Cosmetics infertility, fatigue, & hormonal imbalance. Oh my

Cosmetics infertility, fatigue, & hormonal imbalance. Oh my

So, we’re probably all at least vaguely familiar with the strange, and dangerous, cosmetic habits of our ancestors: arsenic in face powder, copper or lead to color the eyes, not to mention lead-based face masks used by the Greeks to ‘improve’ skin condition. Yikes, right?

Not surprisingly, these cosmetics led to madness, infertility, scarring of the skin, illness and, eventually, death. According to journalist Diane Mapes, “Some beauty products of yesteryear contained high concentrations of lead, mercury, arsenic, even radiation, thanks to ignorance, indifference and narcissism.”

Well. Thank god we don’t suffer from ignorance, indifference, and narcissism anymore.Right.
Okay. To give ourselves some credit, there has been a big push for natural health, natural cosmetics, and education about such dangers as parabens and phthalates. But, how safe are our so-called natural products? As a yoga instructor and herbalist, I work with a community of pretty hip and healthy cats, and almost daily I’m approached by someone who has some sort of issue with fertility, cysts, and any number of reproductive and hormonal complaints.

The truth of the matter is, our skin is one big absorptive organ and everything we spray, apply, slather, or walk on makes its way through our hormonal system (especially the thyroid–hypothyroidism is on the rise, as is infertility and other reproductive and hormonal problems). Are these issues connected? Um. Yes.

We’ve been hearing about BPA (bisphenol-A, or the material in plastic bottles and can linings) and its dangers: depression, irritibility, sleeplessness, weight gain, excess estrogen, and maybe (in animals, anyway) insulin resistance. And what about the anti-bacterial craze? Triclosan, the chemical found in most anti-bacterials, can interfere with testosterone and the thyroid.

So, what the heck can you do? A few things, actually. First: grab every skin-care, cosmetic, and hair care product you have. Dial up the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database and start typing in your products, searching for their level of safety; they rate on a 1-10 scale. I threw out everything that was above a 4 (btw many of my ‘natural’ products were coming up with scores of 6 and 8). And make some tea. You’ll be here a while.

Other than that, skip the antibacterials in favor of soap and water. It’s just as effective. Start researching natural (really natural) alternatives to your current supply of body care products, or make your own. A couple of really great resources are included at the end of this post. Start searching around the net. For example, you’ll be amazed at what an asset a little apple cider vinegar is to your cosmetic routine.

You can also turn to herbs to help keep your thyroid and hormone system safe and in balance. Try ashwagandha for adrenal and energy support; vitex or wild yam for reproductive health; and dandelion for general detox and protection from free radicals.