As a parent, we are responsible for what we put in our children’s bodies by choosing healthful foods to help them grow healthy and strong.  It is becoming increasingly popular to shop for organic foods in order to avoid ingesting toxins that are harmful to our health. However, some of even the most health-conscious parents fail to realize that we actually acquire more chemicals through our skin than through what we eat.  Our children’s immature organ systems are often less capable of fending off chemical assaults. Subtle damage to developing bodies may lead to disease later in life.

The skin is the largest organ in the body with greater potential to absorb harmful toxins~

What you put on your skin eventually ends up in your body. If you think about it, in most cases, you should probably not put anything on your child’s skin that you could not safely eat.

Chemicals used in mainstream skin care products can cause acne in teens~

In addition, many products also cause reactions like inflammation, irritation and spots. The main ingredients to avoid in your personal care products are sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), alcohol, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances and colourants.

Toxic ingredients in skincare can be hormone disrupters~

Before buying any skin care products, look at the labels. Products containing Parabens, Phthalates and BPA are especially dangerous to a developing child. These chemicals are all ‘xenoestrogens’, which act like estrogenic hormones in the body and are definitely best avoided by everyone, especially growing kids. If you see Phthalates ,methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, bisphenol A or butylparaben on the label, do not purchase it. If you have products in your cupboards with these offending ingredients, you may want to consider throwing them away.

Organic and natural products simply work better~

Organic products use pure, natural and, most of all, gentle, safe ingredients. And organic skin care products often include organic plant oils and extracts, and ingredients grown without harmful herbicides or pesticides.

Organic and natural products are better for the environment~

Not only are organic and natural skin care products better for your child’s skin, they are better for our environment. Organic ingredients are those grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. When a product is made using organic ingredients, there are less harmful bi-products that could be released as pollutants into the air or our waterways which is healthier for the planet and healthier for our children’s bodies.

This week’s guest post on Modern Kids Design is by Juliann Newton. If you’d like to learn more about Juliann, check out her blog at All Beautiful Mommies. And if you have comments or want to make a suggestion for future posts, please feel free to shoot us an email. We love hearing from you. As always, thanks for reading!