You shouldn’t always trust what you can buy off the shelf when it comes to cosmetics and other hair products. For beauty products containing lead acetate, that’s definitely the case. Experts have found that lead acetate can cause cancer and nerve problems.

Living in the U.S. sometimes gives you a sense of false security. America’s great, despite its flaws, and it has sophisticated laws and regulations in place that keep you safe. Unlike less developed countries, you don’t need to watch your back or be cautious when buying consumer items. You have the FDA and expensive legal suits to scare companies from pumping out dangerous products. It’s so safe in America that you’re pretty much brought up to grab what’s on the shelf and assume it’s gone through stringent testing and is absolutely safe for its intended consumption.

But trusting everything on the shelf can be dangerous. That’s the case for beauty products containing lead acetate, like Grecian Formula. Consumer products containing lead acetate have been banned in Europe and Canada – and for good reason. The National Institutes of Health have deemed lead acetate a possible carcinogen. In animal studies, it’s been proven to cause cancer.

Researchers also found that these lead acetate hair products can cause nerve problems. There’s one case of a man who used a lead acetate cosmetic on his beard and developed numbness and tingling in his hands and feet for about seven months.

Many watchdog groups and health organizations are now petitioning the FDA to reevaluate consumer products with lead acetate in hopes that they’ll finally be banned and prevented from causing short- to long-term damage.

Next time you’re shopping for beauty products, make sure to check the ingredients. If you see lead acetate, put it back on the shelf ASAP. Now you know that just because your local friendly beauty supply store is selling something, doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to use!

If you’d like to restore your hair’s color to its vibrant youthful bright radiance, you should try these holistically healthy hair color restoration treatments. These are not only safe, but they’re also good for your whole body.