Thick Skin may not help you this time

Do you have thick skin?  Well, it doesn’t matter.  Our skin is porous so even if you are thick skinned, you can be absorbing harmful chemicals when you shower, shampoo, put on makeup or even when you do something you think is helpful like apply sunscreen.

Take a good look at the ingredients in the soap in your shower.  If it contains the word fragrance (synthetic), you should either switch to the non-scented version or choose a more natural product.  Fragrance is what makes our products smell oh sooo clean and fresh.  It's often the reason we make our way to the register.  But next time you get carried away by that delightful smell, please sniff up this post.  

Unfortunately synthetic fragrance has been blamed for many ailments ranging from respiratory issues like asthma to hormone disruptive issues like cancer.  A report by the National Academy of Sciences noted that 95 percent of chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum (crude oil) and include benzene derivatives (carcinogenic), aldehydes, toluene, and many other known toxic chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions.  I've personally seen that when people with respiratory issues eliminate fragrance, they feel much better. 

Olives, Green tea and Avocado are staples in my diet so when I saw them in this natural body wash (Shea Moisture), I had to give it a try (post my company research of course!).  Shea Moisture was started in 1912 by a women named Sofi Tucker who started selling Black Soap in her small hometown in Africa.  Her grandchildren took over her legacy and continue to promise products safe of ingredients like parabens, sulfates, phosphates, petroleum,  propylene and formaldehyde.  The soap doesn't lather for that reason, however it goes on smooth and has a nice light smell.  It’s also very thick so a little goes a long way. 

I bought my body wash from a large grocery store; however stores like Target and Amazon carry it on line.  You can also purchase it from the Shea Moisture website.  It's definitely worth a click here to check out the fun ingredients (like acai berry, apple cider vinegar, apricot, lavender, etc…) they use in their large variety of products! 

Next I plan to sample their African Black Soap Body Wash.   Stay tuned…!

Are you ARMED with the Right Deodorant?

According to the American Cancer Society, there are no strong studies in medical literature that link breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use; however, it's definitely a concern, especially among the breast cancer community.  

Before I continue sniffing into this topic, let me explain difference between antiperspirant and deodorant.  Antiperspirant keeps you from sweating while deodorant cut down on what makes you smell when you do sweat.  

Why is this a concern?  Antiperspirants do their job clogging and blocking your sweat pores with aluminum salts.  Some research suggests that when aluminum is absorbed by the skin, it can cause changes to estrogen receptors of breast cells. Because estrogen can promote the growth of cancer breast cells, some scientists have suggested that the aluminum-based compounds may be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer.

Finding the right Deodorant/Antiperspirant has been quite the challenge for me.  I've tested many and some worked initially, but later became what I thought was a stinky purchase.    

I finally stumbled on a brand called UNDERARMED on Amazon.  It had a close to 5 star rating and reviews seemed far from unauthentic.  After researching, I found that UNDERARMED was created by small family business (started by Sean McLellan).  They hand make each stick and took over two years and over 200 attempts to formulate the perfect product!  Ingredients are limited (that's usually a good sign) and include natural stuff like organic coconut oil, beeswax, all natural aluminum free sodium bicarbonate, organic avocado butter and a few more they list in the packaging.  

How did they get it right?  Sean isn't a scholarly chemist nor did he go to the Harvard of Deodorant School.  He simply did this by asking all his purchasers to send him feedback after using.  As a gift for the information, he provides a trial size deodorant for $1 (the small payment is to help with the cost of shipping).  Today, after all his trial and error, he says it's finally perfect!  And so far, I think it is too.