Make-up

Hidden Dangers in Make-up and Skin Care

Last updated on 28th August 2009

I have to admit, writing this made me feel physically ill.

Summary: Cosmetic companies are literally making us sick, sick and sick. (Don’t you just hate corporate greed?)

Ingredient	Uses	Dangers

Parabens (Methyl and Propyl and Butyl and Ethyl Paraben)	Very commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics. Found in shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, lubricants, creams and toothpaste.	Parabens mimic estrogen and could disrupt your body’s endocrine system. Widely used even though they are known to be toxic.
Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum	Used in lip balms, moisturizer, eye drops, pain/wound treatments, diaper cream, itch/rash creams, sunscreens, tanning oil	Suspected cause of cancer. Disrupts hormonal activity. Cosmetic companies love these because it is so cheap.
Sodium laurel or lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)	Found in over 90% of personal care products. Used in shampoos for its detergent and foam-building abilities.	Breaks down our skin’s moisture barrier, potentially leading to premature aging. As they easily penetrate our skin, they allow other chemicals to enter our bodies too. Ironically, SLS and SLES are used in laboratories as skin irritants to test soothing products. However, their low cost means they’re in most of our shampoos and foaming products. May cause urinary infections, kidney and bladder infections, fertility problems, eye, skin and scalp irritation and hair loss.
Acrylamide	Used to make glue, paper and cosmetics. Found in many creams and soaps as thickeners. Also found in hair care products, and pre-shave lotions.	Linked to breast tumors. Strong evidence of human neurotoxicity. May cause heritable genetic damage. There is evidence of reproductive toxicity in both men and women.
Propylene glycol	Common cosmetic moisturizer (keeps products moist) and carrier for fragrance oils. Also found in automatic brakes and industrial defrosters. Found in liquid foundation makeup, spray deodorants, baby lotions, moisturizers, lipsticks and suntan lotions.	May cause dermatitis and skin irritation. May inhibit skin cell growth. It could cause dermatitis, ototoxicity, kidney damage and liver problems. Easily penetrates skin, and can weaken protein and cellular structure. But cosmetic makers like it because it is cheaper than glycerin.
Phenol (carbolic acid)	Found in many lotions and skin creams.	Can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, and even death from respiratory failure.
Dioxane (1,4-dioxane)	Found in products that foam up, like shampoo, liquid soap, body wash and bubble bath. The FDA does not require dioxane to be listed so this is a true hidden danger. Usually found with PEG, polysorbates, laureth, ethoxylated alcohols.	1,4-dioxane readily penetrates the skin. May cause cancer or birth defects. Is a suspected kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant.
Toluene (phenylmethane, methylbenzene, or toluol)	Found in nail polish, nail hardeners, and nail polish removers. Also in most synthetic fragrances. And guess what? It’s also used as an octane booster in gasoline fuels used in internal combustion engines.	A nervous-system toxin. Causes eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Toluene can also lead to birth defects, developmental abnormalities, liver and kidney damage. Associated with spontaneous abortions.
Aluminum (aluminium)	Found in used in antiperspirants and antiseptics.	May cause breast cancer. In antiperspirants, aluminium blocks the pores of the skin, preventing toxins from being excreted. These toxins then go to the closest fat reserve: the breasts. Linked to Alzheimer’s.

Do you know of any more silent killers in cosmetics? Drop it in below and I’ll add it to this list.

Cleanliness is Next To Fewer Breakouts (or how to clean your make-up sponges)

Last updated on 8th July 2009

Remember the joy of breaking out new make-up? Whether its a new compact powder, foundation, eye-shadow, or blusher, it slid on effortlessly and your skin looked really, really good that day. But with all good things, it didn’t last very long, did it?

After a few short days, you wonder – was it real? Or did you just dream of that one great make-up day? No, you’re not loony. There’s a very simple reason behind this phenomena.

The fact is – its not so much the new make-up that made you looked better, but the new, clean applicator that came with it.

All make-up adheres much better to a clean sponge than one that’s caked-up. The caking-up occurs on the surface of the sponge when you combine water (sweat) and oil (sebum) with make-up. Once its caked up, the surface of the applicator becomes very non-porous, and it can’t grab onto the make-up as well as it used to.

Here’s the best (and most frugal way) to clean your make-up sponges.

What you’ll need: Some dishwashing liquid. Running water. (Forget the fancy, overpriced make-up cleansers.)

How to do it: Take a few drops of dishwashing liquid (this works best to strip the oils). Use your fingers to work the suds in and wash till the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly before use. To speed things up, use a hair dryer.

Why do it : You’ll look better. More make-up will adhere to your sponges or brushes if they’re clean and porous. With powder and foundation, this actually gives you a much smoother finish, better coverage, and even coloring. With blusher and eye-shadows, colors will look brighter even when applied lightly.

And with clean sponges and brushes, your make-up will not only look better and be easier to apply, but you’ll also get fewer zits and break-outs since bacteria won’t fester in them.

Born-Again Eye Pencils in an Instant

Last updated on 15th August 2009

Using eye pencils is a personal favourite of mine.

Its cheap, easy to use, and depending on how you draw (thick/thin, regular or with a cat-eye slant, smudged lines or sharp edges, etc etc) its flexible enough to give a whole range of looks.

Kohl is also good for skin. Kohl protects the skin around your eyes by protecting them from extreme heat and cold. The dark colour of kohl also cuts down glare, and you’ll feel less inclined to squint in harsh sunlight (squinting leads to wrinkles!).

However, over time my eye pencils harden and dry. I’ll notice this when it becomes harder to apply and re-sharpening doesn’t help.

Don’t worry, though! I’ll show you how to bring it back to life again in an instant.

Here’s what you need: Any skin lotion, moisturizer, or basic skin cream. Baby oil or olive oil will do as well.

How to do it: Just rub a tiny amount of lotion over and around the tip. Take off the excess with your finger. Now your eye pencil will glide on effortlessly and the line drawn will be clean and professional-looking. Try it!

Hidden Dangers in Make-up and Skin Care

Cleanliness is Next To Fewer Breakouts (or how to clean your make-up sponges)

Born-Again Eye Pencils in an Instant

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