Comments on: Green Your Life: Self-Care Products

By: The Glamorganic Goddess

The Glamorganic Goddess — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:07:03 +0000

Hi! Just saw that you were looking for some truly Natural Beauty Products… I also have been through tons of Trial & Error in the process and decided to write about it. Check out The Glamorganic Goddess Blog…

http://theglamorganicgoddess.blogspot.com/

By: Melia

Melia — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:54:31 +0000

Amando, thanks for the tip. I’d visited Good Guide briefly before, but only after you recommended it did I look at it thoroughly. It’s comprehensive and helpful. Congrats on greening your products as well, and taking into account the overall practices of a company.

I’ve updated this post for legibility. In taking it through several drafts after I did more and more research on my products, I’ve realized how challenging it can be to get a clear answer on how green a product really is. The most important thing, as I said in the post, is to start by asking the question.

By: AmandoB

AmandoB — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:54:25 +0000

check out http://www.goodguide.com, I’ve been using Dr.’s soap for a dozen or more years for every backpacking and camping trip for everything from dishes to cold showers…I recently made the change at home too! The good guide though will help with identifying how sustainable a product is from cradle to grave, ingredients, and other green details. peace

By: Melia

Melia — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:50:01 +0000

Note that I’ve updated this post with specific info on each product. Seems that Skin Deep gives most of my products low to moderate hazard ratings, though Burt’s Bees and Dr. Bronner’s are pretty safe. Crystal deodorant is totally safe. I think that most anything that’s processed won’t be 100% non-toxic, but the goal is to use fewer total products (e.g. wear less makeup) and choose ones that are as natural as possible. It’s all about doing what’s manageable for you, so you don’t make yourself nuts worrying about dangers everywhere.

By: Melia

Melia — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:41:55 +0000

Thanks for the info about phtalates. I’ve been thinking about that in terms of my food, but not for my beauty products. Skin Deep gives Method products an average hazard rating, but that seems pretty common — though there are some brands, like Burt’s Bees, that consistently get low hazard ratings.

It really is scary how much manufacturers can get away with. My friend who works for the Cornucopia Institute is investigating Silk soymilk, which has switched to non-organic soybeans without lowering its prices, and it’s using a toxic chemical in its processing while advertising as if it were totally natural. And they’re making bank off trusting consumers.

Haha, no worries about the punctuation - I almost wrote “it’s” for “its” in another post. If you ever want me to make little edits to comments, I can do that for ya. But it’s good for us perfectionists to embrace our little mistakes.

By: Alicia C.

Alicia C. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:21:51 +0000

Ugh. I just realized that I wrote “manufacturer’s” when I meant “manufacturers”. We have filing cabinets in the office that are labeled that way and it upsets me every time I read the labels, but I’m afraid it would make me too freakish if I actually created new labels. I’m the only one it bothers. I hate when other people’s common grammar mistakes invade my writing and speaking.

By: Alicia C.

Alicia C. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:16:15 +0000

Okay, so I meant to write “eliminate phthalates and such”. Plastic is a really scary thing. Apparently, in order to make it shatterproof or malleable, manufacturer’s add in all sorts of chemicals that are disturbingly bad for everyone and everything. Phthalates make plastic products malleable and were frequently used in children’s toys and packaging. Manufacturer’s in the US are now taking them out of toy production. Bisphenol A (BPA) is another additive that was known to be harmful since at least the 1930s. It made Nalgene bottles shatterproof until a couple years ago when they discontinued its use.

According to Method’s website, their packaging is phthalate free. I found another label at Walgreens this weekend that touted on their packaging “phthalate free”. Unfortunately, I didn’t write the name down and can’t find it online to further investigate whether that is in reference to their packaging or not.

The advice about ‘organic’ labeling also applies to food. How wrong is that?! Isn’t it scary how much you can get away with in manufacturing?

By: Melia

Melia — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:42:42 +0000

One of my best friends works for the
Cornucopia Institute, a watchdog organization on agricultural and consumer issues, and she sent me the following info. 1,4-dioxane is a carcinogen. Given the 2008 Organic Consumers Association study results, it looks as if Nature’s Gate has lower levels than some other brands, and they’ve apparently been cooperative in cleaning up their act. Hope they succeed, because I really like their products. Here’s what my friend wrote:

“I did some work on this for my job a while ago, especially with the 1,4-dioxane issue. Check out OCA’s “Coming Clean” campaign.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm

“Unfortunately, Nature’s Gate was found to have 1,4-dioxane residues, although apparently the manufacturer says they’re in the process of reformulating. It’s a tough issue, I wish I could use Dr. Bronner’s for shampoo and conditioner, but it leaves my hair feeling heavy and oily.

“Another thing to look out for is the use of the word ‘organic’ which is not at all regulated in the personal care industry, unlike the food industry. So if you want REALLY pure products, look for the green USDA Organic seal. That means you could actually eat it if you wanted to, it’s that pure and organic.

By: Melia

Melia — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:43:52 +0000

That’s a great idea. Will you link to it here when you do?

By: Leann

Leann — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:36:57 +0000

If you want, I have recipes that I will be posting up on my blog for natural, good smelling body oils that you can mix with unscented soaps.