By Lisa Petty
We all want to look our best. But what if your cosmetics and beauty care products are making you sick? Enjoy this first blog in a new series by nutrition and natural beauty expert Lisa Petty.
Women are really lucky. We get to have some fun with our looks by adding a splash of color to our hair or pink to our cheeks, and we like to create some mystery with our eyes. We also prefer not to smell as if we just came from the gym. We like hair products and make-up and perfume. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Unfortunately, however, there may be something wrong with the products we’re using. In fact, in many ways, the chemicals in our favorite products may contribute to our health problems, from lung and liver disease to various forms of cancer. And since the average adult uses nine body care products, each containing dozens of ingredients, we are exposed to up to 200 chemicals before we leave the house in the morning! Anyone who is rebuilding health after any setback needs to limit the burden placed on the immune system and other defenses – like skin – that are meant to keep us healthy.
It’s especially important to make yourself aware of the potential health consequences of the products we use, because there is very little government oversight of the body care products in the United States. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not authorized to require companies to safety-test their cosmetic products before marketing them; it’s allowed to regulate cosmetics only after they’re released to the marketplace. According to the FDA, a cosmetics manufacturer may use almost any raw material except color additives and a few prohibited ingredients (many of which wouldn’t be used in body care anyway.) The FDA doesn’t have the authority to require manufacturers to file data on ingredients or report cosmetics-related injuries, and it is also not allowed to order recalls of cosmetics that have or might cause an unwanted reaction if those products don’t contain the any of the few prohibited ingredients. As a consumer, then, it’s up to you to get informed and protect yourself.
About This Guest Blogger
Stay tuned for the next edition in the series If Looks Could Kill for practical tips to help you boost your healthy, natural beauty.
Excerpted from Living Beauty: Feel Great, Look Fabulous & Live Well (©2006 Fitzhenry & Whiteside) by Lisa Petty. www.LiveVibrantly.ca
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