female hormone estrogen , the male hormone androgen , and thyroid hormones . Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may block hormonal signals in your body or interfere with the way the hormones or receptors are made or controlled .
“ Some ingredients will mimic the effect of estrogen and androgen and cause imbalances in our bodies . And you don ’ t need a lot to have an effect ,” said Debra . “ Even if it ’ s a tiny amount that is coming into your body through personal care products .”
Many larger companies are becoming more aware of the dangers of these ingredients as well as the consumer ’ s awareness and concern , and even the conventional brands are beginning to steer away from them . However , many suspected or known endocrine disrupters as well as other chemical ingredients are still present in commonly used toiletries today . Debra said the hardest and most important thing any person can do to protect themselves is do the research and decipher the ingredients list . This can seem daunting but there are resources available to help you figure out what ’ s what .
“ There ’ s a great resource called SkinDeep . It ’ s a website where you can plug in a product or an ingredient and it will rate how safe it is on a scale of 1 to 10 ,” said Debra .
As the concerns about chemicals in beauty products grow , so is the number of people who wish to avoid them . Debra has seen a steady increase in business at ShopEco and she still sees new faces in her shop every day .
“ Even over the past 5 years it ’ s becoming a lot more main stream to want to use ecofriendly products ,” said Debra . “ The general understanding of it is becoming more sophisticated so people know more about what they are looking for .”
There are still some common misconceptions surrounding natural self-care products , including things like price and performance . Prices are comparable to higher end products , but natural products tend to last longer because you will need to use less when it comes to things like soap , lotion and lip balm . Natural products have come a long way and in most cases their performance will rival or exceed the conventional counterparts .
The best piece of advice Debra gives to anyone who is horrified by the chemical laden ingredient list of their favourite body wash and is ready to make the switch to natural , is this – don ’ t feel like you have to do it all at once . Start with the first thing that you run out of , like deodorant . As you run out of other products , replace them with natural ones . Before you know it , you will be self-care chemical free and one step closer to a more natural lifestyle .
Above : Herbs steeping before soap is made Below : All natural honey and oatmeal soap from Sud Therapy