Most people will think that foam means cleansing? For example, when you shampoo your hair – do you like to see rich lather? In the bath, do you like relaxing in a mound of bubbles? Men, when you shave – do you like a goo lather?

If you answered yes to these answers, check your labels. It is probably that the foam, lather and bubbles are caused by toxic ingredients.

Of course we naturally all want to look after our skin, our health and general well-being. Unfortunately the large cosmetic companies don’t. They are interested mainly in profits. In order to get more profits they use cheaper ingredients.

If you are not already using natural cosmetice products the first ingredient is probably Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which has relatives called Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (SLES), Sodium Myreth Sulfate,etc. These substances are commonly used in detergents because they produce foam and lather rather inexpensively for the manufacturer.

BUT SLS and its cousins are so strong that they can scrub garage floors. Even worse they have been proven to cause cancer. Tests show that SLS forms carcinogenic nitrates that can enter the bloodstream in large numbers. It can and will cause eye irritations (hence the warnings about flushing eyes in the case of contact). It can also cause skin rashes, hair loss and allergic reactions.The American College of Toxicology has stated that SLS actually stays in the body for up to five days causing havoc especially to your skin.

According to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, SLS can cause cracking and severe inflammation of the dermal-epidermal tissue.

Rather than looking after your health by soaking in a ‘relaxing’ bubble bath, you are probably causing your skin more stress than it needs. Men, if you are using a shaving foam product with SLS then your shave in the morning to get you looking good is probably causing rashes and spots.

Natural Bath Therapy

Well it’s time to ask yourself if all of this foam is worth the consequences to your health and beauty.

Read labels! Look at the ingredients. Now you know what to look for.

For exmple there is the ‘bodhi’ range of great bath and shower therapy products. If you click on the link here you can look at a full range of bath and shower products that don’t contain harmful and toxic ingredients.

You can choose healthy alternatives. Look for products that contain pure botanical ingredients and no SLS! If you want to know more on other toxic ingredients that can be found in cosmetics and makeup then please read my publsihed article on the Top 10 Ingredients fo Avoid in cosmetics and makeup.