Tag Archives: pure

Abiding Thoughts

By: Bud McCord

Story of Cosmetics

Above is a great video done by the people who created the Story of Stuff. I love the way they communicate!!

This is a great debate among my friends. It’s a sensitive issue because many of my friends work for companies sell skincare that really “work”. Honestly, I am amazed at how great these women look! But I came to a place in my journey that I became cautious of what chemicals I was exposing my skin to and my family’s skin as well.

I don’t believe in “living in fear”, but instead, living in wisdom (which is knowledge applied).  So, I wanted to share with you some thoughts from Dr. Mercola’s Website about our skin and what ingredients we might want to stay away from.

I personally found this system to use, and I’m beyond happy with the results!! But in this article, he shares some homemade cosmetics to use!

Here are Dr. Mercola’s Tips…

What are You Really Putting On and In Your Body?

Only the cosmetics companies know for sure, as all ingredients are not even required to be on the label. Most personal care products are therefore nothing more than a product of marketing success, formulated to smell good, look good and feel good when your rub them on your skin, with little regard to their impact on your health.

The list of dangerous ingredients used in cosmetics is quite long — the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has stated that nearly 900 of the chemicals used in cosmetics are toxic — but here are some of the major ones that are very common, but that you will definitely want to avoid:

• Paraben, a chemical found in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics that has been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can drive the growth of human breast tumors.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate, 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. The real problem with SLES/SLS is that the manufacturing process (ethoxylation) results in SLES/SLS being contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a carcinogenic by-product.
• Phthalates, plasticizing ingredients (present in nearly three-quarters of 72 products tested by the Environmental Working Group), which have been linked to birth defects in the reproductive system of boys and lower sperm-motility in adult men, among other problems.
• Musks, used as fragrances, can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer in laboratory studies.
• Artificial fragrances, which are among the top five known allergens, and can cause asthma and trigger asthma attacks.
• Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a chemical used in shampoo to prevent bacteria from developing, which may have detrimental effects on your nervous system.
• Toluene, made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus.
• Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum, these products coat your skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins. They also slow cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging, and are a suspected cause of cancer and disruption to hormonal activity.

You Can Absorb MORE Toxins from Skin Care 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.This is why I’m so fond of saying “don’t put anything on your body that you wouldn’t eat if you had to…”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.

You Deserve Safe Personal Care Products

Most of the personal care products in supermarkets and even high-end department stores contain toxic ingredients that can harm your health. You and your family deserve better, and there are other options.One of the easiest ways to ensure that you’re not being exposed to potentially hazardous agents is to simply make your own personal care products, using simple all-natural ingredients that many of you may already have in your home.Here are a few of my recommendations:

• All-natural moisturizers — Pure emu oil is a great alternative to facial- and body moisturizers and lotions, as is pure coconut oil. It’s a fantastic moisturizer and a potent source of the beneficial fat lauric acid.
• All-natural acne fighter — Rubbing just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout can speed up the healing and prevent unsightly scarring without resorting to harsh commercial acne medication (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterward).
• All-natural deodorant — I advise avoiding ALL antiperspirants. Common soap and water works fine. If you still need further help then try a pinch of baking soda mixed into water as an effective all-day deodorant.

If you’d rather find ready-made products, be sure to read labels and check products out before buying them. EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database is an excellent resource for finding and evaluating healthful personal care products.Finally, if you’re perusing your local health food store for some safe, natural options, here are my top guidelines to keep in mind:

• Look for the genuine USDA Organic Seal.
• If you can’t pronounce it, you probably don’t want to put it on your body. Ask yourself, “Would I eat this?”
• Look for products that are fragrance-free. One artificial fragrance can contain hundreds — even thousands — of chemicals, and fragrances are a major cause of allergic reactions.
• Pay attention to the order in which the ingredients are listed. Manufacturers are required to list ingredients in descending order by volume, meaning the first few ingredients are the most prominent. If calendula extract is the last ingredient in a long list, your calendula body wash isn’t very natural.
• Stick to the basics. Do you really need 20 products to prepare for your day? Simplify your life and rescue your bank account.
• Buy products that come in glass bottles rather than plastic, since chemicals can leach out of plastics and into the contents. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a serious concern; make sure any plastic container is BPA free.
• Look for products that are made by companies that are earth-friendly, animal-friendly and green.

So, this is what I use and I love it!!!! It’s part of Shaklee’s products.. always safe, always effective & always “green”..I’ve seen some amazing results!  So, if you don’t want to make you’re own cosmetics, you can try this…

Other sources for future research:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/cosmetic-ingredient-dictionary/A.aspx

http://www.organicdivas.com/dirtydozen.html - ingredients to avoid

safecosmetics.com - good companies to look for

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2010/DSF-report-Whats-inside-that-counts.pdf

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ - searchable database

Babystep #1 : Water

Welcome to Babysteps!

When you make that resolution to start getting healthy, it’s so tough to know where to begin.  So much of our lifestyle points us to quick fixes and fast foods-this is defeating…  BUT, this change is possible!  I believe in YOU! It’s what your body is crying out for and it’s what your family deserves.

We don’t have to wait til we get the terminal word from someone with an inflated degree saying we need to change… we can change by taking babysteps.  Maybe you can change one thing a month or every 3 months.  It’s up to you, but if you’re willing to explore some changes… I’ll try to help you see what we have done.  I’m still taking steps and sometimes we take a few steps back and one forward, but you will not regret the energy and vitality you can reach by taking these strides.

So, here we go!!!  I will give a few each week, and you can pick when it’s time to make these changes.

BabyStep #1:

Drink clean Water instead of EVERYTHING else!

Water is essential to our well-being.  It seems so simple, but like I said, these are BabySteps!  Water moves our bodies along to help our digestive process flow correctly.

Our bodies are made up of between 55 and 75 percent water and is in need of constant water replenishment. Did you know lean people have more water in their bodies because muscle holds more water than fat? Interesting.

Your lungs expel between two and four cups of water each day through normal breathing – even more on a cold day. If your feet sweat, there goes another cup of water. If you make half a dozen trips to the bathroom during the day, that’s six cups of water. If you perspire, you expel about two cups of water (which doesn’t include exercise-induced perspiration).

A person would have to lose 10 percent of her body weight in fluids to be considered dehydrated, but as little as two percent can affect athletic performance, cause tiredness and dull critical thinking abilities. Adequate water consumption can help lessen the chance of kidney stones, keep joints lubricated, prevent and lessen the severity of colds and flu and help prevent constipation.

Health benefits of water
Water is crucial to your health. It makes up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry on normal functions. Even mild dehydration – as little as a 1 percent to 2 percent loss of your body weight – can sap your energy and make you tired. Dehydration poses a particular health risk for the very young and the very old.

How much water do you need?
Every day you lose water through sweating – noticeable and unnoticeable – exhaling, urinating and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you need to replace this water by consuming beverages and foods that contain water. So how much water, or more precisely fluid, do you need?

This isn’t an easy question to answer. A healthy adult’s daily fluid intake can vary widely. Most people drink fluid to quench thirst, to supply perceived water needs and “out of habit.” At least three approaches estimate total fluid (water) needs for healthy, sedentary adults living in a temperate climate.

• Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is 1.5 liters a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your fluid intake, so you if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups), along with your normal diet, you can replace the lost fluids.
• Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the “8 x 8 rule” – drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, “drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day,” as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though this approach isn’t supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.

PRACTICAL TIP: wear 8 bracelets or rubber bands on one arm, throughout the day, switch them to the other arm until you’ve had all the water you need each day!

Factors that influence water needs

You may need to modify total fluid intake from these recommended amounts depending on several factors

including how active you are, the climate, your health status, and if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.

• Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you’ll need to drink extra water to compensate for that fluid loss. Drink 2 cups of water two hours before a long endurance event, for example, a marathon or half-marathon. One to 2 cups of water is also adequate for shorter bouts of exercise. During the activity, replenish fluids at regular intervals, and continue drinking water or other fluids after you’re finished. During intense exercise involving significant sweating, for example, during a marathon, sodium is lost in sweat, and you may need a sports drink with sodium rather than just water.
• Environment. You need to drink additional water in hot or humid weather to help lower your body temperature and to replace what you lose through sweating. You may also need extra water in cold weather if you sweat while wearing insulated clothing. Heated, indoor air can cause your skin to lose moisture, increasing your daily fluid requirements. And altitudes greater than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) also can affect how much water your body needs. Higher altitudes may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which uses up more of your fluid reserves.
• Illnesses or health conditions. Some signs and symptoms of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, cause your body to lose extra fluids. To replace lost fluids, drink more water or oral rehydration solutions (Gatorade, Powerade, CeraLyte, others). When water loss can’t be replaced orally, intravenous water and electrolytes may be necessary. Increased water intake is nearly always advised in people with urinary tract stones. On the other hand, you may need to limit the amount of water you drink if you have certain conditions that impair excretion of water – such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver, adrenal and thyroid diseases.
• Pregnant or breast-feeding. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need additional water to stay hydrated and to replenish the fluids lost, especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.3 liters (nearly 10 cups) of fluids a day and women who breast-feed consume 3.1 liters (about 13 cups) of fluids a day.

This is all valid information.  But really… how much sugar would we cut back on, how much caffeine, food coloring, preservatives and unnecessary calories could we save if we just switch our daily drink choices for water?  Our children have temptations too.  If we simply change what we order them at the restaurant or what we serve them at home, we can see a big difference in how their small bodies function and fight infection.  The sugar content in their drinks is attacking their small systems and dragging their immune system downward quickly.

Try it! You might even drop a few pounds without even knowing!

For a further step, try making sure your water is PURE!  If you’re just drinking tap water, there may be other problems that can occur.  Having clean water can ensure your body doesn’t keep unnecessary chemicals, minerals, or toxins… causing us to detox more often since those don’t ever leave your body until you strategically make them leave.

Shaklee offers a range of options for healthy water purifiers starting reasonably at about $15 for a pitcher and 1 filter.  Of course, there are other purifiers, but this is one we can stand behind!!  Click on the link below to see more about these!

Drink to YOUR health!!!!