Your skin is your largest organ!
It silently absorbs and eliminates 24/7.
Anything you put on it or come into contact with has the potential to impact your skin & your overall health.
The more you put something on your skin, the more you want to be aware of it’s ingredients and their impact on your body.
I often see hormone shifts in the summer when clients start to apply sunscreen, after sun products and lotions more often.
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Why?
Because the ingredients in the products are loaded with ingredients that mess with hormones!
I’ve created an infographic to outline the major chemical toxins in skin care products as well as where to find quality products that do not contain these icky chemicals!
Scroll to the bottom of the email to access the infographic now or scroll to the end of the email to check it out.
What hormone shifts do I see in my clients?
- elevated estrone on urine hormone metabolism and saliva hormone tests
- elevated total estrogens on blood tests
- heavier periods, increased breast tenderness
- weight issues despite not changing anything else
- infertility
- low libido
If I wasn’t testing hormones regularly on my clients I wouldn’t have been able to show them the connection.
This is why anytime you see a shift in your hormones, you want to assess habit changes.
Chemicals are a huge contributor to hormone imbalances.
The clean beauty and skin care industries have a dark side and companies make a lot of claims with clever marketing.
Being well informed about what to look for in “clean” products is key.
Below are the most common chemicals that mess with hormones…
Parabens – mimic estrogen in your body & can increase inflammatory estrogen levels.
I’m horrified by all the products that still contain parbens, despite the research out there!
Sadly, there are very effective medical grade skin care lines like, Obaji, that contain parabens.
It kills me because Obaji is a great skin care line for rejuvenating skin, it did wonders for my skin before my wedding.
But, after I stopped it my skin went back to the way it was before!
Was it worth it to look great on my wedding day? …maybe…
…but it was the same time my hormones went off the rails so I can’t be sure it didn’t provoke more trouble than good!
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS) – mimics estrogen in the body and is found in many mainstream products from shampoo and conditioner to hand soaps.
It’s a lathering agent and if you’ve tried natural shampoos and such you know the foamy lathering effect just isn’t there compared to other products.
But with this being a long term hormone disruptor I vote for avoiding it.
Phthalates – interfere with hormone signaling from the brain to the reproductive organs & cells.
You can find these in various forms, DEHP (di-ethylhexyl phthalate), is a common example and it’s the “plasticizer” in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is used to make plastic toys, bags and more.
In a world full of plastic, it’s hard to avoid these BUT you can choose not to add more to your skin!
Synthetic Dyes – Blue Lake 1, Yellow #6, Green #3, Acid Blue/Orange etc -increase inflammatory cytokines in the body that can damage reproductive organs.
Dyes are also very common in food and drinks, including wine.
One of the horrifying discoveries I made a few years back was that many of my clients complaining of digestive issues ended up with food sensitivities to synthetic dyes.
But they weren’t eating foods with dyes!
Yet, they were all drinking wine!
Turns out high volume commercial wine producers add dyes to their wine to get the colors just right!
That $2 buck now $5 buck “Chuck” at Trader Joes…
…may come with more than a great price point!
Click HERE to read the Smithsonian Article that helped me realize why I felt gross after cheap wine & why my clients were having so many gut issues!
Synthetic Fragrances – labeled as “fragrance” – disrupt brain to cell hormone signaling & increase inflammatory estrogen (estrone) in the body.
Fragrances are commonly found in “natural” products!
This is why it’s so important to read labels and not trust the clever marketing!
These fragrances are often the sneaky linchpin in a lot of my client’s hormone elevation conundrum!
Titanium Dioxide – decreases hormone signaling from brain to body, has the potential to lower estradiol and progesterone levels.
This coloring agent shows up in supplements, makeup and sunscreens.
BPA, b, c, d, etc – Bisphenols in general all have the ability to interrupt hormone processing.
If it’s a can or a plastic, be aware that it may say BPA free but it doesn’t mean it’s BPB, C, D, XYZ free!
Not too long ago BPA Free was all the rage…
…sadly, the companies were sneaky and created BPB/D/E + XYZ – and no one sounded the alarm!
That new canned wine, hard seltzer or mixed beverage you’ve been enjoying?…yep compounded trouble – alcohol + chemicals and maybe even some dyes for color.
Yikes!
Want to learn more about how these chemicals and how they show up in lab testing?
Click HERE to listen in to my podcast with Jenna Hua from Million Marker Testing.
When it comes to non-toxic, chemical free products it’s crucial to keep reading labels on your favorite products as companies can change their ingredients over time without alerting the public.
Get to know where your favorite companies are sourcing their packaging and how they are transporting their products as something may be “clean” but then it’s packaged in a toxic container!
Consider using the Environmental Working Group’s – EWG’s database for more information – click HERE to check it out.
A few weeks ago I was talking in a Q&A session about my toothpaste and that I had found they had added titanium dioxide.
Not cool.
With inflation, a lot of these companies are cutting corners, it’s key to keep an eye on all the labels and products.
As of right now I’m guiding folks to…
- Credo Beauty – for all things skincare, makeup and body – read the info lists they provide as they lay it out for you in terms of exposures from ingredients to packaging
- Suntegrity or Sunbum’s Zinc Oxide line – for sunscreen
- Fullscript has MyChelle skincare & sunscreens as well as other shampoos, conditioners and even toothpaste
Don’t forget to read your labels at your natural food stores – just because it says “natural” doesn’t mean it’s non-toxic!
Have a story about a product that you thought was natural but turned out to be a fraud? Hit reply – I want to know!
Here’s to protecting your skin and hormones,
Dr. J
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PS: If you’re wanting to strategize on your personal hygiene and skin care products, I love helping clients through this process, click HERE and schedule a complimentary Zoom chat with me!
