger! Harmful or fatal if swallowed! Harmful if inhaled or
absorbed through the skin. Made from petroleum or coal tar, and
found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered
blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus.
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) contains toluene. Other names
may include benzoic and benzyl.
Dioxane-- Found in compounds
known as PEG, Polysorbates, Laureth, ethoxylated alcohols. Common in a wide
range of personal care products. The compounds are usually contaminated with
high concentrations of highly volatile 1,4-dioxane, easily absorbed through the
skin.
Dioxane's carcinogenicity was first reported in 1965 and later confirmed in studies including one from the National Cancer Institute in 1978. Nasal passages and liver are the most vulnerable. Dioxane is easily removed during the manufacturing process by "vacuum stripping". Warning: It is a synthetic derivative of coconut. Watch for hidden language on labels, such as "comes from coconut".
Many companies are making a change to their formulas. ..click here for the complete list of
300 companies that have joined a group called Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that pledge to eliminate cancer-causing chemicals from their products. These companies include Burt's Bees, Kiss My Face and Avalon Natural Products. Ingles has a whole section of great skin care products by the way. I personally wash my face with sunflower and castor oil mixed with a few drops of orange essential oil.
I have been reading a lot about dry brushing your skin to help improve circulation and promote your lymphatic system. I have a brush ordered and will be doing a blog post on my personal blog about that soon.
This bible verse in Esther talks about the preparations the girls did before they presented themselves to the King. Skin care and cleansing is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. The important part is what you are cleansing yourself with.
Your skin is the largest organ in the body. I often talk about eating clean, and not eating chemicals and toxins, but it can also enter your body by what you slather on it. Your skin absorbs 60% of what you put on it. If you wouldn't eat it, why would you put it all over your skin. Now, by that, I don't mean..Would it taste good? I mean, it wouldn't cause you harm to eat it.
One of the first strategies you can use to improve your skin health is to make sure you are getting enough high quality omega-3 fats.
Your skin has three jobs. It protects, produces, and absorbs. Your skin grows from the inside out, so your overall nutritional levels really matter. It is not only the largest organ, it is the thinnest with only 1/10th of an inch separates you from all sorts of toxins. Your skin is highly permeable, allowing what you apply to your skin access to your bloodstream (and thereby to the rest of your body)… That said however, caring for your skin is not just an inside job -- it's an outside job too.
Studies show that one-third of all personal care products contain at lease one ingredient related to cancer. The reason being is because the chemical products are easier to manufacture and they are cheaper and help your skin to absorb things better.
Organic doesn't mean a thing, by the way.. You may assume that products with the word "organic" on them are safe to use, but they may still contain synthetic chemicals.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has certain requirements for an "organic" label. In order for a food to be labeled "100% Organic" it must contain only organically produced ingredients. To be simply "organic" it must consist of 95 percent organically produced ingredients; and to be labeled "containing organic ingredients" it must have 70 to 95 percent organically produced ingredients. The FDA has no such requirements when it comes to skin care products..
Here is a list of ingredients to avoid in your skin care items:
Dioxane's carcinogenicity was first reported in 1965 and later confirmed in studies including one from the National Cancer Institute in 1978. Nasal passages and liver are the most vulnerable. Dioxane is easily removed during the manufacturing process by "vacuum stripping". Warning: It is a synthetic derivative of coconut. Watch for hidden language on labels, such as "comes from coconut".
Many companies are making a change to their formulas. ..click here for the complete list of
300 companies that have joined a group called Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that pledge to eliminate cancer-causing chemicals from their products. These companies include Burt's Bees, Kiss My Face and Avalon Natural Products. Ingles has a whole section of great skin care products by the way. I personally wash my face with sunflower and castor oil mixed with a few drops of orange essential oil.
I also personally use YES to carrots and
Tom's of Maine for several different products recommended by my
dermatologist.
Brandy Kisner
Health & Wellness Coordinator
Note from Editor: To read more on this subject, you can go to Archer Fit Press. I wrote an article on it a few years ago, and agree wholeheartedly with Brandy.
