Cancer runs in my family. After finding out that another family member has been diagnosed, I have been more vigilant in what I put in and on my body, including cosmetic products.
Recently, I read the ingredient label of a relatively expensive cleanser that I just ran out of: Second ingredient is Sodium Laureth Sulfate (makes things foamy), at least 3 different kinds of parabens (acts as a preservative), cushioned by other chemicals that I cannot even pronounce.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these ingredients appeared in a cheaper product, but not on the label of a seemingly “gentle” facial cleanser that costs close to $30/tube! Unfortunately, toxic fillers such as SLS, parabens, sulphates, fragrance/parfum, etc. don’t seem to discriminate based on price tag.
Is it too much to ask that good money should also be buying a safer product??
Determined to find a decent cleanser without any of this junk, even though there may not be any concrete links to the C-word, I scoured the drugstore shelves, reading countless labels. One thing that I discovered is that the words “natural” or “organic” or anything along those green-lines don’t mean a thing! As these buzz-words doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re free of toxins. There also doesn’t seem to be any regulations about slapping any words, that carries certain claims, on bottles. So even though something says it’s “100% Natural”, in green font, it actually can be made of 100% petrochemicals.
Eventually I settled on a waterless-cleanser that was on sale from Shoppers. However, after some googling, I found out that the second ingredient was mineral oil (a.k.a. paraffinum liquidum). After a week of usage, with disappointing results, I finally returned it today for a full refund.
(By the way, Shoppers does accept full-refunds on opened merchandise as long as you have the receipt and it’s done within 30 days!)
In order to decide on a cleanser, I have decided to use myself as a guinea pig by testing out a sample that I got from Sephora (Korres), blending oats to create a paste, castile soap, olive oil soap, and olive oil, all for 7–10 days each. Hopefully, I will come to a truly natural, non-toxic cleanser that will work on me!
Do you read labels of cleansers, body washes, shampoo/conditioners that you use?
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