Toothpaste. Doesn’t it seem like a very innocent thing to be concerned about? When we think of health we look at our diet and exercise right away. But what about the products we use at least once or twice a day, every day? If we really think about it, shouldn’t personal care products be the safest, healthiest items we purchase next to the food we eat?
I’ve written about how to choose the right personal and home care products HERE but this time we’re shining the spotlight on oral care; toothpaste in particular. I was shocked when I learned that what you expect to be keeping your pearly whites healthy could actually be causing more unseen damage.
Most commercial brands of toothpastes available in the market today contain at least one of nine harmful chemicals and ingredients. Read on to see what two of them are and what they do to your body.
Parabens – widely used in cosmetics and personal care products as preservatives. To make sure your products are really paraben-free, go through the list of ingredients and watch out for butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben as these are the most widely used ones. As with any chemical preservative we find in food, Parabens enter our bodies and are believed to have hormone-mimicking properties (ladies, beware!). Not only are they bad for you but for the environment too. A Marine Biology report from 2016 has stated that the chemical has been found in the tissues of dolphins, sea otters and polar bears. It’s polluting our bodies, our waters and innocent animals. Need I say more?
Flouride – I remember most toothpaste brands marketing their products highlighting it Fluoride content. Why should they be ashamed about it now? Fluoride is a mineral that protects teeth from cavities. It can be found in many places including your teeth themselves. However, too much (meaning long term daily use) can cause problems such as dental fluorosis, even skeletal fluorosis which can lead to damages in the bones and joints.
Luckily, I found Himalaya Botanique. I love that the brand is commercially available yet doesn’t contain anything from the notorious nine (as I like to call them). Other natural toothpastes are much harder to get hold of and I know how availability and convenience play a huge role in buying healthier products. I’ve been using it for a while and trust me, you still get that clean, fresh feeling you’d expect from your regular toothpaste.
Bottom line is that whether or not the studies, reports and research supporting the claims above on the chemicals commonly found in today’s commercial products are a hundred percent true, there is no harm in choosing good. Choose products closest to nature and you won’t have to worry about your health.
