COSMETICS, BODY CARE AND HOME CARE PRODUCT SAFETY

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Many cosmetics, body care products and home care products often contain toxic or somewhat toxic chemicals and even toxic metals. While things have improved to a degree, one must still be careful with these products.

BODY AND SKIN CARE

We do not recommend using any more products on your skin and the rest of the body than are absolutely needed, since most products contain some toxic ingredients.

ANTI-PERSPIRANTS AND DEODORANTS

Avoid all anti-perspirants because most, if not all of them contain aluminum compounds. This should be on the label, but may not be labeled accurately.

Aluminum is a toxic metal that should not be wiped or sprayed anywhere on your body, especially on a daily basis. To read more about it, please read Aluminum on this website.

The deodorant stone or deordorant crystal. These are no better than commercial anti-perspirants. These are stones that are also high in aluminum. It does not matter that it is a naturally-occurring form of aluminum.

Good deodorants: Making your own. Put some 3% hydrogen peroxide from the drug store in a spray bottle and spray it under your arms once or twice daily. It kills the germs that cause odor.

Another idea is to rub a little sweet-smelling liquid soap under your arms (see soaps below).

Health food stores also sell natural deodorants that may work. Decent brands are Tom’s of Maine and Kiss My Face. Watch out, though, as some contain lots of chemicals.

Avoid Weleda products, which contain aluminum.

HAIR DYES

Most regular hair dyes are very toxic and have been shown to increase the incidence of bladder cancer and other problems.

Better hair dyes: These include the all-natural hair dyes found at many health food stores. They usually contain henna or other natural products, and are much safer. If you don’t need to use hair dye, do not use any.

LIPSTICK AND OTHER MAKEUP

Some brands of lipstick still contain lead. This should be outlawed because lead is very toxic. Ideally, do not use lipstick. It is not needed. If you must, then use an all-natural product from the health food store.

Use as little makeup as possible. It is all sexy and it all clogs the skin somewhat. If you follow a development program, you will develop a healthy glow and will not need makeup. The Dr. Hauschka products are good, but very costly.

Lotions. Try not to use lotions on your skin, or use them very sparingly. If you use a near infrared lamp sauna every day, your skin will definitely improve on its own. This occurs even better and faster if you use the sauna twice daily, not once.

If you must buy a lotion, good brands include Jason, Burts Bees, Kiss My Face (good shaving cream) and Aubrey Organics.

Look for soaps and shampoos with very simple ingredients, as few as possible, and no chemical ingredients.

SOAP, SHAMPOO, SHAVING CREAM AND SKIN LOTION

Body and hand soap. Ideally, use as little soap and lotions on the body as possible. Many soaps and shampoos contain scents that are toxic chemicals, and best avoided.

Products that are acceptable are:

- Grandpas Pine Tar Soap. This is about the best. (not Grandpa’s Shampoo). You can use it on your hair, as well as on the whole body.

- Authentic Black African soap by Alaffia. Get the unscented one.

These are the best.

Other soaps that are fairly good are:

- R.J. Ligett Bar Shampoo. This can be used as soap as well.

- Dr. Bronner soaps, especially the plain castile soap.

- Baby soaps are usually safe.

Shampoo. We recommend R.J. Ligett Bar Shampoo. Another is Extreme 18X by Naturoli.

Most shampoos contain detergents, chelating agents and other harmful chemicals in them. Many people do not need to use shampoo. Just wash the hair with regular soap.

Dandruff shampoo. Avoid Selsun Blue Shampoo and any other selenium shampoos, as these are somewhat toxic.

For dandruff, Head N’ Shoulders Shampoo is fine. It contains zinc and will alter the zinc reading on a hair mineral analysis. However, it is not toxic.

Dandruff is a scalp infection that will go away if one follows a development program.

Shaving cream. Kiss My Face has a nice one that is all herbal.

Hair creams. Do not use products on your hair that make it shiny. These contain phosphorus compounds that are also somewhat toxic.

HOME CLEANING PRODUCTS

All detergents are toxic, harsh to the skin and harsh on the environment. So, if possible, avoid using detergents for anything. For details, read Detergents.

An exception is 18 Extreme X by Naturoli, which is much better.

Bon Ami is a fairly non-toxic general cleaner. Another decent cleaner is CLR.

KITCHEN AND BATH PRODUCTS

Dish soap. Try mixing Alaffia Black African Soap, Unscented with water, in equal proportions in a spray bottle. It works well to spray it on dishes, pots and pans.

If you must have a detergent, dilute some Citrasolv Valencia Orange flavor dish soap with water. It is sold mainly via the internet.

18 Extreme X is also excellent for dishes.

Sink cleaners. Bon Ami is about the best scouring powder to clean pots, pans and the sink. It is very non-toxic, inexpensive and easy to use. CLR is also good.

Toilet cleaners. These usually have some chemicals in them to dissolve hard water deposits and other stains. CLR is one that is not too toxic and works well. You can buy a large container and put some in a spray bottle to use in the toilet area.

White vinegar, perhaps diluted with a little water, is another very safe and fairly effective cleaner for bathrooms. It is not as strong as CLR, but it is very non-toxic.

Glass cleaners. Products with ammonia such as Windex smell strong, but are not too toxic.

GENERAL HOME PRODUCTS

Glue. We suggest keeping a container of Elmer’s Glue around the home for small gluing jobs. It is water-soluble when wet, so cleanup is easy, and it is a fairly non-toxic product.

NICKEL-PLATED JEWELRY AND METAL BRACES FOR TEETH

Avoid metal braces for your teeth, and all metal dental wires, unless you are sure they do not contain nickel. Also, if you have nickel-plated jewelry, it can come off into your body.

You can prevent this by coating the jewelry with clear polyurethane varnish or clear nail polish. Nail polish is very toxic and must be applied outside the house only so you don’t breathe it.

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