By Dr. Sharon Gurm BSc, ND, Naturopathic Physician, Clinic Founder & Clinical Director
Whenever the topic of “chemicals to avoid putting on your skin” comes up during conversation with my patients, I’m often asked what I like to use. So here’s a list of my top 10 favorite personal care products – free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, chemical preservatives and other toxic substances that are known carcinogens:
1) Spa Divine Body Butter & Scrub – available at Spa Divine in Port Moody
2) Tawna Hill Baby Super Smoothie Cream – I use this for my daughter and myself, order it online
3) Gaia Naturals Body Wash and Shampoo for babies – good for the whole family to use! The natural oils in the shampoo mean we don’t even need conditioner
4) NEWCO peppermint toothpast – I’ve tried many natural toothpastes and this is by far my favorite
5) Osmosis Refresh PM eye serum – I use this at night. Osmosis skin care products are available at our clinic
6) Osmosis Refresh eye serum – I use this in the morning
7) Osmosis Quench face moisturizer – I use this at night
8) Osmosis Cleanse face wash – I use this at night and just splash cold water on my face in the morning to prevent over drying
9) Sage Chamomile Comfort face moisturizer – I use this in the morning, available at Sage Wellness
10) Alba Natural Deodorant Stick (Lavender) – personally, I don’t use any deodorant but this is the one often recommended to my patients who need the security of some type of deodorant in place of toxic anti-perspirants
How Do Chemicals in Beauty Products Affect Your Health?
Why is it important to be conscious of what you put in your skin? Because your skin is like a sponge that quickly absorbs whatever it comes into contact with. Chemicals that come into contact with your skin are taken up the lymphatic system, which is a circulatory network beneath the skin that I often refer to as your body’s ‘drainage system’. The lymphatic system has the heavy task of sorting through toxic material, microbes and other foreign material and passing it along to the major detoxification organs for further processing and elimination – such as the liver. If the lymphatic system becomes overloaded with toxins, the toxins are diverted and stored in tissue in and around your organs – especially adipose (fat) tissue. This is especially a concern for brain and breast health, as these organs are predominately composed of fatty tissue. Toxic accumulation in these tissues is a real concern for neurodegenerative diseases (such as MS, dementia and Alzeheimer’s disease) and breast cancer. The first step to reducing your body burden of toxins is to minimize exposure as much as possible. A targeted and medically directed detox program is the next step to help mobilize and safely eliminate your body of toxins stored in fatty tissue. For more information, call (604) 949-0077 to book an appointment with one of our naturopathic physicians.
