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Science

Parabens
The hidden danger in haircare

You wouldn’t knowingly rub a bunch of chemicals on your skin, would you? Well, that’s often what happens every day when people slather on lotion, apply makeup or wash their hair. Is using a typical shampoo for a day going to kill you? Well, of course not.
But every product that you put on your body and in your hair gets absorbed directly into your bloodstream. And over time these chemicals add a significant burden to your body, and that burden can manifest into disease. So you really do need to be careful.
The only way to be sure of what’s in your hair care products is to become familiar with which ingredients to avoid, and then check the labels of every product before you buy it. Here is one of the major ones that you will definitely want to avoid: PARABENS.
• Parabens are chemicals that have been shown to have estrogen-like properties, and estrogen is one of the hormones involved in the development of breast cancer
• Parabens inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeast, and molds, and are used as preservatives.
• On the label they may be listed as: Methyl paraben, Propyl paraben, Isobutyl paraben, Ethyl paraben, Butyl paraben, E216.

Sulfates 
Is your beauty routine causing long-term health damage?

Do you enjoy a shampoo with a rich lather? A shaving cream that really foams? Relaxing in a tub full of bubbles? These may seem like some of life’s simple, innocent pleasures — until you look at what is causing all that foam and lather. Once you find out, you may decide it’s not so simple or pleasurable after all.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) produce a lot of foam very inexpensively. But SLS is so strong that it’s also used to scrub garage floors. And it has been proven to cause cancer in the long run.

SLS stays in the body up to five days. Other studies show it easily penetrates the skin and enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, the lungs, and the brain. When the chemical cocktail is delivered into your blood stream via your skin, however, it bypasses this built-in protective filtration process, so you have decreased protection against the toxins.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE

SLS can penetrate your eyes and other tissues – In a study performed by the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of GA, they found that SLS can penetrate into your eyes and other tissues such as your brain, heart, and liver. This is particularly true when possible accidental exposure to SLS could occur in infants…”

SLS produces nitrosamines – Nitrosamines are potent carcinogens that causes your body to absorb nitrates. According to one estimate, by Dr. David H. Fine, you may be applying 50-100 mcg’s of nitrosamine to your skin each time you use a nitrosamine-contaminated cosmetic.

SLS strips your skin of protective oils and moisture. In a 1959 study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, SLS caused hair and skin damage, including cracking and severe inflammation of derma-epidermal tissue, due to its protein-denaturing properties.

Another study from 1983, published in the Journal of the American College of Toxicology, stated that:
In absorption, metabolism and excretion studies sodium lauryl sulfate had a degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties. High levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentration.”

SLS may damage DNA – According to Japanese studies, described in Judi Vance’s book Beauty to Die For (page 23), SLS can cause cellular DNA damage.

A COMMON — AND TOXIC — SHAMPOO INGREDIENT: SODIUM LAURYL/LAURETH SULFATE (SLS/SLES)

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a surfactant, detergent and emulsifier used in thousands of cosmetic products, as well as in industrial cleaners. It is present in nearly all shampoos, scalp treatments, hair color and bleaching agents, toothpastes, body washes and cleansers, make-up foundations, liquid hand soaps, laundry detergents and bath oils/bath salts.

Research studies on SLS have shown links to:
• Irritation of the skin and eyes
• Organ toxicity
• Developmental/reproductive toxicity
• Neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, ecotoxicology, and biochemical or cellular changes
• Possible mutations and cancer

YOUR SKIN READILY ABSORBS SHAMPOO TOXINS

When you put shampoo or conditioner onto your scalp, the 20 blood vessels, 650 sweat glands, and 1,000 nerve endings soak in the toxins.

Many will shrug these findings off, thinking that their exposure to chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is “insignificant.” But the point is that you are exposed to thousands of chemicals from your personal care products, many of which will surely accumulate in your body—especially if your diet and exercise habits are poor.

This toxic burden can become a significant contributing factor to health problems and serious diseases.
Did you know it’s been estimated that if you use conventional cosmetics on a daily basis, you can absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals and toxins into your body each year?!

Many of these have been linked to deadly side effects like cancer.

WHY ARE SULFATES USED IN BEAUTY PRODUCTS?

Sulfates such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are synthetic chemicals. They are inexpensive detergents that create bulk and lots of lather. They are regulated as a pesticide! Our sulfate-free shampoo is super concentrated and makes tiny champagne bubbles that are healthier for your hair and for you.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE DANGERS OF SULFATES: FOR YOU AND THE EARTH

Sulfates cause eye and skin irritation. They damage the hair, strip essential oils and cause hair color to fade faster. When shampoos with sulfates are washed down the drain and eventually into the ocean, the acidity in the atmosphere increases to form toxic environmental effects like acid rain. By enjoying GLOSS MODERNE… you help the planet.

Knowledge Is Power
Do you know what's in your shampoo?

Most people use shampoo at least a few times a week. But do you know what’s actually in it?

Surfactants are necessary for the lathering, cleaning, and degreasing effects of a shampoo. Conventional surfactants such as sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate have the potential for harshness, stripping away fatty acids.

It takes just a minute or two to give your hair a thorough washing, but when you multiply that by every day, or at least a few times a week, for a lifetime, it adds up to many minutes — and loads of exposure to the chemicals in your shampoo.

There are no federal regulations for beauty products, including shampoo, so it’s really a buyer beware market.

YOU CAN ABSORB MORE TOXINS FROM HAIRCARE PRODUCTS THAN FOOD

Your skin is your largest organ — and also the thinnest. Less than 1/10th of an inch separates your body from potential toxins. Worse yet, your skin is highly permeable. Just about anything you put on your skin will end up in your bloodstream, and will be distributed throughout your body.

Putting chemicals on your skin or scalp may actually be worse than eating them. When you eat something, the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help to break it down and flush it out of your body. However, when you put these chemicals on your skin, they are absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind, going directly to your delicate organs.

Once these chemicals find their way into your body, they tend to accumulate over time because you typically lack the necessary enzymes to break them down. When you add up daily exposure over the course of a lifetime, this adds up to an untold amount of chemical exposures.