Personal care products linked to cancer?
I have a dear friend who has cancer. She is an incredibly beautiful woman on every level. Unfortunately, leukemia is not her only health problem. She is hypersensitive to ‘common’ chemicals people use in the U.S. to clean their homes, wash their clothes and rub on their bodies. When exposed to these substances, she has an auto-immune type reaction.
My friends’ situation is interesting because one has to wonder if there is a correlation between the cancer and her reaction to chemicals. In other words, did exposure to these chemicals cause the leukemia, or did the leukemia attacking her body cause her body to ‘go tilt’ around chemicals others tolerate?
Perhaps there’s no correlation at all. But if that’s true, how do we explain the rise in cancers, auto-immune diseases, and other ‘lifestyle’ illnesses?
Some 50-75 years ago, our grandparents used basic ingredients to wash with – water, vinegar, lemon, baking soda, borax and castile (olive oil) soap. They did not buy or wear mass-produced lotions, creams, shampoos or cosmetics with ingredients they can’t pronounce.
Of course, our love affair with chemicals during the last 50-75 years means that almost every commercially manufactured product, from our synthetic clothes to our personal care items, expose us to chemicals on a daily basis. We breathe chemicals in air pollution. Chemicals leach into our food from plastics, foil, and Styrofoam, or are added intentionally as stabilizers and flavor-enhancers, or to improve the appearance and shelf-life of convenience foods and fast foods. We absorb chemicals into our bodies through our skin when we wash and when we apply make-up to get ready for work.
What’s my point? That the evils of advertising have driven consumer demand for products filled with potentially unhealthy chemicals and carcinogens? Well, not really, although you could make a case…
My real point is that people live busy lives and as consumers, we want convenience. Unfortunately, many people end up just buying what’s advertised or doing whatever they grew up doing because it’s convenient. They often don’t think about what they are eating or putting on their skin that’s ultimately being absorbed into their bodies.
Hear a commercial for beauty products? All people remember is the catchy slogan: “Love the skin you’re in”… “Because you’re worth it”… #1 dermatologist recommended”…or, “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s…”
People have every right to believe that the products being sold to them couldn’t hurt them, but they’d be wrong. People don’t know that mass-produced skincare items likely have hormone-altering contamination and untested ingredients in them that are ruining their skin and compromising their health. Or, they choose to look the other way since everything in their lifestyle exposes them to chemicals that are slowly, or not-so-slowly, making them sick.
It’s unfathomable to us here at Loulei Botanicals. We may not be able to change society’s habits or the world at large, but we can make a difference in our little corner by offering only the best quality, naturally safe and time-tested ingredients in our skincare products.
Loulei Botanicals is about 100% botanical skincare using plant intelligence. No petrochemicals. No perfumes or masking agents. None of the 10 most toxic ingredients commonly found in beauty products (or any toxic ingredients for that matter): Mineral oil, diethanolamine (D.E.A.), triethanolamine (T.E.A.), monoethanolamine (M.E.A.), triclosan, sodium lauryl (ether) sulfate (S.L.E.S.), sodium lauryl sulfate (S.L.S.), hydroquinone, parabens (methylparaben, isobutylparaben, propylparaben), or fragrance/parfum.
We guarantee it.
2 Comments
What’s is your eye cream please for dark ness an puffy
Hi Linda, Thank you for the question. Our product for the eyes is the Revitalizing Rescue Butter. My belief and experience is that the puffiness and darkness is not something that skincare products address. Puffiness and darkness is corrected through diet and health changes. I know it is not what you want to hear but I don’t believe in misleading people. Our butter can help a little but most that want big changes with both of those issues need to address diet and health. What I would recommend is doing lymph drainage exercise to help with both. I am going to be teaching this on our IG and FB account here shortly. Most of us have some issues and I also struggle with puffiness on some days too. 🙂 Hope I have helped. Best, Monique