People often think about the toxins in the environment, but rarely think about the toxins they are putting on their skin. Everywhere you look there is an advertisement for some topical product promising you the world. All those products we use from head to toe, all have chemicals in them. Have you ever really considered what you are applying?

What you need to remember is that your skin is one big mouth. Everything you put on it, gets absorbed. These low-level exposures to toxins build up and get stored in our fat, bone, and brain when we are not able to deal with or excrete them properly. Certain chemicals even disrupt our hormones (and FYI hormones effect our skin). These toxins hanging out in our body cause inflammation and inflammation causes a whole list of things including skin diseases. Our immune system gets stirred up by the chemicals and toxins which lead to autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis. Aside from affecting us internally, chemicals and toxins can also be irritating to our skin.

I believe that you should not assume everything is safe just because it is available to you.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG):

"Personal care products are largely unregulated. The FDA does not even require safety testing of ingredients in personal care products before they are used:

• The federal law designed to ensure that personal care products are safe has remained largely unchanged since 1938.

Men, women and children are all exposed to ingredients in personal care products every day:

• Personal care products, called “cosmetics” in the law, are much more than makeup and fragrance – they include lotion, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, deodorant and many other products that people use daily.
• On average, women use 12 personal care products a day, exposing themselves to 168 chemical ingredients. Men use six, exposing themselves to 85 unique chemicals."

Here is a list of chemicals that I try to avoid in my products:

• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)

• Fragrance 

• Triclosan

• Coal Tar 

• Parabens 

• Diethanolamine (DEA) plus other ethanolamines like MEA and TEA

• EDTA- ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 

• Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)

• Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives can be under many different names, including DMDM hydantoin and quaternium-15 

• Polyethylene glycols or PEG compounds

• Methylisothiazalinone

• Petrolatum

• Silicone or siloxanes  

Different chemicals are linked to different consequences, including possible endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, skin and eye irritants, nerve and brain issues. There is plenty of information out there about all of those chemicals, but I don't have the space to go into detail.

Some of the reasons why include:

• Their genetics
• The amount of toxins they are exposed to
• Having issues with constipation (keeps us from eliminating them)
• Gut problems
• Stress or emotional trauma
• Being deficient in necessary nutrients
• Eating a diet high in sugar and low in protein

Obviously, we want to remove as many toxic exposures as we can for the reasons I just spoke of. It is overwhelming to try to replace everything all at once. I am showing you 3 simple swaps you can make to get you started. These are all from Poofy Organics. They are one of my favorite companies for toxin-free, organic products, and are items I personally use. Each swap you make matters because those are fewer toxins you are giving your body to have to manage.

My favorite natural deodorant is from Poofy Organics, their MAX DEO. It works well for me without irritating the skin. If you have never used a natural deodorant before, I do want to warn you that sometimes people get a temporary increase in odor or some skin irritation as their body detoxes and makes the transition.

I personally choose to avoid aluminum, which is in typical antiperspirant/deodorants, due to potential health consequences like breast cancer and Alzheimers disease.

For my body, I love the soap bars from Poofy Organics (cotton candy scent in particular is my favorite). They also have liquid soap, if you prefer.

I used to only use Dove until I became more educated on the chemicals in our skin care products and then made the switch.

I like Poofy’s Skin Hero Lotion, which is toxin free and a great alternative to what you typically buy at the store.

Remember, your skin is a mouth. Focus on ingredients that you can pronounce easily and know what they are. Organic options are even better to lower your toxin exposures. Support your skin and make some swaps today!

Give them a try and let me know what you think! Link to Poofy Organics is an affiliate link and I do make a small commission at no added charge to you.

For more tips on toxins check out my FREE Skin-Safe Household guide. Click the image below.