Our skin is tough right? It regenerates itself, dead skin falls off, it's all good. It's not like we absorb anything into our blood stream through our skin....right?....wait...right?
Well, lets look at our skin for a minute. It is actually our largest organ. Yep, that's right it is an organ. It is composed of 3 basic layers; the epidermis, dermis, & hypodermis (or the subcutaneous fat layer). Your skin is made of many components including water, minerals, lipids & proteins.
The epidermis is the outer layer, the layer we can see and touch. It is comprised of translucent cells that produce keratin. Keratin is a protein that protects you from toxins or other potentially harmful factors in the environment. It also contains the cells that produce melanin, it controls your appearance, & helps you to retain water.
The middle layer is the dermis. It contains two important proteins, elastin, & collagen. These two proteins contribute to the strength & texture of your skin. They keep your skin from wrinkling. & drooping. The dermis also contains nerves, sweat glands, hair follicles, & blood vessels.
The hypodermis layer, is the innermost layer. It is made of fat & collegian cells that help protect your organs.
The epidermis has 7 layers. But, the outermost layer dies off & we shed dead skin cells daily. When something comes in contact with our skin, it can be absorbed thru the epidermis. All 7 layers can be penetrated thus entering the dermis where,whatever comes in contact with the skin; water, soap, moisturizers,.. can then enter the blood stream, or lymph & circulate to other areas of the body. How quickly something passes through the epidermis determines the overall absorption. Surfactants like sodium lauryl-sulfate, SLS(a chemical used in most soaps to make it lather) increases the skins penetration of water soluble substances. So although it is thought that we only use small amounts of soap so we shouldn't be effected by this chemical, we should think about the fact that SLS increases the absorption of what we are putting on our skin.
The powers that BE say we only use about a nickel sized amount of soap a day, so the toxins that are in the product, in that small amount, shouldn't hurt us. The chemicals are accepted as safe because we will not be using enough to cause a reaction.
*Only 1 product at a time is considered though. If we only wash ours hands once a day, or we only wash our hair (with a pea sized amount), we aren't having enough exposure to SLS to harm us. I don't know about you, but in this filthy world, I wash my hands many times a day. I don't wash my hair everyday, but on the days I do wash my hair, that is not the only soap I come in contact with.
OK, so now we know we absorb stuff through our skin, it can enter either the lymph or the blood stream, either way, what ever we absorb goes to other organs in our body.
I have several health issues. I have PCOS, endometriosis, & fibromyalgia. I am over weight & suffer from pain every day. I became so sick to just the smell of lotions & soaps that I couldn't stand to use them. I thought, what am I going to do? I can't NOT bathe. So, I started making my own soap.
Making soap is tricky, you have to use either lye or SLS to have a lathering soap. I was terrified of lye, but refused to use SLS. I had heard many negative things about lye as well. But, weighing the pros & cons lye won over SLS hands down. I don't like cold processed soap, that is just my opinion. I tend to have drier skin when I use cold processed soap. I do like making it, there are so many things you can do with it.
Lye is an ash that combined with sodium creates a lather & a nice soap. I prefer hot processed soaps, because I like that the lye goes through a more thorough sapoonification process. I also like hot processed because it doesn't have to sit out as long, it is more moisturizing, & holds the scent better.
What about lotion, or moisturizers? Most contain petroleum, (crude oil from decomposing organisms), mineral oil (or liquid paraffin, which is in the group 1 carcinogens), phenoxyethanol (a preservative that is now used in Johnson & Johnson BABY products, instead of the formaldehyde that they were using) is glycol ether, glycols are a series of chemicals (paint, lacquer..) The material saftey data sheet (MSDS) says that it is harmful if swallowed, (good thing babies don't put their hands & feet in their mouths after mom puts lotion on them) inhaled or absorbed through the skin, & that it causes reproductive damage. Good thing they changed their ingredients right? They also use Carbomer (synthetic high molecular weight polymers of ACRYLIC acid) used as a thickening agent. There is little reaction to it,because it is so "plastic" that your body doesn't know what it is or HOW to react to it. They also use sodium hydroxide in their baby lotion. Which is lye, unsapoonified. Lye that is unsapoonified is DANGEROUS. It can burn the skin, cause blindness. Why is it in baby lotion? OK, I'll stop picking at J&J. It just unnerves me that they make "safe" products for babies, & that people blindly accept them as such. So yes, I make my own lotion as well. Our skin is important. It protects whats on the inside. Yes, it renews itself, but it renews itself based on what you use, eat, drink, digest, & absorb. Know what you are putting on your skin. It's so important. Would you bathe in bleach? Would you use lacquer to moisturize? I am hoping that you say no. It's toxic, it's dangerous, I don't want that on my skin. You should wear protective goggles, gloves & a mask when handling sodium hydroxide. Why would you use a lotion that contains that ingredient? When sodium hydroxide is combined with water it heats up to temperatures over 200 degrees. That is how cold processed soap is "processed or cooked". I don't understand why it is in lotion.
It matters to me what I put on my skin. Not even for vain reasons. The health problems that I have are only made worse my absorbing chemicals that I apply on my skin, eat, & even clean with. Why would you want to use chemicals when nature provides everything we need. If I can't pronounce it, it doesn't go on my skin or in my body. I have become so toxic from products that I have used in the past, I am still suffering the effects. BUT, I am determined to renew my skin, & health. There is no permanent cure in this world, but I want to know that I tried. I want to help others. I educate myself, & I like to share what I have learned. That is why I am starting this blog. I intend to share what I have learned about essential oils. Carrier oils that are good for the skin. Natural pain relievers that can be applied topically, & with good results.
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