“The question that women casually shopping for perfume ask more than any other is this: “What scent drives men wild?” After years of intense research, we know the definitive answer. It is bacon.” - Luca Turin
We spend $12 billion dollars annually on perfume between the US and Europe. Yet, there are nearly 5,000 unregulated compounds that can be found in these fragrances, and less then 20% of those have gone thru any type of testing for human safety.
The Concern
One of the biggest lies that we believe as consumers is that the government prevents toxic chemicals from entering the market. I remember how shocked I was when I first learned this, and it still blows my mind. Yet, this is hard to believe, the perfume and cosmetic industries are not regulated at all. There is no testing required to ensure the safety of these chemicals. This essentially makes consumers a giant lab experiment with no controlled testing.
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Now mineral oil is often cited as a safer alternative for cleaning wood and other household uses, but even though it may be a safer option, it is not the best option. Mineral Oil is a petroleum by-product that is used in products such as laxatives, moisturizer, lip gloss, foundation, concealer, facial cleanser, sunscreen, lotion, and baby oil is 100% mineral oil.
So what is the problem with mineral oil? Well, it coats the skin and clogs the pores. Mineral oil is a nonrenewable crude oil that has been hydrolyzed and hydrogenated, which creates a plastic like substance. This interferes with the skins natural ability to eliminate toxins. This can result in acne, premature aging, and act as a barrier to nutrients.
What are the other toxins that we should avoid in our beauty products? Read more here.
One of the headaches that I came across when detoxifying my home was finding a healthier, non-toxic laundry soap. Even the ‘green’ ones that are out there today do not often tell you exactly what is in them, and they often times still contain perfume or fragrance. We all know the amount of chemicals that label can hide!
So when I came across Soap Nuts, I was quite excited. Yet, I was a little confused as well. How is this nut suppose to wash my laundry? I realized that I have fallen into the conditioning that tells me I need all these fancy things in my laundry soap to create clean clothes! This could not be further from the truth.
Then I was even more confused when I realized that this was not even a nut but really a fruit. This fruit has a substance in its shell called saponin. This 100% natural substance really is brilliant at cleaning your laundry. All you do is put a few of the nuts or fruit in a small washing bag and put it in with your laundry and you have clean clothes! It is even unscented! 
Or you can always add a few drops of your favorite essential oils. So really no reason to be confused! Soap Nuts even has a 100% money back guarantee so there is no reason not to try something to brilliant and so simple!
The range of Just Pure is 100% natural and 100% preservative free. There has been no compromise to the formulation of these products. They are not only safe for the environment, but they are safe for our bodies as well. I was amazed when I walked into the store and started reading the labels. It was like I walked into organic beauty product heaven. I think you could actually eat the products they are that pure!
The ingredients include elements such as fairly traded unrefined african shea butter, organic essential oils from wild harvest herbs and flowers, grape seed oil, olive oil, jojoba wax…Not one ingredient that I would have to question or need a dictionary for. Being that our skin absorbs 60% of what we put on it, we better be mindful of what we use!
I used their Essential Face Polishing Masque last night and I cannot believe how amazing my skin feels. I have not been using any face care regime for the past year, because I could not find a product that I truly believed was pure. It is amazing that we think that we need certain ingredients or products to have healthy, ageless skin. Marketing sure does a great job on us! Yet, getting back to nature and using plants in their pure form truly creates the healthiest skin. Just Pure has set a new standard for natural skin care.
What?!
I do not wash my hands. I have said it. I used to be so embaressed about this and never wanted anyone to know. But, I have come to the conclusion that I am the smart one here.
I have not gotten sick since, I think it was, Christmas 04′. Enough evidence for me at this point! I know it sounds disgusting, but our bodies are amazing. Our bodies have mechanisms that fight disease, kill germs and detox all of these crazy toxins that have ended up in our environment. I wont make you hold hands with me, but here are some things to think about… [click to continue…]
What ingredients should we look out for when shopping for household cleaners or personal cosmetics?
I get asked this question a lot. So I thought I would share my answer here. My rule has always been if I do not know what it is I do not use it. It has been a very easy rule for me to follow now that I have found some amazing companies that provide us with products that use only pure, natural and organic ingredients. One of the many reasons that I have created this blog was to share these all with you! And the store will be coming soon, to make it even easier for you!
I can be quiet extreme in my commitments, some may say, to pure living, yet I see no reason to compromise and choose something that is a little better. There have been plenty of chemicals on the market that we believed were safe at one point or another - formaldehyde, asbestos, DDT, to name a few. I see no reason to use something that has no proven safety, and even when science shows that the chemical might be safe, this does not hold much weight to me. The earth was flat at one point, remember? I want something that I could go out to my backyard to make if I had the plants in my backyard. It is my dream and I am working towards it.
Alright, enough of my soapbox. That being said there are still some ingredients that I find particularly important to look out for, especially because these end up in ‘organic’ products as well. [click to continue…]
Australian Scent, is a family owned and operated business specializing in hand crafted and small batch formulas. The products are designed with the most sensitive of us in mind. My favorite is their bath salts, and they even have a great pet soap. I know this can always be a headache to find! I guess I no longer have an excuse for not bathing the dogs! They also have a great selection of unscented products.
Terressentials is a company that uses 100% USDA certified organic ingredients and has no tolerance for anything less. No worry about any greenwashing from this company! Owners Diana Kaye and Jim Hahn are passionate about this. Not like many of the other companies out there today that call their products organic and then you look at the ingredient list and still find items like parabens, sulfates, and other ingredients you need a dictionary for. Kaye became very sensitive to conventional household cleaners and products and started the switch that many of us have done to purge ourselves of anything synthetic. Yet, she discovered that she was still reacting to these ‘organic’ cleaners and this is when the research started. Lucky for us this evolved into the creation of an amazing line of shampoos, lotions, soaps, and baby products!
I went into my bathroom cabinet today to look at the ingredients in my toothpaste. I was surprised at what I was using. I came across ingredients in my ‘organic toothpaste’ like sorbitol, sodium lauryl sulfate, xylitol, and fluoride. I then went to my local health food store, and surprisingly all of the toothpastes had an ingredient in it that I do not want to put in my mouth. So I started doing some searching. I came across some great homemade recipes, yet this one is my favorite… [click to continue…]
I typically run whenever something is scented, because hey it just is not worth finding out if I am going to react or not. Yet I saw this soap by Skinny Skinny at my local green store A Cooler Planet, and I fell in love with the simple beautiful packaging. On further research of the ingredient list I was sold. They do not add any unnecessary ingredients, they use the purest essential oils and even use fairly traded shea butter. They are very mindful not only of the way the product is produced but also all the elements of the packaging.
