Personal Care From Nature

We take great care of our health: we eat whole organic foods, we try to get a full night’s sleep each night, and we sometimes even go to yoga class. But every day, women apply an average of 168 unique ingredients on their bodies through the use of personal care products. Like food, the products we apply on our skin eventually enter our bodies. Often these products contain significant amounts of synthetic, manmade chemicals. Used daily, over a long period, this exposure to synthetic chemicals could significantly affect our health. Several research studies have identified personal care product ingredients that made their way into the body, including hormone-altering chemicals. These chemicals, found in some conventional personal care products, can affect the endocrine system and provoke other types of imbalances. Though some of these chemicals have been prohibited or restricted, there remains a long list of chemicals found in personal care products that are either permitted by regulatory authorities or not required to be disclosed (as in fragrance chemicals). What is a person to do? There’s no need to expose ourselves to the often harsh, toxic chemicals found in products that line traditional retail store shelves. Exposure to synthetic chemicals can be reduced by opting for natural personal care products, offered at natural health stores. So why are more Canadians not using natural personal care products? Part of the answer may be found in some prevailing myths.