Dec
12
Filed Under Green Mama, Skin Care, paraben free
The more research I do about finding safe products for our babies and kids, the more I think about taking the same care of myself and my family. I cringe to think about the 30 years of garbage and chemicals I’ve been slathering all over myself on a daily basis. Like my mother always says “You don’t need to put chemicals all over your body.” No really, she actually says that, all the time. It becomes especially important to me when I read things like this:
Is a lead laced lipstick slowly making you senile? Is that $175 Petri dish of wrinkle cream mutating your skin cells into cancer cells? Is your teeth whitener covertly exaggerating your premenstrual symptoms?
And, did you know that cosmetics do not need an FDA seal of approval before hitting the market? The FDA only gets involved AFTER the item is proven dangerous or gets marketed as a drug. After. Not before you slather it all over your face in the hopes that it erases a few wrinkles.
I am much more aware of what I am putting in and on my body these days and I am sad to report that I have tossed what is probably totaling hundreds of dollars worth of products in an ongoing effort to simplify my life as well as reduce and improve the quality and safety of the products I put on myself every day. But how do you know? What is “safe” and what is not? That is where the ongoing debate comes in. There is always conflicting information, especially from companies who’s livelihood depends on these products. Read what you can and make the call for yourself. This list of websites can help you determine what is safe for you and what might not be:
United States Food and Drug Administration (cosmetic safety notices)
Environmental Working Group
Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association
Cosmetics Are Safe
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
European Cosmetics Directive
Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
Teratology Information Services (TIS)
My point, (I do have one) is find out about what products you’re using and make informed decisions. I will whole-heartedly agree that not everything is cut and dry and the line between safe and unsafe is a fuzzy one, but the risk is not worth it for me.
Source: American Chronicle
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2 Responses to “Safe for Mama: Finding Safe Cosmetics and Body Care”
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This is so important: remembering to avoid chemicals in and on ourselves as the parent as well as on the child. One company I absolutely rave about is Eminence Organics. It is a line of handmade, organic face and body care products (mineral make-up coming soon)which is completely chemical free. The items are a bit on the pricey side, but highly concentrated, so one bottle of face wash (4 oz.) will last much longer than another company’s. In addition, I understand that some of their adult products are so gentle (Stone Crop Gel Wash) that they can be used on babies as well; I am researching this further.
This is a great post – unfortunately my mother never warned me about putting chemicals all over myself. I wonder when the damage becomes so much that changing course doesn’t really make a difference? At least we can start our children out on the right track.
One natural product I do highly encourage others to try is mineral make up. I started using it myself over 2 years ago and couldn’t be happier. It looks great, feels great and is much healthier than traditional cosmetic products.