Why Your Beauty Products Need Natural Ingredients

Why Your Beauty Products Need Natural Ingredients

There’s a lot more to your beauty products than what meets the eye. This is evidenced by the fact that health-related complaints concerning beauty products such as makeup and shampoo have been on the rise and are actually at an all-time high.This is quite concerning, especially when you consider the fact that getting these products that are causing health problems off the market is not a straightforward process. This is because cosmetic manufacturers are under no legal obligation to forward complaints concerning their products to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Moreover, beauty products are under no legal obligation to go through a pre-market approval process before they enter stores. As such, the safety and effectiveness claims of modern beauty products are rarely put to the test by professionals.The implication is that cosmetic manufacturers can get away with putting nasty ingredients in the beauty products in a bid to lower production costs. Therefore, to be safe, it is time you started seriously considering only getting products that contain natural ingredients.Free Radicals Are EverywhereFree radicals are essentially the byproduct of normal cellular function. During the process of creating energy, our cells also produce unstable oxygen molecules as a byproduct. These oxygen molecules are what are referred to as free radicals as they only contain one electron, consequently making them highly unstable. When a free radical bonds to other molecules in your body, it compromises their ability to perform their functions.When your body is consistently receiving the effects of free radicals, this damage eventually accumulates, thereby accelerating the aging process.While our bodies produce free radicals naturally, they are usually in safe and manageable levels. However, there are certain things that accelerate the production of free radicals. These include smoking, excess alcohol, not exercising, direct exposure to sunlight for extended periods, and the use of products containing harmful chemicals on your skin. By ditching these products and only using those with natural ingredients, you’ll be saving your body a lot of trouble.Premature Graying is on the RiseIn addition to complaints about skin and irritation problems, more and more young and middle-aged women are reporting cases of premature greying of their hair. According to SVHairRegeneres.com, the most common reason for women going grey earlier is unhealthy hair and a lack of nutrients needed for thick, full hair.This is another important reason why you need natural ingredients in your beauty products. Hair consists of a protein known as keratin, which is essential for maintaining strong and healthy hair. When you lack protein in your diet, you will directly impact your hair quality. Moreover, deficiencies in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and iron will cause your hair to lack the necessary nutrients it needs to retain its strength and health.Therefore, by using products containing natural ingredients such as these vitamins and minerals, you will be able to combat premature greying effectively.Another reason why you need these vitamins is because stress uses up vitamin B. By addressing your stress problems in addition to using products containing natural ingredients, you will begin to reverse the process of aging.About Toxic Beauty ProductsYour skin is a highly permeable membrane, and it is, therefore, very sensitive towards toxic substances. Moreover, the damage is not only felt on the skin but inside your body as well, as those substances are able to penetrate through your pores relatively easily.These toxic ingredients fall under the following main categories:1. Carcinogens2. Precursors to carcinogens3. Penetration enhancers4. Allergens5. EndocrinesToxic Ingredients to Look Out ForAccording to Vanessa Cunningham, there are a good amount of toxic ingredients that make their way into beauty products despite the FDA. While using products that only contain natural ingredients is the best and ultimate way of never coming into contact with toxic substances, it does not hurt to know the ingredients that you need to avoid at all costs. Here are the top five:
  • DEA/TEA/MEA: These are commonly used as emulsifiers or foaming agents in soaps, body washes, and shampoos. They are suspected carcinogens.
  • Coal Tar: This is another carcinogen and is banned in the EU. It is commonly found in anti-dandruff and anti-lice shampoos as well as in dry skin treatments. It is usually sneaked into products under the label FD&C Red No. 6.
  • Hydroquinone: This is typically found in whitening solutions and is thought to cause reproductive anomalies. It is banned in the U.K.
  • Formaldehyde: Another carcinogen suspect, it is commonly found in nail products, shampoos, fake eyelash adhesives, and hair color. It is banned in the EU.
  • Mercury: Mercury is linked to degenerative effects on brain development. You typically find it in mascara.
Are Natural Skin Products That Much Better?The short answer is yes! And, not only are they good for your skin and body, but they are also environmentally friendly as well. The beauty of natural skin products is that they, in fact, do not contain any artificial ingredients. They are created out of natural oils, fruit extracts, and plants.Should You Go Fully Organic?It certainly helps to try! Even though a skin care product may claim to be natural, some of them might contain an additive or two. As such, it is important to check the ingredients to see whether there are any additives such as parabens – bacteria killers utilized by some manufacturers.Organic means that the product is devoid of any additive. These are your best bet, albeit more expensive.Advantages of Natural Beauty ProductsUnlike artificial cosmetics, they are derived from plant, mineral, and animal sources. These products are refined through biological processes instead of synthetic techniques, and the manufacturing process consists of simple and basic chemical processes that utilize catalysts and reactants. It also helps that the technologies used in manufacturing and production are so simple that you can find them in a household.Unfortunately, in a bid to make profits, most cosmetic manufacturers are using synthetic ingredients in their beauty products as they are cheaper to produce. Sadly, these products have detrimental effects on our skins, health, and environment. By dumping those products and only using those made using natural ingredients, you will be giving yourself the chance of having healthy, strong, and better-looking skin for longer.
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