These Makeup Ingredients Could Be Killing You

 I am sure it isn't any secret now days, but if you were living under a rock like I was for the past 8 years, you might not know that many drug store cosmetics actually contain really toxic ingredients that can increase your risk for developing cancer in the future or aggravate in-tolerances/allergies you may not know you have.
   It is a theory in fact that Fibromyalgia could also be triggered in some individuals due to dozens or even hundreds of small allergic reactions which an individual may have to common household chemicals they come into contact with throughout the day. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome is found to overlap with illnesses like Fibromyalgia in 16% of  people who have it. 40% of people who have Chronic Fatigue are seen to also suffer from MCS. Now, the only way to really be sure if you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is to go and get a very intensive allergy test done, but you can always start eliminating the things which are overall bad right away. Today, I wanted to spread the word on these eight harmful chemicals and metals found in your makeup because, if you have been sick since fifteen like me, you probably want to reduce the number of variables that could make it worst.

1. Formaldehyde and/or Formaldehyde preservative- This stuff is used to keep dead people from rotting as quickly. It is a known carcinogen on the FDA list. Formaldehyde exposure is said to be possibly linked to brain tumors, hematopoietic, and lymphatic cancers. This is a common ingredient in nail polishes.
2. Petrolatum- Is an ingredient that is commonly found in creams and lotions. It is linked to skin cancer with long term use. Petrolatum is oil-based as the name implies and cannot be metabolized by the body but do penetrate the skin, meaning its really hard to get this chemical out once it is in your body. While not on the list of carcinogens provided by the FDA it is one ingredient which is hotly debated to be there.
3. Cyclomethicone and anything ending in "siloxane"- These sorts of chemicals are often found in foundations, deodorant, facial creams, and other lotions. It can be harmful to your reproductive system's health. While it leaves your skin smooth and silky, I am not sure it is worth not avoiding since reproductive system cancers have very low survival rates.
4. Parabens- Are commonly found in shampoos, conditioners, foundations, concealers, and lipsticks to name a few. This preservative is used to prevent fungus and bacteria growth in your products. This one is debatable as to whether it is truly bad or not, but it has suggested links to endocrine system disruption, reproductive toxicity and neurotoxicity, among other issues. Many companies are starting to move away from its use, but it may be something to look out for.
5.  DEA - This chemical makes that nice lather and bubble you see in a bubble bath or from a shampoo or soap most commonly. It can also be in sunscreen or moisturizer. It is on the carcinogen list and has been linked to cancer in the liver. 
6. Aluminum- Common in your kitchen and surprisingly common in your deodorants. This is something I personally am working on removing from my life in entirety. It is linked to breast cancer and there have been many studies that would strongly suggest Aluminum exposure can increase your changes of developing Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease. 
7. Lead- Is a color additive in lipstick and is not regulated in the slightest. It can cause hair loss, rashes, and a large number of other bad things to happen with prolonged exposure. This one also does not metabolize so once it gets into your body very hair or impossible to remove.
8. Mercury- Found commonly in Mascara, it is a neurotoxin and like other heavy metals will not metabolize.

 If this has been eye-opening and helpful let me know in the comments below and subscribe for more stuff like this in the future. I try and post something at least once a week. I am going to do some updates later on with brands that don't have these gross ingredients.

Tomato Horn Worms and the disturbingly gross way they die

I recently had some things come up in my life where I needed a small mental health break which started as one week but then turned into a bit over two months due to my own self-sabotaging, stubborn personality. But even with everything crazy I was processing during that time I never stopped trying to get out into my garden and make sure my plant babies were well cared for. It was during my recent clean up for my winter garden that I accidentally touched one of the biggest most creepy and gross tomato worms I have ever seen. Now I have seen tomato horn worms before, but they were only about an inch long and normally just come right off the branch or vine and are easily squashed or tossed in the garbage can. The ones that I have seen as of late have been three inches or longer and carrying around these big white egg sacs all over their bodies. Something like this picture here:

 

Super gross right?! If you are trypophobic I apologize, but I needed to share my trauma of seeing this thing in my yard...merrily eating my food. Or at least so I had thought till I did some research on why the heck it looked like this. I found out that little guys like this, covered in these gross egg sacs are in fact dying slow horrible deaths. The eggs come from a small native wasp species which eats these bad insects in the garden. What happens is once these wasp lay there eggs on the backs of the horn worm, the eggs slowly dig into its skin. Once the wasp larvae hatch, they burrow into the worm and devour its insides while it is alive. The worm then after some days or weeks dies and the freshly matured wasp go on to continue the cycle. Nature can be gross, but this nasty looking situation is actually a really really good thing. This is as organic of pest control as you can get but truly a testimony to how savage Mother Nature can be. 

If you have a gross looking pest in your garden that tops this share it with me in the comments and if you like this Blog add your email to the subscriber list. I feel about 80% back to normal so I think I will be back to doing my normal end of week posts. Happy October!