Try contacting some
manufacturers yourself: The
typical responses might be:
(1) Denial: "It’s
completely safe."
(2) Avoidance: "You'll
have to talk to someone
else" or "We can't talk
about that."
(3) Ignorance: "I've
never heard about that."
Most people selling
products with this and other
harmful ingredients really
just don't know. The FDA has
a GRAS list (Generally
Regarded As Safe), and
almost everything is on
there, so most people
selling these products just
focus on the marketing hype
and what the product is
supposed to do for skin
(clean it, make it feel
soft, etc.). Sadly, of the
7000 ingredients used on the
skin, only 5-6 have been
tested for LONG-TERM safety,
and none have been tested
TOGETHER. Currently, 125 are
strongly suspected
carcinogens, 20 cause
adverse nervous system
reactions, and 25 are
connected to birth defects.
So why
exactly is SLS so bad?
Here
are what tests show about
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate:
(1) SLS PENETRATES EYES
AND TISSUES. Tests show that
SLS can penetrate into the
eyes as well as systemic
tissues (brain, heart,
liver, etc.) and shows
long-term retention in those
tissues. Especially when
used in soaps and shampoos,
there is an immediate
concern relating to the
penetration of SLS into the
eyes and other tissues. This
is especially important in
infants, where considerable
growth is occurring, because
a much greater uptake occurs
by tissues of younger eyes,
and SLS changes the amounts
of some proteins in cells
from eye tissues. Tissues of
young eyes may be more
susceptible to alteration by
SLS[1]
(2) SLS FORMS NITRATES:
When SLS is used in shampoos
and cleansers containing
nitrogen-based ingredients,
it can form carcinogenic
nitrates that can enter the
blood stream in large
numbers. They can cause eye
irritations, skin rashes,
hair loss, scalp scurf
similar to dandruff, and
allergic reactions.[2]
(3) SLS PRODUCES
NITROSAMINES (potent
carcinogens that cause the
body to absorb nitrates at
higher levels than eating
nitrate-contaminated food
like hot dogs or lunch
meat): Dr. David H. Fine,
the chemist who uncovered
NDELA contamination in
cosmetics, estimates that a
person would be applying 50
to 100 micrograms of
nitrosamine to the skin each
time he or she used a
nitrosamine-contaminated
cosmetic. By comparison, a
person consuming sodium
nitrate-preserved bacon is
exposed to less than one
microgram of nitrosamine.
[3]
(4) SLS STRIPS MOISTURE
AND OIL FROM THE SKIN.
According to the Journal of
Investigative Dermatology,
SLS produced skin and hair
damage, including cracking
and severe inflammation of
the derma-epidermal tissue.
Skin layers may separate and
inflame due to its
protein-denaturing
properties.[4]
(5) SLS IRRITATES SCALP
AND MAY PROMOTE HAIR LOSS[5]
(6) SLS CAN DAMAGE DNA IN
CELLS—according to Japanese
studies.[6]
CONCLUSION:
SLS and all its cousins
are very harsh detergents
that strip the skin's
moisture barrier (which is
linked to immunity and skin
health) and causes serious
health problems during
testing on animals. It is
linked to harming children's
eyes, denaturing protein
(thereby possibly
contributing to hair loss or
thinning), and combines with
DEA, MEA and TEA (often
found in the same shampoo)
to form nitrosamines, a
potent carcinogen. Since it
is only included in products
because of its potent
foaming action, the question
you must consider is:
What’s more important:
the foam or your health?
You CAN
choose healthful
alternatives:
Dare To Care What Touches
Your Skin and Hair!
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