Chemical treatments can get hairy

I might be a buzzkill to many of my friends, but it is truly out of affection and concern that I “educate” them. At my big sister’s house, her bathroom is full of countless lotions and perfumes and hair products of all types. There is no chance of convincing her she doesn’t need these things, but I put the word to her anyway: Read the labels and know what this stuff is!

Just like food you consume, your skin (your largest organ, as they say) absorbs everything you slather or drizzle on it to some degree. Good things, like essential oils and coconut oil are great, but even essential oils need to be used in moderation! And women, it is guessed, use up to 200 different chemicals combined, daily!

Perusing the aisles recently in San Luis Obispo with a friend, I picked up a neon colored bottle of some goo of some sort. First ingredient: petrolatum. As it states on the Rodale’s Organic Life site (http://bit.ly/2drgTjI), even though we’ve been using the jelly since 1878, it doesn’t mean it’s good for us. It has no healing properties but rather seals your skin. It is made from a nonrenewable resource that may be contaminated with cancer-causing agents called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. At the very least, it may cause upset stomachs or diarrhea. Go with beeswax.

Another big ingredient to avoid: sodium laureth sulfate. This is a cheap chemical that breaks surface tension to make things foam and clean better. While cancer links are not necessarily proven, it can sometimes be contaminated by other carcinogenic products. Also, skin irritations and hormonal disruptions (just what we need) are more commonly linked.

My go-to site for products is Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org). Their list of chemicals to especially avoid: Start at the end with preservatives. Avoid:

▪  Words ending in “paraben.”

▪  DMDM hydantoin.

▪  Imidazolidinyl urea.

▪  Methylchloroisothiazolinone.

▪  Methylisothiazolinone.

▪  Triclosan.

▪  Triclocarban.

▪  Triethanolamine (or “TEA”).

Check the beginning of the ingredients lists, where soaps, surfactants and lubricants show up. Try to avoid ingredients that start with “PEG” or have an “-eth” in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate). Read the ingredients in the middle. Look for these words: “FRAGRANCE,” “FD&C,” or “D&C.” EWG’s top six to avoid for children are:

▪  2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3 Diol.

▪  BHA.

▪  Boric acid and sodium borate.

▪  DMDM Hydantoin.

▪  Oxybenzone.

▪  Triclosan.

I gave up commercial hair care products four years ago. Actually, I’ve also been making my own tooth powder and deodorant. I do massage for a living and make my own products out of fair trade and organic ingredients as much as possible: coconut oil, unrefined shea butter and occasionally expeller pressed (not chemically extracted) safflower oil. Makes for great emollients on my own skin! Beeswax, baking soda, herbs, clay: extremely effective in the right combinations, easy to obtain, easy to make. Small batches make it convenient and always fresh!

I realize not everyone has the oomph to make their own products but, thankfully, more and more products are coming out that truly are better for you. Check out the lists on the EWG.org site, see http://bit.ly/2cOfAZT for some suggestions or find numerous recipes to do your own on sites like www.wellnessmama.com, www.mountainroseherbs. com and others.

Bottom line: Use fewer products, check ingredients, make your own because, ultimately, the better you feel, the better you look, right?

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Chemical treatments can get hairy."