Why Avoid Most High Street Brands of Toiletries?

60% of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your body. Therefore it is advisable to avoid harmful, synthetic chemicals made from petroleum and found in  most high street brands of toiletries, including many expensive or supposedly ‘natural’ ones. A product can be called ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ if only 1% of the ingredients are such.

This means that it’s up to you to read the list of ingredients and not trust the label! The following chemicals are all known to cause damaging effects in people like  drying out your skin, causing itching, damaging your immune system and even disrupting your hormones:

  • Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS),
  • Sodium laureth sulphate (SLES),
  • Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and
  • Parabens

These toxins penetrate your skin and accumulate in your body from shampoos, shower gel, moisturisers, deodorants and toothpaste.   Many of these chemicals are thought to be carcinogenic, but there are no laws controlling what manufacturers put into cosmetics  and personal care products. If you are susceptible they can bring on allergic reactions too.

Using personal care products made from plant based constituents is much kinder to your skin and your long term health. Sensitivities and allergic illness are less likely to develop since your exposure to toxic chemicals will be less.

People who are chemically sensitive may need to avoid essential oils from plants as well. Green People make a range of No Scent products for the extremely sensitive. Baldwin’s Olive Tree body lotion, shampoo and shower wash is great for chemically sensitive people too. Available from www.baldwins.co.uk

Truly natural brands include:

Weleda
Barefoot Botanicals

Neal’s Yard
Lavera

Ioo% Natural Cream

Earth Line
Purely Skincare
Ren
Circaroma
A’kin
Desert Essence
Aubrey Organics
MiEssence

This list not not exclusive. Please let me know if you find any others that I can include.

Several of these brands are available online from So Organics. See banner above. Most health food shops sell some all natural brands, but please check the list of ingredients as some frims include parabens as preservatives or other synthetic chemicals, such as parfum.

Fluoride Toothpaste

In the USA fluoride toothpaste is now being sold with a poison warning as flouride is a highly toxic chemical.  The fluoride in it can  suppress thyroid function and cause mouth ulcers.There are a range of makes of non-flouride toothpaste who use plant based ingredients with anti-bacterial properties such as fennel, propolis and ratahnia to prevent dental decay.

I recommend that infants and small children who cannot spit the toothpaste out are best using a non-flouride toothpaste, so they do not swallow any fluoride.

Non-flouride and SLS-free brands include:

Weleda
Green People
Aloe Dent
Hollytrees

Deodorants

Using anti-perspirants prevents sweating which is a main route of elimination of toxins from the armpit area. As a result, these toxins will either not be excreted from your body or will have to find some other exit. This can cause the build up of chemicals in the breast tissue.

Using naturally based deodorants merely discourages the growth of bacteria to prevent body odour but doesn’t stop the process of elimination. Many deodorants contain aluminium which has been found to cause asthma, damage to the cornea, and is linked with cancer.

Recommended brands include:
Green People
Weleda
Tom’s of Maine
Lavera
Desert Essence

Please always check the ingredients to satisfy yourself that the product you are buying is truly natural. If you are chemically or electro-sensitive it is best to be tested to see if the product you have chosen is beneficial to you, rather than weakening your system.

Hellis will perform muscle testing for you with personal care and household cleaning products as part of a consultation. Please bring the products you wish to have tested with you, unless it is one that Hellis has in stock.