Personalcare products - Use it safely

There are thousands of ingredients , being used to produce a wide spectrum of personal care products. They need not be and are not tested for safety, before they find their place on the beautiful shelves of the store. How to ensure that you are using the right and safe product

Here are some tips from the environmental working group :

FOCUS on the ingredients. Current law says manufacturers don’t have to back up their claims, so don’t trust marketing terms such as organic, natural and hypoallergenic. Read the fine print and check the ingredients.

TAME your soap. Strong soaps can strip away your body’s own natural skin oils. Choosing a milder soap can reduce skin dryness and your need for artificial moisturizers.

TURN UP your nose to added fragrances. Fragrances can cause allergic reactions, and products that claim to be “fragrance free” often contain masking fragrances that give off a neutral odor. Check the label to be sure.

LIGHTEN UP on dark hair dyes. Many contain coal tar ingredients that have been linked to cancer.

PUT DOWN the baby powder. A number of ingredients in common powder have been linked to cancer, and the FDA warns that they can cause lung damage if inhaled regularly.

BRUSH OFF the fluoridated toothpaste. Little kids eat toothpaste, and fluoride consumption has been linked to bone cancer in boys. There’s a reason for the poison control warning on fluoridated toothpaste, so wait until they’re at least six before giving it to them.

ABOLISH the nail polish, especially if you’re pregnant. It’s a product that routinely contains ingredients linked to birth defects and other problems. If you do use it, always paint nails in a well-ventilated area.

GO EASY on the perfume or cologne. They often contain phthalates and parabens, ingredients that have been linked to birth defects and breast cancer.

SIMPLIFY your life by using fewer personal care products. Doing so will reduce potential health risks associated with those products.

SEARCH for products at the Skin Deep website www.ewg.org/skindeep/.

Use the Custom Shopping List to find the personal care products that have the fewest health impacts.