What we put on our skin is just as important as the food we eat. The
skin is the body’s largest organ and plays a crucial role, not only in
the elimination of toxins and in regulating our internal temperature,
but also in terms of absorption.
Therefore it is critical to use skin and personal care products that,
first of all, are free from toxic chemical ingredients. Some of these
ingredients include:
- a) Propylene glycol: Found in practically every skin moisturiser,
propylene glycol is used as the base ingredient in the manufacture
of brake fluid and industrial anti-freeze. It greatly damages and
ages the skin. It also causes rashes and dry skin.
- b) Lauryl sulphates: These corrosive chemical ingredients used in
industry to manufacture garage floor cleaner and engine de-greasing are
also one of the main ingredients in practically every major brand of
shampoo, bubble bath, face wash, shaving gel & toothpaste. Lauryl
sulphates eat away at the mucous lining of the skin, are highly
irritant to the eyes and cause urinary tract infections.
- c) Parabens: synthetic chemicals which have been linked with breast
cancer. They are used as preservatives in many shampoos and personal
care products.
Secondly, it is important to use skin care products that are made
only with raw, living and natural ingredients such as raw cacao
(cocoa) butter and cold-pressed oils. This is because the skin
greatly nourishes from the life force, antioxidants, minerals,
vitamins and essential fatty acids present in the natural ingredients.
The benefits are numerous. The life energy in the ingredients is
highly nourishing and healing. Antioxidants for example, help to reverse
skin ageing and inflammation and help heal scar tissue. Minerals play a
key role in beautifying the skin, hair & nails. Sulphur, for instance,
is a central component of collagen & connective tissue, which provides
elasticity & flexibility to the tissues. Vitamins such as A, C and E are
moisturizing, soothing and healing to the skin. Essential fatty acids
help to remove toxins from tissues.
To ensure that the life force and all these nutrients are retained,
skin care products must be made at temperatures below 40C. If ingredients
are heated above this level during the manufacturing process, most of the
antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and the life force in the ingredients are
destroyed. A good example of this is cold-pressed olive oil, which has long
been considered a topical remedy for wrinkles and facial lines. Not
surprisingly, olive oil is the best source of raw vitamin E. However,
it is also is extremely sensitive to temperature and light and becomes
completely corrupted when heated.
Heated oils and fats when used in skin care products -even in the
so-called most natural ones- are actually one of the worst offenders to
skin beauty. They contain highly toxic transfatty acids, which may be
absorbed into the cell membranes, causing them to become porous and weak.
Heating oils and fats also leads to the creation of free radicals, which
are unstable oxygen molecules that have lost an electron. Collagen, a
protein molecule that constitutes 80% of the dermis, is particularly
susceptible to free radical damage, which includes wrinkles, lingering
scars and stiff collagen
In contrast, cold-pressed fats and oils kept at low temperatures help
to beautify the skin, strengthen the cell membranes and restore nutrients
to the tissues.
In short, the best external skin care is to use products made using only
100% raw and living ingredients. At present, the only company in the world
producing a range of such products is Raw Gaia. More information can be
found at
http://www.rawgaia.com/
