DON’T BE FOOLED BY PRODUCTS THAT CLAIM TO KEEP YOU CLEAN AND FRESH FACED BUT CONTAIN HARMFUL CHEMICALS. FOLLOW THESE HINTS WHEN SHOPPING FOR EVERYTHING FROM SHAMPOO TO MAKEUP

You may know to steer clear of sodium laurel (or laureth) sulfate (SLS), but did you realize parabens could lurk in “paraben-free” hair and other personal care and beauty products? Laura Setzfand, director of marketing for Jason Natural Products, offers these tips for choosing truly all-natural products:

What to Look for in Personal Care Products:
Natural Scents. To avoid phthalates in scented products choose those that contain natural fragrances, such as essential oils, instead of synthetic ones. Unscented products offer another alternative for steering clear of phthalates.

Safe Preservatives. Understand that personal care and cosmetic products must contain preservatives to prevent formation of yeasts, bacteria and fungi. Otherwise, they would need to be refrigerated and even then, would not have a very long life. The trick is to choose products with preservatives that are not harmful. Sodium benzoate, used in salad dressings, jams, sauces, carbonated drinks and other foods, as well as personal care products, is one example of a better alternative to parabens. Sodium benzoate occurs naturally in cranberries, prunes, greengage plums, cinnamon, ripe cloves and apples. Preserving effectively with natural ingredients often requires a combination of substances, too many to track unless you want to take up chemistry. To simplify the process, get help from the staff in your local health food store and familiarize yourself with companies and brands.

Cleansing Alternatives. Gentler cleansing and foaming agents can do the job without irritation or the possible health risks associated with SLS. In hair care products, soaps and body washes, look for sodium myreth sulfate, which, like SLS, comes from coconut oil, but is kinder to your body. In shampoos, some other mild foaming ingredients are cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, decyl glucoside, sodium cocoyl isethionate and sodium lauryl sarcosinate. In dental products, look for sodium cocoyl glutamate, which is amino acid–based.

Gentle Foaming Boosters. These add fullness to products by boosting the action of foaming ingredients like SLS or its safer alternatives, such as sodium myreth sulfate. For example, foaming boosters make products bubblier and are found in shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, laundry detergent, dish soap and many industrial cleaning products. They fall into two basic categories, with names ending in either DEA or MEA. Both types are made from coconut oil but the similarity ends there. Harsh DEA ingredients found in conventional products, such as lauramide DEA and cocamide DEA, are considered potentially dangerous chemicals that can strip away proteins from hair and make skin feel rough. The net effect is dry skin and hair that feels unmanageable, dull and lifeless. MEA versions of foaming boosters, such as lauramide MEA and cocamide MEA, are much milder and won’t damage skin or hair. For simplicity, think “don’t DEA.”

Balanced pH. Products you use on your skin should have an acidity level, or pH, that is similar to the natural pH of skin, which is around 5.5. Look for pH values on labels or in product brochures and aim for a pH between 5.2 and 6.5.

Natural Moisturizers. NaPCA may sound like a chemical term but it’s a type of sodium that is naturally present in your skin and enables it to retain moisture. Other natural moisturizers include shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe and panthenol, a form of B5 found in skin and hair products.

Plant Ingredients. Plants, roots, flowers and herbs are rich in vitamins, enzymes, proteins, minerals and other biologically active compounds and have been used in body, skin and hair care for centuries. Products that do not contain animal by-products and are not tested on animals support animal welfare, and are growing in popularity. A Leaping Bunny logo on a product means that the product and its ingredients were not tested on animals, and the product is cruelty-free. The logo is part of a campaign developed by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (leapingbunny.org).

What to Avoid in Personal Care Products:
Phthalates. Found in synthetic fragrances, phthalates make scents last longer. They also have a “plasticizing” quality, which improves the performance or function of products. For example, phthalates make nail polish more chip resistant and hair spray more flexible, but they may be harmful to human health. Animal research has linked the chemical compound, which is easily absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes, to birth defects.

Sodium Laurel (or Laureth) Sulfate. This cleansing and foaming agent is used widely in shampoos, body washes, toothpastes and other products that foam. Although derived from coconut oil, SLS is drying and has been linked to urinary tract infections in women, skin irritations and, when used in dental products, canker sores.

Parabens. These are petroleumbased preservatives that may be listed on labels as methylparaben or propylparaben. Used in many pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic products, parabens have been shown to mimic the effects of estrogen, which can promote breast cancer tumor growth. And, a study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found parabens in human breast tumors. Parabens can also affect the hypothalamus, ovaries, thyroid and other glands and organs. Although science is not conclusive on the health risks of the substance, it’s wise to use caution.

Hidden Parabens. The chemical is commonly used to preserve synthetic fragrances and when such fragrances are added to a product, the law does not require the parabens (an ingredient within an ingredient) to be listed separately on the label. In other words, some products may be paraben-free in the sense that manufacturers don’t add parabens as a separate ingredient, but if a synthetic fragrance is one of the ingredients, it is likely to contain parabens.

Mineral Oil and Petrolatum. Widely used because of their low cost, these petroleum-based ingredients are technically natural, but they have a dark side. They are nonrenewable resources, so their use contributes to environmental problems. In skin care products they can cause problems by blocking pores, leading to irritation and acne. When applied topically, mineral oil and petrolatum create a barrier on skin, preventing it from breathing and interfering with moisture absorption.

Lanolin. A fat found in sheep’s wool, lanolin has been used extensively as a moisturizer but may contain allergenic alcohols and antibiotics that are given to the animals and stored in their fat.

Pretty Inside and Out
Putting on makeup and being natural may seem contradictory, but human beings have been adorning their faces since long before chemical ingredients were even envisioned. In recent years, as concerns about toxins in cosmetics have mounted, natural has become fashionable and natural and organic makeup has become one of the fastest growing categories of natural products.

Harmful chemicals in topical products aren’t necessarily identified as such by the FDA because their effects are not always immediately apparent and may be hard to link with a specific substance. To stay abreast of cosmetic ingredients that may affect your health, check out the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (safecosmetics.org).

In addition to the toxic ingredients mentioned above, these are some other common ones found in makeup that should be avoided:

• Alcohols: They dry the skin.
  
• Talc: It’s a possible carcinogen.
  
• Synthetic dyes: Most likely contain toxins.
  
• Propylene glycol and glycolic acid: These are petrochemicals, which are toxic. They can penetrate the skin, causing irritation, headaches and dizziness.
  
  Cosmetics are easier to manufacture with chemical ingredients but companies have found ways to produce great makeup without toxins and irritants. And, natural makeup can go a step further by being therapeutic, nourishing skin, replenishing natural oils and protecting against environmental damage. As a rule, look for botanical ingredients such as tea, neem, rose wax, jojoba oil, lecithin, wheat germ and carnauba wax, as well as antioxidants.
  

Mineral Makeup: How to Get the Benefits
Mineral makeup is hot and it’s expected to be the fastest growing type of cosmetic in the next few years. That’s not surprising, given that it’s touted as the only type of makeup that hides all imperfections while working therapeutic wonders on your skin—and it does all this naturally. Too good to be true? Yes and no.

Minerals are natural; they come from the earth. However, something called mineral makeup may or may not be better than a chemical-laden foundation, depending on how the minerals are used and what else is in a particular product.

The Real Stuff
Minerals really are good for your skin and in their natural state, don’t contain harmful or toxic ingredients. This is how they work in makeup:

After being taken out of the earth, minerals are ground into particles small enough to look good on your face, using a process called micronizing. Healthful mineral makeup particles will be small enough to reflect and diffuse light in a pleasing way and camouflage imperfections but too big to be absorbed by the skin. There is a caveat: When the size of particles is reduced too much, they can be absorbed by the skin and cause problems. Smaller particles look more attractive but health-conscious companies set their own particle-size standards to maintain safe levels.

The main ingredients in mineral makeup are usually zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, natural sunblocks used in many sunscreens. These ingredients protect against environmental hazards, including the sun, although the makeup is not recommended as a substitute for sunscreen. Natural pigments in minerals provide color.

Once on your face, the minerals become a protective canopy. Instead of entering pores like other makeup, they enable the skin underneath to function as it would without makeup. If a product also contains antioxidants or beneficial botanical ingredients, natural oils in the skin will mix with these, enabling them to be absorbed effectively under the mineral canopy.

As with other beauty products, it’s important to look at the ingredients in an individual product and to become familiar with companies that strive to keep you healthy while looking good. Mineral makeup, when it really is natural, is a good choice.

Aromatherapy E SCENTials
Aromatherapy is the use of plant oils to improve well-being. Practitioners skilled in the practice customize these therapeutic scents for specific situations, but aromatherapy essential oils are also available in a variety of products that, depending on their plant source, perform different functions (see Set Your Mood with Scent below). Essential oils are concentrated and for safety, are diluted with carrier oils, such as almond, apricot or grapeseed oils, so that they can be applied to skin or their vapor may be inhaled.