These days, it’s pretty hard to escape dangerous endocrine disruptors. Chemicals and materials in various everyday items can send your hormones out of whack. They can disguise themselves pretty easily in everyday products, like candles, cosmetics, cleaning items and your clothes.
From panties to pajamas, fabrics, like polyester, rayon and other synthetic fibers, can contain chemicals and dyes too harsh for your skin. Cotton is a natural and hypoallergenic choice most people with sensitive skin opt for. It may be worth considering for your entire wardrobe.
Cotton Health Benefits
To understand the benefits of cotton, it’s important to understand endocrine disruptors. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are chemicals that mimic, block and interfere with the body’s hormones. This leads to potential issues in your ovaries, sex hormones, and overall health. While it’s nearly impossible to avoid them completely, there are certainly some informed choices that can limit the exposure.
Societally, people have used cotton for over 6000 years. It is a natural alternative to fabrics with endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and its health and wellness benefits are countless. Some of the benefits include better sleep, staying cool and reducing infection risk. Cotton is also a soft, comfortable and durable fabric that is safe for babies, non-allergenic and versatile.
When used to make undergarments, polyester, nylon, and other synthetic fabrics hold moisture close to your skin. This encourages the growth of yeast and leading to infection. Cotton is a much more breathable material that absorbs moisture and can reduce your risk of a yeast infection.
Feminine hygiene products, like tampons and pads, also can do more harm than good. These products are often treated with bleaches, dyes and chemicals, which is why it’s essential to make the switch to all-cotton feminine hygiene products.
Switching Over To Cotton
It’s important not to feel pressured to do a major overhaul and change everything in your life overnight. That can be both expensive and stressful. Instead, swap out your products in increments.