Body Care

Question about Glide floss. It comes mint free, but is waxed. I have always tried to avoid wax because I never know what is in it and if it would be toxic for me. The Glide Floss has beeswax in it - they said it is a light coating, less than 3%. They also told me that most regular floss has 20-25% wax coating. Is beeswax okay to use? If someone is allergic to pollen, molds, chemicals etc would it be okay to use? Thank you.

I saw this article in a health newsletter that arrived in my email inbox. It had some good tips but was not completely toxic-free. So here's my rewritten nontoxic version.

Summer is about sweating. Sweat is a good thing, it cools your body down on a hot day, to maintain consistent body temperature. 

Perspiration itself is practically odorless, made up mostly of water and salt. When it mixes with the bacteria that live on your skin, however it turns into body odor.

Keeping body odor under control starts with following some basic rules of hygiene:

1. Bathe at least once a day - more often if needed. Showering or taking a bath reduces the amount of bacteria on your skin and also washes sweat down the drain.
2. DON'T use an antibacterial soap. Though antibacterial soaps will kill the bacteria that causes body odor, most antibacterial "deodorant" soaps contain triclosan, a pesticide that can cause liver damage when absorbed through your skin. Just plain, unscented soap works well enough. And you don't even need to apply soap to your entire body--armpits, upper thighs, and feet are the areas that generate most body odor.
3. Dry your body carefully. Pay particular attention to the area between your toes and to armpits, upper thighs and genitals. When your skin is dry, it’s harder for bacteria to breed.
4. Shave your underarms regularly. This will help keep bacteria from building up there.
5. If needed, use a baking soda to reduce underarm odor.  Yes, plain baking soda. I have recommended baking soda to a number of people who have suffered for many years with unconquerable body odor, and they say it’s the only thing that has worked for them. Just take a bit of dry baking soda on your fingertips and pat it under your arms after you’ve dried off from your shower. Your skin should be slightly damp, but not wet. If the baking soda feels too abrasive to you, you can mix it with cornstarch or white clay.
6. Wear clothes made with natural fibers. Cotton, linen, silk, and wool all allow your skin breathe.
7. Wash your clothes often — especially clothes that you sweat in. In summer, when you’re more likely to perspire, change your clothes frequently.
8. Keep your feet dry. Wear socks made of moisture-absorbing materials like cotton and wool and change them often. To allow your feet to breathe, choose sandals and shoes made of leather. Better yet, go barefoot when you can.
9. Watch what you eat. Sometimes eating spicy or fatty foods can lead to body odor.

If your body smells really bad continuously, it might be a sign of illness or toxic overload. It makes sense to me that the body in its natural state would smell good, as do other things in nature, and that a bad odor would be a symptom of something wrong with a body. Check with your health professional if bad body odor persists.

A new study done at the University of Washington discovered that 25 commonly used scented products emitted 420 different chemicals. Nearly a quarter are classified as toxic or hazardous under at least one federal law. Only one emitted compound was listed on a product label, and only two were publicly disclosed anywhere.

About half of the products test about made some claim about being green, organic or natural. "Surprisingly," said the lead author, "The green products' emissions of hazardous chemicals were not significantly different from the other products."

More than a third of the products emitted at least one chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and for which the EPA sets no safe exposure level.

Neither cleaning products nor personal care products are required to list ingredients used in fragrances, even though a single "fragrance" in a product can be a mixture of up to several hundred ingredients.

Some of the toxic chemicals found to be emitting from the products included ethanol, acetone (the solvent used in nail polish remover), acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde and methylene chloride.

The lead author of the study suggests cleaning with vinegar and baking soda (which I've been recommending since 1982).

Scented Consumer Products Shown to Emit Many Unlisted Chemicals

Environmental Impact Assessment Review: Fragranced consumer products: Chemicals emitted, ingredients unlisted

Study FAQs

A reader sent me a link to this article about triclosan in toothpaste: www.healthiertalk.com/what-s-your-toothpaste-1940. She tracked down the toothpaste mentioned, and it turned out to be Colgate's Total.

This is just another reason to use a natural brand of toothpaste, tooth powder, or tooth soap. Or just plain salt or baking soda.