Here is a blog post from Keys Soap company that explains the effects 30 ingredients used in personal care products have on our bodies. This blog discusses the negatives in more depth than I ever could.
The Dirty Thirty.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Delicious Snack!
Daily Sun Protection - Solar Rx
I realize that summer is ending & my timing may be off with this post, but let's be real. We need to wear sunscreen every day of the year. Being extremely fair-skinned, I am painfully aware of this fact.
In my opinion, a daily moisturizer must have SPF 30 or higher, it must be friendly to sensitive skin, it better not clog my pores and it should absorb fully so I can apply makeup smoothly.
Now that I've added non toxic to my already strict criteria, I figured I might be searching forever. Not so. Enter Solar Rx.
Solar Rx delivers everything I require from a daily moisturizer and it was the first one that I tried! It was developed to be gentle, therapeutic, and protective without artificial preservatives or harmful man-made chemicals. Not to mention that it has ranked as the #1 safe sunscreen for the past three years in the annual Sunscreen Report by the EWG.
This moisturizer is a splurge. It costs $26.95. However, it lasts for quite a while. You won't be needing to refill every month. I bought a bottle in May and have only used a quarter of the bottle when I layer that stuff on every day. (I don't mess around with the sun.) The best part of all is you can order a travel size for about $3 to try it out. I love that!
I believe this is totally worth the price. If you aren't sure, order a travel size and test it out. You won't be sorry!
You can purchase Solar Rx at the following web sites:
Keys Soap
Organic Diva
In my opinion, a daily moisturizer must have SPF 30 or higher, it must be friendly to sensitive skin, it better not clog my pores and it should absorb fully so I can apply makeup smoothly.
Now that I've added non toxic to my already strict criteria, I figured I might be searching forever. Not so. Enter Solar Rx.
Solar Rx delivers everything I require from a daily moisturizer and it was the first one that I tried! It was developed to be gentle, therapeutic, and protective without artificial preservatives or harmful man-made chemicals. Not to mention that it has ranked as the #1 safe sunscreen for the past three years in the annual Sunscreen Report by the EWG.
This moisturizer is a splurge. It costs $26.95. However, it lasts for quite a while. You won't be needing to refill every month. I bought a bottle in May and have only used a quarter of the bottle when I layer that stuff on every day. (I don't mess around with the sun.) The best part of all is you can order a travel size for about $3 to try it out. I love that!
I believe this is totally worth the price. If you aren't sure, order a travel size and test it out. You won't be sorry!
You can purchase Solar Rx at the following web sites:
Keys Soap
Organic Diva
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Carol's Daughter...
In January, I made a little resolution to completely switch my beauty regime over to strictly non toxic products by the end of the year AND to get this blog up and running. Both are a work in progress....
In the process, I discovered a fantastic web site run by the Environmental Working Group called Skin Deep. It's a database of cosmetic and personal care items that rates each item on its safety (use of toxins). The color coded scale of 0 - 10 is much like a traffic light. Green (0-2), of course, giving the "go ahead" on a product. I started by searching the products I was using to see how they rated. I didn't encounter too many green lights and sadly, all of the red lights were lip products!
I should confess, I am obsessed with lip products. Lip gloss, lipstick, lip balm - I love them all! I never seem to have less than eight in my bag at any one time. (And I know I'm not alone.) After my visit to the Skin Deep web site, I had to accept that my biggest challenge was going to be finding non toxic substitutes for my beloved lip products. Yikes!
Imagine how happy I was when I discovered a kick ass lip balm almost immediately! Allow me to introduce you to Carol's Daughter. Fellow New Yorker, Lisa Price, began making beauty products by hand for her friends and family in her apartment in Brooklyn in 1993. Over time, word got around and her hobby has transformed into a company. Carol's Daughter has two store locations and can be found in many fine establishments throughout the country. The best part about this company in my opinion is that Ms. Price has not changed her values. Production may have moved from her kitchen to a warehouse, but her products are still made with the same natural, non toxic ingredients BY HAND.
Her Lip Butter is phenomenal! It softens using cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, beeswax, shea butter and a few other delicious additions. It smells like almond cookies and is very emollient. I use it before I go to sleep at night or whenever my lips need a super dose of moisture especially in the winter. It also has a nice shine too if you want to use it all day long. All this fabulous rates a ZERO on the EWG scale, a very good thing indeed! Spend some time checking out this very cool company. I adore it!
Carol's Daughter products can be found here:
www.carolsdaughter.com
www.sephora.com
www.macys.com
If you would like to see how your products rate on the scale:
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
In the process, I discovered a fantastic web site run by the Environmental Working Group called Skin Deep. It's a database of cosmetic and personal care items that rates each item on its safety (use of toxins). The color coded scale of 0 - 10 is much like a traffic light. Green (0-2), of course, giving the "go ahead" on a product. I started by searching the products I was using to see how they rated. I didn't encounter too many green lights and sadly, all of the red lights were lip products!
I should confess, I am obsessed with lip products. Lip gloss, lipstick, lip balm - I love them all! I never seem to have less than eight in my bag at any one time. (And I know I'm not alone.) After my visit to the Skin Deep web site, I had to accept that my biggest challenge was going to be finding non toxic substitutes for my beloved lip products. Yikes!
Imagine how happy I was when I discovered a kick ass lip balm almost immediately! Allow me to introduce you to Carol's Daughter. Fellow New Yorker, Lisa Price, began making beauty products by hand for her friends and family in her apartment in Brooklyn in 1993. Over time, word got around and her hobby has transformed into a company. Carol's Daughter has two store locations and can be found in many fine establishments throughout the country. The best part about this company in my opinion is that Ms. Price has not changed her values. Production may have moved from her kitchen to a warehouse, but her products are still made with the same natural, non toxic ingredients BY HAND.
Her Lip Butter is phenomenal! It softens using cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, beeswax, shea butter and a few other delicious additions. It smells like almond cookies and is very emollient. I use it before I go to sleep at night or whenever my lips need a super dose of moisture especially in the winter. It also has a nice shine too if you want to use it all day long. All this fabulous rates a ZERO on the EWG scale, a very good thing indeed! Spend some time checking out this very cool company. I adore it!
Carol's Daughter products can be found here:
www.carolsdaughter.com
www.sephora.com
www.macys.com
If you would like to see how your products rate on the scale:
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ick, Toxic Ingredients!
I feel that before I can continue sharing great products with you, I should explain what I mean when I say "non toxic." Last fall, I read a book that opened my eyes. The book was called Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano. It inspired me to do more research. I learned that many common personal care products contain ingredients that are not very healthy for us. As we use the products, the toxins soak in through our skin and build up in our bodies over time. These toxic ingredients have been linked to adverse side effects such as neurotoxicity, hormone disruption, fertility problems, and even cancer!
I don't know about you, but I do not have ANY desire to continue to put these ingredients on my body. So, without further adieu, here is a list of the heavy hitters of toxic ingredients to avoid in your personal products. This isn't a fully comprehensive list of every toxin that you may encounter, but they are some of the most offensive.
1. Parabens
This category covers all ingredients that end with the word "paraben." Nasty stuff.
2. Sodium laurel (or laureth) sulfate
Some of you might avoid sulfates in their shampoo to preserve your hair color, but they could be carcinogenic. Yikes! It is a foaming agent, so you will find it in any soap product that foams (i.e. shampoo, body wash, hand soap).
3. Phthalates
These are tricky because they are not listed by name on ingredient lists. They are synthetic chemicals that are found in Fragrance. If fragrance is listed in the ingredient list, put it back on the shelf! I will be honest, this has been the hardest ingredient for me to avoid. I find I easily miss it on the ingredient lists because "fragrance" doesn't necessarily jump out at me.
4. Petrochemicals
Petroleum based ingredients such as petrolatum, paraffin, mineral oil and butyl alcohol.
5. Talc
It can cause skin irritation. No thank you!
6. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Also look out for propylene glycol, isopropryl alcohol, and butylene glycol.
7. Tocopherol Acetate
Synthetic vitamin E, better to go with the real thing.
8. Formaldehyde-Producing Preservatives
Formaldehyde can be produced by hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, and diazolidinyl urea
9. Toluene
This is often found in nail products and we shouldn't be breathing it in.
10. Nitrosamines
Doesn't it just sound wrong? Safest to avoid any ingredient that is listed as only capital letters (i.e. TEA, DEA).
So now it's time to get out there and start reading the labels on your beauty and personal care products. Happy greening! Your body will thank you for avoiding all the toxins.
If you would like to read more, I found the following web sites very helpful and informative:
Gorgeously Green
The Environmental Working Group
Keys Soap Company
I don't know about you, but I do not have ANY desire to continue to put these ingredients on my body. So, without further adieu, here is a list of the heavy hitters of toxic ingredients to avoid in your personal products. This isn't a fully comprehensive list of every toxin that you may encounter, but they are some of the most offensive.
1. Parabens
This category covers all ingredients that end with the word "paraben." Nasty stuff.
2. Sodium laurel (or laureth) sulfate
Some of you might avoid sulfates in their shampoo to preserve your hair color, but they could be carcinogenic. Yikes! It is a foaming agent, so you will find it in any soap product that foams (i.e. shampoo, body wash, hand soap).
3. Phthalates
These are tricky because they are not listed by name on ingredient lists. They are synthetic chemicals that are found in Fragrance. If fragrance is listed in the ingredient list, put it back on the shelf! I will be honest, this has been the hardest ingredient for me to avoid. I find I easily miss it on the ingredient lists because "fragrance" doesn't necessarily jump out at me.
4. Petrochemicals
Petroleum based ingredients such as petrolatum, paraffin, mineral oil and butyl alcohol.
5. Talc
It can cause skin irritation. No thank you!
6. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Also look out for propylene glycol, isopropryl alcohol, and butylene glycol.
7. Tocopherol Acetate
Synthetic vitamin E, better to go with the real thing.
8. Formaldehyde-Producing Preservatives
Formaldehyde can be produced by hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, and diazolidinyl urea
9. Toluene
This is often found in nail products and we shouldn't be breathing it in.
10. Nitrosamines
Doesn't it just sound wrong? Safest to avoid any ingredient that is listed as only capital letters (i.e. TEA, DEA).
So now it's time to get out there and start reading the labels on your beauty and personal care products. Happy greening! Your body will thank you for avoiding all the toxins.
If you would like to read more, I found the following web sites very helpful and informative:
Gorgeously Green
The Environmental Working Group
Keys Soap Company
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