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April
April
How many times have you turned over a product and have seen a gazillion ingredients that you have no clue of how to pronounce, let alone what they mean? Very few of us have been taught how to understand and read the labels. For the safety of you and your family this is one area that you should be up-to-date on and understand what the order of ingredients mean as well as what the ingredients are to best protect your loved ones from toxic chemicals.
First off, like I have said in my past blogs be very leery of products stating they are ‘all natural,’ ‘organic,’ ‘certified organic’ and ‘botanical.’ Many products are on the shelves that state just that however they are not truly 100% what they state they are. They can be 70%, 80% or even 90% natural and still have toxic chemicals contained in low doses in the product. There is no regulation to stop them from stating these claims as they are using some ingredients that are organic or natural. This is why buyer beware. Be smart and read the ingredients in everything you buy.
After doing my own research, I’ve composed my own list of tips to help you better understand the product labels. As there were so many topics to discuss I thought this might be a better avenue to help break down everything rather than combining everything into one lengthy blog.
(Note: In the above hand soap label it states on the front that it is made without artificial colors, fragrances and unnecessary ingredients. Sounds great right? Wrong. This is a perfect example of how they try and fool you. Look at the ingredients. It contains sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben (cocamidopropyl betaine has a HS of 5, which is higher than phenoxyethanols HS of 4 and cocamide MEA has a HS of 4 in the cosmetics database). All toxins to stay away from. See the list below as to what to watch for.)
1. The FDA along with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, mandates that all cosmetics have a list of ingredients in a specific order and format on their products. Ingredients can be listed in Latin, English and under their scientific names. The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) standard also stipulates that certain ingredients be listed in certain terms such as Vitamin C as Ascorbic Acid. Many times you’ll see the English name in parenthesis after the ingredient.
2. Don’t be misled by words like all 100% natural, organic, certified organic or botanical. Read all of the ingredients and look for declarations of percent natural on the label. Both have to be true. Don’t purchase anything that states it is 100% natural until you have confirmed it is by the ingredients or have confirmed the company that is selling the product is an upstanding company that prides itself in organic and natural products. For example Burt’s Bees has a very high percentage of products that truly are natural and organic. That doesn’t mean everything they sell is 100% natural, but they declare the percent natural on their products. When you have found a reputable company you can typically trust their declarations. Again, always read the labels and ingredients as even I have been fooled by companies that I believed to be ‘all natural’ at heart.
3. Look at the order of the ingredients for the concentration amounts of the ingredients used. The ingredients listed at the beginning of the list usually are in concentrations above 1%. The ingredients listed near the end are in concentrations of less than 1%. Most products start off with water and end with the preservatives.
4. The preservatives and more toxic chemicals are listed at the end of the list and typically are used in concentrations of less than 1%. Even at a low dose such as 1% you should avoid them at all costs. Toxins and chemicals are bad no matter what dosage they are in. Would you knowingly give your child a dose of less than 1% of rat poison or how about let them drink less than 1% of a cleaning agent as long as it was mixed in an all natural smoothy? The chemicals in some of these products are just as harmful if not more so. Just because it is mixed in with a bunch of other ingredients and diluted doesn’t mean it isn’t affecting your body in some capacity. You don’t have to instantly react poorly to an ingredient to show that it is harmful. Toxins build up in your body over time and can cause long term problems in years to come.
5. The following ingredients should never be used in a product labeled “natural”:
Sulfates (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate), Parabens (Methyl-, Propyl-, Ethyl-, Butyl-), Petrochemicals (petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin), Chemical Sunscreens (Oxybenzone/Avobenzone) and Phthalates. I’m going to take this a step further and add EDTA, Fragrance and Phenoxyethanol. I make sure none of my products contain any of those chemicals.6. Avoid the following preservatives:
- Words ending in “paraben”
- DMDM hydantoin
- Imidsazolidinyl urea
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Triclosan
- Triclocarban
- Triethanolamine (or “TEA”)
- Next, check the beginning of the ingredients list. Here you’ll find the soap, surfactant, or lubricant that has been added to make the product work. Try to avoid ingredients that start with “PEG” or have an “-eth” in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate).
- Finally, read the middle ingredients. Here you’ll look for some common – but not essential – additives that may bring excess hazard: fragrance and dyes. On the label look for “FRAGRANCE,” “FD&C,” or “D ~ www.ewg.org
7. Beware of what ingredients are listed last as if they are all natural and are listed at the very end of the list then not very much (less than 1%) of that ingredient is used. All natural ingredients are expensive. This is good to watch for when purchasing expensive products. Don’t waste your money if the great ingredients that they claim to have the most impact are at the end. Look for those ingredients near the beginning or middle of the list. Then you know you are getting a higher quality product for your money.
8. How many ingredients are in the product? If you have a long list of ingredients chances are that “is very likely they contain extenders, fillers and bulking agents.” Watch for products with over 25 ingredients and take into account that the more ingredients the more likely they are to be diluted.
9. Follow EWG’s top 6 tips for kids:
- Use fewer products and use them less often.
- Don’t trust the claims. Check ingredients.
- Buy fragrance-free products.
- Avoid the use of baby powder on newborns and infants.
- Do your homework at EWG’s Cosmetics Database
- Always avoid EWG’s top 7 chemicals of concern for kids:
- 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3 Diol
- BHA
- Boric acid and sodium borate
- Dibutyl phthalate & toluene
- DMDM Hydantoin
- Oxybenzone
- Triclosan ~ www.ewg.org
The EWG’s website is a great place to keep up to date for toxins in our products. They produce the Cosmetics Database where you can double check any ingredient in a product before you purchase. This is a great site to have added to your links on your phone so that you can quickly look up any ingredient while shopping. They also have a downloadable pdf for your purse to give you a quick reference in toxins to avoid. While most of the harmful ingredients are listed I’ve had to add to their list additional ingredients that I feel should be avoided as well. Once you are aware of the toxic ingredients you’ll become more familiar with them and can spot them instantly. Trust me, it does get easier so don’t be overwhelmed. The safety of your family is in your hands. I’m just a simple mom. So if I can do this, you can do this. Have confidence in yourself and in time you’ll be a pro.
Be blessed with health, love and prosperity. ~Holly
Medical Disclaimer: Certain sections of this Blog deal with health and medical related issues. Always seek the advice of a trained health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before seeking any treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking medical treatment due to information obtained on mytoxinfreebaby.com. Any information received from this blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure. This site is for information purposes only. The information on this blog is not intended to replace proper medical care.
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