Many beauty products contain potentially dangerous chemicals. Among the most concerning are parabens.
These agents are believed to be hazardous to your health, because they mimic the female hormone estrogen. This problem has been known since at least the 1990’s.
Despite the growing concern about widespread exposure to something that may possibly raise our breast cancer risk, parabens are still found in the vast majority of women’s cosmetics. If you look at the label of a facial moisturizer, or a bottle of shampoo, some of the ingredients are a dead giveaway. Methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben are commonly added as preservatives.
One argument for the use of parabens is that these compounds can help prevent bacteria and other pathogens from taking up residence inside our cosmetics.
However, this function is greatly overshadowed by concerns about a connection between parabens and breast cancer. (I’ve included more information toward the end of this article.)
Plus, many of the growing lines of non-toxic beauty products use essential oils to keep germs from proliferating. These highly concentrated plant extracts contain powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal agents, and are now being used in place of parabens.
Cosmetics Without Parabens
It’s possible to replace all of our chemical-based cosmetics with natural alternatives. That’s exactly what I did after I got serious about beating back a severe inflammatory nerve condition, since I didn’t care to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. So I made some radical dietary changes and cosmetic upgrades. In order for my body to heal, I had to reduce the level of poisons in my immediate environment.
Giving up my makeup, mascara, moisturizer and hair gel wasn’t too difficult, because safer versions exist for everything. I was pretty attached to these products. So, if I can do it, you can too.
It’s even possible to buy high-quality paraben free hairspray that holds just as well as the alcohol- based products we’ve become accustomed to spraying near our face, and, in the process, breathing in noxious fumes.
Where to Buy Organic Hairspray
It’s important to choose a safe hairspray, because this is something many women use everyday, and even multiple times a day. It’s sprayed near your face and then it’s inhaled. Once this mist enters your lungs, it travels to your bloodstream.
Herbal Choice Mari Organic Hair Spray shown here is made from simple ingredients derived from plants. It contains no parabens or other questionable substances, such as phthalates, another group of hormone disruptors. There is also no sodium lauryl sulfate, an irritating agent that some holistic health experts believe may form carcinogenic nitrates. This formula also has no petroleum products, often added to cosmetics.
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Do Parabens Cause Breast Cancer?
A 2004 study that ran in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found that parabens are stored in the body. Breast tissue taken from cancer patients showed these chemicals were found in tumors. Although this is not definitive proof that parabens play a role in causing this disease, it’s alarming nonetheless.
Concerns have not diminished. One of the authors of that study published new findings in 2012, once again showing higher-than-expected levels of parabens in breast tumor samples.
Although no one, right now, will say conclusively that parabens cause breast cancer, these foreign substances are something we certainly don’t need in our bodies. We don’t need them in our cosmetics either, because more responsible companies are now making much better products.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. People with health concerns should discuss them with a doctor.
I’m not a healthcare professional, so all of the above statements are my personal opinion, and are not intended as medical advice.
For Additional Reading
Non Toxic Liquid Foundation Makeup
