So, what exactly in my house is causing these issues?
SURFACTANTS: These are the primary cleaning agents that allowing water to mix with oil and dirt. However, they can also strip away your skin's natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation.
⬩ SOME COMMON SURFACTANTS TO CHECK FOR ARE: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Didecyldimethyl Ammonium Chloride.
ALKALINE INGREDIENTS: Ingredients like sodium hydroxide in oven cleaners can alter the pH balance of your skin, which naturally sits at a slightly acidic level to maintain its barrier function. This imbalance can cause irritation, redness, and increase susceptibility to infections.
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs): Products like air fresheners and certain cleaners release VOCs, which can exacerbate conditions like asthma but also affect skin by causing allergic reactions or dermatitis when absorbed through the skin or even inhaled.
FRAGRANCES: Often a mix of hundreds of chemicals, fragrances can be significant allergens, leading to contact dermatitis, barrier dysfunction, acne, redness, and more. They're not just found in personal care products but also in cleaning supplies.
What to do about it?
Avoid those four categories of ingredients as best you can. Since we're now learning that not only can topical interaction harm the skin, but inhaling cleaning product fumes can too, it's best to avoid them completely!
Need help deciphering your ingredient labels?
Send them to us! We're able to help analyze the ingredient panels of your cleaning products, and cosmetics. Just reply to this email with either a photo of the label or with the name of the product. We'd be happy to show you what is what :)
_______________
The moral of the story? Much of our modern world and lifestyle isn't really in line with our biology. So finding products you can use that are in line with our biology can be a real life (and beauty) hack. Also, trust your gut! Most of us don't like breathing in cleaning products for a reason.
Have a lovely rest of your weekend, and we'll be back next week :) If there are any topics you'd like us to deep-dive into, let us know!
Xo,
Team L'AMARUE
