I mentioned yesterday that I am reading Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano.  I am half-way through this book and find it so fascinating.  Most people believe that to go "green" you have to wear birkenstocks, grow your underarm hair, and eat twigs.  Mrs. Uliano proves this theory wrong.  She has 8 steps to living an Earth-Friendly (hate that word) life.  I'm going to go through a few steps.  The first is just becoming aware that everything you do impacts our environment in some way.  Boring.  The 2nd step is to use healthy, environmental/organic beauty products. Fun.

First of all, pull out your make-up, shampoos, conditioners, body lotion, baby supplies, anything that you smooth on your body.  Look on the packages for these ingredients that The Environmental Working Group says is dangerous:

1. Coal tar: Used in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams, coal tar is a known carcinogen.  Coal tar-based dyes such as FD&C Blue 1, which are used in toothpastes, and FD&C Green3, which is used in mouthwash, should be avoided.

2.  Fragrance:  This ubiquitous term is used to mask hundreds of ingredients, including phthalates, which disrupt the endocrine system and could cause reporductive and developmental harm.

3. Hydroquinone:  Commonly found in skin lighteners and facial moisturizers, it is a neurotoxin and is allergenic.

4.  Aluminum:  Often used in eye shadow as a color additive and also used in deodorants, it is listed as a carcinognic, toxic, and mutagenic.

5.  Triclosan:  This chimical is used in almost all antibacterial products, including soap, toothpaste, and cosmetics.  Triclosan is often contaminated with dioxins, which are highly carcinogenic and can also weaken your immune system, decrease fertility, and cause birth defects.

6.  P-Phenylenediamine:  This is the chemical that has given a bad name to regular hair dye.  It can damage your nervous system, cause lung irritation, and cause severe allergic reactions.  It's also listed as ,4-Benzenediamine; p-Phenyldiamine and 4-Phenylenediamine.

7.  Lead and Mercury:  Lead could appear in toothpaste as a naturally occurring contaminant of hydrated silica.  It is a neurotoxin that also appears as lead acetate in men's hair dye.  Mercury is found in a cosmetic (and vaccine) called thimerosol.

Some other chemicals that are bad, but not extremely dangerous are:

Parabens, Phthalates, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Polyethylene Glycol, Formaldehyde Producing Preservatives, Talc, Acrylates and Methacrylates, Alcohol, Isopropyl, Tocopherol Acetate, Phenonip, Quaternary Ammonium Compounds, Cationic Surfectants, Benzyl Alcohol, Silicone Derived Emollients, Carbomber 934, 940, 941, 960, 961C

To find out if a certain cosmetic is safe go onto www.safecosmetics.org.  For a list of Gorgeously Green approved products go onto www.gorgeouslygreen.com/cheatsheet.  I will have more information in the days to come on living a gorgeous lifestyle "green".

Blessings,

~Farrah

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Posted by Kitty

Great Post. I am going to have to get a copy of that book. .........Kitty

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