Personal care products (deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, makeup etc) are some of the WORST invaders of your health. Why?

Often the ingredients are extremely toxic (some contain cancer causing, brain destroying ingredients) and most of you use them day in and day out (sometimes multiple times a day) without understanding the bioaccumulation affect: a small amount of toxins, though harmless in their tiny quantities, when applied daily accumulate into a larger toxic body burden, which then creates a massive negative effect not seen initially with the small daily dosage initially.

What Are The Top Toxic Offenders Found In Nearly All Personal Care Products?

1.Aluminum – The majority of classic OTC deodorants (Secret/Dove/OldSpice/Axe etc) contain an active ingredient called “Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex Glycine.”

Why AZG in deodorants? This Aluminum based mineral-glycine hybrid is the primary antiperspirant-i.e. stops you from sweating.PS did you know the “yellowing” of a white t-shirt that happens over time in the “pits” is the aluminum and glycine coming out of your body staining the shirt. Why is the AZG an issue? Wouldn’t you agree with me that sweating is a healthy/normal body reaction? Block sweating and you block a primary detox pathway which means you retain all the toxins you would normally release via your armpits. Also…aluminum is a heavy metal that in large body-concentration amounts causes dementia, Alzheimer’s and neurological degradation (you lose nerve functions).

Aluminum Solution – Search for an Aluminum free deodorant. I personally use and like the “Alaffia” Line of complete non-toxic personal care products, including Al-Free Deodorants, The type I use is called “Charcoal Lavender”

2. Parabens

It’s nearly impossible to pick up a bottle of any hair care or skin care without finding a paraben somewhere in the ingredients.

Often you will see them as:

Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Butylparaben or Isobytylparaben

What’s the problem with Parabens?

For starters they are endocrine disrupters (meaning they mess around with your hormone balance), they create infertility and worst of all… cancer!

You should avoid them like the plague, even though you will find several online “trusted” sources saying they are harmless (remember, that’s in the micro dosage you find in the bottle – but over time the bio-accumulative effect is where the danger lies).

Paraben Solution:

Search for organic/non-toxic haircare/skin care that is paraben free. You can use the Alaffia brand mentioned above. Or know I personally use Giovanni Cosmetics – they have an entire line of men’s/women’s hair care products and even pets products that are 100% organic and free of parabens, sulfates and propylene glycols (see below)

3.Sulfates (SLS/SLES)

Sulfates are not just in wine – they are often modified and used in many personal care products that “foam” or create “suds.” The worst offender is “Sodium Laureth Sulfate” aka SLS/SLES. This product is often contaminated with Ethylene Oxide and/or 1,4dioxane which in low dosages can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulty, drowsiness, weakness, exhaustion, eye and skin burns, frostbite, and reproductive effects and cancer. Did you know that SLS/SLES is extremely toxic to marine life-i.e. a fish will die within seconds if SLS/SLES is added to their water. Just think about that the next time you “lather up” with your favorite body wash!

Sulfate Solution

Seek SLS/SLES free soaps and body wash. As mentioned above both Giovanni Cosmetics and Alaffia provide a full line of hair and skin care products free of all toxic ingredients. For soaps (hand an body) just use real, oil based handmade soaps. One of our patients owns BlackForrestSoapWorks – they are 100% local, made with non-toxic ingredients and use essential oils for fragrance.

4. Propylene Glycol

Would you willingly pour antifreeze on your skin and rub it in? Propylene glycol is a type of antifreeze that is also a humectant-an ingredient that is added to cosmetics to increase moisture retention in skin and hair.

The direct problem with propylene glycol is that it is a penetration-enhancing humectant which means it can increase the absorption of other toxic ingredients found in the beauty product (SLS/PEGs/Aluminum) that normally wouldn’t penetrate the skin! In toxic quantities propylene glycol can cause central nervous system (CNS) toxicity, hemolysis (destruction of your RBC), cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, agitation, and metabolic acidosis.

Propylene Glycol Solution

Choose Propylene Glycol free personal care products. Once again, any of the companies listed above offer products free of Propylene Glycol (and often all of the other ingredients found in this article).

5. PEGs (Polyethylene Glycols)

As if Propylene Glycol wasn’t bad enough, now we need to watch out for PEGs, which are literally in almost every congenitally produced bottled personal care product on the market today including toothpaste, liquid body products, hair care products and eye creams, cosmetics and deodorants.

Often they present as a number, PEG-4 or PEG-80 for example. The number lets you know how “heavy” they are, so the lower the number the worse the PEG (smaller are more easily absorbed via your skin and into your blood).
Considering there is a “PEG-1500” you can see how many of them there are!
In large bio-accumulated amounts PEGs can cause diarrhea, hemorrhoids/rectal bleeding, stomach pain, arrhythmias, heart failure, metabolic acidosis and cancer.

PEG Solution

Choose PEG free personal care products. Once again, any of the companies listed above offer products free of PEGs (and often all of the other ingredients found in this article).

6. DEA (Diethanolamine)

DEA is often used as an alternative to SLS/SLES as awareness of its toxicity has increased over time and consumers are actively seeking SLS/SLES free products. Solution: come up with another chemical that creates the “lather” but isn’t sulfate based! By itself DEA is essentially harmless, but it’s a well-known fact that DEA can react with other ingredients to form a carcinogen called nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA) which is absorbed through the skin.
Cancer has been connected to Nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA) as its listed as a carcinogen in the National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens!

DEA Solution

Choose DEA free personal care products. Once again, any of the companies listed above offer products free of DEAs (and often all of the other ingredients found in this article).

AskDrErnst and Dr. Aaron Ernst are not affiliated with Giovanni Cosmetics or Alaffia product line/companies in any way. No endorsements/payments were received in writing this article, rather the author is simply sharing the products he uses in the hopes you begin to de-toxicity your home care products for the betterment of you and your families health.