How to safely wear makeup with studies revealing that toxic chemicals in conventional brands threaten reproductive health and can even bring about early menopause.
With women choosing to start their families at later ages, new research which indicates that the simple use of makeup and other cosmetics could bring on menopause anywhere from 2.3 to perhaps as much as 15 years early is a grave cause for concern.
The analysis, conducted by a team of scientists led by Dr. Natalia Grindler of Washington University in St. Louis, involved examination of the level of phthalates in the urine of 5,700 women.
Phthalates are a common group of chemicals that have widespread use in makeup and other personal care items such as shampoo, body lotions. cleansers, perfume, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray.
Phthalates are used in many other types of products too including children’s toys (even those for mouthing and teething!), food packaging, paint, wax, print ink, and the list goes on and on.
From a manufacturer’s point of view, phthalates are desirable as they greatly increase a product’s flexibility, transparency, and/or durability.
According to Dr. Grindler, women studied who had the highest levels of phthalates in their blood were found to start menopause a full 2.3 years before the other women.
Dr. Grindler said in her remarks at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s conference in San Diego, California that some women may be going through the change as early as their mid-thirties as a result of chemical overexposure much of it likely from bad makeup.
Early menopause has a lot of impact on your health. We absolutely think these chemicals have the potential to affect ovarian function and human reproduction.
“There’s a lot that we don’t know at this point, our research is still preliminary, but it’s enough to suggest it is having a detrimental impact in the long term.
Menopause in your mid-thirties?
This is a huge problem for women who put off starting a family in order to pursue a career.
I myself didn’t have my first child until I was 34 so this particular study really hit a nerve with me.
Four Ways to Avoid the Bad Makeup Trap
There is no doubt that it is well-nigh impossible for women to avoid phthalates altogether as they are ubiquitous in our toxic soup modern environment.
There are definitely ways to minimize exposure, however, and dietary strategies can be employed to maximize the body’s ability to handle phthalates and other toxins exposure.
Stop Using Conventional Makeup and Personal Care Products
Stopping the use of conventional makeup and using only toxin-free makeup made with natural ingredients is a huge step as the skin absorbs chemicals into the blood quite readily.
According to the industry magazine In-Cosmetics, the average woman who uses bad makeup and other personal care products absorb over 4 lbs of chemicals each and every year!
Don’t forget hair care products too!
The chemicals in these products easily migrate onto skin or even your pillowcase. One easy way to style hair without toxins is learning how to make natural hair gel.
Eat Fresh & Minimize Anything in a Package
Eating fresh food and minimizing the use of packaged food would help enormously.
This is because phthalates are widely used in the packaging of processed foods.
This includes those cardboard containers at the Whole Food Hot Bar.
Eat Liberal Amounts of Bone Broth
Plenty of homemade bone broths in the diet on a regular basis is a dietary strategy that can help tremendously with any phthalate exposure that does occur despite a woman’s best efforts.
Bone broth is extremely high in the amino acid glycine via natural gelatin which is essential for the liver to adequately perform its detoxification duties.
In fact, the liver is greatly hampered if there isn’t enough glycine in the diet so it makes sense to consume liberal amounts of bone broth which includes glycine in a form that is very easily absorbed.
Dr. Reuben Ottenberg suggested in the Journal of the American Medical Association as early as 1935 that patients with jaundice or other liver problems be administered 5-10 grams of gelatin per day as food or via a gelatin supplement.
If this is something you would like to use, this brand and this brand are third-party independently tested, and residue-free.
Using gelatin in the diet supplies additional glycine in order to encourage normalized hepatic function.
Take a Daily Dose of High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil
According to Frederick W. Plapp, Jr., PhD, true Vitamin A (retinol, not beta carotene) is necessary for normal functioning of the immune system.
It is also necessary for the protein synthesis processes involved in reproduction.
Environmental chemicals such as phthalates interfere with vitamin A pathways.
Hence, good protection is a daily dose of high vitamin cod liver oil containing sufficient levels of natural Vitamin A.
This is a crucial whole food supplement to provide the extra reserves needed for the body to function properly – particularly on a reproductive level.
Note that most brands from the health food store usually contain synthetic Vitamin A or inadequate levels of natural Vitamin A.
Our family uses Dropi high vitamin virgin cod liver oil (since 2015).
What I Taught My Daughter
Is it necessary to go barefaced forever if one wishes to avoid these toxic chemicals and preserve reproductive health?
Fortunately, the answer to that is no.
I’ve taught my daughter to check the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for any makeup or personal care brand she is considering.
Simply type in the name of the product and its safety is graded on a scale of 1-10. In addition, the database provides any study data on questionable ingredients.
Alternatively, you can type in a product category and brands will appear with the safest listed first.
To see the products I use, please refer to the personal care section of my shopping guide.
Note that besides makeup, underarm deodorant is possibly the most toxic of all personal care items. Only safe products should ever be used given the proximity to the breast and lymph glands.
References
(1) Bad Makeup “triggers early menopause”
(2) Early Menopause: Study Says Common Item Can be a Trigger
(3) Non-monotonic dose effects of in utero exposure to di(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
(4) Perilous Pathways: Environmental Chemicals and Environmental Illness, A Major Role for Vitamin A
(5) Women absorb up to 5lbs of damaging chemicals a year thanks to beauty products
Do you have recommendations of makeup and other hygene products that are toxin free?
I try not to mention specific brands on my site as there are many good ones out there and I don’t want to shortchange the ones that are great that I don’t perhaps used myself. I can say that I don’t use shampoo at all and haven’t for a very very long time. I simply mix a cup or so of baking soda in a warm bath and wash my hair that way. My hair gets cleaner and shinier doing this than any shampoo I ever used – conventional or natural.
I might add that the baking soda works better than soap too. When you do a baking soda bath, no need for any soap or body washes either.
I understand, I’ll do a little research on makeup to see what I can find. I’m trying to use a natural face wash (oil cleansing, honey) and had an incredibly horrible breakout for the 2 months I tried it. I wanted it to work so badly!
So you just do a bath and use 1 cup of baking soda in the whole bath. Then that bath water washes your body and your hair? Do you use apple cider vinegar for a conditioning rinse?
Yes, that’s right. I use a natural conditioner that is chemical free after rinsing.
I use baking soda to wash my hair but have to use the vingegar rinse after or I won’t be able to get a comb through my hair. I do have color treated hair so this may be why.
Interesting about the baking soda for a shampoo alternative. What about a conditioner alternative? With your long wavy hair, does the baking soda dry it out or “rough it up” at all/make it tangle-y, being somewhat alkaline?
I’ve been using baking soda for about 3 months now. I have long, thick, wavy hair. The baking soda works great (once your body adjusts to it) but I’m still using regular conditioner. :o( If I don’t my hair is a tangled dry mess! (very dry air here).
Just google No Poo, and you can get all the info you need to start washing and conditioning your hair this way.
Most people use the same ration of baking soda and water (this is your shampoo) as they do with apple cider vinegar and water (this is your conditioner.) One cup water with 1 tbs baking soda and one cup water with 1 tbs apple cider vinegar. This could last you a week, dont dump it all onto your head in one washing. Use the baking soda water on your roots, then rinse. Use the Apple cider vinegar on your ends and then rinse.
Eggs? Or coconut oil pre-wash conditioning?
I’ve been using baking soda also on my hair, for a year now, but I never thought to use it in place of any body wash. Gonna have to switch! 🙂
I’ve gone pretty natural over that last several months, but my makeup is the only area I haven’t found what I like. I’m currently using a mineral makeup, but want to find something even less toxic. BUT because of my switch to naturally cleansing and moisturizing my skin, it is clearer than it’s ever been and I can actually go without makeup now without feeling self-conscious.
I’m enjoying learning all these things about naturally caring for my body and my health. Thank you for the information you share with us.
I have friends who have an online store for health and beauty products. They’ve slowly tried to get me to use “better for me” products. It took me several years, but I have finally switched over my personal care products to be natural. There are so many great brands out there.
I find that the most important thing is knowing what’s in what you’re using. A quick search for “All Natural Cosmetics” nets a few pages that have great products. There are some that are completely pure and others that mislead. The ones that list their ingredients (and who have ingredients you can pronounce) are generally trustworthy.
This website has had a database where you can check to see how safe your cosmetics are. (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/) I’m not sure why it’s down or when it will be back up, but I have found it to be incredibly helpful in the past.
Check out Herbaliz *and I don’t work for them*. I love their stuff and it’s totally natural – with a 0 rating on Skindeep. We’ve used their creams and shampoos.
http://www.herbaliz.com/
No wonder I keep getting pregnant – I never wear make-up!:-)
Too funny!
Survival of the healthiest!
That is a great idea. I will pass that along.
I’m 26 and I haven’t worn make-up in years. I was definitely in the minority in college. I’ve looked at “natural” and “organic” make-ups, but their ingredient lists are pretty shady, too.
I’d love to know WAPF approved make up/ beauty companies…
I’m not sure if any are WAPF approved but my esthetician carries only what she feels is the most organic, safe make up. The lines are Eminence and Jane Iredale. I believe Aveda puts out a good product also.
Jane Iredale is great, but I also really like Alima Pure. A great line sustainably made here in the US!
I found it funny that there was a Sephora ad at the bottom of that article.
The ads that appear depend on what you’ve looked at lately. There’s no Sephora ad for me; my ad shows a camping stove (because I’ve looked at those recently online). The ad will be different for each person.
I don’t think it’s totally based on what you’ve viewed. It comes up with Loreal hair color for me and I’ve never looked at that in my life. 🙂
Great article. Makes me additionally happy I don’t wear any make up at all. 🙂
Great post!
My daughters are asking to start to wear makeup. You have any good advice on it as I really rarely wear any myself, just the basics:)
Thank you! Ive been bleaching my hair for 20 years and make up like dolly parton. :/
Another great post! Thank you so much 🙂 Vitality Enthusiast