What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Using Cosmetic Products

In a new study, led by researchers from UC Berkeley and Clinica de Salud del Valle Salinas, it was shown that taking a break- even a short one- from various cosmetics, shampoos, and other personal care products can lead to a substantial drop in the levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals present within the body.

Published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the team gave 100 Latina teenagers various personal care products that were free from common chemicals like phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and oxybenzone (these are regularly used in almost all conventional personal care products and animal studies show they directly interfere with the body’s endocrine system).

From the Collective Evolution article:

“After just a three-day trial with the girls using only the lower-chemical products, urine samples showed a significant drop in the level of chemicals in the body. Methyl and propyl parabens, commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics, dropped 44 and 45 percent, metabolites of diethyl phthalate, used often in perfumes, dropped by 27 percent, and both triclosan and benzophenone-3 fell 36 percent.”

As women more often use personal care products, they are more likely to be disproportionately exposed to these types of chemicals. And, teen girls may be at a higher risk due to reproductive development; research also suggests they use more personal care products per day than the average adult woman.

Cárdenas, one of the researchers, also wanted to create awareness among participants about the chemicals found in personal care products. Education allows people to make better choices for themselves and seeing how quickly the amount of chemicals in the body dropped, was proof that simple changes work and can make a big impact.

While it’s probably best to use nothing you could also use natural/organic products, although it’s probably still best to read the labels. Or, save yourself the hassle of reading all those labels and looking up endless ingredients and just make your own. Thanks to Google and Pinterest, there are many recipes available to try. Not only is this cheaper, but it allows you to be sure of every ingredient that will ultimately end up in your body.

If you do create something, take a pic and post it for the rest of the Health Nuts!

Source: Collective Evolution