How many commercial personal care products did you use today?
In the west, the average woman uses 12 products a day –- shampoo, deodorant, lotions, cosmetics, on and on… and men use six. Yet ongoing research indicates that some of the ingredients in these products may cause cancer, disrupt hormones or damage the nervous system.
This column examines that innocuous-looking bottle of commercial shampoo on the shelf of your shower. Here’s a little factoid to set the stage… A recent study of 17,000 American girls showed that 48% of black girls and 15% of white girls showed signs of puberty by age eight. A large number of researchers worry that ingredients in some shampoos, dyes and detergents are absorbed through the skin and then scramble hormonal signals.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found a correlation between an ingredient found in shampoos and nervous system damage. The experiments, conducted with the brain cells of rats, show that contact with methylisothiazoline (MIT) can cause neurological damage. Researchers are concerned that exposure to this chemical by pregnant women could put their fetus at risk for abnormal brain development. In other people, exposure could also be a factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other nervous system disorders. (At least two popular shampoos sold in Indonesia contain MIT.)
MIT is just one of dozens of potentially dangerous chemicals found in personal care products. The jury is still out on Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS), which creates the lather in shampoos and other products. Some studies have found that it is carcinogenic when combined with other chemicals. It’s a known irritant that collects in the eye (contributing to the development of cataracts in older adults), brain, heart, liver and kidney with potentially long-term effects. You’ll find SLS in shampoo, shaving foam, toothpaste and other products.
Another study indicates that phthalates, a chemical used to stabilize fragrance in baby shampoos, lotions and powders may expose infants to chemicals that have been linked with possible reproductive problems. Animal studies have suggested that phthalates can cause reproductive birth defects and some researchers believe they may cause reproductive problems in boys and early puberty in girls. The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the health effects in humans are uncertain. “Although several studies have explored possible phthalate associations with developmental and reproductive outcomes (semen quality, genital development in boys, shortened pregnancy and premature breast development in young girls), more research is needed,” a 2005 CDC report said. How many red flags are enough?
It turns out that even minute amounts of some chemicals can disrupt hormones. International researchers are re-examining the dosage impacts of many chemicals. Traditional toxicology focuses on actual damage, such as cell death, mutations and cancer, that occurs typically when cellular biochemical defense mechanisms are overwhelmed. At high exposure levels many chemicals implicated in message disruption are toxic in these traditional ways. At lower levels of exposure -– even very low -- their impacts may instead hijack control of development, adding or subtracting to the body’s own control signals.
Back to your shampoo bottle… Most shampoos are very harsh and strip the natural oil from the hair. One study compared the components of a common gel-type shampoo with industrial rug shampoo concentrate, and found the same ingredients in both products, in similar quantities. Add to this the fact that many shampoos that use the words ’herbal’ or ‘natural’ in their branding contain little or no natural materials at all.
But here’s the good news. An increasing number of natural alternatives are available in the west. And here in Ubud, I’m aware of at least three small businesses that create personal care products from local, natural ingredients.
Last week I visited Ibu Jasi at Cantika Spa in Penestanan. Like nearly all local women her age, Jasi grew up in her village using traditional plants for all her hair and general health needs. For the past decade she’s been perfecting a natural shampoo incorporating these and other plants. Jasi remembers when Balinese women mixed the ash from rice straw and wood with water, filtered it through cloth, added aromatic leaves and flowers and used this to wash their hair. Using this as a base, Jasi developed a shampoo from ash water, soap nuts, seaweed gel and other plant ingredients.
Virtually unknown five years ago, soapnuts are now a hot commodity in certain North American and European circles. The dried nuts of the Sapindus Mukorossi (Chinese Soapberry or krerek in Balinese) contain up to 30% natural saponin, which produces a cleansing foam. Asians have been using soapnuts as a shampoo and general cleaning agent for hundreds of years.
Chemical and perfume free, hypoallergenic and biodegradable, soapnuts are now sold in North America and Europe as a natural, environmentally friendly alternative to laundry detergent. The saponin in soapnuts is a natural surfactant. Both natural and chemical surfactants (the ones in laundry detergents) work by breaking the surface tension of water so it can more easily penetrate into fabrics. As a result of the washing action oil, resin and other water-insoluble substances are loosened from the fabric; the saponin holds the dirt in suspension until it’s rinsed out. For detailed information on using soapnuts in the laundry, see www.maggiespureland.com
Soapnut trees used to be fairly common in Bali but are now rare. They are fairly tolerant and begin to bear fruit at about five years. Jasi would like to see soapnut trees growing abundantly in Bali, both to provide raw materials for natural cosmetics and create income for Balinese people from exporting the seeds. (Soapnuts are exported by the container load to Europe, destined for environmentally-conscious washing machines.)
Detouring from the bathroom to the kitchen for a moment, Jasi also makes a dishwashing soap from soapnuts and other natural ingredients. Unsurprisingly, commercial dish detergents are a cocktail of industrial chemicals with our old nemesis SLS near the top of the list. And chances are that every atom of detergent won’t be rinsed off your plates. So you could end up ingesting some interesting chemicals like Styrene, for example, which is toxic enough to have an official safety limit of 50 ppm (parts per million), and a list of side effects that includes headaches, lassitude, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, narcosis, possible liver injury and reproductive effects. (Styrene is the major component of Styrofoam and is soluble in hot water, so you may want to ban instant noodles pre-packed in Styrofoam bowls from your kitchen if you haven’t already.)
There are not many commercial products in my bathroom any more. I use Cantika’s natural shampoo, followed by a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to balance the pH and leave my hair shiny. My talcum powder container is full of cornstarch these days. Straight Tea Tree oil makes a very effective deodorant. Ibu Lilir at Utama Spice makes a great natural moisturizer plus cocoa butter to smooth the elbows and knees. Neem toothpaste contains less SLS than others.
Both Ibu Jasi and Ibu Lilir have tables at the Ubud farmers Market at Pizza Bagus on Saturdays between 10 and 2. Bear in mind that all-natural products contain no preservative, so use within 3 months or keep in the fridge. Stock up on soapnuts, too.
