Uses of Tea
• Muslin fabric can be tea stained to appear aged.
• A tea bag works well as a compress on swollen, puffy eyes
• The tannic acid that occurs naturally in black tea is also said to help eradicate warts.
• If making glycerin melt and pour soap, add tea in nearly any form to a mold of soap before it cools. The tea will settle in the bottom of the mold, (top of the bar of soap) and makes an excellent cleansing soap.
• Chamomile tea is a natural sleep aid.
• If used on lighter colored hair, Chamomile tea will work as a natural dye.
• Tea bags that have cooled can be applied to sunburned areas of skin.
• Tea bags, or loose tea in a small muslin bag, of scented tea will make a perfect addition to your clothes drawers.
• Tea sachets made with plain old black tea make a perfect addition to your refrigerator. They will help keep food odors in control.
• Chamomile or peppermint tea makes a very soothing footbath.
• Warm compress of tea leaves eases tooth ache
• Sprinkle dry tea directly onto carpeting, and allow to settle in for about ten to fifteen minutes as carpet freshener
• Tea eases achy eyes. Wet two tea bags with warm or cool water, and lie down with one tea bag on each eye. Relax for at least 15 minutes, and your eyes (and you) will feel invigorated. Chilled chamomile tea bags are particularly effective against puffiness.
• Feed your houseplants. For lush, luxurious ferns, give them an occasional spot of tea. Use tea instead of water once in a while, or work wet tea leaves into the soil.
• Tenderize meat. If you can afford expensive cuts of meat, try marinating or cooking your meat in tea. The tannins in tea work as a tenderizer to make the meat tasty and delicious.
• Stop bleeding gums. If you just had a tooth pulled, or if you have a youngster who just lost a tooth, tea bags can help stop the bleeding. Just wet a tea bag with cool water and press into the spot the tooth came from.
• Keep the dust down. Sprinkle damp tea leaves over the ashes in your fireplace before cleaning it out. The tea will help keep the ashes from rising and getting all over the place while you lift them out.
• Dye lace for an old ivory look. Soak white lace in cold brewed tea to get a beige, ecru, or ivory color.
• Remove old furniture polish. Boil two tea bags in a quart of water and let cool. Soak a soft cloth in the tea and wring out. Wipe off dirt and old polish, let dry, buff, and then decide if you need to reapply polish.
• Mirrors that sparkle and shine. Brew up a batch of strong tea, let it cool, then use it to clean your mirrors. Buff it dry with a soft cloth for a great streak-free shine.
• A tea party for your roses. Tea leaves sprinkled under your rose bushes will give them a new lease on life in mid-summer. Tea provides tannic acid, which roses love.
• Take care of a messy shave. A wet tea bag is a soothing way to treat shaving nicks and cuts.
• Freshen your breath. A cup of mint tea is a good-tasting breath freshener for after meals, especially if you can brush your teeth, or don’t like gum or candy mints. Carry a few mint tea bags with you so you�ll always be prepared.
• Seed your lawn with a tea bag patch. Sow grass seed in small bare spots with a used tea bag. Make sure the bag is moist, and place it on the dirt where you want the grass. Sprinkle it with seed. The bag will hold moisture and gradually decompose.
• Out of the teapot and into potted plants. Place a few used Tetley tea bags in the bottom of a planter, on top of your drainage material (gravel, Styrofoam, etc.). Add soil and your plants as usual. The tea bags will hold moisture and gradually leach nutrients into the soil.
• Let chamomile tea steep, then place in a facial steamer. Your skin will appreciate it.
• If you have a broken fingernail that is still hanging on, cut a small piece of tea bag and coat in clear nail polish. Place over the broken nail (see photo at right) and it will adhere the nail together until it grows out. Cover in a colored coat.
• Fill a small gift bag with lavender tea and place under your car seat for a great air freshener. It also has a calming effect.
• Place tea leaves in a smoker box when grilling to give your foods a unique flavor.
• Freeze leftover tea in an ice cube tray. Use these tea ice cubes the next time you need to cool iced tea.
• Use a large sachet bag or small lingerie bag and stuff the “bath bag” with your favorite teas and herbs. Add salts, oils or flowers to enhance your bathing respite.
• Strong footbath of black tea will strengthen the pads of a dogs feet
• To eliminate food odors on hands, especially fish odors, rinse hands with tea
• To soothe a child after getting a shot, apply a cool wet green teabag to the shot site
• Clean Persian and Oriental carpets by sprinkling nearly dry tea leaves on it and then sweeping them away
• To heal plantar warts, place a hot wet tea bag on it for 15 minutes a day
• Hot tea bags make an excellent compress for the eyes to soothe pinkeye
• Place hot tea bags on canker sores or fever blisters to draw out infections
• Wash face with tea to cure acne
• Cold, wet tea bags will soothe bee stings and insect bites
Uses of Tea
Tea is a super excellent herbal drink with wonderful color, scent and taste. Besides its main function as a beverage, tea has various special uses. Some of these uses include:
1. Making tea leaf boiled egg. Brewed teal eaves or tea leaf fanning can be used for making tea leaf boiled eggs. Better use black tea, and the ordinary one is very cheap. Eggs cooked with black tea leaves have a delicious taste and a rosy color. The process of making such eggs is: first, boil the eggs; then break the eggshell gently; and then put tea leaves into the boiling water together with those eggs, enabling the taste of tea to soak into eggs.
2. Making tea leaf pillow. Brewed tea leaves can be used for making pillow after dried in the sun. Since the tea leaf is of a cold nature according to traditional Chinese medical science, so tea leaf pillow can help one to be clear-headed and fast thinking.
3. Driving out mosquito. After making brewed tea leaves dry in sun, one can burn them in summer evenings. The scent of burnt tea leaves can drive out mosquito with an effect resembling that of mosquito-repellent incense, and at the same time, it will do no harm to the users.
4. Used as flavoring. Tea leaf is rich in coloring matter and has a wide usage, especially henna black tea leaf. Tea leaf can be used in mixed herbal drinks and food. As a kind of flavoring, black tea juice is far better than common chemical coloring matters.
5. Nourishing flowers and plants. Brewed tea leaves contain various nutrients such as inorganic salt and carbohydrate. If buried in garden or flowerpot, they can nourish the growth and breeding of flowers and plants.
6. Making candy. Tea can be made into delicious candies with a special flavor, such as the black tea milky candy.
7. Sterilizing and curing dermatophytosis. Tea leaf contains a great deal of tannin, which has a strong sterilizing effect, especially to filamentous fungus, which causes dermatophytosis. Hence, if people who suffer from dermatophytosis persist in washing their feet with concentrated tea juice every evening, they will get rid of the disease without using any medicine. But these people should persevere in doing so, because one will see no obvious effect within a short period. Better use green tea, since the fermented black tea contains less tannin.
8. Eliminating halitosis. Tea has a strong convergent effect, which could eliminate halitosis when kept in the mouth. One can gain same effect by gargling with strong tea. If one does not like drinking tea, she/he can first steep the tea in water to reduce its bitter taste before chewing it.
9. Nourishing hair. Tea can wash off dirt. One’s hair will appear black and tender with a luster after washed by tea. More over, tea will do no harm to one’s hair and skin since it does not contain any chemicals.
10. Washing silk clothes. Silk clothes cannot be washed with chemical detergent. Brewed tealeaves can keep the original color and luster of silk clothes and fibrous nylon clothes as well.
11. Remitting the symptoms of a cold. If one gets a sour throat and a hoarse voice, she/he must have caught a cold. After drinking several glasses of strong tea added with sugar candy, she/he will feel better. This was once a folk prescription widely adopted in rural areas.
http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaway/2003-09/24/content_29609.htm
Types of Teas
Differently prepared tea leaves from the plant Camellia sinensis produce their own kinds of tea. Most of the specific types of tea are distinguished by alternate preparations of the tea leaf. One type of tea is from the tea buds, and another is actually from another plant.
Most teas have caffeine from the oxidation that occurs in processing. In moderation, caffeine can be a benefit, but the large number of caffeinated drinks consumed daily by the average person produces caffeine overload and the detrimental side effects. How you brew your tea also alters the amount of caffeine per cup, and a complementary chemical in tea provides an overall stimulant rather than the brain-and-muscle focus of strict caffeine.
Warning: the chemicals used to decaffeinate drinks cannot remove all caffeine from the beverage, and the chemicals themselves are suspected to have worse effects on the body than the original caffeine and are known to destroy most of the health benefits.
To naturally lower the caffeine content of your tea, pour boiling water over your tea, let it steep for 45 seconds, then pour off the water and brew your tea for drinking. You will sacrifice some of the flavor for this, though; the lower the quality of the tea, the more flavor you will lose.
Teas made from things other than tea leaves are universally called “herbal teas” or “infusion teas” despite arguments that they actually are not tea. The term “true tea” explicitly excludes herbal tea. The caffeine-free teas are actually herbal teas.
The types of teas are black, chai, green, oolong, red (rooibos), tazo, and white.
However, even red (rooibos) tea can be argued to not be tea by some who argue that “true teas” only refer to those teas that are made from the Chinese and Indian versions of the single species of the tea plant Camellia sinensis or hybrids of the two.
http://beginnersguide.com/coffee/types-of-teas/what-are-the-types-of-teas.php
Enhancing Bodybuilding Performance with Fish Oil
Fish oil can be a very beneficial nutritional supplement for the purpose of body building, as well as for improving the muscular fitness. As recommended by most dietitians, food from natural resources can have a lot of health benefits. Fish oil has some inherent properties that makes it the best to consume if you are on a bodybuilding regime or you are looking to loose weight.
Properties of fish oil making it superior
The word ‘oil’ generally carries with it the notion of something fatty and having high calories or fat content. It is to be well understood that beforehand that not all oils are bad, and there are a lot of oils which are having essential nutrients and supplements that vital for our bodily performances. Fish oil also fall sunder the category of healthy oils. Fish oil contains a number of fatty acids, which are termed as ‘essential fatty acid’ essential because our body does not have he ability to synthesize them and it relies on external source for their supply. Amongst the other fatty acids, fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are a thoroughly researched class of fatty acids, which is found to be highly useful in a variety of ways.
Omega 3 fatty acids:
How do they help?
Omega 3 fatty acids constitute a very important role in muscle development and growth. Prior to previous misconception of avoiding fat during muscle building, it is validated scientifically that some amount of vital fat is very necessary to maintain the appropriate level of testosterone in the body. The required level can be maintained by taking appropriate quantity of fish oil. Tendon strength is also improved by the intake of fish liver oil proved in a research conducted in Utah. From a weight loss point of view as well, the omega 3 fatty acid rich fish oil is beneficial because it helps in reducing the amount of high density lipids (HDL) by promoting lipogenesis.
In general, it can be stated that fish oil is a vital supplement to a healthy diet for individuals involved in any kind of bodybuilding program.
http://www.bodybuildingtipsguide.com/blog/enhancing-bodybuilding-performance-with-fish-oil/
Diet Plans for Women and Heart Healthy Diet - Diet Supplements for Women at Work
Heart ailments are the primary cause of death in women in the United States. One out of every four women succumbs to death following a heart malfunction. Twenty three percent die within the same year of an attack, and 45% suffer from heart failures within 6 years following an attack. Post menopause the risk of heart attacks rises drastically. So every woman who is reading this, take heed and every man who is reading this, make the women in your life aware of these statistics. It has become more imperative than ever to keep the heart healthy and the time is now to start making some basic changes, whether or not you have a bad heart. Every woman should start making the requisite dietary, lifestyle, and activity changes to lower the risk of heart disease.
Let’s begin here with understanding what constitutes a healthy heart diet. A healthy heart diet is not a restrictive diet and allows every woman to enjoy all kinds of food. It is a guideline that will help you decide on the proportions and enable you to enjoy occasional treats without having to worry about your heart. A typical American diet is laden with red meats, processed and fried foods, and food containing more trans-fats than omega fats, added sugars and high sodium. If your food habits consist of these foods you are for sure one of those women who will have a heart failure eventually. You need to stop and start following the guidelines given below, which will lower your risk of heart diseases and help you live a healthy life.
Vegetarian Diet Tips for Women
• Incorporate at least one fruit and a vegetable in every meal
• Opt for whole grains and their flours over refined ones since they are abundant in vitamins and minerals. They contain complex carbohydrates, which are good for the body and help you to feel stay fuller for longer
• Choose lean meats such as pork tenderloin, chicken breast, etc. Each serving of these meats can be about 3 oz or the size of a deck of cards. The total consumption of meats, seafood and poultry should not exceed 6 to 7 oz per day
• Avoid processed foods; they contain little nutrition value and are laden with sodium and sugars
• Incorporate the good fats such as the Omegas (o) in your daily diet. They increase the good cholesterol levels and help in weight loss. Wheat germ oil, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, purslane, are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Evening Primrose, black currant seed oil, pine nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds contain the Omega 6 fatty acids
• Avoid using refined oils. Olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil are healthy oils; opt for the ones, which are extracted using the cold pressed method to avail all their benefits
• Avoid deep frying foods. Try barbecuing, steaming, and roasting instead. Buy a good cookbook if you need help with recipes using these methods
http://www.diethealthclub.com/blog/women-health/diet-plans-for-women-and-heart-healthy-diet.html
Fish Oil and Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Herbal Tea or Tisane
Herbal teas or tisanes can be used as remedies for a variety of ailments, but you must bear in mind that their effects are not instant. Listed below are some herbs and their recognized treatments:
• Lemon balm is a general tonic and is soothing and relaxing.
• Mint is good in the treatment of stomachaches, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, nausea and colds.
• Sage is a good general tonic.
• Thyme is good for cough and sinus ailments.
To make tisanes, which can be served hot or cold, follow this step-by-step procedure:
Allow one tablespoon of fresh herbs or one teaspoon of dried herbs per cup.
1. Put specified amount of herbs into cup.
2. Pour on boiling water.
3. Leave to infuse for 5-10 minutes until yellow in color.
4. Strain and discard herbs.
5. Add sugar if desired.
6. It is now ready to drink.
Reference : http://www.kypros.org/Projects/Laona/herbal_drinks.html
Cod Liver Oil Health Benefits
Cod Liver Oil
Cod Liver Oil is nutrient rich oil that is derived from the liver of Cod fish. It is available in both oil forms as well as in capsules.
What are the Benefits of Cod Liver Oil?
Cod liver oil is a wonderful nutritional supplement which provides multiple health benefits. It is rich in nutrients such as:
• Vitamin A: helps to maintain a healthy immune system, helps resist bacterial and viral infections, and beneficial for eyesight and healthy skin.
• Vitamin D: helps maintain strong and healthy bones.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: have anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve brain function, reduce stress, prevent allergies, relieve asthma, and help with learning and behavioral disorders including bipolar syndrome.
• Eicosa Pentanoic Acid (EPA): is great for the cardiovascular system and helps reduce inflammation throughout the body. Also works as a natural anti-depressant.
• Docosa Hexanoic Acid (DHA): is also a fatty acid which is vital for good eyesight, a healthy nervous system, and healthy skin.
Research has also shown that consuming 1-2 teaspoons of cod liver oil daily can help to prevent serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, kidney problems, and high cholesterol.
Uses of Cod Liver Oil
Home Remedy for Arthritis
Consuming a small amount of Cod Liver Oil each day helps prevent arthritis, as well as provides some relief from arthritis pain. Recommended dosages are 1 to 2 teaspoons daily, or follow the directions on the bottle if you are using capsules.
Home Remedy for Muscle Aches and Pain
Bone and muscle pain are two of the primary symptoms of having low-levels of vitamin D. Many people with such low vitamin D levels notice significant pain in their legs and have difficulty climbing stairs. Numerous studies have shown that 1 to 2 teaspoons of Cod Liver Oil daily can increase vitamin D levels in the body which helps to improve muscle strength and reduce muscle pain.
Home Remedy for Preventing Heart Disease
Taking 1 to 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil everyday can greatly improve heart function which helps prevent heart disease. It can also improve heart conditions even after a heart attack and after heart surgery. This is attributed to the omega-3 fatty acids which alters the linings of the arteries in such a way as to improve healing after damage. Vitamin A and D also play important roles in facilitating mineral absorption, improving muscle function, and supporting elasticity of the blood vessels.
Home Remedy for High Cholesterol
The fatty acids in Cod Liver Oil help lower the amount of bad cholesterol in our body. A simple remedy is to consume 1-2 teaspoons of Cod Liver Oil daily.
Lowering Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Children
Studies have found that pregnant women that took 1 daily teaspoon of cod liver oil have a lower risk of giving birth to children with type 1 diabetes. However, if you are pregnant, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before you begin taking cod liver oil regularly.
What are the Side Effects of Cod Liver Oil?
Cod liver oil is generally safe to take in moderation, and studies have not found any major adverse reactions to it in the general population. However, a If you are pregnant or currently taking medication, it is recommended that you contact your physician before using cod liver oil on a regular basis. Otherwise, cod liver oil has been found to be safe for the general population when taken in moderation. It is important not to consume extremely large doses of cod liver oil, since this can lead to high blood pressure.
Where and How to Buy Cod Liver Oil
Cod Liver Oil can be bought in most pharmacies and drug stores. It can also be found in liquid form. High quality cod liver oil should be pale-yellow in color and have a fish-like taste
http://www.homeremediesweb.com/cod-liver-oil-health-benefits.php
Cancer-causing Chemicals in Children’s Bath Products
Cancer-causing Chemical Found in Children’s Bath Products.
Women’s Shampoos and Body Wash also contaminated.
WASHINGTON: A hidden cancer-causing petrochemical has been found in dozens of children’s bath products and adults’ personal care products, in some cases at levels that are more than twice the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s lenient recommended maximum.
Laboratory tests released today revealed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame, Street Bubble Bath. The tests also found the carcinogen in Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo, Olay, Complete Body Wash and many other personal care products.,1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a clear-cut animal carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program. It is also on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known or suspected by the state to cause cancer or birth defects. Because it is a contaminant produced during manufacturing, the FDA does not require it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels.
The problem of 1,4-Dioxane contamination in personal care products is highlighted in a new book, “Safe Trip to Eden: Ten Steps to Save the Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown,” by
David Steinman. The laboratory results were released jointly today at the National Press Club by Steinman and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of U.S.-based health and environmental groups working to protect cosmetics consumers from toxic chemicals and hold companies accountable for the safety of their products.
“Regrettably, 1,4-Dioxane contamination is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund, a founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Because the FDA does not require cosmetics products to be approved as safe before they are sold, companies can put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.” Steinman said parents should be outraged that companies are willing to spend a significant amount of money on entertainment licensing agreements that entice children but won’t spend pennies to remove contaminants such as 1,4-Dioxane. “Consumers who have young children, as I do, have the right to expect the highest purity in children’s products,” Steinman said. “I call on American consumers to say no to dangerous petrochemicals in their children’s cosmetic and personal care products.”
Contrary to what many consumers may believe, the FDA does not review or regulate cosmetics products or ingredients for safety before they are sold to the public and has no legal authority to require safety assessments of cosmetics.
Cancer-causing Chemical Found in Personal Care Products
Devra Lee Davis, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said that the usual regulatory approach of assessing risk one chemical at a time does not account for the combined effects of very low levels of hidden contaminants in personal care products and from other sources. “We must lower exposures to controllable agents that we know or suspect cause cancer,” she said.
The FDA has been measuring 1,4-Dioxane levels since 1979, but because the agency has little authority or enforcement capacity over the cosmetics industry, it has worked with manufacturers to reduce levels on a voluntary basis only. In 2000, the FDA recommended that cosmetic products should not contain 1,4-Dioxane at concentrations greater than 10 ppm (parts per million); yet some
15 percent of products tested exceeded even these lenient guidelines. This limit, however, also does not take into account that babies exposed to 1,4-Dioxane from baby shampoo may be exposed at the same time to 1,4-Dioxane from bubble bath, body wash and many other products.
More than two dozen products were tested at Steinman’s request by West Coast Analytical Service, an independent testing laboratory specializing in trace chemical analysis.
Baby & Children’s Consumer Products Concentration of 1,4-Dioxane
Disney Clean as Can Bee Hair & Body Wash (Water Jel Technologies) 8.8 ppm
Disney Pixar Cars Piston Cup Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care) 2.2 ppm
Gerber Grins & Giggles Gentle & Mild Aloe Vera Baby Shampoo 8.4 ppm
Hello Kitty Bubble Bath (Kid Care) 12 ppm
Huggies Baby Wash Shea Butter 4.0 ppm
Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash Extra Gentle and Tear Free 4.2 ppm
Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson) 5.3 ppm to 6.1 ppm
Johnson’s Kids Tigger Bath Bubbles (Johnson & Johnson) 5.6 ppm to 7.9 ppm
Johnson’s Kids Shampoo Watermelon Explosion (Johnson & Johnson) 10 ppm
Lil’ Bratz Mild Bubble Bath (Kid Care) 3.7 ppm
L’Oreal Kids Orange Mango Smoothie Shampoo 2.0 ppm
Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath Gentle Formula with Aloe 1.5 ppm
Rite-Aid Tearless Baby Shampoo 4.3ppm
Scooby-Doo Mild Bubble Bath (Kid Care) 3.0 ppm
Sesame Street Wet Wild Watermelon Bubble Bath (The Village Company) 7.4 ppm
Adult Consumer Products
Clairol Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers Shampoo 23ppm
Olay Complete Body Wash with Vitamins (normal skin) 23 ppm
Suave Naturals Passion Flower 2.0ppm
Steinman’s book explains what Americans can do today to be “green patriots” and curb the nation’s dependency on foreign oil. The new laboratory results reveal the health risks posed by the same petrochemicals that are part of what he calls the nation’s growing oil addiction.
Women and girls use an average of 12 personal care products daily, according to a 2004 survey conducted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
Reference:
http://www.ewg.org/files/14-dioxane.pdf
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=2483603
Beauty at what price?
For years, many men and women have attempted to improve their appearances. But, in their quest for perfection, they have not stopped to consider the consequences of routinely using their shampoos, moisturizing creams, toothpaste or cosmetics. Could the tube of lipstick, moisturizing lotion or baby shampoo be exacting a price on our health?
This very well may be the case. While environmental pollutants and toxins can be easily absorbed through the air, our water and our food, they can also come from other unlikely sources. Launching an investigation of the chemicals found in cosmetics and personal care products, researchers have reported some shocking discoveries. Industrial chemicals, long banned and at 100 times the allowable amounts, can be found in many of the products we use every day.
Cosmetic chemistry is nothing more than a blend of industrial chemicals:
- Propylene glycol, a humectant found in most moisturizers, is an industrial anti-freeze and is also used for deicing airplanes
The Material Safety Data Sheet, issued by the chemical’s manufacturer, states that it is systemic, and “through skin contact, it causes liver abnormalities and kidney damage in laboratory animals.”
- Dioxane, found in baby shampoos, has been determined by the FDA to be an animal carcinogen
In a 1978 study done at the Unilever Research Laboratory (present owner of Elizabeth Arden), a common surfactant, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) found in most cleansers, toothpastes and shampoos was found to irritate the skin, corrode the hair and contribute to significant hair loss. Further tests indicated that it can keep children’s eyes from developing properly and contributed to the development of cataracts in some adults. In children under the age of six, SLS prevents proteins from linking up properly. Furthermore, it was found to mix with other chemicals present in shampoos to form nitrosamines, a human carcinogen. This very same ingredient is used in research clinics to irritate skin for healing tests. It is also used to degrease automobile engines and clean garage floors because of its corrosive nature.
- Another common ingredient in most moisturizers, mineral oil, comes from crude oil (petroleum) used in industry as a metal cutting fluid.
It may suffocate the skin by forming an oil film. Healthy skin needs oxygen, and to release carbon dioxide it should not be inhibited. Holding large amounts of moisture in the skin can “flood” the biology and may result in immature, unhealthy, sensitive skin that dries out easily.
- Glycerin (synthetic/non-natural) acts in a similar fashion, drawing moisture from inside the skin and holding it on the surface for a better feel.
While these two ingredients may not necessarily be toxic, they can dry the skin from the inside out, and ultimately cause premature aging.
There is cause for concern. The average woman applies more than two hundred chemicals a day to her body, men, somewhat fewer, most of which initiate an immune response. In this day of chemical overload, it is ridiculous to think that this toxic abuse is not affecting our health.
So what do we do now? Throw away our make-up and go “au natural?”
No, alternatives are out there, we just need to take the initiative to educate ourselves in a little biochemistry, read labels, learn about ingredients, scan a few reports and attend a few lectures. Then when it is time to replace those products, it will be done with knowledge.
No, we don’t have to give up our skincare products, we just need to be informed and choose wisely. We then need to teach this valued information to our children and others we care about.
Reference: http://www.healthy-communications.com/beautyatwhatprice.html