Have you ever wondered about the effects that your skin and hair products have on you and what they do beyond skin and hair care?
Instead of doing themselves to be beneficial, they might cause more harm in the long run. As we all know, there is an ongoing trend of self-care and self-love on the internet. This is associated with the daytime and nighttime skincare routine, which is combined with an elaborate hair care regime. These routines promise good results externally, but have you ever wondered what potential health concerns they can cause internally? There are a lot of toxic chemicals and substances that are added to these products to increase their longevity and shelf life, improve texture, and reduce the overall price of the product. The company that makes these personal care products may claim that the chemical substances present in the product are acceptable and safe to use, but assume that prolonged usage of these chemicals can affect your skin and hair in the long run.
The products that are related to personal hygiene, health, grooming, and other cleaning products, or call-dad personal care products, These products are used on a day-to-day basis in each and every household, making the human lifestyle easy.
Examples of personal care products are as follows:
- Skin and hair care products
- Toothpaste
- Insect repellents
- Perfume
- Deodorants et cetera.
This article asks readers to start reading and checking the ingredient list mentioned behind their personal care products. It is important to be aware and informed about the toxic chemicals that are being used in these products and to make an effort to try our best to remove these toxic substances from our list of daily essential products.
All consumers are exposed to these harmful compounds through two types of channels or routes:
-Direct route: Inhaling, ingesting, dermatology clinic, and absorption.
-Indirect route: toxic substances causing environmental contamination.
It is no surprise to us that there is a diverse range of affordable personal care products available on the market. They are easily accessible from our neighboring retail outlets. These toxic substances are posing a threat to nature by stocking up in the water systems that consist of wastewater. The wastewater systems are contaminated because of the harmful chemicals or substances present on the skin, which are eventually washed away and drained into the water system. This increases the spread of contamination in the environment. There are a lot of active and inactive ingredients present in these compounds that are continuously released into the atmosphere and continuously affect marine life and human life in the environment.
The top toxic substances are mentioned as follows:
Sodium lauryl, or laureth sulfate, is a foaming agent that irritates the skin, and cataracts, and has a lot of significant long-term effects on organs that end human life.
- Petroleum, paraffin, and mineral oils: these substances can result in premature aging and can be the root cause of skin disorders.
- Synthetic Fragrances or Perfume: An individual pregnancy can consist of up to 200 ingredients. Refusal of any product that lists as pregnant an ingredient is very important as it is harmful and toxic.
- Parabens: The structure of the substance copies estrogen and creates havoc and harm to the endocrine system. Param and can be found on the labels as isobutyl paraben, butyl paraben, etc.
- Mercury: As we all know, mercury is a metallic compound that is required in nature. They are used as a preservative, which eventually finds its place in the brain. This can cause neurodegenerative diseases.
- Phthalates: These chemicals have a plasticizing nature. They are linked to a lot of congenital disabilities and can cause damage to the kidneys, lungs, and liver. On the label, they are labeled as BDP, DEHP, and DEP.
- Hydroquinone: these are utilized as chemicals that result in the lightening of the skin. This is done by preventing the production of melanin. This chemical is directly linked to cancer, organ toxicity, and skin irritation.
- Propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol: this ingredient is also found in antifreeze; it is linked with organ damage and skin diseases.
- Triclosan is an antibacterial product that is connected with antibiotic resistance. It kills all the good and bad bacteria that are present in the body and wipes out the body's natural microbiome. The microbiome is important for the natural defense or protection against viruses. It also has an impact on the thyroid hormone and cholesterol synthesis by causing a significant disruption in the metabolism.
- Siloxane and cyclic silicones: it is fair to say that they cause no benefits to the environment and are also an underlying reason for endocrine disruption.
- Ethanolamines: these are comparatively safe and less harmful than the other chemicals mentioned, but they can be harmful to sensitive skin.
- Oxybenzone has the potential to disrupt the endocrine system.
- Resorcinol is normally present in hair color, dyes, and bleaching products, which are known to result in immune disruption and skin irritation.
- PFAs and PFCs are fluorinated chemicals that are associated with critical health effects, which include thyroid and cancer.