Health Matters

– Skin Deep In case you hadn’t noticed, says VERNE MAREE, there’s a revolution going on in the world of personal and household products, a movement that goes hand in hand with the rejection of over-processed and packaged foods.

Along with demanding sustainably produced wholefoods, a growing tide of intelligent consumers – people like you and me – are looking for cosmetics, toiletries and detergents that won’t poison us.

In a way, I feel as though I’ve come full circle. As cash-strapped teenagers in pursuit of the beauty we didn’t know we already possessed, we were forever mixing up oatmeal-andhoney facial scrubs, whipping egg-whites into skin-tightening masks – as if a 16-year-old’s complexion ever needed firming! – or bleaching highlights into our hair with lemon juice and the hot South African sunshine.

But the ads in glossy mags worked their dubious magic: as soon as we had the money to buy the chemical-laden products on supermarket and pharmacy shelves, we dived right in.

Waterproof, but permeable

It’s almost funny to remember how recently it was that even scientists believed our skins to be not only waterproof (which they are, fortunately), but also totally impermeable. Now we know that many substances – both good and bad – pass easily through the skin and into the bloodstream.

They can also be inhaled into the lungs or readily absorbed through mucous membranes. As one cancer website points out, your skin is a carrier, not a barrier – that’s how nicotine and HRT patches work.

Why it matters

Environmental toxins found in cosmetics, toiletries, detergents and cleaners have proven links to an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, strokes and more. The sulphates found in shampoos, conditioners, body-washes and

toothpaste cause multiple harm to eyes and skin; and even worse, can combine with other ingredients to form carcinogenic nitrosamines that accumulate in the heart, lungs, liver and brain. And that’s just for starters; a quick trawl of the internet should strike terror into the stoutest of souls.

To the rescue?

Along with the tide of growing awareness of just how toxic conventional beauty, toiletry and household products tend to be, there’s an equal tide of manufacturers launching “natural”, “organic” and similar labels. But consumers have been lied to before, and we’re still being lied to – after all, the raison d’être of business is to be profitable, to satisfy the shareholders. So, how’s a woman to distinguish the ethical producer from the possibly cynical manufacturer in a far-flung country who’s enjoying a lucrative ride on the “free-from” bandwagon?

One way is to know the producer personally. A friend of mine in Perth, WA, lives in the same neighbourhood as Krissy Ballinger, the founder of The Inspired Little Pot, or TILP (theinspiredlittlepot.com). Krissy’s goal, she says, is to help people to “make positive changes to their lifestyles, mainly through the avoidance of chemicals”. To that end, she started experimenting with making her own cleaning and body-care products – easily and affordably, and with minimal fuss.

Now, she not only sells made-to-order products via her website, ranging from a foaming facewash and an indulgent whipped body cream, to laundry detergent and a room diffuser, but she has generously published her recipes for them. You can order the reasonably priced ingredients from the website: often basic stuff like citric acid, coconut oil, pink salt, magnesium chloride flakes, natural Epsom salt, pure soap and borax, shea butter, washing soda, beeswax and essential oils by DÕTERRA (also available from mydoterra.com).

She makes her products in a Thermomix – a highly desirable if pricy piece of kitchen equipment, if you didn’t know that already – but it’s not essential to have one.

Face facts

Makeup may be a bit trickier than some other areas: I’m not about to substitute charcoal for my Lancôme Hypnôse mascara, or to give up my Estée Lauder Doublewear foundation or my favourite lipstick. That said, it’s sobering to realise how much carcinogenic mineral oil, petrolatum and titanium oxide my body has absorbed and had to deal with over the years.

The same goes for hair products. While I admire those who can get by with henna, for example, or live with frizzy or greying hair, my personal vanity is addicted to Goldwell Light Blonde number 9.0 – and, even more unfortunately, the toxic witch’s brew of keratin smoothing treatments.

So, what now?

Ah, you might say, TILP is located on the other side of the ocean; and there’s nothing like it in Singapore – which may or may not be true. But if she’s doing it there, surely someone else could start doing something similar here, too?

Simply being aware of the potential for harm of these various products and processes may in itself be a useful start. And then, instead of feeling burdened or overwhelmed, we could try changing just one thing at a time.

When I next visit Perth, for example, I’m going to give Krissy’s natural deodorant a go. Commercial toothpaste also worries me, so I’m looking into the options for a natural alternative that’s free from fluoride, glycerine, triclosan, surfactants and other controversial ingredients; wellnessmama.com has some useful recommendations.

Each ripple of growing consciousness feeds the wave of demand for non-harmful personal and household products. This wave is not going to be breaking anytime soon, in my opinion – so let’s ride it!

Recipes

Though research hasn’t confirmed a link between breast cancer and the aluminium that’s the active ingredient in most antiperspirants, aluminium is toxic to the central nervous system, and has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. TILP’S recipe for natural deodorant for sensitive skins calls for: 150g shea butter 130g coconut oil 25g beeswax pellet 120g arrowroot flour 50g bicarbonate of soda essential oils – 20 drops patchouli, 10 drop tea tree oil, 10 drops lavender. Encouragingly, my Aussie friend tested it in the gym, and she says it’s the first aluminium-free product to work on her.

Commercial washing powders are full of harmful chemicals, fragrances and fillers that not only are absorbed from clothing into the skin, but do damage to the environment, too. Krissy’s recipe for homemade washing powder requires: 500g pure soap powder (or four bars supermarket laundry soap) 800g rock or pink salt, plus 60 to 100 drops of lemon and lavender essential oils 1kg borax 1kg washing soda 100g bicarbonate of soda. That’s it. (Find full instructions on the TILP website.)