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Just Got Burned

I was invited to one of those home-business direct sales parties this weekend – loving the social aspect of great company/eats but apprehensive about the sales pitch that often leads to hypocriteobligatory purchases to support my friend, “the host”.

However, what transpired that evening was life-changing.

I wear a health and fitness badge proudly on my chest for all to see, and live and breathe what I preach.  I spend all this time and energy focusing on my inside, I completely disregarded my outside and feel like such a hypocrite admitting it.

Here’s what I learned:

  • There are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market today in the health and beauty industry. Many don’t have any safety data.
  • 80% of the ingredients used today have never been tested for safety.
  • The United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938.
  • The European Union has spent the past two decades banning or restricting more than 1,300 ingredients, the US has only banned 11 to date.
  • Only about 10% of the 10,000 chemicals commonly found in personal care products have safety data.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (the agency that regulates cosmetics) allows companies to use chemicals known to be extremely harmful (lead, formaldehyde, and phthalates) in the products we put on our bodies and on our kids every day. And they don’t necessarily have to list them on their products.
  • Our skin is our largest organ – it absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it; on average we use 12-20 products on our skin every-single-day.

I felt nauseous thinking of all of the skin and beauty products I purchase for my family that could potentially be detrimental to their health and mine.

According to BeautyCounter, “Decades of studies indicate that serious health issues (including, but not limited to asthma, learning disabilities, cancer and infertility) are on the rise, and due in some part to our on-going exposure to toxic chemicals”. 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the US will be diagnosed with cancer. ewg

In panic mode, I immediately went through my cabinets that night – zapping everything I had with the EWG (Environmental Working Group) safety rating app I learned about that evening. Phenomenal tool that helps you determine the safety of a product by scanning the UPC code and giving you a rating (the app is: EWG Healthy Living).

The next day, I replaced nearly everything – hand soaps, facial cleansers, body washes, soaps, shampoos, oils, sunscreen, disinfecting sprays, wipes, facial cream, etc. I looked like a crazy woman zapping every label in the store until I found a worthy winner. And I have continued to follow this crusade daily since that evening.

Once you know, you know – and you can’t go backwards and pretend like you never heard it. And now, every effort counts.

Just as my philosophy with food – you do as much as you can do to lead a healthy life without becoming neurotic. 80/20 rule.

The presentation I went to was for BeautyCounter. Their mission and movement is outstanding. I bought a few products (excellent selection) but also sourced many products separately on my own (with my scanner) that were not as much of an investment. Harmon Discount is a great resource.

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