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Simply Sarena

Simply Sarena

Home | Blog | 10 Toxic Ingredients To NEVER Put On Your Skin!

10 Toxic Ingredients To NEVER Put On Your Skin!

Beauty, Blog, Toxin Free, Toxin Free Beauty

Did you know the United States has only banned 8 toxic chemicals and restricted 3??? For comparison, the European Union has banned almost 1,400 toxic chemicals!! There are so many toxic chemicals in products we use every day that cause anything from allergies and skin irritation, to cancer! How is that even legal??!!!

The FDA does not regulate cosmetics. According to the FDA, cosmetics products do not need FDA premarket approval and companies are the ones who should be ensuring their products are safe for consumers. The problem with that is the FDA does not require them to submit any data proving their products are safe. So it’s just us taking cosmetics companies’ word that their products are safe. (Most companies don’t do any third party testing. If they’re not getting their products tested by anyone outside of the company, what are they hiding?)

Clearly, just because a product is sold on shelves at the store DOES NOT mean it’s safe or that it’s been through any safety testing! Again, HOW IS THIS NOT ILLEGAL??!!!

This is exactly why we consumers need to take our health and safety into our own hands and really research products and ingredients to make sure we’re using safe products that won’t cause us long term harm.

Lucky for you there’s people like me who LOVE to research products and ingredients, so we’ve done the leg work for you! Even though there are THOUSANDS of toxic chemicals you should be avoiding, I’ve narrowed today’s list down to 10 super common chemicals that are found in many makeup, skincare, and other cosmetics products which you should NEVER put on your skin! The skin is our largest organ and it absorbs everything…also, what our skin absorbs goes straight to our blood stream, unlike food where our liver filters out a lot of toxins.

This is why we need to be extremely aware of what goes on our skin!

Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS/SLES):

These 2 ingredients are very similar. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is the parent chemical of Sodium Laureth Sulfate. They are commonly used in soap, facewash, shampoo, and toothpaste. These chemicals are what creates a lather and suds. These chemicals can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide which are carcinogenic. On top of that, they are extremely pore clogging (which is ironic as they are found in many acne face washes…) and they strip the skin of its natural moisture leaving it feeling dry and irritated.

Parabens (and other hormone disrupting chemicals):

Most people have heard of parabens, but a lot of people don’t know why they’re bad. Parabens are the most well-known, common preservative in cosmetics. They’re also hormone disruptors. They can lead to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, and really any type of hormonal cancers. Parabens mimic estrogen so they can even make PMS symptoms like period cramps and hormonal acne worse! Also these (and other hormone disrupting chemicals) can even lead to early puberty in girls! Stay away!

Phenoxyethanol:

When highly corrosive phenol reacts with cancer causing ethylene oxide, you get phenoxyethanol. Phenoxyethanol is unfortunately commonly found in many “natural” and “toxin free” products as it’s a preservative that isn’t parabens. Phenoxyethanol causes skin irritation in concentrations as low as 1%…(if you don’t know what that means, it means it barely takes any phenoxyethanol to cause a reaction.) My TOXIN FREE MASTER LIST is full of products WITHOUT phenoxyethanol (and every ingredient on this list.)

PEG’s:

PEG’s are also known as polyethylene glycol. PEG’s are harmful because they are contaminated with 1,4-dioxane which, as we know from SLS/SLES, is a carcinogen. This one is usually super easy to spot on an ingredient label as it’s usually labeled PEG-number. Just stay away from this one!

Mineral Oil:

Mineral Oil is made from petroleum oil and contains PAH’s which are carcinogenic. This ingredient can cause skin cancer! Unfortunately, I’ve seen it in a lot of skincare products including products from my dermatologist. (And people really think Big Pharma and the medical industry is out to help us and it’s not just a big money making business that keeps people sick for profit…but I digress *sigh*.)

Retinol/Retinyl Palmitate:

This is another chemical that is in a lot of skincare products, especially products prescribed from dermatologists. Again, this chemical can cause skin cancer! Retinol and Retinyl Palmitate are vitamin A and they have anti-aging properties which is why they’re in skincare products (including sunscreen.) When this chemicals reacts with the sunlight, it mutates and can cause melanoma! What the heck??!! Get this stuff out of skincare products please!

Fragrance:

Fragrance can cause so many issues. It’s just a big pool of up to 3,000 chemicals which aren’t required to be listed on the ingredients label. These 3,000 chemicals just hide behind the word “fragrance.” Many of these chemicals are toxic and can cause anything from allergies and skin irritation, to organ toxicity and cancer. Since every one of these chemicals hides behind “fragrance”, there’s no way to know whether the fragrance in your products contains these toxic chemicals (but it probably does since it’s a great way for companies to sneak super toxic chemicals in a product and not have to disclose them. And if you question the company, they come back with “it’s a proprietary blend, so we can’t tell you, but we assure you it’s safe! Yeah right!)

Urea:

Mainly imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea however, just look for the word Urea on an ingredient label…that’s an easy way for me to remember and spot these ones. These chemicals release FORMALDEHYDE! You know, that stuff they inject into dead bodies to preserve them and that stuff those animals you dissected in biology are soaking in. Yes the same formaldehyde… As most people know, formaldehyde is extremely toxic and cancerous! The longer the product sits on a shelf (or in your bathroom, or wherever), the more formaldehyde it contains. Seriously, stay away from all these toxic chemicals, but especially this one!

Talc:

Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was talc and fragrance. They stopped making and selling it because it causes CANCER! If Johnson & Johnson (which is a shady, toxic company) stopped selling their talc powder, why are some supposedly “toxin free” companies still using talc?? (I won’t say who, but you probably know someone who sells it…) Talc is contaminated with asbestos which causes cancer. Unfortunately, even “asbestos free talc” has been found to contain asbestos fibers. This is one ingredient I just wouldn’t play around with, especially since there are so many products that are made without talc.

Aluminum:

This is one ingredient that infuriates me. Aluminum has been linked to breast cancer, it’s been found in breast cancer tissue, and it’s the main ingredient in DEODORANT (or more specifically, antiperspirant.) And as we all know, you apply antiperspirant in your armpit which is right next to YOUR BOOBS! I even remember reading a magazine article that talked about preventing boob sweat in the summer and they suggested applying antiperspirant right under your boobs! Please don’t do that ladies!  Not only that, but aluminum can also cause Alzheimer’s. I’ve also seen aluminum in powder cosmetic products like face powder and eyeshadow so it’s not just deodorant you need to look out for. Aluminum can also cause oxidative skin damage (which causes aging), so you definitely want to keep it off your skin!  

If you’re panicked because all your products contain some of these ingredients, don’t be! I’ve created a Toxin Free Master List with products that don’t include any toxic ingredients in them! The list has products for every price point and it has products in just about every personal care category!

My ALL TIME FAVORITE makeup and skincare company is Crunchi! They’re so transparent about the sources of their ingredients and they do third party testing. In order for Crunchi to use an ingredient, the ingredient has to be proven safe already! Their products are the cleanest I’ve found which is why I’ve become a Crunchi advocate. Click here to learn more about Crunchi.

Don’t let all the toxins in our everyday lives scare you…let it empower you to take control and only give money to brands who value your health! Purchasing power can go a long way! Stay healthy friends!

January 10, 2021 · Leave a Comment

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HI EVERYONE!

I’m Sarena


I’m a Northern Virginia based Integrative Nutrition Coach, a Toxin Free Lifestyle enthusiast, a dancer, and a dog mom to my sweet girl, Miss Cammie.

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simply.sarena

So many women suffer every month from debilitating So many women suffer every month from debilitating period cramps. The conventional way of treating them actually makes the problem worse!

❌Birth Control covers up the symptoms because you don’t get a real period. Meanwhile, whatever is causing the cramps in the first place is still going on in the body and probably getting worse! Birth Control does not treat cramps…it only hides the problem!

❌Ibuprofen may help in a pinch but it doesn’t treat what is actually causing the cramps in the first place. Also, ibuprofen is really bad for gut health (and poor gut health could also be a cause of cramps) so you could be making the problem worse!

❌A lot of women turn to junk food on their period however, junk food is inflammatory so if your cramps are caused by inflammation, you could be making the problem worse! If you’re craving chocolate, you probably need magnesium, so if you’re going to eat it, eat good quality DARK chocolate! 

The biggest favor you can do yourself is listen to your body and figure out what is causing the issues in the first place! The answer is different for everyone and there is no one size fits all solution!

Feel free to DM me if you need any support! 

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#womenshealth #periodcramps #periodcrampsrelief #nontoxicliving #lowtoxlife #lowtoxliving #hormonehealth #hormonehealthcoach #womenshormones #hormonal #hormonalimbalance #hormonalimbalances #nutritionforhormones #nutritioncoach #healthandnutrition #holistichealth #holistichealthtips #periodtips #periodproblems #periodpositive #periodpain
Sugar gets such a bad reputation, but not all suga Sugar gets such a bad reputation, but not all sugar is bad!!!

Natural sugar is necessary because it gives us energy! You can find natural sugar in fruits, vegetables, and sweeteners like raw honey, pure maple syrup, dates, coconut sugar, and more.

Watch out for sneaky sugars in processed food as they cause blood sugar spikes which gives us that instant energy but we crash. It also causes type 2 diabetes and insulin issues. 

When you’re reading the ingredient label on food, watch out for different (not so obvious) names for sugar. 

Just because something says 12g of sugar doesn’t mean that 12g is bad sugar…which is why you always need to check the ingredient label for the source of the sugar!

Also, people think Stevia is healthier which isn’t necessarily the case. Stevia is highly processed and should only be consumed occasionally unless you’re consuming stevia in its purest form! 

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#addedsugar #naturalsugar #stevia #holistichealth #holisticnutrition #sneakysugar #ingredientlabels #ingredientsmatter #lowtoxlifestyle #lowtoxdiet #sugarfree #sugarfreediet #sugarfreelifestyle #nontoxicliving #healthyeatinghabits #healthyeatingtips #sugartips #nutritioncoaching #nutritionfacts #nutritiontip
Birth Control does NOT cure a hormone imbalance!!! Birth Control does NOT cure a hormone imbalance!!! Birth Control hides the symptoms of a hormone imbalance, meanwhile the problem is getting worse.

A lot of women struggle with severe symptoms when they come off birth control because they never addressed the underlying cause of their hormone imbalance.

If you are struggling with hormonal acne, period cramps, severe PMS, mood swings, etc. and you think birth control is going to fix the problem, it will not!

There are a lot of factors that can cause a hormone imbalance from our diet, to hormone disrupting chemicals in our daily products, to external factors like stress, lack of sleep, etc. that can throw our hormones out of whack!

If you need support with your hormones, feel free to DM me!

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#hormonehealth #hormonehealthcoach #lowtoxlife #lowtoxlifestyle #crunchyblogger #holistichealthcoach #holistichealthandwellness #womenshealth #womenshealthmatters #womenshealthtips #womenshormonehealth #birthcontrolproblems #birthcontrolpills #birthcontrol #holistichealthcoaching #naturallivingideas #naturallifestyle #naturallivingtips #healthtipsforwomen #pcoslifestyle #hormoneimbalance #hormoneimbalances
Our bodies and hormones are so complex! If you’r Our bodies and hormones are so complex! If you’re eating right, limiting toxin exposure, and still can’t seem to get your hormones under control, it could be a different lifestyle factor coming into play!

We are not men, we do not have the same 24 hour hormone cycle that men have.

We have different needs for different times during the month! Being in tune with your body and doing what it needs at that time is so important!

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#hormonehealth #womenshealth #womenshormones #holistichealthandwellness #lowtoxlifestyle #toxinfreeliving #healthandwellnesscoach #healthandwellnesstips #birthcontrolproblems #birthcontrol #regulatehormonesnaturally #hormoneimbalance #womenslifestyle
These are foods that have been marketed to be heal These are foods that have been marketed to be healthy, but they’re not. There’s so many other actually healthy foods you could eat that are much more satisfying than these. Keep reading for why these aren’t the best options!

❌Whole Wheat Bread: This one comes down to the ingredients. One popular whole wheat bread contains Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin, and Natural Flavors. Also because I have a gluten sensitivity, eating slices of any bread is a no for me!

❌Cereal: So many cereal’s are full of sugar and synthetic vitamins which are not properly absorbed by our bodies, not to mention artificial colors and flavors. Also, a lot of cereal has extremely high levels of glyphosate! Not a great way to start your day.

❌Flavored Yogurt: Any yogurt except plain yogurt has a lot of sugar. You’ll also find natural flavors and gums in some popular brands. Natural flavors is an easy way for companies to not disclose all ingredients and gums can cause digestive issues. In my opinion, you may as well have a bowl of ice cream and enjoy it than try to be “healthy” with flavored yogurt.

❌Farmed Salmon: You may think you’re making a healthy choice by choosing salmon however, farmed salmon should be avoided as it is basically big agricultures version of salmon. It is bred in crammed cages, fed an unnatural diet of fish meal & animal by products, and they are full of pesticides and antibiotics 🤢

❌Granola Bars: Granola bars are full of a lot of sugar including corn syrup. You may also find soybean oil or canola oil which are inflammatory, and natural flavors. You’re better off baking some cookies and knowing exactly what you’re putting in the cookies. 

Did any of these surprise you?? Let me know in the comments! 

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#healthyeatinghabits #unhealthyfood #lowtox #lowtoxlife #crunchygirl #holisticnutritioncoach #iinhealthcoach #iinalumni #iingrad #toxinfreeliving #nutritiontips #nutritionfacts #eathealthybehealthy #healthychoices #foodismedicine #dontbefooled #biggovsucks #biggovermentsucks #healyourselfnaturally #healyourselfwithfood
I’ve had so many women reach out to me lately ab I’ve had so many women reach out to me lately about wanting to get off birth control, but they’re scared how it will effect their body.

The truth is, if you got on birth control for bad period cramps, hormonal acne, irregular periods, etc., birth control was covering up the problem…not fixing it!

When you go off birth control, you’ll probably find you’ll have the same problems of not worse.

That’s why balancing your hormones is so important when coming off birth control!

These 3 tips are a great place to start! There are so many different things you can do to get your hormones in check. 

Follow for more holistic health & nutrition tips!

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#postbirthcontrolsyndrome #getoffbirthcontrol #hormonehealth #hormonehealthcoach #saynotobirthcontrol #womenshealthcoach #womenshealthmatters #womenshealthtips #womenshealthandwellness #womenshealthadvocate
✨Make sure you save this recipe for later!✨ T ✨Make sure you save this recipe for later!✨

These are the BEST healthy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies 🍪 

Recipe: 

1 egg
1 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (make sure you check the ingredient label and only use clean chocolate chips!)

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes!

Let me know if you give these a try! 

#healthydessertrecipes #glutenfreecookies #refinedsugarfree #bakingreel #holisticnutrition #hormonefriendly #womenshealth #womenshormones
It’s still January for a few more days! Last y It’s still January for a few more days! 

Last year, I did a lot that wasn’t working for me. I got so stuck in my routines, I was saying “yes” to everything, even if I didn’t want to, because I didn’t want to offend anyone.

This year, I’m only doing things that light me up and that are in alignment with my goals 💕✨

Health isn’t just about what we eat and the products we use, it’s also about how everything else in our life makes us feel and effects our physical health.

At the end of 2022, I realized I needed to make a change when I was starting to get headaches almost daily again. I had also spent soooo much money it makes me sick thinking about it.

No more! I’m putting myself and my goals first this year! 

#newyearnewme #2023goals #freshstart #holistichealth #holisticwellnesscoach
I ALWAYS have these 5 tea’s on hand 🍵 Green I ALWAYS have these 5 tea’s on hand 🍵

Green Tea: Contains caffeine so it gives me energy. Green Tea is also high in antioxidants!

Echinacea Tea: Has immune supporting properties. It’s even known to shorten symptoms of colds and the flu!

Dandelion Tea: This tea is a powerful liver detox! It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

Raspberry Leaf Tea: This tea is great for a woman’s cycle. It’s high in magnesium and vitamin B6 so it helps relieve PMS symptoms and helps regulate hormones.

Chaga Tea: Chaga is the king of medicinal mushrooms. It’s full of antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. It helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, it boosts the immune system, and it may even slow the growth of c**cer cells. Literally the KING! 

My favorite brands of tea are @yogitea, @tradmedicinals, and @numiorganictea. These brands have organic teas and their tea bags are plastic free!
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