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Have you ever noticed how your lungs tighten up, you hold your breath, and may even turn your head away as you spray your household cleanser on your counter tops?  I used to go so far as to run away from the area I was spraying and then come back in a few minutes after I thought the fumes had “settled.”  How odd is this that our bodies intuitively know that conventional household cleaners are poisonous, yet we continue to use them because they have become standardized in U.S. retail markets?

Conventional household cleaning products are a main reason why indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor air quality.  That’s right, the air quality in your home, office, or classroom is worse than the polluted outside air!  That’s an alarming fact since we as Americans spend about 90% of our lives indoors.    

Chemicals to beware of:    

VOCs (volatile organic compounds), You may have heard of VOCs as they have been gaining attention.  VOCs are toxic vapors released into the air from many liquid cleaners, furniture polish, citrus oil cleaners, pine oil cleaners, solvents, aerosols, degreasers, spray lubricants, nail polish, nail polish remover, perfume, rubbing alcohol, hair spray, air fresheners, dry cleaned clothes, and spot removers.  Short-term exposure to high levels of some VOCs can cause headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, drowsiness, nausea, and eye and respiratory irritation. These effects usually go away after the exposure stops. In laboratory animals, longterm exposure to high levels of some VOCs has caused cancer and affected the liver, kidney, and nervous system.

Ammonia, while it makes a great glass cleaner, is poisonous if swallowed and the fumes harm mucous membranes in your nasal passages, throat, lungs, and eyes.  

Phthalates disguised as “fragrance”, are often found in dryer sheets, cleaners, air fresheners, and many personal care products.  Phthalates are everywhere indoors!  They fume slowly and then stick to dust, which can be inhaled or ingested.  Phthalates can cause allergies, asthma, and disrupt estrogen metabolism (which contributes to certain cancers).  Phthalates are also linked to liver toxicity and genital malformation. 

The Solution

As an Organichead myself, who tries to make every attempt to make clean lifestyle decisions, I know it is nearly impossible to completely rid your environment of toxic chemicals.  However, by using non-toxic, natural cleaning products, and personal care products, you eliminate chemicals from the source!  This is also good for our environment, as those chemicals no longer end up in our air, water, animals, and soil.  You should also open your windows to allow fresh air to circulate, vacuum weekly, and run a good air purifier.  Small steps can go a long way when it comes to your health! 

1.  Mineral Oil / Petrolatum / Petroleum:  These cheap petroleum based ingredients clog the skin’s pores and enlarge them. This can cause acne, saggy skin, long term dry skin, and respiratory toxins.

2.  Propylene Glycol:  This cheap synthetic petrochemical is used as an emulsifying base in creams in lotions.  This ingredient is often used in antifreeze, paint and plastic solvents.  It causes the skin to age faster and sag as it can denature the skin’s protein.  It can cause allergic reactions, liver damage, kidney damage, weaken the immune system, weaken the respiratory system, and inhibit brain function.  The Material Safety Data Sheet warns to AVOID SKIN CONTACT directly on the label. 

3.  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS):  Most products that lather contains this harmful lathering ingredient.  Check your face wash, shampoo, toothpaste and soap for this ingredient.  SLS is a proven skin irritant and can lead to acne-like lesions on your face and upper body.  It can also lead to rashes, skin discoloration, liver damage, excessive body hair, and cancer!  It also has a degenerative effect on the cell membranes and denature protein such as in hair or skin.  Which can lead to damaged skin, hair loss, and inhibition of hair growth.    

4.  Parabens (Propyl-, Methyl-, Butyl- or Etylparaben):  These ingredients offer an inexpensive way to increase the shelf life of products even though they are know to be highly toxic.  Scientific studies have found that parabens have the potential to cause cancer.  The estrogen activity of this ingredient has been directly linked to the development of certain cancers, including breast, prostate, ovarian, and uterine.  The adverse effects of parabens continue to be studied.

5.  Fragrance:  The word “Fragrance” means a synthetic fragrance was made in a test tube from any of over 200 synthetic chemicals.  These “fragrance” chemicals, which can bio-accumulate in your organs, can cause many symptoms such as headaches, lung problems, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, skin irritations, dizziness, memory impairment, hyper-pigmentation, rash, vomiting, even potential brain damage and more.  They are very cheap, toxic imitation of real herbal scents.  

This is only a list of 5 commonly used toxic, chemical ingredients that are used in many of the hair and skin care products on shelves today.  There are many other harmful chemical that should be avoided as well.  However, I purposely kept this list short as it’s all about taking small steps towards eliminating toxic chemicals from your life.

Thanks for helping me change the world one Organichead at a time! 

Think Organic, Live Organic