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Old Forum The Dark Side of Corn Huskers Lotion

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Christopher_Brown

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http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/89975-The-Dark-Side-of-Corn-Huskers-Lotion

I just dumped my Corn Huskers Lotion in the trash.
There is nothing organic about Corn Huskers. The biggest danger is the the large amount of methylparaban. It is the substance that made a fortune for Estee Lauder by making preservative free cosmetics. Cheap cosmetics have large amounts of it also and are responsible for the rosy cheeks that develop after you are sensitized to it. Skin is great for making you allergic to substances in life.
Another problem is that once you are allergic to it, you will develop a cross reaction to paba and benzoic acid structures. Multi-dose vials of medications contain this as a preservative and people that list multiple allergies are not actully allergic to the medication but to the preservative.

Here are the ingrediaents
Water, Glycerin, (Moisturizer) SD Alcohol 40, (Solvent) basically vodka

Sodium Calcium Alginate, viscous gum that is abundant in the cell walls of brown algae. It ranges from white to yellowish-brown, and takes filamentous, granular and powdered forms used for thickening

Oleyl fatty alcohol coming from inedible beef fat thickener

Sarcosin, crystalline nitrogenous substance, formed in the decomposition of creatin

Methylparaben, synthetic preservatives are used in 99% of the skin and hair products made today. Highly toxic and cause allergic/skin reactions. Recent medical studies indicate these chemicals are estrogenic. This means they mimic estrogen in the body with butylparaban being the most potent

Guar Gum, another thickening agent

Triethanolamine, pH balancer in cosmetic preparations in a variety of different products

Calcium Sulfate, Fragrance, Calcium Chloride,
Fumaric Acid, Boric Acid, pH adjustment
 
Read further down for a post by ClubmanRob:  (Italics sections are from the original post)

"Methylparaben is one of the most widely used chemicals in cosmetic products today, it's also found in about 90% of processed foods. It's non toxic and has never been known to cause allergic reactions unless ingested (that is, eaten) in large quantities. It is used as a safer substitute for fiber for people that can't otherwise take fiber in their diet. It metabolizes at a very fast rate and is excreted rather quickly. It has an inherent anti-fungal quality that makes it ideal to be used on the skin, as it has a reputation for being one of (if not the) least irritating topical bacteriostatic agents in existence.

Methylparaben is not dangerous by any stretch of the imagination and to say that it is highly toxic is an outright lie.




Another problem is that once you are allergic to it, you will develop a cross reaction to paba and benzoic acid structures. Multi-dose vials of medications contain this as a preservative and people that list multiple allergies are not actully allergic to the medication but to the preservative.


Again, an outright lie. I'd like to think that in the age of limitless information that bullshit like this would cease to exist, but it only seems to spread itself quicker than when misinformation was confined to books and word-of-mouth.




Here are the ingrediaents
Water, Glycerin, (Moisturizer) SD Alcohol 40, (Solvent) basically vodka


I'm not even going to get into this, but if you'll do a search here you'll find many chats about the different types of alcohols used in aftershaves and such, and to state that Denatured alcohol is basically Vodka really makes me question why someone would have the gall to say that they practice chemistry for a living.




Sodium Calcium Alginate, viscous gum that is abundant in the cell walls of brown algae. It ranges from white to yellowish-brown, and takes filamentous, granular and powdered forms used for thickening


Sodium Calcium Alginate is not "abundant" in the cell walls of brown algae, as sodium is what is used to extract the calcium in algae.

Wondering where he got the very exact mention of "brown" algae in particular, I clicked on over to the wikipedia page on Calcium Alginate, which yielded the results I looking for.

Nice try, guy. Next time pick up your standard issue CRC Handbook and post something relevant instead of quoting a Wikipedia entry written by an eight grade chemistry class conducting a classroom experiment.

Oh, and btw, Sodium Calcium Alginate is safe and edible.




Oleyl fatty alcohol coming from inedible beef fat thickener

Sarcosin, crystalline nitrogenous substance, formed in the decomposition of creatin

Guar Gum, another thickening agent

Triethanolamine, pH balancer in cosmetic preparations in a variety of different products

Calcium Sulfate, Fragrance, Calcium Chloride, 
Fumaric Acid, Boric Acid, pH adjustment


More of the same here. All of these are relatively benign chemicals that are used in the majority of household cosmetics, some naturally occurring and some man-made. These are all apt to make you sick if you EAT a large quantity of it, but not the type of chemicals that will give you a reaction unless you're specifically allergic to them already. For that matter, most of these are recognized as being beneficial for the skin, and to promote healing and regrowth of damaged skin. The "organic" (ie, "healthier") substitutes that have been tried out for the last few years have shown to cause more reactions in people than their "synthetic" counterparts, which is why the majority of cosmetic companies still use them. For example, I can think of several people on this board that have had reactions to Eucalyptus oil, but not a one that has ever had a reaction to Triethanolamine, which it is supposed to replace. "
 
Oh and typically around here we use it on our hands (not our faces)
 
am looking for something to help with my blisters, but not looking for an extra dose of estrogen & not sure I trust the cosmetic industry on parabens--

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/04/04/the-toxic-parabens-hiding-in-your-bathroom-products.aspx

http://thegoodhuman.com/2007/06/21/what-are-parabens-and-why-should-you-avoid-them/

 

 

 
 
Not to be a jerk, but blisters would indicate a technique issue. If you have calluses, use a file or pumice stone to keep them in check. No need for any chemicals.

 

 
 
If coconut oil works for you, it's a great solution for both in and on your body.

Of course, now someone will say it contains saturated fat and saturated fat is bad for you - and I'm going to ignore that 'cept to say that there are multiple types of saturated fat and every naturally-occurring one, like coconut oil, is nothing but good for you.  It will help raise your number in the good cholesterol category of your blood test, and research is just now beginning to show that, all other things being equal, a higher total cholesterol number that's higher because of more good cholesterol is not only _not_ bad for you, it has proven to be protective - it's downright _excellent_ for you.

Steve "eats coconut oil every day, somethings 2-3x/day" Freides
 
I just use a pumice stone on my calluses after I shower. No lotion for me..yet. If I do I will use something from trader joes.
 
If you have some concerns about a product a great resource is the environmental working group.  They do a great job at reviewing skin care products and possible toxicity/harm.  You can review their information on corn huskers at: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/22870/Corn_Huskers_Heavy_Duty_Oil-Free_Hand_Treatment_Lotion/

The product is rated at a 6 (out of 1-10) and considered moderate concern.  The ingredient concerns are itemized with references for scientific literature for your review if you are so interested.

That being said, it sounds like you are looking for a cream to help with blister care.  If you are looking for something to heal a torn blister that is a natural product, I like a homeopathic product called cicatrisan made by a company named UNDA for Seroyal.  One of the main ingredients is calendula which is an herb and you may know help skin heal quickly.  There are other homeopathic calendula creams which are also more available in health food stores but I have found that product to be particularly good.  In past times, it has accompanied me to KB certs and taken care of many blisters both on myself and fellow participants.

If you are more into herbal based creams Herbalist and Alchemist make a calendula/comfrey cream in an olive oil base which is also organic.  Both are good products and get the job done.

For general dry skin, I agree coconut oil is great, as is shay butter.  Both you can get at a health food store. And if you get certain products and want to research the their safety profile, don't forget about the Environmental Working Group, Skin Deep site.

 
 
I recently found Burt's Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream just in time for the dry winter air/KB use combo that kills both sides of my hands. It's rated a 3 on the mentioned site(http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/319996/Burt%27s_Bees_Shea_Butter_Hand_Repair_Cream/), but I haven't reviewed their protocol for determining the ratings on each ingredient and from what I saw there appear to be some fear tactics used in their descriptions by not considering quantities used. I mean beta-carotene in high enough doses can contribute to cancer, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to eat an occasional carrot.
 
The best I've found for generally treating dry, irritated skin is Summer Laboratories Triple Paste anti-diaper rash cream (guess how I discovered this).

It score a 1 out of 10 on the ewg site:  http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/brand/Triple_Paste/

It's definitely greasy, so a little goes a long way.
 
Jean and Bill, well said.  Thanks Brett for posting that as well.

This thread should be renamed "The Dark Side of Having an Internet Connection"
 
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