Our kids are what it’s all about.

When my little guy went shopping for a camping trip, he came home with a well-known brand body wash called “Swagger” (I wonder what attracted him?). Of course, me being me, I read the label and said: “Sorry honey, it’s not happening!”

With the rise of poor health, I wanted to shed some light on simple ways to start making changes for those you love, including yourself.

A nice scent can be very attracting but it can also be deceiving. Personal care product companies use clever names to attract consumers and market certain audiences. But what is in “Swagger”? Well, let me tell you, it’s not good. Some of the ingredients in these products are extremely harmful to our bodies.

Ingredients: Water/eau, sodium chloride, sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance/parfum, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium benzoate, citric acid, disodium edta, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, blue 1, and yellow 5.

I am not going to touch on every ingredient, but here is some insight on the most common and important ones to look out for.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
This is a foaming agent, which is found in 90% of detergents and other products that foam. When it is combined with other chemicals, it can transform into a potent class of carcinogens. SLS has been reported to stay in the body for up to five days. (Oh my gosh, we use these things daily, so think about how much this builds up!!). SLS easily penetrates through the skin and there are residual levels found in the heart, liver, lung, brain, and skin. SLS is found in car washes, garage floor cleaners, engine degreases and 90% of our personal care products, which does not exclude children’s personal care products. YUCK!

Artificial colors (specifically blue 1 yellow 5)
These are shown to cause cancer, contribute to hyperactivity, in children, learning disorders and nerve damage. If your kids have skin allergies and hives, consider a possible sensitivity to their personal care products that contain artificial colors.

Fragrance
Fragrance is not one specific ingredient but it can indicate the presence of up to four thousand separate ingredients (OMG), many toxic or carcinogenic. They can cause headaches, dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing, vomiting, and skin irritation. Fragrance also affects the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, and inability to cope, and other behavioral changes.

My hope and prayer is to provide you with information to make better choices for you and your loved ones.

So, what are your options? Look out for the next blog post!

Be Blessed,

Linda Smiciklas