How about the ones that contain carcinogens and endocrine disruptors? In baby products? You bet. Even some that sound so safe!
Have a look. Johnson No More Tears? Baby Magic Calming Bath? Gentle naturals? They're on there, and it not pretty.
Think you're safe because you don't have a baby and you don't wear makeup or perfume?
Sorry, even soaps can be scary and shampoo, too. How about deodorant?
It's worth a look to see how safe your favorites are, and maye find some that will work just as well while leaving your health (and the health of the planet) intact.
My current pick for shampoo, conditioner, body-wash, hand/body lotion, and sunscreen is anything unscented from Desert Essence Organics.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.desertessence.com/bath-body
They're all organic, vegan, and most their products say "gluten-free" on the label (though some of the company's products do contain gluten, so gluten-free people do need to check). I've found that their products work well for me -- their conditioner really does leave my hair combable, and unlike mainstream haircare products it doesn't leave my hair looking horrible 24 hours later (forcing me to wash it and use more of the same product all over again); and their hand lotion really does leave my hands well-moisturized but not sticky or gooey. Also I'm really glad to have found something that is organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Their products always score as among the safest in the cosmetics safety ratings database. They're expensive in the stores around town, but can usually be found at reasonable prices if you look around on the Internet. My one misgiving is that I've seen this company listed on lists of companies that sell "fake organic" products, and I don't know how to judge that for myself. But their products are safe and work well, so I've kept on buying them.
(Disclaimer: Even though I sound like a commercial for these products, I'm just a satisfied customer. I don't have any connection to this company or make any money if someone buys these things.)
Wow. I was somewhat shocked to find Jason, Nature's Gate and Tom's of Maine products on this list. I have products from all three of the companies in my bathroom right now. The soap and deoderant are easy to replace (have some homemade in the bathroom already) but I cannot seem to find a shampoo alternative that works for everyone in the family. The kids have thick oily type hair and my husband and I have middle-aged hair that seems to be thinner and drier than ever before. I've tried powder shampoos but they didn't work on my hair. Tried the vinegar rinses but I think I wasn't consistent enough. Arg. Almost make me want to just give everyone a buzz cut--so much easier to keep clean.
ReplyDeleteWait Gina! The list tries to list *all* cosmetics, not just dangerous ones. You need to look at the score they assigned to a particular product to figure out if it is safe. A green ball means low hazard, yellow ball means moderate hazard, and red ball means high hazard. Most of the products from the companies that you listed *are* pretty safe and do have good scores in the database.
ReplyDeleteStill, I know what you mean about preferring to use vinegar or just give everybody a buzz cut. I hate that we live in such a soup of weird chemicals in the modern world; I don't think that can possibly be safe.