Maybe It's Time For A Makeup Detox?

I'm sure this will come as no surprise to a majority of readers, but you would be healthier if you stopped wearing makeup. According to Care2, the average American women puts 168 chemicals on her body every day, thanks to the plethora of makeup, lotions, and perfumes we regularly apply, and it turns out that many of these chemicals are actually detrimental to our health.

For example, fragrance, an ingredient that is added to 50 percent of products can cause a variety of common skin problems, including contact dermatitis. Parabens are also known to cause dermatitis and skin rashes. Phthalates, a chemical compound that softens plastics, which is often added to perfumes, hair sprays and nail polishes has been linked to genital birth defects in males if the mother has been exposed to phthalates regularly, which apparently most of us are. Awesome.

Each and every day we pile chemicals on our skin unknowingly. We assume that if an ingredient is in a beauty product, it has been carefully vetted, but that is not the case. In fact, the U.S. Senate is currently pushing an amendment that would give the FDA more power to evaluate the safety of chemicals in cosmetics.

So what is the best solution to this problem? Experts recommend looking at the products you use on a daily basis and decide which products you actually need and eliminate the ones that are extraneous. Additionally, you should try going at least one day a week without wearing makeup, or at least wearing less makeup, so your skin has a chance to breathe.

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