Warning! May be Carcinogenic.....

I've just had my third friend diagnosed with breast cancer in a year. At 35-ish the last thing that should be on your mind is "could I have cancer?". Like many women my age (and my recently diagnosed friend) I occasionally check my breasts and it's usually a quick exam every couple of months, if I remember.

When I think about my lifestyle and look back I smoked and took the pill in my twenties, but come the thirties I became more health conscious and began eating healthy, quit smoking, exercised more and tried to relax as much as possible. Mostly this was because I was trying to improve my reproductive health and give my baby the best possible start in life.

So hears something I recently discovered. You may already know this, but many do not. The vast majority of skincare, haircare and cosmetic products contain something called Parabens. Parabens are a class of chemicals used as a preservative in cosmetic products.

Parabens are effective and cheap to manufacture which is why they are so widely used. The problem is they have been found in small numbers in breast cancer tumours. They've also been known to cause dermatitis and skin allergies, not to mention eczema.

How many times have you heard someone say that every time they use Palmolive they get a rash? This cheap and popular brand contains parebens and mineral oils and both are carcinogenic. So why are we still buying these products?

Part of the problem is that so little is known about the exact effects of parabens and not enough research has been done to ban them or even justify warning labels. This research could take years or even decades to complete. In the meantime we are moisturising, washing our hair, even brushing our teethe with these carcinogens every day.

Tell your family, tell your friends.......read the label and if you see the word paraben, don't buy it!