BlogHer - Shopping Tips & Tricks - Comments

Hooroay for Hemp!

Diane MacEachern — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:37:46 -0500

Diane MacEachern www.biggreenpurse.com Diane@biggreenpurse.com

If I were empress of the world, every fabric would begin with hemp! It's an amazing fiber: totally eco to grow, lasts forever, practically indestructible. I have a sweater made from hemp and it's the best, especially for traveling, since it doesn't wrinkle and doesn't seem to absorb sweat, either. Farmers and consumers both should be up in arms about the ridiculous rules that prevent hemp from being grown in the U.S. Thanks for reminding everyone that there are great alternatives to pesticide- and water-intensive cotton.

Hemp v Flax

letsfuss — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:33:06 -0500

So true! Hemp is valuable. Great source of Omega 6. Flax is fab Omega 3.

joanna lynn

wwww.letsfussaboutfood.com

I knew hemp was good, but I didn't know why.

bethfly — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:31:06 -0500

Thanks for sharing this info, Allie. I actually knew very little about why hemp is supposed to be so eco-friendly.

Beth Terry

http://www.fakeplasticfish.com

re: Nanoparticles

greentalk — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:27:30 -0500

I hate to throw another one into the mix. I read a report about nanoparticles where some products were safe until they were reduced to nanoparticles and could get into your blood stream.

Check out this Consumer report overview and click through the individual tabs associated with it:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health-fitness/nanotechnology-7-07/wh...

Burt's Bee's sunscreen was on that list as it pertains to sunscreens that used nanoparticles. I don't know if they changed their formulation since this 2007 report. EWG also has a section on sunscreens as well.

On other note, Stacy Malkin wrote this amazing book called Not Just a Pretty Face, which discusses all of the above with great associated stories. A must read.

Anna www.green-talk.com

Hair Color Powder - This Has Possiblities

Gena Haskett — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:44:03 -0500

I just watched the video from the company web site
http://www.mimiccolor.com/howitworks.html

You know, you could mix and match and not only cover the gray but try out different color combinations. I didn't see any purple though.

Interesting idea and could be a safe way to play with your hair.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

Socializing for Safer Skin Care

Green Bean Dreams — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:08:39 -0500

My Whole Foods offers free group classes about what ingredients to avoid, which to embrace, how to find skincare products with less packaging, etc. And honestly, nothing is more fun than mingling with girl friends while a Whole Foods team member plies you with non-bottled water and beautiful beauty care products.

Green Bean

www.greenbeandreams.blogspot.com

Hi Lara! I really like

AlliesAnswers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:16:49 -0500

Hi Lara!

I really like Weleda, Lavera, Burt's Bees, Yes To Carrots, Nourish, Badger Balm, Honeybee Gardens, The Merry Hempsters, and Dr. Bronners. What's great is that a lot of these products are showing up in mainstream stores now - I know Target carries Burt's Bees, Dr. Bronners and Weleda, and Walgreens carries Yes To Carrots.

You can also check out the list of companies that signed the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics - http://www.safecosmetics.org/companies/signers.cfm

You can also create a shopping list of products that meet your standards here - http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/search.php

Hope this helps!

Allie

www.AlliesAnswers.com

Yikes!

LaraB — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:05:19 -0500

Wow. Allie, this is really scary! I just looked up my standard products, and most of them have a moderate danger rating. Um, "moderate" sounds lovely and all, but I'd prefer ZERO! I'm now completely overwhelmed, though - can you recommend any particular brands that are safe pretty much across the board? Or a website that sells only safe stuff? (me? Not so good at the label-reading and scary-ingredient-remembering).

Thank you!

AlliesAnswers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:24:43 -0500

Thank you so much for mentioning Phthalates (often listed as just "fragrance") -- that is another one I absolutely avoid. As well as triclosan, etc.

I absolutely agree about the fake smells. No tolerance for them anymore.

Another thing I forgot to mention is avoiding "microbeads," which are just little bits of plastic that then end up in our water systems. GROSS! And so silly -- ground walnut shells, etc. make great exfoliants in facewashes, etc.

It's amazing how many products out there contain these ingredients. What also amazes me is how many great products are free of icky ingredients. All it takes is a little research. I don't feel like I've given anything up by avoiding these chemicals.

Allie

www.AlliesAnswers.com

Great start on the icky list

thesmartmama — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:05:38 -0500

This is a great start of the "icky" list, but, as Diane points out, there are more. Synthetic fragrances are petroleum derived, and virtually always contain phthalates to make them last longer and stick to your skin. So, you should skip synthetic fragrance (fragrance or parfum on the label).

Also any phthalates if identified separately too.

Sodium laureth sulfate is bad because it may mean that the product has 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen, which is a by-product of the ethoxylation process - so skipping "eth" ingredients (myreth, oleth, cetereath, etc.) and PEG - is important.

Also formaldehyde, a carcinogen.

Always skip triclosan - an antibacterial. Study after study has shown it to be no more effective than plain soap and water. But, it is promoting resistant bacteria strains and is showing up in our breast milk! It overloads the wastewater treatment plants and, according to the USGS, is the most common contaminant in our surface waters. It is disruptive to aquatic environments and shows estrogenic activity.

Other ingredients you may want to skip include DEA, coal tar dyes, hydroquinone and DMDM hydantonin (a formaldehyde contributor).

Jennifer, www.thesmartmama.com

Don't forget about fragrances!

Diane MacEachern — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:57:35 -0500

Diane MacEachern www.biggreenpurse.com Diane@biggreenpurse.com

Thanks for a great overview of the issue and for the reminder about EWG. I use a standard screen when buying personal care products: I avoid phthalates, triclosan and other antibacterials, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. The phthalates are considered a reproductive toxin in the state of CA and are banned by the EU. Triclosan and other antibacterials are giving frogs the heebee geebees and creating antibiotic resistance in people. Parabens are showing up in breast tumor tissue. And fragrances exacerbate headaches, asthma, and general anxiety. Fragrances are showing up in EVERYTHING! Window cleaner, kitchen soap, laundry detergent, furniture polish. My husband accidentally came home with scented trash bags last week and I get a headache every time he pulls one out of the box. Buying "fragrance free" isn't good enough, since sometimes one chemical is added to mask the smell of another. "No synthetic fragrances" or "no added fragrances," along with phthalate-free (since so many phthalates are used to make fragrances) is generally what I aim for.

How timely, I'm sending this post to the CEO who asked...

Mary Clare Hunt — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:54:06 -0500

Last night I recieved this email from a CEO who is as lost on the seller side of this issue as we are on the buy side. I told him that the women who care about this are more informed than he would guess and sent him a few links. I'll send him this one as well.

"I have just begun a high level strategic view of the organic hair and body care industry and I'm overwhelmed with it. There is very little vision or emphasis at the retail store level and where there is a statement I'm not certain the manufacturer's are delivering a complete package. Not to mention, sustainable doesn't seem to be part of their mission."

One thing I never thought of until I saw it on National Geographic is that all of these chemicals are also being washed down our sink and into our waste water. Now I ask myself, "Is this gray water safe"? My lifestyle is shifting.

Mary Hunt http://www.InWomenWeTrust.com

...especially important for those of us kissing people we love!

Mama Bird — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:48:21 -0500

I started reading labels long ago, but my scrutiny of ingredients kicked up a notch while I was pregnant and then nursing my children. For good reason! This list of lipsticks with high lead levels validated all of our concern (my toddlers have been known to snack on, er, non food items in my purse). Thank you for such a clear, concise checklist of concern areas. SLS in toothpaste only recently hit my radar, so I have to go check my Tom's of Maine stash.

SurelyYouNest.com

I love your mix of facts & personal anecdotes!

bethfly — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:22:37 -0500

Allie, this is a great post, and I love how you present the facts along with your own personal thoughts on the products. I'm not sure about SLS either. But if it's not necessary, why use it? I use Trader Joe's SLS-free natural toothpaste, for example, and it works fine. Why take unnecessary chances?

Beth Terry http://www.fakeplasticfish.com

Cosmetics are NOT regulated

GreenMoms — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:22:30 -0500

I really appreciate your post on this issue because it reminds us that the cosmetic industry is NOT regulated and should not be blatently trusted based on product advertising. Not enough consumers are aware of this, and before I started going green, I certainly was not aware of this.

GreenMoms, Melinda

www.GreenMomsCoastside.com

Green On! Your Children Will Thank You For It.