Pretty, Pretty Poison: Choose wisely

So...on the topic of personal body and hair care. We all know brunettes wanna be blonde and blondes wanna go brunette. For all I know, you may be ready to trade in your curly-q's for the long, dramatic, wind-blown look....or extentions quite possibly! I've done all of the above so to that I say, to each Her own ;) Am I allowed to be say that I've been in frump-mode for a few years. ((You know, trying to survive the days of a lower (newlywed) income and in addition, adjust to motherhood?)) I have to be perfectly honest, its been rough. I feel kinda like Style is a long lost bestfriend. Anyway, rants on reclaiming my fashion sense is for another post all together.

If you know me, you know that I read-up on everything...stats, records, articles, youtube reviews, google scholar...you name it- I check it out. Why bother? Because its important :) Here's the run down of things to keep an eye out for.

Parabens: used to keep cosemetics, pharmaceuticals and even food fresh, preventing the growth of mold and bacteria. In short, its a preservative. The trouble with parabens is that they are linked specifically to breast cancer, hormone/endocrine disruption and reproductive problems. YUCK! (Methyl- Butyl- Propyl- and Ethyl-) Think of them as nicknames for four twisted sisters- all with the last name Paraben. Often you'll notice one or two of them, but sometimes they roll together. They can be found on back labels of name brand body wash, deodarant, face creams and lotions.

Sulfates: what do Pantene, Hebalessence, Suave and Dove all have in common? The bubbles, the bubbles and bubbles! It has a few different forms. Two you may see are as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. A sulfate is a synthetic detergent for washing hair. Oh yeah, its also in toothpaste. It is a well known irratant to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.

Silicones: "the slip in the sleek" this ingredient is the silky smooth you feel when you're washing your hair. Its what gives frizzlessness to frizz-free products. Results seem desirable, but at a price. Silicone coats the hair, making it appear healthy and lustrious, when in reality it could be very damaged. And since it is not water soluable, you can't just rinse it out. This means over time it cakes on, layer upon layer. The majority of shampoos and conditioners contain them as well as many leave-on products and cosemetics like eyeshadow. Spot them as anything ending in -cone or -one.

I think it would be safe to say that all these ingredients (minus silicone) can be considered carcinogens; any substance or agent known for producing cancer. These  chemicals are toxic on the celullar level, which means they can interfere and damage the structure of DNA. Many products have several carcinogenic ingredients.

The simple reality is, some may feel free to keep doing the same ole same. Others will change. Here's me telling you what I've learned along the way. There is a  wealth of knowledge out there for you to explore as well as a rapidly growing market of safer products to try, that will produce similar if not better results for you-believe it or not! We are creatures of habit, but all it takes is a simple decision to start where you can.

So if you want to go platium blonde...sweet action. If you wanna chemically wipe out your kinks...knock youself out! I for one prefer to stay all naturelle ;)



:Here's to a naturally wonderful, more beautiful you::