Shopping for cosmetics and personal care products is hazardous to your health … if you’re not reading and interpreting every label on every package you buy. Don’t buy one package or jar off the shelf … until you read and interpret every label. Harmful ingredients in your toiletries destroy your health and keep you unhealthy. Don’t let dangerous ingredients make you sick!
Are you getting ready for the beach for the Memorial Day Weekend and for summer that's just around the corner? Before you head for the sand, read this first:
I personally use organic coconut oil on my skin when I go out in the sun. Coconut oil combined with a healthy diet is an effective sunscreen and suntan lotion according to Bruce Fife in his book, Coconut Cures.
A recent survey was taken in the Cosmetics Trends Community regarding the issue of preserved vs. preservative free cosmetics and skin care products. Click here to read the article and see the results.
"A gaping loophole in a 37-year-old federal law allows makers of perfumes, colognes and body sprays to conceal the chemicals that comprise the fragrances -- and some of those unidentified odor creators may be harmful to public health, two advocacy groups say."
Will the real organic body care products please stand up!
A lot of products are marketed as organic these days because consumers want more organic products. But don't believe the label. There are a number of products on the market that say "organic" on the label, but that not only are not organic, but they also contain the cancer-causing contaminant 1,4-dioxane.
This cancer-causing chemical may be found in products with ingredients like "polyethylene," "polyethylene glycol," "polyoxyethylene," "oxynol," or those that end in "-eth," or contain "PEG" in the name.
In addition, many so-called "cheater brands" claim to be organic when they may have only a token organic ingredient or none at all. I was in a department store with my daughter a couple weeks ago and there was a display of large bottles of a body care product with "Organic" in large letters on the front of the label. I looked at the list of ingredients in the product. There was not one single ingredient in that product that was organic. There wasn't even a single herb or ingredient that even sounded like it might be natural. It was totally, 100% synthetic chemicals!
If the front of the label is all you look at when you buy body care products, you will be fooled most of the time because there are not that many honest brands on the market. To get truly organic products, you must read the ingredients list, in the tiny print, on the back of the package.
Click here if you need help reading and understanding ingredients.
Click here if you want to buy healthy products without having to read ingredients.
Finally the FDA has admitted that triclosan in soap and body care products is a cause for concern. It's finally being addressed, not only for its contribution to antibiotic resistant bacteria, but also for its long-term health effects. In addition, the FDA admitted that antibacterial soaps are no better than plain soap.
Shampoo ingredients are most likely the last thing on your mind when choosing your shampoo. You're probably most interested in what the shampoo is going to do for your hair. How soft, silky and shiny will it make your hair look? Does it make it look healthy? What about repairing damaged ends? Will it make your hair look thicker? Will it give you great looking hair like those models you see in the TV commercials?
These are the kinds of questions that the manufacturers have conditioned you to think about. They spend millions of dollars on advertising campaigns telling you all the wonderful benefits their shampoos offer your hair. Reading the ingredients list on your shampoo bottle before you buy is the last thing they want you to do.
Why?
The majority of shampoos on the market contain ingredients that have harmful effects on your body. A number of these ingredients even cause cancer.
Why should you be concerned about cancer-causing ingredients in your shampoo? You only use it on your hair. What's the harm in that?
That's a good question. The ingredients in your shampoo, like in any product you use on the outside of your body, can be absorbed through your pores into your bloodstream. A number of the shampoos containing cancer-causing chemicals also contain ingredients, called penetration enhancers, that increase how much of the ingredients actually get absorbed into your body.
Here's a program that will help you get get on track and eliminate all those chemicals in your cosmetics and personal care products that are destroying your health - in 100 days.
Combine this with Dying To Look Good "Best Brands" so you have easy access to products from more than 20 companies with the safest and healthiest ingredients on the market - Guaranteed! No checking ingredients or hunting for companies that produce top quality, safe products. The work's already been done for you. Just pick and choose!
This is a winning combination.
Are you willing to rise to the challenge - for your health and the health of your family?
Here's to your health and your success!
Christine H. Farlow, D.C. The Ingredients Investigator Protecting you from harmful ingredients www.dyingtolookgood.com www.dyingtolookgoodbestbrands.com
Did you know that cancer-causing chemicals have been found in the skin care products you use every day? In fact, they’ve even been found in those labeled as natural and organic! Cancer has been the second leading cause of death in the U.S. for many years … and it still is. Even children are getting cancer, and their rate is increasing. It’s time to find out how to protect yourself and your family.
Now, you may be wondering …
Are you kidding me? How is that possible? There are so many rules and regulations in this country, surely there are some laws to protect the consumer from cancer-causing ingredients in skin care products, especially those that claim to be natural and organic!
Well, the truth of the matter is there are NOT!
The cosmetics and skin care industry is unregulated. The FDA cannot tell them what chemicals they can use and which they cannot. The ingredients used, even in skin care products labeled as natural and organic aren’t even required to be tested for safety. In fact, a study on the safety of 7,500 personal care products, done by the Environmental Working Group in 2004 found that 99.6% of the products tested contained one or more ingredients that had never been tested for safety by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, the industry’s self proclaimed watchdog!
So, how do you find products that are safe and healthy?
Announcing … the quickest, simplest, easiest way to choose safe and healthy, natural and organic cosmetics, skin care and personal care products NOW … without ever having to read a single ingredients list!
I know you want to use safe and healthy, natural and organic skin care and body care products because you’re reading this page.
Choosing the safest and healthiest products just got easier.
You may be among the many people who are frustrated with reading ingredients lists, or just choose not to. Or maybe you just want a little easier way to pick your products.
Now you don’t have to read ingredients lists when you want to buy natural or organic products for your skin care. You don’t have to wonder any more if the products contain cancer-causing contaminants. That work has already been done for you.
Dying To Look Good "Best Brands" lists the safest and healthiest natural and organic cosmetics, skin care, body care and personal care products on the market. They have been thoroughly researched to make sure their ingredients are truly pure, natural, safe and healthy.
It's a 3-month membership program. You'll receive weekly product lists, every week for 12 weeks. Each week, you'll also get information on one company whose entire product line is exceptional. In fact, there are more than 12 companies that have been identified as having superior healthy and safe products. So, there will be bonus "Company Spotlights" coming to you every once in a while, between your regular weekly product lists.
Many companies in this program are offering discounts to Dying To Look Good "Best Brands" members. And the best part, many of the discounts can be used more than once and some will even be in effect after your membership expires.
Learn more about how you can make choosing healthy, organic and natural skin care products for yourself and your family quicker and easier, and how you can save money in the process.
Yours in health,
Christine H. Farlow, D.C. The Ingredients Investigator Protecting you from harmful ingredients www.dyingtolookgood.com www.dyingtolookgoodbestbrands.com
February 24 was the launch of the much-anticipated Health Revolution Petition.
This petition is a groundbreaking new petition that calls for real, revolutionary health freedom reforms in America! If its provisions are enacted, it would:
End FDA tyranny and oppression of natural product companies
End the persecution of alternative medicine and healing arts practitioners
Ban GMOs in the food supply and require honest labeling of irradiated foods
Protect America from CODEX "harmonization"
Allow full income tax deductions for ALL health-related expenditures (herbs, supplements, gym memberships, etc.)
Provide $350 a month in health care credits to each U.S. resident, allowing them to spend it on the health-enhancing products and services of their choice
End mandatory vaccination policies across America
Restore honest science to the FDA's review of drugs
Require the open publication of all drug trials
End Big Pharma's bribery of doctors
Hold drug company CEO's criminally liable for the harm caused by drugs they advertise to consumers
Restrict the advertising of junk foods and soda pop to children
Ban man-made, non-natural chemicals in personal care products
Invest in disease prevention and consumer education about nutrition
Protect the environment from dangerous drugs that pollute the water supply
... and more. If you believe in these things, and you are a resident or citizen of the USA, then please ...
Some of the ingredients added to food, cosmetics and personal care products can be derived from either natural or synthetic soures. Often the natural version is safe, while the synthetic version is associated with numerous side effects.
Benzyl Benzoate is one of those.
Benzyl Benzoate is a natural component of cinnamon essential oil. It composes about 3% of the oil. Cinnamon essential oil has therapeutic benefit and when used in small amounts is safe.
Generally the amounts of essential oils used in cosmetics and personal care products is so small that you don't have to be concerned with any precautions associated with the essential oil. If you use individual essential oils, you need to be informed about precautions, contraindications and safe use of the oils.
The synthetic version, on the other hand is the chemical used to kill head lice and is associated with a variety of adverse effects, including burning and itching of the skin, formation of blisters, reddening, crusting or scaling of the skin, jerking movements, difficulty urinating or sudden loss of consciousness.
When you see benzyl benzoate listed as an ingredient in a product in which you're interested, if it does not specify that it is from cinnamon essential oil, you should either contact the manufacturer to find out the source of the benzyl benzoate or not buy the product.
Terra Naturals has just released their new line of Uniquely Natural™ Deodorants with immune support.
They contain novel plant based ingredients to control body odor and offer nourishing ingredients to the delicate underarm area. You can choose from a wide variety of fresh scents, all naturally derived from plants.
Terra Naturals Uniquely Natural™ Deodorants are free of parabens, aluminum, petroleum derived ingredients, propylene glycol, genetically engineered ingredients, alcohol and synthetic antibacterial agents.
Yes to Carrots is a paraben-free skin care product line containing organic fresh fruits and vegetables and Dead Sea Salt.
I had high hopes for these products. However, they fall short because of their use of a few key synthetic ingredients.
In spite of all their organic ingredients, they use fragrance in their products. Fragrances can contain all sorts of hazardous and cancer-causing chemicals and you'll never know because the manufacturer doesn't have to disclose the ingredients in the fragrances they produce.
Another disappointing ingredient is sodium coceth sulfate. It's a synthetic detergent derived from coconut oil, modified with ethylene oxide. This is one of those "eth" chemicals that can be contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical, 1,4-dioxane.
They use dehydroacetic acid as a preservative. It's hazardous in case of skin contact and can be toxic to the central nervous system, kidneys and liver. The possibility of causing cancer, mutagenic effects or birth defects are not known. In other words, it has not been adequately tested.
Cycloheptasiloxane is another ingredient I find objectionable in an organic product. It is a silicone, similar to cyclomethicone which has been classified as toxic for reproduction in Europe.
Soothing Lip Balm has an almost okay list of ingredients. The ingredient I take issue with is canola oil. It doesn't matter that it's organic. Any canola oil is not a healthy oil to use. It's not healthy to eat and it's not healthy to put on your skin. Being in lip balm, you are both putting it on your skin and eating it too!
This is the same issue with Burt's Bees. When they were taken over by Clorox, they changed the ingredients in their lip balm and added canola oil.
Origins by Estee Lauder has recently launched a new certified organic deodorant, ORIGINS ORGANICS TOTALLY PURE DEODORANT Certified Organic.
I'm always suspicious when the mainstream companies who produce chemically laden products enter the natural market. I just had to check this product out.
Here's what I found...
It does contain a lot of herbs and essential oils. In fact, the majority of the ingredients look good. However, the ingredient that causes me to give it a thumbs down recommendation is benzyl benzoate.
Benzyl benzoate is a chemical used to kill head lice by destroying their nervous system. It is absorbed through the skin. It is hazardous in case of skin or eye contact. In case of skin contact, it is advised to immediately flush the skin with plenty of water.
Some side effects of benzyl benzoate are burning and itching of the skin, formation of blisters, reddening, crusting or scaling of the skin. It may also cause jerking movements, difficulty urinating or sudden loss of consciousness.
Now, since this product is a deodorant, it is going to be left on the skin to be absorbed into the body. And if you use it on a daily basis, it's going to be absorbed into your body every day.
It's a fact that the cosmetics industry is highly unregulated in the U. S. The use of the terms natural and organic have been abused by the industry. Deceptive advertising and packaging have led the unsuspecting and uninformed consumer to purchase products that are less healthy than they are claimed to be.
In Europe, cosmetics are more regulated. There are ingredients banned from use there that are being used in the U.S. on a regular basis. However, what I found interesting is that in France, the home of Ecocert, the European Organic Certifying organization, their definitions for organic and natural are very lax. To be certified organic, a product just needs 10% of its ingredients to be organic. For the natural label, it requires only 5% organic ingredients.
So, no matter where you are in the world, the bottom line is: Read the ingredients list on the label and know which ingredients are safe and which are not.
The death rate from ovarian cancer has risen dramatically since 1975.
Talc, a common ingredient in powders used by women in the genital area, poses a major risk of ovarian cancer. That includes baby powder used on infants.
The FDA has been petitioned twice to put a cancer warning on talc products. It denied the first request and failed to act on the second.
An accidental discovery by researchers at Rutgers University is questioning the ability of skin creams to cause cancer. The suspected ingredients are mineral oil and sodium lauryl sulfate. The testing was done on mice and has not yet be done on humans. Read the article here.
I frequently get requests to give my opinion of the ingredients in certain product lines from people who think they have the greatest and healthiest products. This time it was from an Isagenix distributor.
I looked at one of their skin care products, Dermal Cleanse.
A recent study, commissioned by the Organic Consumer's Association, showed that products containing PEG ingredients and anything that ends in "-eth" may be contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane. This product has several of these ingredients.
Then there are Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone. These are strong chemical preservatives that cause allergic reactions and are not adequately tested.
This product is questionable at best and certainly not a product I would recommend.
Do your skin care products contain ingredients like the ones in Dermal Cleanse?
Dr. Christine H. Farlow is "The Ingredients Investigator." She is a Doctor of Chiropractic who has helped thousands improve their health through nutrition and the elimination of harmful ingredients from food, cosmetics and personal care products.
She's a veteran at helping people solve their health challenges naturally, without the use of drugs.
The study of nutrition has been a passion for Dr. Farlow since 1975. Before becoming a doctor, people were coming to her unsolicited, asking for nutritional advice. She’s been counseling patients professionally since 1984 and researching ingredients in foods, cosmetics and personal care products since 1991.
Dr. Farlow is the author of three health and nutrition books:
FOOD ADDITIVES: A Shopper's Guide...
HEALTHY EATING: For Extremely Busy People...
DYING TO LOOK GOOD
Her books evolved out of her experience counseling patients back to health and wellness.
