organic makeup?

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  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited July 2012

    pink butterfly-My first intro to formaldehyde was in a premed class I took in college where we worked on cadavers. Formaldehyde is indeed a great preservative. It kept the bodies from rotting, but the smell was so horrible I could barely get through class. Sorry to be so graphic. Needless to say, many cosmetics use it in their formulas, since it is not getting as much bad press as parabens, but it is probably even worse. Cosmetics need to be preserved somehow, otherwise bacteria grows and you are really putting toxins on our body. That is why it is not good to use things that are preservative free, unless you are using them quickly. Also, make sure you are using containers that keep the product enclosed, like squeeze tubes. If you are putting fingers in the pots, you risk contamination. The reason I switched to Usana is because they have patented a preserving process (which other companies have tried to buy) that is non toxic.

  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited August 2011

    A friend's father has skin cancer of the lip, which reminded me that we're supposed to be using sunscreen on our kissers.  As luck would have it, the new lip tint I've been using has sunscreen. It's Alba Botanical Terra Tint 70% organic. Active ingredient is zinc oxide 5.1% SPF 8. So not an SPF powerhouse but...a good excuse to reapply during the day? ;) I've been happy with this. I'm not a makeup expert, but I personally like this better than the fancier lipsticks I had been using; it's not so thick and gooey, so I kind of forget it's there. Seem like the color stays on your lips longer ("tints" them?). Cheaper than the fancy lipsticks. I found it at Whole Foods.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2011

    Vivre-

    Yes, I hear you. I was pre-med too. On the day that we opened the bags that contained the formaldehyde, I actually got sick from the smell - a full blown illness, sore throat, aches, had to see the Dr. the next day. I am certain that it is bad - I am just wondering what other chemical names it might have, since I'm sure they wouldn't put the word 'formaldehyde' on an ingredient list.

    Thanks.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2011

    Btw, I have to post on hair color, as I have found something that makes my life 10x easier. I have been using a mixture of henna, amla, and indigo, to color my dark brown, now graying hair since it started growing back after chemo. I liked the results, but found the application process messy and had a very difficult time applying it to my roots, would end up missing sections, and it is not a process one can easily repeat. I started researching ways to make the henna recipe into a gel, which I had come across before, but found a really easy method. The website is called renaissancehenna and it's in the discussion forum (sorry, don't know how to post a link). You basically prepare a mixture of water and arrowroot powder and use that to prepare the herbs. It applied like regular hair color. The directions say to prepare the henna and use right away, but I found that thte dye release was poor and my color was not as rich as I liked, so I plan to let it sit next time for 8 hrs, which is what I usually do. Anyhow, was really close to going back to regular hair color because it was so hard to do, couldn't imagine doing it with longer hair, which I hope to have someday, but this was so much like using regular hair color (except non-toxic and my hair looks so much healthier) that I think I will never go back now. I still haven't figured out how to stop the drips, which drive me bananas since I have to leave it on for 8 hrs to get decent gray coverage...forgot to mention, after preparing the mixture, I poured it into an old plastic water bottle (with a squeeze cap) and it was super easy to apply.

    This made such a difference for me, just had to share!

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2011

    One more thing -

    The henna goes a long way with this method, so you probably could cut the amount by at least 1/3. I didn't and ended up using too much , which is probably why I had so many drips!

  • 4minniemousegirl
    4minniemousegirl Member Posts: 26
    edited August 2011

    thanks everyone for this thread, i recently had a bc "scare" ...thankfully results were b9...but those few weeks while i was waiting for biopsy/results were very scary and got me thinking and doing research on nutrition and skin care products. I hope to stay b9 and want to make some positive changes in what i put in and on my body! i have switched to organic/natural skin care and makeup (trying to find products still) as well as skin care for my young daughters including sunscreen. 

    have a wonderful weekend all, thanks for the GREAT info!

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited August 2011

    4minniemousegirl glad you were b9 and glad you found this thread.  There is alot of good info on here.  I have been switching out my products little by little.  Just can't aford to throw everything out at once.

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited August 2011

    pinkbutterfly- I have not figured out what the forms of formaldehyde are called. I am sure it is like MSG, when people started avoiding it, they just come up with some other name to hide it. I guess we will have to do some research. I wonder how all those docs who work with it stay alive.  I bet they have high rates of cancer. There are so many toxins in medicine. No wonder why doctors and nurses have shorter lifespans than average. As for the hair dye, this is just one thing that I cannot give up. I have change most everything else so I figure a little hair dye every couple of months will not kill me. Besides it is going on the one thing that is dead already, hair. I guess we do get some absorbtion from the scalp so I just hope that all the antioxidants I take are countering it. That 8 hour thing is more than my patience could bear, and I am not ready to be gray yet. I want to at least wait til someone is calling grandma before I look like one. lol

    4minnie-I am so happy that you are not joining this club, and I am just thrilled that you have taken this scare to be proactive. Breast cancer is preventable if you learn to understand the causes and minimize them. One thing that will really help is to keep your vitamin D level about 60. I try to  stay in the 80's. Also, look at the iodine forum and read Dr. Brownsteins book, Iodine, why you need it and why you can't live without it. I cannot tell you how his iodine protocol has not only changed the way I feel, but has changed the physiology of my breasts. And finally, if you have any root canals or mercury amalgams, do the research on how these are linked to breast health.

  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited August 2011

    sherryc, I got some of the Mychelle SPF 28. Thanks a lot. I've tried it a few days and I like it better than what I'd been using. They claim their zinc oxide is clear, so maybe that's why there's less white residue to blend in. Thanks for the tip. As an FYI, I later went to a different local health food store and they had several different mychelle travel/sample kits. Each kit has about 8-10 items for about $25. I wish more companies would make it easy to try a bunch of their stuff. I'm planning to buy one of these but maybe next month (since I bought a few new "beauty" things recently). I saw they have them on Amazon, if anyone is curious). If you click-through on the images below (to the VitaCost website) they list each item that's included in each kit

     http://www.amazon.com/MyChelle-All-One-Normal-Gift/dp/B002JCSM02/ref=sr_1_51?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1313626393&sr=1-51

  • Melizzard
    Melizzard Member Posts: 121
    edited August 2011

    AWESOME post, Vivre!!!!!! 

    xxoo

    Melissa

  • Melizzard
    Melizzard Member Posts: 121
    edited August 2011

    Mascara is the one thing I've never even considered looking for as a clean product.  It doesn't get on my skin, so I pretty much don't worry about that one.  Same goes for any hair styling product I don't put on my roots .. and I just wash my hands reallly well right after applying.  Sometimes we just have to pick our battles.  LOL

    I tried lash extensions for a while, and they were AWESOME, but they just wouldn't say on my lashes so I got them removed.  My lashes were SO short for months after, but have now recovered, even on chemo.  :)

    xxoo

    Melissa

  • D4Hope
    D4Hope Member Posts: 352
    edited August 2011

    Any good anti wrinkle creams out there that don't have estrogen in them. I am not even really sure if the creams work LOL, but in my mind my skin seems tighter. I know it sounds vain but I hate my droopy cheeks.

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited July 2012

    I just got this list from Bea Kinnear, author of Your Skin and You. This is such a great book. Here is what she says about formaldehyde:

    "Formaldehyde is involved in DNA damage and inhibits repair. Here is a list of the most popular formaldehyde ingredients used in skin and hair care products:

    Diazolidinyl Urea, DMDM Hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Hydorxymethyglycinate, Quatemium"

    Here is what she says about Parabens: "Recent studies show that even a low level of Parabens can have Estrogenic Effects. Here is a list of Parabens to check for in skin care products:

    Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Isobutyl Parabens"

    PHEW! Are those words hard to type! Who comes up with those names. I am sure I have a lot of typos in there. lol

    D4Hope-Usana has a wonderful antiwrinkle creme called Sense Night Renewal. Usana has a patent on a paraben and formaldehyde free preserving process. It has also been showing to help protect the skin during rads. 

    I still use coconut oil most of the time as my skincare but Sense (pronounced sen say, I can't type those french accents) is the only other product line I use.

    Melizzard-coconut oil is great for removing mascara, fyi. 

  • supersally
    supersally Member Posts: 351
    edited August 2011

    And where does one buy Usana, Vivre?  Does coconut oil leave a residue on your eyes?  I don't like oily residue around my eyes as it can interfere with my contacts.  Alba (I think) has a nice eye makeup remover.  It's the sunscreen brand, I get it at Whole Foods.

  • Valgirl
    Valgirl Member Posts: 187
    edited August 2011

    I've been using the Usana Sense Serum Intensive and I love it.   It firms and smooths.  I put it on in the morning before my makeup.   I am also looking into the other Sense products. 

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2011

    Yes to blueberries has very nice makeup remover towelettes, rated 1by EWG. Also, came across a website called minimalistbeauty.com. There are some really good DIY tips on there. I found a recipe for makeup primer, there is also one for tinted moisturizer, liquid foundation, lots of other stuff using simple ingredients from your kitchen. I had read about using honey to wash your face, but it didn't sound very appealing. My face has been flaky and breaking out lately, and after reading about honey again, decided to try it. Well, I absolutely loved how it made my face feel! Not dry, not oily, very soft and comfortable. Target has raw organic honey in a mess-proof container, which is perfect to keep in the bathroom. I also made toner from a recipe in this blog using green tea, ACV, aloe gel and glycerin ( I changed it up a bit). Hopefully, this will balance out and calm my skin. It felt very nice, and just about all of it was edible.

  • Belinda44
    Belinda44 Member Posts: 718
    edited August 2011

    Dr. Weiss' recent "Think Pink, Live Green" column talks about personal care products:

    http://community.breastcancer.org/livegreen/the-possible-price-of-beauty/

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited August 2011

    pinkbutterfly and Belinda thanks for the links.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2011

    Hautelook (hautelook.com) is having a sale on 100 percent pure. Most items are at least 50% off the regular price. Great way to try out some of their stuff, which tends to be pricey.

  • Cat123
    Cat123 Member Posts: 296
    edited August 2011

    I have found Lavera to be really great!

  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited August 2011

    Thanks Belinda! We were just going to post a link to that :)

    --The Mods

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited September 2011

    Wanted to share about organic cold pressed coconut oil.  I know that we have discussed this on this thread before and it't benefits.  Anyway my DS and DIL were visiting from Seattle.  It has been two years since we have seen them.  My DIL commented on how great my skin was looking and wanted to know what I had been doing.  It is the coconut oil.  I started using it on my face around January and I knew that it was helping me but did not realize how much. 

  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited September 2011

    Thanks for posting that Sherryc.

  • mdg
    mdg Member Posts: 3,571
    edited September 2011

    I found this article in a blog helpful to list out what is bad.  The only thing is there are so many things bad.....ugh!!!

    http://blog.cincovidas.com/ingredients-to-avoid-2

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2011

    I just came across something that said that Japanese honeysuckle, used as a natural preservative in many "natural" cosmetics, is chemically identical to parabens. Anybody else heard this? Any opinion on whether this is credible? I had heard that lavender and tree tree oil have some estrogenic properties as well. I am now feeling like my "natural" makeup isn't so safe anymore.

  • Valgirl
    Valgirl Member Posts: 187
    edited September 2011

    I have not heard anything about Japanese honeysuckle.  I did read that the lavender and tree tea oil have estrogenic properties.  I do not buy any products containing those as I am ER+.

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited September 2011

    I have also read that about lavender but have just not been able to give it up yet.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2011

    I have a few products (eyeshadow, maybe blush?) that contain lavender flower powder. I wonder how much is in there and how much it really takes to cause these estrogenic effects. I will say that I no longer slather myself in anything, natural or not, but oil (coconut, jojoba, almond). Can't beat a single ingredient product, and the skin is the largest organ in the body.

  • massagebyjulia
    massagebyjulia Member Posts: 25
    edited September 2011

    Whole Foods Market sells organic makeup.

  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited November 2011

    bump for Ceezetheday!!!

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