Protect Your Furry Babies
Now that it’s summer, the whole family is outside all the time. We go for walks with the pups, we lay around outside, go for hikes, and spend time at the lake. Summer is a lot of fun for the Lavin family. At the end of our adventures we all seem to come home covered in mud, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. What’s scary about mud when you have soap that will get the job done, and is safe and natural? Nothing. Do you know what is scary though? What’s in the soaps meant for our animals!
Just like our skin, your dog’s skin is it’s largest organ. Anything you use on their coat can be absorbed into their body, so it being safe is VERY important. When you look on the back of your dog’s shampoo bottle its easy to feel overwhelmed. Complicating things further is the fact that many manufacturers buy the source ingredients and then mix them to develop their product. So, the manufacturer of your dog’s shampoo likely isn’t purchasing coconut oil and synthesizing it to develop sodium lauryl sulfate. They’re purchasing the sodium lauryl sulfate and mixing it with other chemicals they purchased to develop their final formulation. Where they purchased that sodium lauryl sulfate and how it was synthesized may not be on their due diligence radar. If the manufacturer of your dog’s shampoo didn’t do their research and pay the additional money for sodium lauryl sulfate that was cleaned of contaminants, they may be introducing dangerous byproducts into your dog’s shampoo. How terrifying! Whether the dog shampoo manufacturer purchased clean or contaminated source ingredients, the only “ingredient” likely to be listed on the label is “all natural coconut based cleaner.” Welcome to greenwashing – marketing a product as natural, no matter how loose the claim, in order to boost sales. If you know what you are looking for, its easy to disprove their “natural” claims by looking at the ingredients. So, I’ll share with you some that you’ll want to stay away from.
-Artificial fragrance can come from hundreds to thousands of separate ingredients – none of which have to be listed on the label. Some synthetic fragrances have been linked to cancer as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity. If you see “fragrance,” it’s very likely that pthalates are present. They’re used to bond the fragrance to the other ingredients. Pthalates are hormone disruptors … think endocrine system issues.
-Artificial colors are synthesized from petroleum and are linked to organ damage, cancer, birth defects, and allergic reactions. Artificial colors aren’t “pure” chemicals. Many of them are contaminated with byproducts and are purchased by the manufacturer to visually enhance the product. Shampoo is not naturally hot pink.
-Mineral oil in dog shampoo helps the skin retain its own moisture by providing a protective barrier over it. Sounds great, right? It also keeps the skin from releasing its own natural oils and eliminating toxins … and that’s not so great. It’s a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons from crude oil. It’s a possible toxin and allergy inducer. There are a lot of articles on the internet advising pet parents to put a drop of mineral oil in their dogs’ eyes before a bath, saying the mineral oil will protect the eyes from stinging if you get detergent or soap in them. Please, do not do that! Only pharmaceutical grade mineral oil has been cleaned of contaminants like complex hydrocarbons and benzene. Other grades of mineral oil are not completely free of contaminants.
-SD-Alcohol 40 (often called isopropyl or SD-40) in a grooming product is drying to both the skin and hair oils. SD-40 also enhances skin absorption – meaning it is easier for the other toxic ingredients to enter through the skin when SD-40 is present. Many ear cleaning products are primarily SD-40.
-Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a surfactant, detergent, and emulsifier used in a LOT of products. In its powder form, SLS is a known skin irritant and when inhaled may be causing organ system toxicity. SLS can be contaminated with toxic solvents from the manufacturing process. It’s readily absorbed into the eyes where it’s been shown to cause eye irritation and damage eye proteins. Even at very low concentrations SLS has been shown to remain in a person’s system (brain, heart, and liver) for 4 to 5 days. Combine that with the fact that SLS is a known penetration enhancer and there’s a possibility of exposing the eyes to some damaging chemicals. If that didn’t steer you away from SLS, the final blow is the manufacturing process, called ethoxylation, is a highly polluting environmental toxin.
Sadly, that’s not all, but if you’re interested in learning about more harmful chemicals, send me an email and i’d be happy to share what i’ve researched with you. On to the bright side of this blog post, Young Living offers many different animal products. Including animal shampoo!
I personally love the Animal Scents Shampoo. My dog’s coats have never felt better, and they smell amazing. Since I am the one bathing them, I’d like to point out that my hands didn’t get irritated and that afterward they were so soft! So what makes Young Living’s animal shampoo different from the rest? Well, it’s formulated to clean all types of animal fur and hair. It has insect-repelling and killing properties and is designed to rid hair of lice, ticks, and other insects. This all-natural shampoo contains five powerful essential oils that are blended to gently cleanse, increase luster, and enhance grooming, without the harmful ingredients often found in pet care products. Sounds to good to be true, right? It’s not!
We love our animals, just like we love our daughter. They are part of the family and we want to keep them safe. That’s why we choose Young Living. If you are interested in purchasing any of the animal products and want more information, send me an email and I would be more than happy to help you out! Enjoy your summer, ya’ll! Happy Oiling!
