Podcast Episode 47 – Top 5 Toxins – Body and Personal Care Products (Part 4 of 5)

[00:00:00] Okay, so welcome back, right? Yes. Our part is it for now? Yeah. We're talking about part four, which we want to talk about body care products and personal care products and all those things, because we may not think, you know, we may think that we're go to the store and we pick out these different products that we want to use.
[00:00:23] And, but we don't think about how they can contain toxins, you know, and unfortunately, um, there are many toxins that probably get inside of us from these products, maybe even more than the environment, because we're applying them directly to our skin, you know . So that's just something to think about.
[00:00:48] Right. It is, it is so let's get right into it. Uh, I think we talked about, uh, body care products such as lotions and moisturizers and wow. When you talk about sunscreen, right away. I think about that, I know were advised to put on sunscreen to block the harmful rays, but at the same time, we need to be mindful we're not putting harmful product on.
[00:01:21] Right? Yeah. I know, like in, um, sunscreens and body care moisturizers, is this what we're talking about now? Like parabens were high on the list of ingredients that are considered toxins. And I think they're mostly considered hormone disruptors and things like that.
[00:01:38] So, you know, uh, if you go to EWG's website and we have some links below this podcast, and they describe all these things that we may talk about in detail cause there's like reproductive toxicity, there's, uh, you know, our respiratory toxicity and. What did I say? Did I, I just said reproductive didn't I, there was something else, but there is out there and we'll definitely put the link out there.
[00:02:11] I was trying to remember all of them, all the different, uh, categories that they hit on, but, uh, yeah. Parabens are high in sunscreen. Sunscreens are very toxic. The basic ones that, I mean, there are so many out there. Um, But, you know, I think just a little sun exposure of day, is this as healthy for us?
[00:02:33] Right. So, oh, I definitely agree. A little exposure is good, but there is the overdoing it part. So we're not discouraging you from using a sunscreen. We're just saying, be aware of the ingredients in the sunscreen you choose. And it's been a long time, but I used to, I, is it sunscreen? That's like zinc or it's like white.
[00:02:56] It was supposed to be without a lot of extra stuff. And I may, it may not look as pretty, but it was protecting you from the sun because I know when the kids did track, they would be out there for hours. So at that point, it's a good time, especially around the face to have, um, just well-researched or just some sunscreen you feel is healthier. Okay. Yeah. And when you said zinc, that reminded me of, uh, like zinc oxide. I don't know what the brand is, but it's like for baby bottoms, like for diaper rash. So zinc oxide is good for the skin. Zinc is good for the skin, so yeah, you just brought that to my attention.
[00:03:42] You know, I heard that eating your vegetables is good for your skin and to protect you against the sun's rays, the more vegetables and fruits because of the antioxidants. So they you know help protect against cancer. And most people wear sunscreens to protect their skin against cancer. Well if you're getting lots of fruits and vegetables, you're getting your antioxidants, which is going to protect your skin. So I just wanted to throw that in there. We're not talking about food today, but you know, um, that is one way to protect your skin also.
[00:04:18] Are about the importance of a plant base or the benefits of a plant based diet.
[00:04:24] Yeah, so baby products, um, wow. I mean, we don't want to start putting toxins on our babies, right? I mean, and many of us, I know I have done so without knowing I was not aware of this. And I mean, the top products, when I Googled, you know, baby products and I looked at them at the EWG website, They were very high in toxins, unfortunately, some of the most popular brands.
[00:04:54] Exactly. So it is unfortunate. I I'm like most people, uh, when the kids were young, I was getting, we're not going to name names, but certain brands that are very well known and you even know their scent. And those very scents are indication of the, um, toxicity. There's toxins in there. A lot of extra ingredients.
[00:05:16] I'm thinking about the children because there's just, they're so little, but the diapers. And I understand that it's convenient to have the disposable diapers. I'm not saying this is for everyone, but there are people who have chosen to for at least the first few months go to the cloth diapers that we wash the old fashioned way. And even if you can't do that, maybe you're a busy single mother. You work a lot of hours. There are different kinds of disposable diapers. Because they will say some are chlorine free, or I don't remember exactly what they're free of, but that saying, you know, traditional diapers, the disposable have perfumes.
[00:05:54] They have, they have chemicals in them. Where, if you're doing the cloth diapers, you're not having to deal with that. And other brands of the disposal diapers will limit that. Yeah. Good point.
[00:06:05] Again, we're not focusing on food, but just like reading labels for our food. We need to read the labels for the products, especially for our young ones. Yeah. Yeah. Because some of those fragrances I did see on EWG website that they do, um, disrupt many organs of the body, you know, organ system toxicity and, and your eyes and your lungs and skin.
[00:06:32] So fragrance, when you see fragrance, it's. it's probably not good. When you see fragrance listed on a label, um, we can have natural fragrances, like essential oils and things, which we'll touch on a little bit later, and there are some links that I'm going to provide to make your own products that include some essential oils as fragrances. But, when you see that on just a commercial brand you probably want to avoid that item because they can be highly toxic. Fragrances can.
[00:07:10] Definitely. And getting back to the babies, um, even like you mentioned, uh, or we will, there are lotions, bath bombs or bubble bath.
[00:07:23] I know growing up, we used to love those, but especially for young ladies, it can be an irritant. So we, we want to just be mindful and read those labels. If you're having a time with pronouncing the words, then maybe that's not the product that you want to use. And then there's also the we'll talk about later, but you can make your own products.
[00:07:42] That's a very good point. Like you said, if you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want it and look at the labels. And so then it was still on baby care and then, you know, children, you know, toothpaste. So, and then they add all these colors to make it pleasing to the eye. And these colors are toxic. If you see like FD&C, I think is yellow and blue, those are toxic.
[00:08:06] You can find more information on EWG's website by just putting those in the link that we're going to provide here, but you can read all about you know, the different things and why it's toxic there. So. Thank goodness for these links, because we are not an expert and it's an exhaustive list that EWG has done all the work for us.
[00:08:30] So it's a great reference for everyone. Yeah. EWG's Skin-deep website. So that link is below. We're going to keep reminding you about it cause it's really important and really helpful. So, um, so that kind of talked, we talked, you talked a little bit about bath soaps and hand soaps and antibacterial sprays again, you know, fragrances and other things in there that you know, contain toxins.
[00:08:59] Um, but you know, alternatives there are Castile soaps, which are easily found. It's just a basic soap and sometimes they have essential oils added to them. Or you can add your own essential oils to them. And you mentioned earlier about like going to farmer's markets. Farmer's markets are a popular place to find a handmade soaps, right?
[00:09:29] Talk to the vendor there and ask them what's in this soap, how is it made? And you know, why is this good for me? Are there toxins in here? You know, so. You're right. They're excited to share how they make their products and what they're made of. They're not trying to shy away from that. So that's a great resource.
[00:09:46] Yes. Yeah, I think so. Okay. So let's move on to deodorant and body sprays. Yeah. Wow. The body sprays and well, deodorants, let's start there. That's a simpler one for me. I was able to, you know, make a change. There are our alternatives because it's mainly not just deodorant, but when it's deodorant, I believe anti-perspirants.
[00:10:10] Yes, those have, uh, aluminum. So you can find the, the aluminum free options. And, um, there's a lot of, if you Google, I think it's milk of magnesia. There are other alternatives to the traditional, um, aluminum, heavy, uh, deodorant, and aluminum is not good for us. And so, yeah, two things aluminum has been found to be a link to Alzheimer's and dementia. And I believe it's the antiperspirants that block the lymph nodes and the sweat glands. And so all those toxins back up and to your glands and cause breast cancer. Yeah, good to know. That's why we want to look at some alternatives and we can start changing to those.
[00:11:00] So when we're talking about body sprays, we're just. Um, I'm taken back to the idea of fragrances. What are those fragrances? You know, recently I was at a, um, store it's a sprout store and it's a grocery store, but in their essential oil section, they have some body sprays that are made using those essential oils. You know, those options are there if you like it. but yeah, again, avoid fragrances.
[00:11:29] Yes. If you cannot read half the ingredients.. Yeah. And you know what I'm reminded of deodorants especially, and body sprays that are aerosol. You know, like the cans, those are so toxic and they stick around in the air forever. They don't leave, you know? And so you're constantly breathing those in and you're getting you know, things into your respiratory system.
[00:11:57] Yes, you're right. And they, I thought they were outlawed for the deodorant at one point. They're not good for the environment either. Yeah. Okay, so we want to avoid those. So I do have a link, to some, deodorant sprays and this was mostly women, links to deodorant sprays and like the alternative and the things that I use.
[00:12:18] So it's, it's, it's out there. So you can just go out there and go to the links and find what you need or what you're looking for. So, and I don't know about this one. I was just, I just, just trying to list everything. The thing about like shaving creams and things. Cause I know a lot of people use shaving creams.
[00:12:37] I thought maybe just, soaps and, um, a moisturizer after you shave Dave would suffice. I'm not sure I know men need, after the shaving cream, they use something to like close the pores.
[00:12:53] So I think like maybe like witch Hazel or something on a cotton ball would probably do like a, like a toner or something. I think, like, to make sure you close up any cuts or nicks. Yeah. I did not research that, but I'm sure that would suffice. Sounds like what I would try if I had to shave.
[00:13:12] Well, that's a good point. I don't shave often, but, um, now that you're mentioning it, I could just shave with just some basic soap and water, and then use shea butter afterwards. And speaking of Shea butter is also a nice thing, even on your child's skin. I mean the 100% Shea butter with nothing added, you can get that.
[00:13:30] And then also for moisturizing the hair too. It's like a head-to-toe type of a product that you can use. Yeah, I've never tried Shea butter for hair because I've the one, the shea butter that I buy is really, really thick and dense. So I'm not sure. (You just have to rub-rub-rub-rub-rub.) Okay. Well, the whipped body butter recipe that I put out there uses Shea butter and coconut oil and essential oils.
[00:13:57] And I mean, if you do it properly, It is light and fluffy, so. Wow. That's probably good for shaving. Probably is. So, okay . You, you mentioned hair, so I find that a lot of hair products now advertise paraben-free sulfate-free, you know, and things like that. So it's, it's a little bit easier to find it, but still, when I'm at the store looking at it, I still put it in the EWG. Database, just to see if I'm going to buy something.
[00:14:34] So. But shampoos conditioners... hair products let's talk about other things that I think women may not use this much as many women may not, but permanent relaxers or permanent curls, you know, and things like that. I know growing up, I don't know. Maybe it's just because I'm a different age now, but back growing up, I mean, that was a very popular. And those things...
[00:15:01] I think that's probably the most toxic thing we could ever put on our, on our body are permanent hair curls and relaxers and things. I mean, those smelled, I mean, they burned immediately. I mean, you know, it was just such a bad thing. And so. Yes, thank goodness a lot of people have just chosen not to do those, not to apply them anymore.
[00:15:29] And many beauticians have said, I, I can't keep applying these, I don't service people who want that because they were taking it in and it found it was impacting their health in a negative way. So that's a very good point that if people are still doing that because a lot of people aren't, but if they are be aware of what is the product you're using, uh, and see if there is alternatives to what you're using. And I have to mention permanent color too, because there's a lot of coloring of hair. Um, and there are other options instead of the permanent and the perms and permanent color and perm, just all these things where, like you said, you can smell them and they don't smell good.
[00:16:09] They're not good for you. Right. Okay. So, Yeah, use the website, find an alternative that is lower in toxicity. That's a good one. And we did talk about toothpaste a little bit, and I'm just reminded of fluoride.
[00:16:30] You know, I know many may not agree, but. The great debate still Shonda. I know it is, but I have chosen not to use fluoride. I think many dentists don't use fluoride in the polish for adults, but they still use it for children. So I found that odd. So that was a real surprise. But, you know, and then, so when we're talking about toothpaste, you know, there's colors again, the blue, the yellow, the whatever red, I mean, they're all, you know, toxic and, uh, we want to avoid those.
[00:17:05] So just get plain toothpaste, fluoride-free toothpaste using natural ingredients. And you can, if you're desperate and you just really want to avoid it, baking soda. Wow, my father grew up in a family of 11 baking soda and lemon juice was their toothpaste. They couldn't afford anything else.
[00:17:24] And that's great whitening, right? Baking soda and yeah maybe throw a little coconut oil in there or something, and we've got some good toothpaste. And I know there are a lot of brands out there that have changed their formula. So, just look for it through EWG or like, like I said, EWG now has, those, , certified friendly products on Amazon. So there's a link there in the show notes too.
[00:17:56] Um, so now, but here's the big one. Here is a big one. So hair products are high on women's lists, but what about cosmetics? Yeah, especially in the younger group and maybe the older group, I think work on in the middle where, well, I don't know, are we in the middle? Where we're just like, Hmm, not you really using that many or ? I don't really use cosmetics, but I've had relatives and friends where they did use them and they moved to more response simply made cosmetics. So there are options out there. I know for the younger ladies, though, if they're wearing makeup often, it's a cost issue, honestly, um, to get the better products with less toxic toxins, unfortunately they're more expensive. So maybe you look at how much or how frequently I wear makeup, because there is a lot of toxicity there.
[00:18:55] Yeah. And I think those are some of the popular brands. I don't know what makes them popular or not, but like Burt bees products are usually low on the toxicity level. If you look at the EWG website, but I think their products are kind of in line with some of the more popular. Brands, you know, that are just as expensive.
[00:19:17] I think their, their price is comparable. I agree with you. They just don't have as much of an offer. I'm thinking about the persons who are really into makeup with the contrasting the bases. Yeah, I went and listed all these things and I'm like, wow, that is a lot. I mean, you know, concealers foundation, mascara, eyeliners, powders, lipsticks, nail polishes, which I haven't even used.
[00:19:43] And you know, it was funny because I saw, uh, someone posts about this nail Polish is vegan. I'm like, I never even thought about that. Nail Polish not being vegan. That was just something that caught my attention. So, I mean, there are just so many ingredients that can go on a product. That's just, you know, that's just the point.
[00:20:03] There's so many ingredients that, you know, it's like, Ooh, wow. So yeah. I have not used nail Polish in a few years now. But, I'm sure there are some none toxic things out there. And, I know some grocery stores like the Sprouts and like Whole Foods and things carry some makeups.
[00:20:24] I mean, it's not like, yeah, it's not like the high style stuff is just the basic stuff, but you know, if you want just a little enhancement, that's one place you can look or back on Amazon's certified EWG product list. So, wow. I mean, yeah. I mean, and think about it. You're putting them near your eyes.
[00:20:44] You're putting them near your mouth, your nose. So we just want to be careful. Yeah, research, do your research, and we're not telling you how to live your life. We're just encouraging you to be aware about what you're putting on and in your body and to be more intentional and, and maybe you just make some different choices.
[00:21:06] Maybe choose not to wear makeup seven days a week. Um, and then fewer days a week, uh, things like that, but just do your research. Yeah. That's really good advice. Yeah. Yeah. Not every day if you're going to use it. Not every day. Definitely. Okay. So I think that was it. You know, I may put a link to some of these other things.
[00:21:30] Uh, I know. So let's re-track just one instance. What about the, is it talcum powder? That was highly you babies. Remember it was in baby powder, but I think now the message is out.
[00:21:46] And it had a high risk for cancer. Sure. So we want to make sure we're avoiding that we don't want to, say, well, this is old school and whatever, but we have high incidence of cancers now. So, you know, we want to avoid that.
[00:22:01] That's a good point. I remember myself in the day, it was the thing to do you feel fresh, you smell fresh, but then now I see those commercials.
[00:22:10] If you're suffering from female cancers that are specific to females and then respiratory, so you're right. That's a good heads up. If anyone is still doing that, there's other things to keep yourself fresh. Yeah. So be sure to check the show notes, go to the EWG website database.
[00:22:29] The link is there and a few products. Uh, recipes using essential oils and just basic things that you can find in your home that you would use, like baking soda, coconut oils, or different skin oils and, and things like that, to prepare these products.
[00:22:48] That's exciting.
[00:22:49] So, I think that's all we have for sharing today.
[00:22:54] And if anyone listening has anything they want to share with us in the community send it to us. Send us the information. We love to share information and have information shared with us.
[00:23:05] Yeah. Yeah. That'll be really good. Thanks everyone. Thank you.