:: Product Updates

:: Don't Be Fooled By The Model And The Bottle

It's easy to be attracted to the vibrant colors and luscious odors of the flashy products you find at the mall, but many products that look and smell beautiful are really dangerous. They are filled with chemicals, dyes, preservatives, and perfumes. Only in recent years have there been studies about the long term effects of using these types of cosmetic products.

What is most alluring about these substances is just an illusion; such as; the status, (a beautiful model  or celebrity uses it), the over inflated price, (I'm worth it), or the sparkly packaging. The results they promise are seldom delivered. I came to this conclusion after treating hundreds of patients in dermatology clinics and in my private practice.

In my 15 year skincare career, I have never publicly degraded any company or product line. I never had to. The facts speak for themselves. Anyone who cares enough to pick up a cosmetic ingredient dictionary can read for themselves what is in the products they are using on their face and body.

I tell my students and clients, it's very simple. The skin care products you are using are food for the skin. They should nourish, hydrate, and protect. If you are careful with your diet and do not believe in  putting strange chemicals and preservatives into your body, why are you rubbing them into your skin. If you can not pronounce the ingredients in your food, you should not consume it and that goes for your skincare and spa products too.

Women do not realize that these products are not just skin-deep. They can penetrate through the epidermis (the top layer) into the dermis, (the deeper layers of skin.) The dermis contains small capillaries in which the chemicals can pass into the blood stream. The average women, uses 12 personal care products each day and over the span of 45 years. Over time, these chemicals build up in the system and  have been linked to severe allergies, birth defects, and cancer.

Cosmetic products are not regulated by the FDA and do not have to go through any government testing, with the exception of sun block. Companies are free to put what ever ingredients they want into their products. Many consumers do not know this.

The #1 reason for the amount of synthetic substances is low cost and long shelf life of the product. The fresher the product the quicker it breaks down, and the shorter the life on the shelf. Also organic ingredients are much more expensive to use. You owe it to yourself to be an educated consumer and buy products as close to natural as possible or make them yourself.

Don't be fooled by the model and the bottle.

   By Katie Haley, BS,LMT
   Licensed Massage Therapist & Esthetician
   Certified Medical Aromatherapist