I have talked a lot about the skin and how it is the largest organ of our body. It is subjected to a vast array of environmental substances all day and night- exposed to the elements, pollution, sunlight and drying effects of central heating in the Winter months as well as to toxic chemicals that hide in our skin care and beauty products. It is a staggering fact that it only takes 20 seconds for a substance to get absorbed into the skin and into the blood stream, so potentially this can have insurmountable beneficial effects to our health or devastatingly damaging ones. That is why I only use Organic Oils and High Grade Essential Oils in all my Eveksia Products- carefully researched and selected for their proven abilities to nurture, soothe, heal and protect as well as enhance our moods and emotional well-being.
So, what are these toxic chemicals present in everyday 'beauty' and skin care products? Why are they used? What can we look for as alternatives?
1. Formaldehyde
This is a common preservative, listed in many forms as seen in the image above. It is used to prevent bacterial growth, but it is a known carcinogenic- which means it has been linked to cancer, skin allergy reactions, and damage to the immune system.
Natural preservatives include Vitamin E which, as well as protecting skin cells from environmental damage such as UV and pollutants, also helps sustain the shelf life of skin and beauty products.
Eveksia creams contain Organic Coconut, Sunflower, Jojoba and Rosehip oils which are all great sources of Vitamin E. My Cleansers all contain Lemon Essential Oil which is known to be an very effective natural preservative.
2. SLSs and SLESs
These nasties are put into 80% of our personal care products, used primarily for their foaming properties. They are also known carcinogenics proven to be associated with issues such as kidney and respiratory damage. Far from being healing to the skin, they have been known to cause irritations and in some cases to even slow down the healing process of damaged skin cells.
It is not necessary to make a product foam up in order to be an effective cleanser.
3. Parabens
Again, these are used as preservatives which prevent the growth of bacteria. However, they contain oestrogen mimicking properties which has been thought to cause breast cancer. They have been identified in biopsy samples from women's breast tumours. They are also thought to cause premature ageing and DNA damage.
4. Petroleum, Parafin and Mineral Oil
These are used to make products stay firm, such as nail polishes and conditioners. But when you consider they are able to dissolve paint, it brings it home how dangerous they are. They have been linked to respiratory issues, skin irritations and immune system damage as well as premature ageing.
5. Synthetic Fragrance
The ingredient listing of 'fragrance' can actually contain a myriad of unsavoury substances that by law, do not have to be listed. They are associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, hormone disruption and skin irritations.
There is no need at all to be using these chemicals. Essential Oils, distilled from herbs and flowers, give us the best natural fragrances we could ask for!
So, here is my list of top 5, but of course there are so many others. Please keep visiting my Blog where I am posting recipe ideas for beauty and cosmetic products that you can make at home which do not contain any chemicals or nasties.
Here at Eveksia, it's all 100% natural!
