What you put into your skin is absorbed into your body through your skin. So it isn’t just what you eat that can hurt you, it’s also what you put on your skin.
A lot of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. Just think about nicotine and birth control patches. Both of these deliver chemicals into our body (hormones or nicotine) through the skin and quite effectively. While there are some chemicals that are too large to enter our bloodstream, many are small enough to penetrate through your skin and go right into your bloodstream.
The task of scrutinizing every ingredient of daily products the average consumer uses can be quite daunting. Start with the products that are having the most impact. The next thing you want to think about is the level of exposure you’re getting from the products you’re using. For example, if you use a lotion all over your body and it soaks into your skin all day, you’re getting a lot more exposure to those chemicals than if you were to use the same ingredients in a face cleanser that is quickly washed off. So be smart about this — try to get the best ingredients in products that you have a lot of exposure to (shampoo, soap, lotion, etc.).
Similarly, products that you clean with can also go into your body through your skin if your skin is in contact. Wear gloves or use cleaning products that have no harmful chemicals in them. (See section of this website on cleaning products you can use).
Beware of harmful chemicals in lotions, soaps, shampoos and conditioners, shaving lotions, antiperspirants, dishwashing liquid, perfumes, etc.
Use the facilities on the Environmental Working Group website – https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ – to look up the ingredients and danger rating for your make-up, hair and skincare products and to find products in different categories that are nontoxic.
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