Sophie Okolo, MPH

Have you ever imagined that the clothes you wear could have any impact on your health and skin? A piece of cloth goes through several chemical processes before it is ready for the market. For instance, the process of preparing cotton to manufacture a pair of jeans uses more than 8,000 chemicals, most of which have not been certified as safe for your body’s absorption. Many of these chemicals are known to have potentially harmful effects on your body. They include:

Triclosan

Perhaps you haven’t heard the name, but this chemical led to a ban on most antibacterial soaps. Coming into contact with this chemical can leave you with numerous side effects, including skeletal muscle contractility and lack of muscle and cardiac function. Triclosan is a hormone disruptor, as it can imitate estrogen leading to a high chance of developing breast cancer.

Even though this chemical is potentially harmful, it gets used in most of the outfits you purchase, especially workout clothes. To avoid it, buy your clothes from companies such as Curves N Combatboots, which use fabrics that do not wick away sweat.

Also choocse eco-friendly brands that do not include chemicals or nanoparticles in their manufacturing process because they can affect your skin.

Xenoestrogens 

Sustainable and environmentally-friendly products are hard to find nowadays. If you have paid much attention to most laundry detergent instructions, they have a line that tells you to ensure that the product doesn’t come into contact with your skin. How is this possible, given that the detergent is for washing clothes you put on your body all day? 

Most of the detergents you use at home contain xenoestrogens, which are known for triggering estrogen-like reactions in your body. When this happens, you can suffer various side effects, including vulnerability to breast cancer or decreased male fertility. 

Surfactants

The efficiency of your regular detergent depends on the chemicals included during its manufacture. Most of these chemicals, surfactants included, can alter your body’s natural processes.

If your detergent contains surfactants, they will cause your skin to dry out. These chemicals are responsible for stripping the skin of the natural oils that protect it against harmful bacteria.  

This is a contributed post. If you’d like to publish an article, please contact me.