Friday Facts! If you have not watched the movie STINK yet, it is definitely worth the hour+ watch. Very eye opening in helping to protect you and your family from hidden dangers in your products. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&fbclid=IwAR0pBD1pJsKj-ABvODD_sieoKeMzL3MrI402MnAQu8ccR_yxdgZtmozK8KM&v=lk6elw_VGB0&feature=youtu.be
This was another eye opener in my quest for natural non-toxic products. I uncovered a horrifying fact. Fragrance is a trademark secret in the United States. As such, companies are not required to disclose what ingredients(sometimes toxic) are hidden under the veil of “fragrance” or “perfume” in their products. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has noted that the European Union has restricted or banned 1,300+ ingredients that cannot be used in their products. Surprisingly, only 11 of those ingredients have been restricted or banned by the FDA in the United States.
****Background of this post – long read but worth it****
This was yet another piece of the puzzle in my research and quest for skin relief. After watching this, I remember thinking and wondering what toxins had been hidden in the products my body had reacted to over the years. I made the decision that if “fragrance” or “perfume” was listed on a product label, it was an immediate pass for me. I was not going to risk poking the Beast (psoriasis) as I refer to it.
Not only do I have psoriasis but I also have a fragrance allergy (dermatologist confirmed after major skin flare up years ago). The light bulb went off and I had an aha moment! I was told and just always thought I had sensitive skin because my skin would take exception to some products I used throughout the years. I cannot even begin to quantify the amount of money and product that I threw away over the years that caused my skin to flare up or just did not work. It all made sense now! At a very early age I could not use bubble bath as my skin reacted. It made it red, angry, itchy and gave me scaly skin.
I also vividly remember having a bad reaction and experience with a very popular and expensive perfume in high school. I had asked and begged my Mom for that perfume for months! I got my wish on my birthday. I was so excited! It was a beautiful and slender burgundy bottle with a gold cap on it. I could not wait to spray it on my wrists and body, which of course I promptly did. Within fifteen minutes, I became light headed and nauseous. The more I would smell my wrist, the more lightheaded and nauseous I became. I knew it was the perfume that was causing this. I scrubbed my skin till it was raw on all the areas that I had sprayed to try and get it off. It was too late! It had absorbed through my skin into my body and was now in my bloodstream. It had permeated my nostrils. I had raw skin from where I had scrubbed and had to ride the waves of lightheadedness and nausea the rest of the day until my body purged it. Sadly, I never wore that perfume again. Smelling it in the bottle would give me the same light headed and dizzying effect. I now had an explanation so many years later of why that happened.
So many things made sense after meeting with the dermatologist. My quest for natural, non-toxic, transformational solutions began with the dermatologist results after my last flare-up and the quest has never stopped. I threw away most of my products as they had fragrance in them (including my tooth paste). Slowly, I started adding products back one by one. The vetting process of the natural solutions was slow as I had to take them one at a time since I did not know what my skin may or may not react to.
My name is Stephanie Talia, owner of Stephanie’s Mindful Solutions. I have psoriasis and a fragrance allergy and I am thriving. I share all of this to give others who suffer with skin issues like I did…HOPE. Don’t give up, don’t quit trying different products/solutions until you find something that works.
If you would like to chat, feel free to click on the link to set up a free 30 minute consultation to discuss your skin/health goals. I love what I do and I would love to help.
https://calendly.com/stephaniesmindfulsolutions/30min
Have a wonderful day! Keep moving, stay hydrated and love the skin you are in.