Beware of that lotion bottle!

A segment I saw on Oprah recently made me start looking at the labels on all the products I use. Sophie Uliano, the guest speaker was talking about a bunch of ingredients found in everyday products we use that could damage your health. So I started doing some research and what I found out was astounding!

Most shampoos, lotions, face creams, shaving gels, cleansing gels, topical ointments, toothpaste and god knows what we put on our skin contains a preservative called paraben. Most labels list ethyl-paraben, or methyl-paraben. Paraben can mimic the hormone estrogen and can disrupt your hormones! Do your own internet searches and see what you find. My results somehow always related parabens to reproductive health or cancer in one way or another.

Most antiperspirant contains aluminum! Ya, really! Aluminum is a neurotoxin or “nerve poison” that acts specifically on nerve cells. Need I say more?

Most products list fragrance or parfum on their labels. This according to Sophie, “is to mask dodgy chemicals!” So any label with fragrance or parfum is a no no!

Another “beware” chemical is phthalate. Phthalates are used to give lotions its creamy texture. Get this, phthalates are also a hormone disruptor and are toxic. Studies done on rodents involving phthalates have been shown to damage the liver, testes and cause birth defects!

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) sounds harmless enough. But, this one also disrupts hormones and is chemically known as a surfacant. Possible causes include hormone imbalance, eye deformities in children, skin irritation, skin corrosion, etc.

I’m working on finding out alternative products available in Male’ or even Asia that are more “people friendly” and will be posting it soon. If any of you come across something interesting, do share!

Hope all of you will start reading your labels and do your own research to find out what you put on your body. After all, your skin is the largest organ in your body and if you care about organic veggies and unbleached sugar, then care about that lotion bottle too!

Being green dream!

I have been working on building my dream home for the last year! During this time I've come upon a wealth of information on how to incorporate "green" into my life and my home. Some of these things cost very little extra and reap huge benefits for the environment. Here's a few things anyone planning a new home may consider:

• Living in a tropical climate, we are blessed with an abundant supply of rainfall. Plan a way to collect rainwater and use this water to flush toilets, dish-washing or even watering your plants. Make sure that you install a diverter to your main water supply once the rainwater runs out.

• Always use a VOC-free paint. VOC(volatile organic compounds) not only harm the environment but your health as well. VOC- free paints are easily washable and non-toxic too.! ICI has a spectrum of colors and textures to choose from and smell great.

• The best investment you can make for your home would be a water filtration system. Since the local water supply should not be used for drinking or cooking(yes, its true,) a water filtration system would allow you to do both without having to buy bottled water! Saving money in the long run and not to mention all the plastic bottles that do not get recycled!! Remember to buy a few extra filters with your purchase, as you would need replace them every few months.

These are just a few inexpensive things almost anyone can do. So do your part and join my dream to go green!