Pair a Bens

This pair of Bens, Franklin and Stiller, are the acceptable ones (depending on your political and social views of course).

The other kinds, parabens, are somewhat less-acceptable.

This mnemonic device will hopefully stick in your mind the next time you are buying a body care product. I know when I am trying to read labels in the store, I can never remember the names of all the countless " bad stuff" to look out for. Next time, just think of my Pair of Bens and you will know to steer clear!

What are parabens? Well, they are inexpensive preservatives used in almost any personal and body products that you can buy in your local pharmacy, such as shampoos, toothpaste, lotions, and even personal lubricating products (I won't go into details on that one, as this is a family blog!). Some of the different types you will see are methyl, propyl, buty and ethyl parabens.

What's so "bad" about them? They may cause skin irritations, and studies have found parabens in breast tumours. They are also possible hormone disruptors, which means that they can interfere with our bodies' natural hormones, causing a whole host of problems. (Hmmm, no, it's not PMS dear, it's the hormone disruptors.....AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING CRANKY!)

So what alternatives are there?

There are some essential oils that are claimed as "natural preservatives". Since I'm not expert in this area, I can't give you any 100% guarantees. However, our ancestors managed to preserve products and they didn't all die from spoiled products (well, not before they had a chance to procreate anyway, obviously). Dr. Hauschka and other top product-lines use various natural preservatives in their products and they have been around for a long time (the products, I mean).

Another solution is for companies to manufacture their products in a sterile environment, which is one of the reasons why the high-end organic products cost more - you are paying for those advanced manufacturing technologies - which is fine by me. I would rather pay a bit more for something that I know is safe and paraben-free.

Basically, it seems that these cheap preservatives are just that - cheap and easy! (yikes, please don't read anything into that statement - otherwise it's going to change my Family rating to PG!)

I guess it's true, that you do get what you pay for.

It does take time to get to know what products are good and not-so-good. Check back later this week for a post on how I was duped hosed , taken in , by a supposedly "natural" product.

Ben Franklin picture from Wikipedia, Ben Stiller photo by Jerry Avenaim, as per Wikipedia