I cannot forget that as a budding teenager, whenever I went shopping for my body cream and soap, I would always read the labels looking for the word “hydroquinone”; if the name didn’t turn up, I wasn’t going to buy that product! But today, that little girl is a grown woman with a different ideology on cosmetics, beauty and skin care.
Skin care today is big business. If you browse the cosmetics section of any store you can easily become overwhelmed by the choices and prices!
It’s estimated the average woman applies more than 200 chemicals to her skin a day and recent research is reported to have shown that 60 per cent of these chemicals are absorbed into the bloodstream.
My sista, in our search for beauty it’s so easy to forget that the skin is an organ that serves vital body functions.
In fact, the skin is the largest organ in your body. It is responsible for maintaining the correct body temperature, it regulates your body’s fluid balance and protect you from invading microorganisms.
Bleaching or Skin whitening, that billion-dollar worldwide industry with a huge stake in developing countries, has far reaching negative effects on our skin and health.
The skin whitening ingredients work in two ways to give you a whiter skin; they absorb the UV rays thus preventing the sun from darkening your skin and they reduce the production of melanin which is that skin pigment found in your skin responsible for skin darkening.
Let me introduce some of these ingredients to you;
There’s Mercury –even small doses of it have been accused of causing neurological damage.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids are most commonly found in facial chemical peels, which are procedures reserved for serious and infrequent skin overhauls administered by professionals, not for regular home use.
Then there’s Arsenic, a word that makes you think of “poison,” which is exactly what arsenic is. Not something you want to find on the list of ingredients in your face cream, but that might be the case with some skin lighteners.
And my former-friend, Hydroquinone has been linked with leukemia, liver damage, and thyroid disorders. Animal studies show that it could cause mutations in developing foetuses.”
Ironically, skin-lightening creams are often a misnomer, since after discontinuing use, normal sun exposure can make you darker than before. This can make its users become psychologically addicted to creams and over years destroy not just their complexions, but also their health and self-esteem.
Your body is a work of art. It’s no wonder then, that you feel the need to preserve its beauty. I completely agree on that but it just doesn’t have to be a ‘bleach’ or ‘die ugly’ affair!
Alternative skin care treatments exist that are known to bring the lushness, youthfulness and aura of your personality radiating through your skin.
It is a well known fact that using organic and natural products that are formulated from herbs is the best way to achieving a healthy radiant skin because herbs are good for cleansing and healing the skin.
I dare say; you must love yourself enough to take the time, effort and necessary research to decide on the best options in skin care for you and then, by radiating natural beauty and confidence, you will be helping to convince women and men of colour that they are blessed and beautiful!
Can I get an Amen?!
Sandra