Could your soap be effecting your health?

We have been taught to trust the brands that we see on television and on our store shelves and we believe them to be good quality products that are good for us, but have you ever wondered if that's really true. The truth is many of the cleansing products that you use might in fact be doing you more damage than good. 

Chemicals in soaps, perfumes, cosmetics and household cleaners are things that should not be ignored or taken lightly. They can disturb our hormones, lead to reproductive problems, promote allergies and increase the possibility of cancer. Our skin is the largest organ of the body and allows us to absorb minerals and vitamins, but regrettably it absorbs the toxic chemicals that we put on our skin as well. According to recent studies, 60 percent of the stuff you put on your skin is ultimately absorbed into the bloodstream, so we need to be careful about what we put on our bodies, seeing that what we put on our skin is just as essential as what we eat.

The following are some reasons why using synthetic soap brands on our skin can be harmful:

• Triclosan: The ingredient in question, triclosan, is used in several different antibacterial personal care products, from deodorants to hand soaps.

A study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that exposure to Triclosan can cause cancer in mice and liver fibrosis. These results provide clues as to how Triclosan can affect human health, as liver toxicity affects mice and humans in a similar way. Moreover, a CDC study discovered that 75% of humans have traces of chemicals in their urine, many of which exist in the breastmilk of lactating mothers.

• Inability to absorb Vitamin D: Some researches have shown that using soap can not only wash away your natural acid barrier, but it also sweeps away some of the Vitamin D that exists on and in your skin when you are in the sunlight.

• Damages skin: Washing with even "mild" soap harms the stratum corneum, which is our first line of defense against harmful bacteria and outside pollutants.

Moreover, the lipidness of the stratum corneum also keeps our skin moisturized. Most store bought soaps deliberately remove the oils from our skin and it can take our bodies more than two weeks to repair the damage.

If you want to improve the health of their body and skin, reading a products ingredients label and choosing high-quality natural soap, free from harmful chemicals and gentle on the skin is the right choice.