WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR


Avoid Unpronounceable Toxic Ingredients


T


he Environmental Working Group is a great resource for evaluating ingredients in beauty


products and translating the gobble- dygook into plain English. Check out the researchers’ latest findings at CosmeticsDatabase.com. To start, steer clear of these ingredients, identified as most toxic:


Parabens or any ingredient


that ends with this word – affects hormones


Polyethylene glycol (PEG) – toxic contaminant


Sodium lauryl, or laureth, sul- fate – contaminant that may cause skin damage


Triclosan and triclocarban


antibacterials – present potential thyroid concerns


Triethanolamine (TEA) – contami- nant that may trigger allergies


Dimethylol Dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl


urea – preservatives that release formaldehyde


Fragrance and dyes – may cause allergies or cancer and affect the nervous system


Methylchloroisothiazolinone


and Methylisothiazolinone – preservatives that may cause allergies and affect the nervous system


44 NA Triangle www.natriangle.com


The final step in any skincare routine is sun protection. Wearing essential clothing, including hats, sunglasses and long sleeves, and staying out of the mid- day sun are dermatologist Dattner’s first choices for protecting skin from rays that can age and damage it. When in the sun, wear a mineral-based sun block such as zinc oxide, which stays on top of the skin, rather than getting absorbed, and forms a physical barrier to both UVA and UVB ultraviolet rays. Also, watch out for nano-minerals; these have been broken into particles small enough to be absorbed by the skin during the manu- facturing process, with possibly harmful results, according to Dattner, Loux and other experts. Unfortunately, the U.S. government does not require that nano- minerals be listed on labels, so consum- ers must do their own research. What about makeup? As Loux points out, the skin absorbs 60 percent of what goes on it, and many cosmetics are full of unregulated, untested petrochemi- cals. Does that mean you shouldn’t wear any makeup? Not at all. Makeup artist Jessa Blades, of Blades Natural Beauty (BladesNaturalBeauty.com), says that switching over to natural, safe, min- eral- and plant-based cosmetics is easy, as long as you are realistic. In general, the fewer ingredients used, the safer the


HANDS


The smell at the nail salon is noxious; should I be worried about what’s going onto my fingernails?


“If your eyes are watering, your nose is twitching and your lungs are seizing up, you should listen to your body,” says Loux. It is hard to get colors—especially bright, deep, rich, shimmering ones—to stick to nails; consequently, of all cos- metics, nail polishes tend to contain the most toxins.


“Nail polish is one of the tougher products to find for someone who’s looking to go natural,” says Loux. But she points out that some brands are eliminating toluene, a petroleum-based


Naturally safe alternatives to commercial chemical de- odorants may be made with lavender, cypress or gera- nium essential oils, beeswax, baking soda or rock crystal salts.


~ ehow.com


Each day, the average wom- an uses a dozen products containing 160 chemicals, while men apply about 80 chemicals to their bod- ies. However, 64 percent of beauty product users say they use at least some “nat- ural” items.


~ Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, by Stacy Malkan


product. “Give natural products a bit of time,


and don’t be so hard on them,” she sug- gests. Her natural eyeliner requires reap- plying a few times a day, she says. “But I’m willing to do that for my health.” Her tips for making the transition: 1) Switch slowly; don’t dump all your old favorites all at once; 2) Go natural on the products you use every day, such as concealer and lipstick, which gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream when you eat or lick your lips; 3) Change your expectations, as natural makeup is not as long-lasting, inexpensive or easy-to-find as the more common, but toxic, stuff. The good news is when it comes time to remove it, all you need is raw coconut or sweet almond oil and a cotton ball. “Natural makeup just slides right off,” says Blades.


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