sodium lauryl sulfate

Are you still using crest toothpaste?

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Are You Still Using Crest Toothpaste?

Go into your bathroom and look around. How many products do you use daily? I’m betting it’s over 20. Maybe even over 30. And if you check out the ingredients on those products, do you have any idea what you are slathering on your skin, painting on your face or ‘cleaning’ your body with? Here, we check things out…

A typical morning routine may entail some or all of these items:

Shower: Soap, bodywash, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream

Post Shower: Toothpaste, Mouthwash, Face Cream, Body Lotion, Deodorant, Hair Gel, Hair Mousse, Hair Spray

For Ladies: Toner, Foundation, Concealer, Blush, Lipstick, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Mascara

That is a lot of products we are using to even be able to leave the house in the morning!!

And do we really have any idea of what is in all of these products that we are happy to slather on us?

Let’s investigate Crest ProHealth for Me Toothpaste.

According to Proctor & Gamble’s product safety department, these are the current ingredients1:

Active Ingredient: Sodium Fluoride

Inactive Ingredients: Sorbitol, Water, Hydrated Silica, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Flavor, Sodium Saccharin, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Polyethylene, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1 Lake

Now, let’s break down some of these ingredients and see what they actually are and how they can affect your body:

Sodium Fluoride: fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect your brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland, bones, and even your blood sugar levels2.

There have been 100 animal studies and over 34 human studies and linking fluoride to brain damage and lower IQ in children. Fluoride toxicity can lead to a wide variety of health problems, including: arthritis, dementia, increased tumour and cancer rate, genetic damage and cell death, inhibited formation of antibodies, bone fractures and muscle disorders (among many others)2.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: SLS is registered as an insecticide and may have toxic effects to marine life, including fish, insects, and crustaceans3.

Polyethylene: Plastic – the same material used in plastic bags. Need we say more?

Blue 1 Lake: Also called FD&C Blue No. 1, is a synthetic colour that is subject to certification by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)4. The chemical is linked to cancer in animals and behaviour problems and hyperactivity in children5.

Disodium Pyrophosphate: Large amounts of disodium phosphate or other phosphate salts may cause upset stomach, constipation or diarrhea. People with heart failure, cirrhosis or any other condition that can cause edema should avoid disodium phosphate, as it may worsen the symptoms of these conditions6.

It is important to source out clean versions of your cosmetics, with ingredients that you know and can identify. Visit your local health food store to see the many options of natural toothpaste available.

With Sources From:

1 – http://www.pgsdscpsia.com/productsafety/ingredients/Crest_Pro_Health_Toothpastes.pdf

2 – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/30/water-fluoridation-facts.aspx

3 – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/09/09/toxic-toothpaste-ingredients.aspx

4 – http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/blue-1-and-blue-1-lake

5 – http://www.livestrong.com/article/322000-list-of-foods-containing-red-dye/

6 – http://www.livestrong.com/article/138968-the-use-disodium-phosphate/

Are you poisoning your family?

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Are you poisoning your family?

What are you cleaning with? What soap do you wash dishes with? Run the dishwasher with? Do the laundry with? What about your windows? toilets? sinks? floors? How do you control odours? Manage the dust collection? Are you inadvertently poisoning your family?

You probably have a giant bucket of cleaning supplies, solutions, soaps, detergents, sprays and poisons to combat the dirt, grime, dust and bacteria that tries to call your home their home too.

This bucket is filled with hundreds of chemicals and can cause very serious health problems for your entire family.

The worst part is that there are no regulations in this industry that states they must label their products with warnings about the health problems these products can cause from not only extended use, but even to use them once.

So, here is your warning label!

When we use these chemicals in our homes, they stick around for a very long time.
• They linger in the air and we breathe them in
• They stay on the dishes and cutlery until they combine with our food and find their way into our bodies
• They stick in the clothes we wash in the toxic detergents and cause our skin to absorb the chemicals
• They stay on the floor until our feet or our babies’ crawling tummies have absorbed the chemicals into their skin
• They go down the drain to further poison our aquatic life and then circle back around to the drinking water supply

Once these chemicals are used, they are with our planet forever. And they can cause serious health complications, such as:

• cancer
• allergies
• migraines
• hormone mimicking
• chemical burns
• kidney damage
• endocrine disruption
• skin and eye irritation
• throat and lung problems – breathing problems, asthma
• and many more serious health issues.

How to Avoid Toxic Chemicals?

Make your own cleaning supplies!!! You can clean 99% of your entire home with vinegar in a spray bottle, some baking soda and your favourite essential oils.

Toilets and sinks – spray them down with vinegar, sprinkle around some baking soda, add 3-4 drops of essential oil (lemon is great), leave it for 5 minutes and clean as usual.

For laundry detergents, dish soap, etc, begin shopping at your local health food store for non-toxic products. Speak with the staff to hear about their favourite options and try them out.

How to identify toxic chemicals?

These are some of the worst offenders, found in a variety of your household cleaning supplies. Avoid them like it’s your job!

• Ammonia
• Coal Tar Dyes
• MEA (monoethanalomine)
• DEA (diethanolamine)
• TEA (triethanolamine)
• Fragrance (can be a mixture of the more than 3000 chemicals existing that create fragrance)
• Pthalates
• Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)
• Phosphates
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
• Silica Powder
• Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Triclosan
• Trisodium nitrilotriacetate

These chemicals are found in dish soaps, disinfectants, laundry detergents, cleaning towelettes, toilet bowl cleaners, deodorizers, surface cleaners, abrasive cleaning powders, all purpose cleaners, fabric softeners, degreasers, dishwasher detergents, stain removers, car wash products, air fresheners, floor cleaners, oven cleaners, glass cleaners, window cleaners, drain cleaners, stainless steel cleaners, rust removers, and automobile cleaners.

With Sources from:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/the-dirt-on-toxic-chemicals-in-household-cleaning-products/