Does Your Shower Gel Really Expose To Chemicals That Lower Testosterone?
Sadly The Answer Is Yes!
If You’re Looking To Increase Testosterone Levels
These Are The Chemicals You Need to Avoid!
So we are going to look at the chemicals that lower testosterone found in shower gels. So you know the ingredients you need to look out for & avoid. Most of the problem chemicals/ ingredients are what are known as endocrine disruptors. If you aren’t familiar with the term endocrine disruptors. You can check out the Wikipedia description below.
What Are Endocrine Disruptors
Chemicals That Lower Testosterone Where Are They Found
As you can see endocrine disruptors are a pretty big threat to healthy as a whole. This inlcudes testosterone production. So we will look at how you can find out whether the products you use contain these chemicals. The versions of shower gels that are likely to contain these chemicals. Then finally the types of shower gel brands you can opt for that are free of chemicals that lower testosterone.
Sadly endocrine disruptors & these chemicals that lower testosterone aren’t just found in shower gel. They are found in a wide multitude of products. The more you can avoid them, the higher your T levels will be. You can check out some of the main places these chemicals are found below.
Chemicals That Lower Testosterone Where Are They Found
What Shower Gel Products Contain Chemicals That Lower Testosterone?
The simple and short answer to this question is most commercially available shower gel brands. Unless their products are advertised as organic, natural or free from parabens & sulphates/ toxic chemicals. The chance is that shower gel brand contains chemicals that lower testosterone.
You may have noticed a few terms above such as SLS and sulphate free. If you’re not familiar with them, not to fear. We will be covering these in further detail under the “chemicals to look out for”. The “safe product options” sections of this article as well.
See My Recommended Shower Gels That Won’t Lower T Here
What Are The Chemicals Found In Shower Gels That Lower T
- SLS
- Parabens
- Phthalates
- Microbeads
- Plastic packaging
- Pesticides
The main chemicals that lower testosterone are sulphates and parabens. We shall cover the below in greater detail. What these chemicals are and how they lead to lowered testosterone production.
Sodium Lauryl/ Laureth Sulfate (SLS/SLES)
Sodium lauryl sulfate, which is sometimes referred to as SLS/ SLES is a surfactant, detergent & emulsifier. It’s used as an ingredient in thousands of products we all use daily. This includes cosmetic products, industrial cleaners and nearly all shower gels, soaps & body washes.
SLS actually originates from coconuts. Can’t blame you for thinking this would be fine. The issue is fine but the manufacturing process that results in it being dangerous. The main issue for testosterone production is that SLS breaks down the moisture barrier of the skin. This allows other dangerous chemicals like parabens (we will be covering these next) to penetrate the skin. SLS is actually thought to increase skin permeability by approximately 100 times over.
The other key issue is that when SLS is combined with other chemicals it becomes a “nitrosamine”. This is an extremely strong class of carcinogen which isn’t good news for the body it is being exposed to. Research in to SLS has shown links to exposure and skin & eye irritation, organ toxicity, reproductive & developmental toxicity.
Then on top of that the reason we are here, which is it causing endocrine disruption/ lowered testosterone production. Hopefully this has made it clear why Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is one of the chemicals that lowers testosterone.
See My Recommended Shower Gels That Won’t Lower T Here
Parabens
So parabens are widely used as preservatives in thousands of skin care cosmetics products. This includes shower gels, soaps & body wash. The key issue with parabens is that they mimic estrogen in the body. They are also an endocrine disruptor. As we know these can lead to lowered testosterone production.
In studies, it has been shown that parabens can have the same effect on the body as estrogen. It can lead to reduced muscle mass, increased fat storage and lead to the development of man boobs/ male breast growth.
The EPA in the US has also linked methyl parabens to developmental, hormonal, metabolic and neurological disorders. So parabens are not only chemicals that lower testosterone; but also potentially extremely dangerous for your wider health. Again, hopefully it’s clear why you want to avoid rubbing these in to your body!
Phthalates
Pronounced as thal-ates, these are a chemical that disrupt your endocrine function. A major issue is that you don’t see phthalates listed on the ingredients list. Phthalates are different to parabens as they don’t imitate estrogen, what they actually do is have a negative effect on the male reproductive system.
This includes the destruction of testicular cells, decreasing sperm count and causing thyroid irregularities. Destruction of testicular cells and thyroid irregularities are what cause the real issue as far as testosterone production is concerned. This is because your testes & thyroid is where testosterone & hormones are produced.
As I’ve mentioned above, phthalates aren’t directly listed on ingredients in products. The primary thing you need to look out for is synthetic fragrance. “Fragrance” or “pafum” is of the most ambiguously listed ingredients in existence.
The issue is from a legal standpoint that “fragrance” is considered “proprietary,” and as such companies don’t have to disclose the components. Frustratingly, this is how chemicals that lower testosterone like phthalates can be sneaked in.
See My Recommended Shower Gels That Won’t Lower T Here
Plastic Packaging & Microbeads
The problem with plastic packaging is that it can leach harmful chemicals into the material it contains, the same goes for the plastic micro beads. These can leach chemicals in to the rest of the shower gel and in to your pores. One chemical which comes from plastic that you may have heard of is BPA (Bisphenol-A).
It has been getting a lot of coverage in the media at present & is a widely recognized endocrine-disrupting chemical and xenoestrogen. This has prompted many BPA free plastic products, still be wary of this, as there are other chemicals that lower testosterone found in plastics other than BPA!
If xenoestrogen isn’t something you are familiar with, it’s a hormone-mimicking chemical in humans and animals. The name is a bit of a give away but the hormone that it mimics is estrogen. As we know estrogen is the female sex hormone & while you need it, an excess causes health issues. So the last thing we need is introducing synthetic versions of estrogen!
Then on top of this in regard to BPA, environmental scientists have noted the detrimental effect it has on our oceans & wildlife. So it isn’t just your health that plastics negatively effect; but they also destroy the surrounding environment. This is part the reason you may have heard how fish are now mostly plastic, due to ingesting so much of it. This again puts the chemicals back in to your body!
See My Recommended Shower Gels That Won’t Lower T Here
Pesticides
While again this won’t be listed as an ingredient, these can be present in your shower gels and cosmetic products. This can be due to the increase of natural products being used. You need to be cautious of the types of plants used in the product and how they’re harvested.
What you want to see is that the botanical ingredients are organic/ grown without pesticides) or biodynamic-organic. If they aren’t a chemical called organophosphate is likely to have been used as a pesticide on the plants. This is another endocrine disruptor, so again can cause issues in regard to T production and your wider health.
As you can see from the above, the combination of SLS and parabens is a dangerous. For your broader health and particularly your testosterone production & hormone balance. These are the primary reasons why most commercial shower gels leads to lowered testosterone production.
If you need a reminder/ aren’t sure of the health risks associated with suffering from low testosterone. I advise you have a quick read of my health and testosterone article. There are other chemicals found in shower gels that are bad for your health in a number of different ways. So I’d also suggest avoiding products with the following where possible:
- Dioxane
- Diethanolamine or DEA
- Propylene glycol
- Triclosan
See My Recommended Shower Gels That Won’t Lower Testosterone Here
How To Know If Your Shower Gel Contains Chemicals That Lower Testosterone
The easiest rule of thumb to go as I mentioned above is looking to see if they advertise themselves as being paraben & SLS free. They may also promote themselves as being free from toxic chemicals or organic.
This subject is getting more attention so companies are usually very happy to brag about the fact they don’t contain these chemicals. I would still however suggest double checking, the back of your packet for the ingredients or if you are ordering online/ can’t see the ingredients.
More often than not you can find out what you need to know with your good old friend Google!
Alternative Product Options
As I’ve alluded to in this article a couple of times, the products you want to look at are ones that promote themselves as follows. Being paraben & SLS free, organic or free of toxic chemicals. The products I personally use most are two different brands, you find out more about these brands here in this article below.
Recommended Shower Gels For A Testosterone Booster
Final Thoughts On Chemicals That Lower Testosterone In Shower Gels
I hope you have found this article on chemicals that lower testosterone useful, as you know the focus has been shower gels.
As I’ve mentioned in this article and other articles focused on Chemicals That Lower Testosterone
SLS, parabens and other chemicals that lower testosterone are found in multiple products.
I will be publishing articles delving in to the products further, similar to how we have with shower gels in this article, so keep an eye out for them.
If you have any questions in regard to this article, chemicals that lower testosterone or just on testosterone production as a whole, drop me a comment below.
Like always please share this article with family, friends or anyone you think may enjoy it. You can also check out my social media pages as well, where I cover more places chemicals that lower testosterone are found & how to avoid them!
