CHEMICAL SHITSTORM!!!!!

 

Many of us are not aware that we start each and every day in the middle of a chemical shitstorm. We go to the store and pick up our favorite shampoo, conditioner, favorite scent for our body wash and favorite flavor of toothpaste, and I can’t say I have ever seen someone turn over the item and read the ingredients while in the grocery store. These like many other things are assumed to be safe and effective so most of us just grab and go. After the first report I did on Ingredients in America (over 13 years ago) I knew to at least look for paraben-free and how to spot them in my ingredients. While doing this I noticed just how many other chemicals were in these products and slowly over the years I started making better choices. When my hand soap ran out I would purchase a healthy one. Over the years it has become harder and harder to find a healthy toothpaste so like my deodorant I just use cold-pressed unrefined coconut oil and baking soda. I also water pick once or twice a day with a cap full of hydrogen peroxide in purified water and use 02-ZAP (oxygenated Olive Oil paste from globalhealingcenter.com) with Activated Charcoal powder 3x a week to whiten them. Below is a list of products that the typical American uses to start their day and a list of the average ingredients in each. I challenge you to find more than a few ingredient that you can picture in your head, something from nature, something that wasn’t made in a lab.

Tap Water: estrogen, anti-androgenic (anti-testerone) chemicals, chlorine, fluoride, toxic metal salts, pesticides, lead, bacteria, protozoa, copper, nitrates, fertilizer, waste runoff, industrial waste, mercury, Arsenic, perchlorate, dioxins

Shampoo: water, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycol distearate, tocopheryl acetate, panthenol, niacinamide, biotin, ascorbic acid, cocamide MEA, sodium chloride, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, polyquaternium-47, polysorbate 20 and disodium EDTA. The shampoo also contains DMDM hydantoin and fragrance.

Conditioner: Aqua/water, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, elaeis sinensis oil/palm oil, cetyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, octyldodecanol, sodium PCA, parfum/fragrance, citric acid, chlorhexidine dihydrochloride, argania spinosa oil, argania spinosa kernel oil, arginine, hydrolyzed soy

Body Wash: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Seed Powder, Titanium Dioxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Glycol Distearate, Leureth-4,Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Hydrogenated Jojoba

Bar soap: SOAP (SODIUM TALLOWATE, SODIUM COCOATEAND/OR SODIUM PALM KERNELATE TYPES) WATER, STEARIC ACID , COCONUT AND/OR PALM KERNEL ACD, GLYCERIN (SKIN CONDITIONER), FRAGRANCE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PEG-12 POLYSORBATE 20,TITANIUM DIOXIDE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, BHT D&C GREEN NO. 8, FD&C GREEN NO. 3.

Shaving cream: Aqua (water), stearic acid, myristic acid, potassium hydroxide, coconut acid, glycerin, triethanolamine, parfum (fragrance) and sodium hydroxide.

Face Wash: Water, SodiumC14-16 Olefin Sulfonate,Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, C12-15 Alkyl Lactate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Disodium

Face Scrub: Water (Aqua, Eau), Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Meal, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Polysorbate 60, Ceteareth-20, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol

Body lotion: Water, Sesame (Seasmum Indicum) Seed Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Tetrasodium Edta, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyul Acrylate Crosspolymer, Magnewium Aluminum Silicat, Xanthan Gum, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben

Cavity defense mouthwash: Sodium Fluoride (0.221% (0.01% w/v fluoride ion), Anticav). Inactive Ingredients Water, Sorbitol Solution, Alcohol (21.6%), Flavors, Poloxamer 407, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Phosphoric Acid, Sucralose, Dibasic Sodium Phosphate, FD&C Blue 1.

Toothpaste: Sodium fluoride 0.24% (0.14% w/v fluoride ion). Sorbitol, water, hydrated silica, PEG-12, cellulose gum, sodium lauryl sulfate, flavor, sodium saccharin, mica, titanium dioxide, D&C yellow no. 10, FD&C blue no.1.

Body Spray: Alcohol Denat., water, fragrance, propylene glycol, glycerin, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, PPG-25-Buteth-26, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil,chamomilla recutita flower extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract

After shave: Alcohol Denat., Aqua/Water, Parfum/Fragrance, Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxycitronellal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3 Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool.

Anti-aging face cream: Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide*, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isostearate, Polyacrylamide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate**, Panthenol***, Tocopheryl Acetate****, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Sucrose Polycottonseedate, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethiconol, Laureth-7, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Citric Acid, Propylparaben, Disodium Edta, Methylparaben, Bht, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylparaben, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Yellow 5, Red 40, Fragrance/Parfum.
Foaming Hand Wash: Benzethonium Chloride – 0.20% Inactive Ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau) · Glycerin · Lauramine Oxide · Sunflowerseedamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate · Cocamidopropyl Betaine · Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose · DMDM Hydantoin · PEG-9 · Chlorhexidine Digluconate · Parfum (Fragrance) · Citric Acid · Sodium Chloride · Zinc Sulfate · Dimethyl Lauramine · Tetrasodium EDTA · Dimethyl Myristamine · CI 14700 (Red 4) · CI 19140 (Yellow 5) · Butylphenyl Methylpropional · Hexamethylindanopyran

Deodorant:  Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Gly. (19%) (Anhydrous). Inactive Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Alcohol Denat, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Fragrance.

Air freshener: formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, 1,4 dichlorobenzene and aerosol propellants

This is how the average American starts their day, this is all before you head to the kitchen to eat some highly processed food and heat up a cup of pesticides, I mean coffee (the most heavily sprayed crop besides cotton). You don’t even have to read through each ingredient list to tell that there is a serious chemical shit storm going on in your bathroom. So, during your morning shower you are basically in the middle of a chemical warfare, from the soap you put under your arms to the shampoo and conditioner you put in your hair, the face washes you scrub on your face to the lotion you put on your body afterwards, the toothpaste you use to clean your teeth, the mouthwash you use to give yourself fresh breath, the deodorant you put underneath your arms. All of it is toxic. All of it is killing you slowly. The FDA labels these chemicals as GRAS, Generally Recognized as Safe, you must look each one of them up and see what amount the FDA considers safe. Just looking at this list I would think that by using 3 to 4 of these products every day you have reached your GRAS level for the day and you haven’t yet eaten nor have you walked outside of your house.

There are better choices out there. We must seek simplicity and go back to what we used to do. With food, I try and stay as close to nature as possible. I do the same with my bathroom products, only using stuff with ingredients that I can read and understand.  It’s all about balance. The human body is amazing as to what it can endure and what it can heal itself from, but it must be in moderation. If you’re going to put something toxic into your body shouldn’t it at least be pleasurable, like a sweet dessert, a tasty meal out with friends or a nice glass of red wine or whiskey? To me that seems like a much better way to treat yourself other than washing your hair or brushing your teeth with harmful chemicals. And don’t forget to check your baby products, different forms of formaldehyde are used as a preservative in more than 90% of commercial baby products. Go organic or make your own at home.

 

My transition to a chemical-free morning went something like this!!!!

WATER

• Pure Clean Well Water out of a faucet growing up
• Bottled water when I moved to Florida in my early 20’s
• Brita Filter
• ProPur water filter (clean water makes a huge difference in the condition of your hair, scalp, and skin)
• Seychell Family Pitcher 
• The goal is to have a purification system for my entire home

SHAMPOO & Conditioner

• Pantene
• Paul Mitchell
• Paraben Free
• Paraben and Sulfate Free Shampoo
• Pure Baking soda to scrub scalp 2x a week, rinse and spray scalp and hair with Apple Cider Vinegar to balance the Ph of my scalp
• Tates Natural Miracle Shampoo has zero chemicals in it (it works for me but its not for everyone, It has little suds, I use it to wash my hair in between using the above protocol) If I sweat heavily I don’t need to wash my hair and I do hot yoga several times a week.

DEODORANT

• Regular deodorant
• Aluminum free
• Aluminum and chemical free
• Organic unrefined coconut oil with a dusting of organic earth derived baking soda (I live in a humid climate and sweat all day at work and I never smell, this is by far my favorite deodorant I have ever used)
• I use just plain coconut oil and it works fine as long as my diet is clean.

MOUTHWASH

• Listerine
• Listerine and medicated mouthwash for periodontal disease
• Oil pulling with one drop of food grade essential oil (peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, orange)
• Oil pulling with organic sesame or unrefined coconut oil
• Uncle Harry’s Remineralization rinse
• Dr. Shultze ORAL THERAPY

FLOSSING

• Daily flossing
• Daily flossing with individual flossing picks
• No more flossing (causes oxidative stress)
• Water pick 2x daily with purified water and a cap full of hydrogen peroxide until gums stopped bleeding and new tissue growth began. Now I water pick once sometime twice a day and use a small pick to remove any food between teeth in between brushing or water picking.

TOOTHPASTE

• Regular toothpaste
• Fluoride Free
• Fluoride and Carrageen free
  • (Dr. Bonners),
  •  Uncle Harrys Toothpaste Polish,  
  • Earth Paste, Vegan, Non-GMO, Wintergreen
• Organic unrefined coconut oil with baking soda. On occasion, I add a drop of peppermint or wintergreen essential oil
• I also use activated charcoal 2 or 3 times a week for whitening dipped into O2-ZAP (oxygenated olive oil)
• Uncle Harrys Tooth Powder & Uncle Harrys Toothpaste
• At work and in my car I carry Uncle Harrys ReMineralizing Rinse and Essential Oil drops for Oral Care on the go.

HAND SOAP

• Regular scented hand soap
• Paraben and sulfate-free soaps
  • Puracy natural
  • organic soap
  • Dr. Bonners castile soap watered down 1 part soap to 3 parts purified water with a  foam hand pump

BODY WASH

• Regular scented body wash
• Sulfate and paraben free body wash
  • Puracy Body Wash
  • Castile soap with Sea butter
  • Dr. Bonners Castile soap watered down with 1 part soap and 3 parts purified water whipped with shea butter so it’s not so drying to the skin.

FACE CREAM

• Store bought creams
• Professional Creams
• Skin Fitness, chemical free products that are easy to travel with
• Rasayana Masculine and Feminine Skin Care line
• DETOXADINE (iodine) on wrinkles for face and neck with organic almond oil or Tamanu Seed Oil (goes great with essential oils) on top at Night.  
• Organic, cold pressed Rosehip oil, day or night and O2-ZAP (oxygenated olive oil)

AIR FRESHENERS

• Yankee Candle, Glade, Airwick
• Essential oil diffuser

BODY LOTION

• Lubriderm, Victoria secret and a variety of other scented lotions
• I melt and then whip up my own body butters using a combination of a mixture of the following: Organic unrefined coconut oil, almond oil, avocado oil, carrot oil, jojoba oil, Cocoa Butter (this is also a food source of healthy fat to add to smoothies) or Shea butter, essential oils. (I rarely need to lotion on my entire body as I am well hydrated, and my skin is healthy and moisturized from the inside)

SHAVING CREAM

• Normal shaving cream
• Bar Soap
• Hair conditioner with quality razors or natural body wash

 

I’m not going to go over every one of the chemicals in the list above, but I want you to take notice that in almost every product there’s one common ingredient and that is sodium laureth sulfate. When this chemical heats up it turns into a gas, so you are not only absorbing it through your skin but you will be inhaling it into your lungs which also makes it way down your esophagus and into your stomach. Your skin is your largest organ and its first job is absorption and every single product you’re using is packed full of chemicals, fragrance and artificial food coloring and along with this toxic gas that is considered an endocrine disruptor, that is not a very good way to start your day. These are some of the easiest things to change and eliminate out of your life. When you run out of something try replacing it with a healthier, chemical-free option.

 

Disclaimer: The strategies, suggestions, and techniques expressed here are intended to be used for educational purposes only. The Author, Kira Miller, is not rendering medical advice nor is she trying to diagnose, prescribe or treat any disease, condition, illness or injury.

If you are under the care of a physician it is imperative that you consult their advice before beginning any new exercise or nutrition program.

Kira Miller claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss or damage alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application or interpretation of the material presented here.