Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68009
Likewise, "fragrance-free" simply means no additional chemical fragrances have been added. It may still have a distinct chemical odor that is merely unmasked without the addition of more pleasant smells. Best advice? Read the ingredients list and be skeptical of label claims. If a product is marked "organic" but contains synthetic ingredients, how organic can it really be? "Don't be 'greenwashed,'" Dapkins says. 2. CHEAPER DOESN'T NECESSARILY EQUATE TO BETTER VALUE "Price in this industry is almost meaningless," Dapkins says. "People may buy low-priced items not realizing that they may end up using more—substantially more—of a cheap product because it has more water in it. It doesn't go as far, it evaporates, and doesn't have as much skin play." Calculate expenses on a per- client basis rather than a per-ounce basis. You may find the difference in cost is not all that dramatic. Using higher-grade products may cost twice as much—but it's still only pennies per client. Think of the difference as an investment in your hands. "When you use a low-priced product in the topical realm, most of the time you're risking a higher incidence of skin irritation because of the lower grade of ingredient," Dapkins says. "That's not a risk that's worth a few pennies per treatment." 3. AVOID "ALL-PURPOSE" PRODUCTS New therapists sometimes look for one lotion they can use for all their clients. "That's like eating cereal—and only cereal—for the rest of your life," Dapkins says. "It's not the best thing for your body or your hands. It's better to vary the products you use," she says. "I speak to people nearly daily who have of issues that have resulted from overexposure to one ingredient or another," says Kyle Rimbey, national sales manager for SacredEarth Botanicals in Eugene, Oregon. "Ingredients can build up slowly in the body, giving them toxicity and causing all kinds of problems, either internal or external." Consider this—even the best client will likely get only one massage a week, but a massage therapist's exposure to massage oils may be 20 times that. So think about your own skin first when purchasing products. Having a range of different oils and lotions on hand is smart not only for the therapist's well-being, but for the client's as well. "I would never dream of using the same product on the feet that you use on the face," Dapkins says. "You need different viscosities and textures for different body parts. And an elderly client with papery skin will need a different product than an athlete with a lot of body hair." ABOUT THOSE TONGUE- TWISTING INGREDIENTS It's daunting to be confronted with long chemical names. But you need to know what's in those products. "If it is overwhelming, try learning one new ingredient off your list each week," Dapkins suggests. Dapkins is in the process of 4. constructing a website with the lowdown on the products commonly found in different massage products. She hopes to have that up and running by fall. In the meantime, Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) is a good place to start. It's not perfect, but it's better than relying solely on manufacturers' marketing materials or on emotional, opinion-laden articles found elsewhere on the Internet. EDUCATE YOURSELF "Reading through several people's takes on these ingredients will tend to give you fairly reasonable information," Rimbey suggests. "There's a lot of junk on the Internet, and a lot of bully pulpits where people attack one ingredient or another. You can't trust everything you read, but if an ingredient dictionary cites medical journals or has references, that makes me feel a lot better. Getting information from good, reputable sources is the best you can do." AROUND IN WIKIPEDIA, LOOK UP ETHOXYLATION The term describes a chemical process in which ethylene oxide, a petroleum solvent, is added to substances to make them more soluble in water. Unfortunately, the process usually results in the creation of 1.4-Dioxane, a potentially cancer-causing substance. Last March, the Organic 5. Consumers Association reported that of 100 "natural" and "organic" soaps that it tested, 47 had detectable levels of 1.4-Dioxane. The FDA has no standards on acceptable levels of the substance If you see the term ethoxylated on a product's ingredient list, be wary. 6. PARABENS: THE DEVIL WE KNOW There's no such thing as a 100 percent natural lotion or cream. "We mix water into a solution to give it that wonderful consistency," Dapkins says. "And water is life. It grows mold. So if you want a lotion or a cream that people will actually want, you have to put some kind of preservatives in it. And preservatives, by their nature, will be chemicals." Parabens have been used by the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries for a long time. "They're an old preservative; the devil we know," Dapkins says. They can cause skin irritation in a small number of people. visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 81 WHILE YOU'RE ROOTING