organic makeup?

I've also used the Alba brand, both SPF 30 & 45. I didn't find it to be too white, it rubbed in ok. If you go online, there are a lots available.

Wow, this is a great thread, thanks for the info. I used Clinique for years and they say their new products are parabens-free but hard to know what else could cause problems. I've switched to BWC (Beauty Without Cruelty). Anybody know more about them?

I really like 100percentpure.com.I have a great mascara made of blueberries!

For Hairspray, I recently found one made of quinoa, believe it or not! I think it's Aubrey Organics.

Lisa

www.pinkkitchen.info

Peggy_j - I discovered a makeup brand called Tarte.  Ulta and sephora both carry it, you can get it online if you don't have a store nearby.  It is free of all the bad stuff.  I have just thrown out the old stuff for the most part.  It is weird to throw it out, but you're right, what else can you do?  No advice on hair gel - no hair   Your DH is right, some people will still choose to buy it.  I am using a mascara that is made from flowers, I don't remember the line but I bought it in a small boutique here ,not sure if widely available.  My eyes water so much from chemo righ tnow I might as well not bother, but I still do.  Health food stores also can be good places to go for healthful cosmetic choices (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc).

Love this thread!  I just ordered the mascara from 100percentpure.com.  Thanks sdstarfish!!!

Slowly getting there.

I am really enjoying this thread.  I am trying to make changes one step at a time.  Just can't bring myself to through out stuff but when it comes to replacing I am replacing with things that are good for me.  Makeup, bath products and food.

I have a friend who uses coconut oil to remove makeup and as a moisturizer. I just bought myself a jar of Rapunzel organic coconut oil and will try it tonight.

Thanks all, I've ordered 100% Pure's eyeliner and mascara for starters -- what about facial soap after removing make-up? I'm still using Clinique's, don't want anything scented.

SusanK8 where to you get Bentonite clay?  Where I live here in Texas we have a huge clay reserve of it.  It is used in alot of things.  But just curious where you purchase it.

Thanks.... I will use my coconut oil.

Susan thanks for the information I will give it a try

The best thing we can do to have good skin is from the inside out. Nutrition and high quality supplements are the key.

I know I have said this before, but be careful about taking the word of the EWG and cosmeticsdatabase. I have not been able to find out where they get their "science" from. They have a lot of misinformation. Some of the stuff they proport is bad is pretty innocuous. What I have been able to find about these groups is that they are political orgs that solicit donations so they can funnel money to lobbyists and buy political power. I cannot believe a word they print at this point.

That said, I am keeping my skin care very basic. I have been using coconut oil for my skin for a couple of years now, and I love it. Even my french friend was impressed when she visited and said she  forgot her makeup remover. I gave her my coconut oil and she loved it. The only line of skin care that I buy is the Sense line by Usana. There shampoo, conditioner and shower gel is fantastic. I even use the conditioner to shave my legs. My legs end up so smooth. They have a patent on a preservative, no parabens or formaldyhydes. Many companies will say no parabens and use formaldehyde, which is more toxic. Be careful of anything that says it is organic. Who knows what that means. Poison Ivy is organic. And if there is no preservative, how do they keep bacteria from forming? Also, do not buy cosmetics in little pots that you put your hand it. It can cause contamination. Squeeze containers are safer.

Sodium Laureth sulfate is one of those ingredients that the EWG has vilified that is actually not proven to be any problem. It is used to make soap foamy. Keep in mind that the products that stay on the skin are what we need to be more concious of than those that we just wash with. They do not absorb much.

I use to go crazy worrying about all this stuff. After reading "Your Skin and You" by Bea Kinnear, I feel much less anxious. She has done a lot of reserach and separates fact from fiction. She talks about how we are scared off of all ingredients, when some just have not proven to be a problem. She also breaks down every ingredient and explains why each is used in cosmetics. It is a very informative book.

This is from the American Cancer Society:

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Contrary to popular rumors on the Internet, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium

Laureth Sulfate (SLES) do not cause cancer. Both are common ingredients, which create

foam and bubbles, and are found in most shampoos, cosmetic cleaners, bath and shower

gels, bubble baths, tooth pastes and mouth rinses. Both compounds are cosmetic

detergents, which exert emulsifying action, thereby removing oil and soil from the hair and

skin.

E-mails have been flying through cyberspace claiming SLS causes cancer and industry

officials know this product is harmful. One radical e-mail stated, "This substance is found in

most shampoos, and the manufacturers use it because it produces a lot of foam and it is

cheap. But, the fact is that SLS is used to scrub garage floors...and is proven to cause

cancer in the long run."

A report from an expert panel of the Cosmetic Ingredient Review committee and released by

the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA) concluded, "On the basis of

available information...Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are safe as

presently used in cosmetic products."

"The ingredients have been shown to produce eye and/or skin irritation...in some human test

subjects; irritation may occur in some users of cosmetic formulations containing the

ingredients under consideration," the report continued. "The irritation effects are similar to

those produced by other detergents and the severity of the irritation appears to increase

directly with concentration."

A search of recognized medical journals yielded no published articles relating this substance

to cancer in humans.

"These rumors on the Internet are absolutely ridiculous. Like many other chemicals, it is the

manner of usage that is important. As long as you don't rub it all over your body and reapply

it every hour for 24 hours, it's perfectly safe," said researcher, Keith Green, PhD, DSc, of the

Medical College of Georgia, who began studying SLS and its compounds in 1982 and

carried out his work through 1987.

"We did a study using diluted SLS as an eye drop. We put the test amount on the eye of a

rabbit and after a certain amount of time we found that SLS got inside the tissues, heart,

brain, lungs, but in very minute amounts," Dr. Green said. "Second, all of it washed out in 96

hours."

He also found SLS behaved differently in younger rabbits than in adult rabbits. "It [SLS] went

in faster and came out faster. Whatever you place on the eye, only 1/1000 of that amount

gets inside the eye. So, if you put on one milligram, one microgram goes in," he said. "The

eye stayed pristine. There was no redness and no irritation. These were not toxic effects."

Dr. Green's research has been misquoted in several e-mail messages and statements. His

research primarily concentrated on whether SLS was an eye irritant. He did not study

whether or not SLS causes cancer and is not aware of any studies in this area at this time.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate has several names: Sodium Dodecyl Polyoxyethylene Sulfate,

Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ethoxysulfate and Sodium Polyoxyethylene

Lauryl Sulfate. Ammonium Laureth Sulfate's alternative name is Ammonium Lauryl Ether

Sulfate. These two compounds have the same general formula but differ in chemical

properties.

 Debunking the Myth

SusanK8, a dark semi-permanat dye is what I used to use.  I may have to  reconcile myself to the idea of grey hair.