One obvious way to have healthy beauty is to avoid exposing your skin to toxins.
You've heard you shouldn't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat.
But you do it every day. You have to:
Clothing.
Not something we can avoid, obviously.
Everybody who wants to look their best is greatly concerned about the clothes they wear.
But not all clothing, no matter how beautiful it may make you appear today, supports your continued good health.
And that makes the problem sound too mild. I'm not talking about clothing that makes your skin itchy or irritated - some of the toxins in modern clothing are correlated with cancer and hormone disruption.
The Current Situation
But what's going on? After all, aren't clothes just clothes? Made out of cloth?
Your skin isn't an impenetrable surface like, say, glass or stainless steel. It's porous. That's an appropriate word, because we have 5 million pores. They're in every square inch of your skin except your palms and the bottoms of your feet. Even the non-pore surface of your skin is vulnerable to substances it's exposed to.
And most of us wear some kind of clothing around the clock except when swimming or bathing. So, most of your skin is constantly pressed against some kind of fabric.
According to some estimates, the modern clothing industry uses up to 8,000 different chemicals. Many of these are just involved in the manufacturing process, but they remain in the cloth. Some of those are removed when you wash the clothes, but not all.
Of course, the clothing industry does avoid chemicals and fabrics that irritate your skin. They don't want a bad reputation, and you can connect obvious discomfort to that new shirt.
But nobody has thoroughly tested the long-term effects of all those chemicals on your health - and there's little governmental regulation controlling what the companies do.
That's why you need to learn what kind of fabrics are most dangerous, and how to avoid them.
1. Wrinkle-resistant, permanent press, wrinkle-proof
I truly understand the convenience. Does anybody actually iron clothes anymore, as my mother did?
But these fabrics are made with formaldehyde.
It's strong smelling and widely used in various industrial processes and in making construction materials - and for embalming the dead.
So, it's no wonder just the word feels dangerous.
Animal studies link formaldehyde exposure to leukemia and cancer of the nasal cavity, and this is supported by studies of people who have high occupational exposure to it.
Fortunately, most of us don't routinely breathe in large amounts - but, if you wear such clothing, you're exposed on a near-constant, long-term basis.
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) says: formaldehyde is "known to be a human carcinogen."
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): formaldehyde is "carcinogenic to humans."
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies formaldehyde as a "probable human carcinogen."
2. Activewear or Sportswear and Fake Leather
Clothes designed for sports and informal, physical activity should be good for us, right?
They feel comfortable when we exercise and when we're just relaxing.
Unfortunately, they're usually made using plasticizers - phthalates - to make them softer and more durable.
That means they contain plastic polymers, such as polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
You may already know avoiding phthalates in your personal care products is a good idea. They're no less risky when they're in your clothing.
They're known endocrine disruptors. That is, they mess up your hormones, perhaps causing reprductive problems and lack of interest in sexual activity. They're also associated with breast cancer and endometriosis. And . . . abdominal fat.
In one study of 5,000 Americans, those aged 55-64 with the highest levels of phthalates in their urine were most likely to die of a heart attack.
However, this hasn't been studied conclusively. It needs more research, but don't wait. Minimizing your exposure to phthalates is almost certainly a good idea - and sure can't hurt you.
Vegan or fake leather is also made with phthalates, and so should be avoided too.
You Must Learn to Read the Label
That's good advice when you're buying food and all personal care products - and, now, clothing.
You want clothes made from cloth as close to natural as possible.
Avoid clothing labeled as being: wrinkle-free, waterproof, synthetic, stain-resistant, dyed and so on.
If the clothing has some kind of super quality, that indicates chemical processing. Natural cotton isn't waterproof - and does wrinkle.
Look for: undyed, naturally dyed, organic, organic cotton, hemp, linen, Tencel, phthalates-free, and so on.
Four Certifications to Look for
1. USDA Certified Organic
This comes from the United States Department of Agriculture, and it means the cloth was grown in accordance with the government's standards in regard to the use of fertilizers and pesticides - verified by third parties.
2. GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard
This is a worldwide certification that's also recognized by the USDA. And it applies not just to growing the cloth, but to the production process as well.
To receive the GOTS certification, clothing must contain 95+% organic fibers. And, they too use third-party testing.
3. OKEO-TEX
They put on a STANDARD 100 label certifying the article of clothing is free of harmful chemicals - tested by a third party.
4. BLUESIGN
This certification is focused on the process of producing clothing. It's given only to low-toxic items.
It's not easy to find healthy clothing, so do your best to search for a brand name you can trust.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-adult-exposure-phthalates/
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/what-are-phthalates
https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/formaldehyde.html
https://buckheaddermatology.com/pores-101-what-you-need-to-know/