Personal care products were one of the first set of items I learned to take charge of.  Some of it was an immediate no brainer but other aspects took drastic steps to make better.  One thing I will say before I jump into this section is that I believe this is an aspect of environmental control that may be easier for most men then for most women.  Why?  Because most women use a lot more personal care products then men.  Men, if we have to, can usually get buy with only a bar of soap, a toothbrush and a razor (the razor often being optional) but I have not dated a single woman who has less then a dozen different items she uses on a daily basis.  Some of those items can be swapped out for better ones, others will probable need to be let go of all together.

 

Many aspects of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCS) make me think of a question a Zen Monk once asked me “What is the one thing a fish never thinks about?”  The answer is… Water.   Why?  Water surrounds, supports, and allows a fish to breath.  For a fish water is simply the nature of the universe.  Personal care products are like that for us.  Our entire lives have been spent with soap, shampoo, toothpaste.  Since we hit puberty we have hardly known a day without deodorant, conditioner, hair product, mouthwash, after shave for men, makeup and perfume for women.  Before MCS, once we found what we liked, those personal care products hardly warranted a second thought.  After the onset of MCS proper management of these items is vital for our well being. 

 

I’ll start with an easy one, toothpaste.  Tom’s of main has been a god send.  Not only does it use mostly all natural ingredients but just as importantly it can be purchased from just about any larger grocery store nation wide.  Many toothpastes use saccharin as a ‘sweetener’.  Artificial sweeteners tend to be a MCS trigger.  Tom’s of Main toothpaste uses no artificial whitening agent.  All whitening toothpaste I have used has also been a MCS trigger for me.  If you wish to take it even a step further there are several recipes for making your own toothpaste that can be found of the web.  I will not mention any of these specifically here because I have not found any of them effective. 

 

When I first started exploring options for alternate personal care products I was blessed to have a store called PCC Natural Market near where I lived.  PCC had many options of soaps, shampoos, perfumes, deodorants and more that were all natural.  Now, unless you live in the greaterSeattlearea you probably have not heard of PCC, but in the last ten years just about every majorUScity has gotten a Whole Foods.  Whole Foods is a great place to start your own personal search for the products that work for you. 

 

Soap.  I quickly learned that any scented soap was right out.  A good general rule of thumb is if there is any artificial scent in the thing I can’t use it.  As far as soap is concerned I got kind of lucky, Ivory works lake a charm for me.  I can go in to any grocery store in the developed world and buy Ivory soap.  That being said it is not my favorite.  What I do like is an unscented all natural oatmeal based soap that I buy from my local natural market, brand name ‘Sappo Hill’.  I have not known any one to have an MCS reaction from this soap.  Even if this particular one is not available in your area see if you can find one like it.

 

Shampoo is a little more complicated.  I have been blessed with a nicely shaped head.  What do I mean by that?  I can shave my head and I look just fine.  Being a guy I have a bit of an advantage in this area, I can just buzz cut my hair down to a quarter of an inch and use the same bar of soap I have on hand as a shampoo.  I’ll just lather up my head as I would any other part of my body, making shower time a lot easier.  I’ll freely acknowledge that most people reading this, especially the women, will be uncomfortable with going to such a drastic hairstyle.  What I can recommend is again to go to your local Whole Foods or other natural market and see what is available.  Unscented is almost always better.  The more natural the healthier.  What we are looking for is a shampoo that cleans your hair but leaves no scent and/or chemical residue behind.  Don’t hesitate to ask the courtesy clerk what they think about some products.  Many of the people who work at local natural markets don’t really work there for the money.  They work there because they love what they do.  These people may even be able to assist you in finding products that are known to work for people with MCS.

 

Conditioner is something I would avoid if at all possible.  The main difficulty with conditioner is… conditioners’ main job is to leave a lasting chemical residue on your hair.  This is the exact sort of thing people with MCS are looking to avoid.  The number one thing I would recommend is to get a shorter hair style that does not require you to use conditioner.  If you absolutely can not live without conditioner I would again try your local natural market.  See what they have.  Remember; don’t be afraid to try many things.  If the first conditioner you purchase does not work then try another.  Each attempt will only cost a few dollars to try, but the payoff of having a product that you know you can use without reaction is priceless. 

 

Hair spray, hair gel, mouse and the like are all things that should be avoided.  Like conditioner, hair styling products are made to leave long lasting man made chemicals in your hair.  I have not found one product like this that works well for those with MCS (that being said we all have different triggers, if styling products work for you then by all means use them).  This is one of the most toxic classes of personal care products that I know of.  I do not date women who use these items in excess, I have found I often get a MCS reaction just from being near those use them. 

 

Deodorant is a relatively easy one.  The first rule is to get something unscented.  I tried about half a dozen different brands before I found the one I like, unscented ‘Speed Stick’ by ‘Mennon’ (ok, not exactly all-natural but thankfully I have had no MCS reactions to this item).  There are many natural alternatives, even Tom’s of Main makes a line of deodorants.  For those of us who can not tolerate any chemical based deodorants, there are options in the form of a stone, such as the ‘Crystal, Body Deodorant Rock’.

 

Perfume can have its own challenges.  I would generally recommend giving it up altogether.  Strong smells, of any sort, can be a MCS trigger for many of us.  Most common forms of “department store” scents also contain many man made chemicals that assist with the longevity of the perfume, with scent dispersal, and with the smell of the perfume itself.  If you must have some scent to your personal care regimen then there are several ‘essential oils’ that contain no manmade chemicals. Explore ‘essential oils’ with caution, many with MCS cannot tolerate them.

 

Makeup is not a subject that I can talk about at great length having little personal experience with it.  My first suggestion is to try to use as little as is need in this area.  The less background toxicity we add to ourselves the better we will be.  But I am not so naive to believe that makeup is something that can be done without by most of the people who use it.  My main suggestion is to find a brand name that works for you.  A few suggestions I have are:  ‘Gabriel’ and ‘Zuzu Lux’ all natural and vegan makeup’s found at my local natural market and ‘Origins’, Dr. Wiles’ brand of natural makeup and skin care solutions found at Macy’s.  Again explore this area with care.

 

Shaving cream and aftershave are two things I have long since given up.  To get by without shaving cream, just shave in the shower.  The hot steam and water combined with the soap you have chosen, should work well.  As for aftershave I have chosen to side step this one all together and grow a short, well groomed beard.  A goatee/Vandyke or any beard that covers the mouth and chin area will allow you to not shave the most sensitive areas of the face.  If these areas are not agitated by shaving then aftershave should not be needed.   If your circumstance is such that growing a beard in not an option then try substituting a small amount of rubbing alcohol or even a high proof vodka.  Both of these I have used and yes they hurt like heck.  Within 30-60 seconds the pain and any MCS reaction usually dissipates for me.  After going this route you may wish to use a small amount of a good moisturizer. 

 

Skin moisturizer is something I use everyday.  Pure Vaseline is good but I really don’t like the texture of it.  Unscented Lubriderm is not bad, for me.  By far my favorite is ‘Genes, Swiss Collagen Complex’ that I get from Sam’s Club, it works like a charm and has never caused me a MCS reaction. 

 

The real trick is finding something that works for you. We all have different MCS triggers, different reactions, and different levels to our severity of symptoms.  If one of these specific suggestions works for you then fantastic, if not explore your options.  Take something home and try it, see how you feel, the next day don’t use it and make a note of how you feel without it.  On the third day try it again and make a not of any MCS reactions to it this time and compare how you feel to how you felt on the first day.  The on/off, on/off method is a great way of discovering something you may enjoy using.  If it is not something you like then just discard it or pass it along.  Possessing a set of personal care products that cause no MCS reactions is a vital step in thriving with MCS.