Changes for the New Year

Examining the Cosmetics and Body Products

A pot of lip balm nestled into green leaves

Recently I’ve had the sad opportunity to care for a loved one diagnosed with breast cancer. Since the diagnosis I’ve been doing a lot of research. Originally I focused on foods, but soon turned to products when source after source recommended examining cosmetics and body products for suspect substances.

I learned that many of the chemicals and preservatives put into body products and cosmetics are not good for us and are suspected to play a role in the breast cancer epidemic sweeping our country currently.

Thus I began looking at all the products my family uses. Soaps, lotions, shampoos, laundry detergents nothing escaped scrutiny. And you know what I found? I found that some of the products we use are considered relatively benign. Others, not so much.

Imagine my surprise when talking with another massage therapist about some of these issues, he told me that I was using a product in my practice that was loaded with the very preservatives I’d been ridding my home of.

Searching for Better Products

So I’ve been on the hunt for an alternative because not only am I concerned about the types and amounts of chemicals your skin absorbs while receiving massage, I am very concerned about what my skin is also absorbing. For every hour of massage you receive, my skin absorbs that same hours worth of product and since I do multiple hours of massage weekly I want the products I’m putting on our bodies to be safe.

The latest product I’ve ordered is natural, organic and paraben and propylene glycol free. The only problem I’m finding with it is that it’s too much like lotion and less like a cream. This is important because lotions dry out relatively quickly requiring me to waste precious massaging time on reapplying product.

Thus the hunt is still on for a safe product that performs the way I need it to in order to deliver a superior massage experience. Never fear, though, I have a new lead on a new product that sounds like it will fit the bill.

♥

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!