It is important to be careful about the chemicals that are placed on the skin with skin care products and cosmetics. Many skin products and cosmetics have dangerous chemicals as a part of there components. Our skin is not a barrier to these chemicals it acts as a transporter for these chemicals and they can end up in our blood stream and from there to the rest of our body. These chemicals will add to the toxicity of the body and will potentially add to ill health or delay the healing process.

The ingredients that you need to avoid include:

* Foaming agents including sodium laureth sulphate (SLS), ammonium lauryl sulphate and 1,4-dioxane.

* Artificial fragrances - many chemicals are able to gain access to our body via our olfactory system or sublingually (under the tongue). In the case of toothpaste a single fragrance can be made up of 200 chemicals which don't have to be labeled. Many fragrances are based on petroleum products and some reactions to these include dizziness, skin irritation and brown tinges to the skin. Products that are fragranced with essential oils are your safest choices.

* Artificial colors. Things have improved since Queen Elizabeth 1 died from lead poisoning caused by her trademark white make up. However, there are still many questionable colorants. Synthetic colors are made up from coal tar containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins into our systems.

* Emulsifiers - these are used in just about all personal grooming products. They keep the texture uniform and stop the ingredients from separating. Eggs can be used for this but skin care companies prefer a more synthetic version. Glyceryl monostearate and stearic acid are two commonly used emulsifiers and oral care products that are known to cause side effects - in particular skin irritations. Another commonly used emulsifier is triethanolamine, a substance that is converted in living tissue into nitrosamines - some of the strongest carcinogens known. Triethanolamine causes skin irritation problems. Ethoxylates is another commonly used emulsifier which is a strongly mutagenic. It damages the DNA which increases skin aging and the risk of developing skin cancers.

* Chemical Preservatives - These are used to slow the rate at which the products decay and therefore increase the products shelf life. Some of these that need to be avoided are:

• Imidazolidinyl urea - formaldehyde. This is known to cause dermatitis, skin irritation, nerve damage and cancers.

• Parabens - over 90% of cosmetics contain a preservative from the parabens family. Some of the latest research suggests that these may work as endocrine disruptors. These chemical play a role in increasing the rate of breast cancer and decreasing rates of male fertility.

• Carrying agents - this is the ingredient that provides all the other ingredients a means to be suspended...Usually a petroleum derivative.

• Porpylene glycol is commonly used and there are general warnings about it when it is in contact with the skin. It can cause brain, liver and kidney problems. Yet this is the agent that is commonly used in stick deodorants, toothpaste and most other personal care items!

• Other ingredients to watch out for are PVP/VA copolymer, stearalkonium chloride, petrolatum and paraffin.