Revealed: the secret truth about the beauty industry (part 7)

“Don’t tell me I shouldn’t wash my hair!”

Good bye DEA, MEA, TEA!
Of course you can wash your hair – what matters is what you use for it. When you take a shower at the end of a hectic day, you do it not only to relax but to cleanse your body and feel refreshed again.

Unfortunately, this ‘cleansing’ is far from perfect. You take more toxins to bed than you could imagine.
Among those sly, unwanted bedfellows are DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine) and TEA (Triethanolamine) – chemicals responsible for the adequate pH of a given product. They also provide the ‘rich’ texture to various creams and toiletries.

Past research had found that these compounds don’t have any negative health effects when used on their own – BUT if they are mixed with nitrites (common preservatives) they can result in nitrosamines which are carcinogenic even in small amounts.

Nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA) is quickly absorbed through the skin and it enters the organs – increasing the risk of kidney-, stomach- gullet- and liver cancer. This compound also affects your hormone system.
To make matters worse, latest research hasn’t been so positive about DEA, MEA and TEA. DEA compounds proved to be carcinogenic when tested on animals – and their carcinogenic effect cannot be ruled out in humans.

And that’s where the problems begin....

Because the label will never tell you whether or not a product contains nitrosamine.

One study concluded that this compound can be found in 40% of eye shadows and eye liners, despite the fact that manufacturers are allowed to use it only in tiny amounts when absolutely necessary. That’s how noxious it is. The randomly selected and examined products contained it in abominably high quantities due to technical errors in the production process.

And that’s not the whole story! Shampoo manufacturers put a range of foaming agents into the bottle – you will get the lowdown on that soon.

Andrea Varga-Darabos
Soap Fairy

PS: I feel honoured by your decision to learn from me. However, if you want more in-depth knowledge on these subjects, click here