Why What Skincare Products You Use, Matters

Toxic skincare products add to an over-burdened liver

Mankind has been in existence roughly 250,000 years. It appears that the average life expectancy back then was about 25 (maybe I should count my blessings.) What caused early man to live such a short life?  While there are many theories including bad teeth (you can’t chew if your teeth are whittled down to the gums and protein shakes had not been invented.)  Add to that, infectious diseases and “accidents” which also contributed but one thing is clear about the way early man lived: he lived in a chemical-free environment-which is more than I can say for us! 

 

In addition to endogenous toxins (those produced by the body as a byproduct of biochemical processes), there are toxins we voluntarily consume like caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and artificial sweeteners that add to our “toxic burden.”  Perhaps the worst contributor includes 80 billion pounds of toxins that are released into the world’s atmosphere every year. I’m no anthropologist but I believe scientists will one day look back and determine that all this contributed to our demise.

In addition to the pollution in the air and water, our diet, and the toxins our bodies produce, there are other chemicals that enter the body through our skin and our lungs just through our daily lives.  Dry cleaning chemicals, household cleaners, perfume, deodorant, hair products, etc. it all adds up. Have you ever seen a hairbrush that someone hasn’t cleaned in a while and the bristles are coated with air spray, mousse, and gel?  Those chemicals are getting into your bloodstream through your nasal passages, your scalp, your lungs, and through your skin.

When I was kid, one of my favorite movies was The Incredible Shrinking Woman with Lilly Tomlin and Charles Grodin.  The perfect “housewife” Pat Cramer (Lilly Tomlin) discovers she is shrinking smaller and smaller with each passing day. Through a series of medical tests and examinations, it is finally determined that the cause of this rare and mysterious affliction is an overload of household chemicals that the perfect housewife had been using to clean the home. Though very dated, it’s really a hilarious movie if you’re ever in the mood to rent a movie that doesn’t make you think-just laugh.

Our livers are filtering more and more of this toxic gunk every day.   That’s why I like to give it a break. I put myself on a detox cleanse twice a year (once in January and once in July) to give my liver a chance to kick back a little and not have to work so hard. Research is now pointing to toxicity as a possible explanation for everything from autism to obesity. Going through these cleanses twice a year, really opened my eyes to the damage our toxic society (no pun intended) is doing to our bodies.  While it may not be possible to move to a remote part of the world where clean air and water are the norm, (if such a place even exists), there are things we can do to reduce our toxic load such as, use an environmentally conscious dry cleaners, use natural cleaning products with citrus oils and vinegar instead of bleach and lye (you may have to scrub a little harder but your triceps will appreciate the workout.) I won’t be giving up my hair dye anytime soon but I have switched to “natural” cleaning products like those from Poppy’s Naturally Clean (not an affiliate, just a recommendation.)

From an evolutionary perspective, our bodies don't know what to do with these chemicals. So, their priority  is to store them away from the vital organs, someplace safe;  like...your fat!  So, your body will make sure you have enough fat on you to safely store away these "mysterious" chemicals.

Recently, I started looking into alternative skincare products for my shampoo, conditioner, lotion, face cream and soap and found that there aren’t a lot of options out there. Most of the so-called “organic” or “natural” skincare products out there are, well, neither. The company whose supplements I recommend and sell, Thorne Research, has put together a fabulous skincare line that contains none of the common carcinogenic and toxic ingredients that most other “natural” skincare products contain.  In additon to being clean and non-toxic, they're perfect for sensitive skin. I don’t sell these products on my website but if you are interested in learning more about them, shoot me an email (getfit@Jinifit.com.)  The Thorne Organics skincare line shares something called their “No List.”  The no list is a list of all the toxic ingredients their products do not contain.  Take this list with you when you buy your skincare products and look on the back of the bottle.  If you see these ingredients, move on to another brand.

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Fitness expert and integrative performance coach Jini Cicero, CSCS, teaches intermediate exercisers how to blast through plateaus to create incredible transformations. Are you ready to take your fitness to a whole new level?  Find out now!  Take Jini's "Are you Ready?" Quiz at www.Jinifit.com. © 2011 Jinifit, Inc.

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