Which paraben free products do you use?

It's abhorrent that there are no regulations regarding listing ingredients on the labels - or on the use of the words "natural", "safe", "organic", etc.

I know, right? I decided right then and there all my oils are going to come from Australia. They list EVERYTHING right down to the minutia of the extraction process. North America seems to have such a penchant for deception. Do they really think people won't notice??? I'm mad that I was deceived.

dr hauschkau's rosemary leg & arm toner: good for any number of things including that

Hi all! I've posted my question below on the Bottle O Tamoxifen thread because it concerns tamoxifen use and products containing grapefruit/soy but thought I'd give it a go here as well

I have an odd question that I can't find an answer to and I'm curious. I'm hoping someone can help. You know how we're not supposed to eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while taking tamoxifen, well, what about using products containing grapefruit oils or extracts such as body lotion, shampoo or conditioner? Should we avoid those as well? I guess I could ask the same question of lotions, shampoos, and conditioners containing soy, too. Thanks!

In vitro, grapefruit juice is a CYP2D6 and CYP2C9 inhibitor. Tamoxifen is metabolized by CYP3A4, CYP2D6, and to a lesser extent by both CYP2C9 and CYP2C19, to other potent, active metabolites including endoxifen, which have up to 33 times more affinity for the estrogen receptor than tamoxifen. These metabolites are then inactivated by sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1). Grapefruit juice may inhibit the metabolism of tamoxifen to these metabolites, which have up to 33 times more affinity for the estrogen receptor than tamoxifen.[58104] [41246] [58336] Some data suggest that the efficacy of tamoxifen is reduced when coadministered with CYP2D6 inhibitors. A trial of 1,298 patients with breast cancer compared the rate of breast cancer recurrence in patients treated with tamoxifen with or without a CYP2D6 inhibitor. Patients who received tamoxifen in combination with a CYP2D6 inhibitor had a significantly higher rate of breast cancer recurrence at 2 years (13.9% v. 7.5%, p < 0.001).[35604] A separate observational study of 1,990 patients assessed event free time with adjuvant tamoxifen treatment for breast cancer. Only 215 of these patients were administered a CYP2D6 inhibitor, however no clinically significant differences were observed with the addition of a CYP2D6 inhibitor.[35605] Concomitant use of grapefruit juice and tamoxifen may result in decreased concentrations of the active metabolites of tamoxifen, which may compromise efficacy. Consider avoiding concomitant use of grapefruit juice and tamoxifen; if it is not possible to avoid concomitant use, monitor patients for changes in the therapeutic effects of tamoxifen.

Consuming grapefruit juice may inhibit the metabolism of tamoxifen to its more active metabolites,,,, I can't find anything about topical use of grapefruit juice,, but I wonder if enough would be absorbed thru the skin to have an effect. I personally find it doubtful. But if you want to be absolutely safe, then I would avoid those products.

Good question about the grapefruit. I had similar questions regarding hyaluronic acid. I found out from a member here, that it's a bad to use internally. I wonder if the same holds true for skin. How much would be absorbed, I wonder? Any thoughts? I don't think there's any point in asking my same doctor who was going to inject the stuff into my ribs....he obviously didn't know it was a bad idea!

Think Dirty and Skin Deep are good resources. Parabens and sulfates are really only part of the problem. There are so many other harmful chemicals that we need to watch out for: fragrance, triclosan, PEGs, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, ingredients that end in "-eth". I could go on and on - - actually, happy to if you want to chat! LOL!

EU does ban a lot of chemicals (1300); but given the fact that there are so many chemicals (80,000) that aren't banned, and other environmental and genetic factors that I think it's hard to compare.

There might be some interesting facts here: http://www.healthdata.org/gbd

Regarding "fragrance". The chemicals used to create it (or hide it) are not required to be listed individually, hence the high score on some products. Granted, some are rated high due to allergy or asthma reasons, which isn't a problem for me, but a great many are listed high because of endocrine toxicity. That bothers me....and it applies to fragrance-free products as well. Scary.

From the David Suzuki Foundation:

"Some fragrance ingredients are not perfuming agents themselves but enhance the performance of perfuming agents. For example, diethyl phthalate (prounced tha-late), or DEP, is widely used in cosmetic fragrances to make the scent linger. Phthalates are choice ingredients in cosmetics because they are cheap and versatile. However, theEuropean Commission on Endocrine Disruption has listed DEP as a Category 1 priority substance, based on evidence that it interferes with hormone function. Phthalates have been linked to early puberty in girls, reduced sperm count in men, and reproductive defects in the developing male fetus (when the mother is exposed during pregnancy). Phthalate metabolites are also associated with obesity and insulin resistance in men. As well, Health Canada notes evidence suggesting that exposure to phthalates may cause liver and kidney failure in young children when products containing phthalates are sucked or chewed for extended periods. DEP is listed as a Priority and Toxic Pollutant under the U.S. Clean Water Act, based on evidence that it can be toxic to wildlife and the environment."

It is scary! I saw the same article on Facebook yesterday, too.

anyone have a dish liquid without sodium laurith sulfate?

I use cremes, think one i have now is E Derma no parablens, Aveeno but i check the labels some of their stuff does have parabens in it and scent, also Eucerin im disappoined has parabens.. Andalou I got, but the scent is quite strong for me right now i do love the smell however Sierra

Just curious: what is the metabolic/biochemical process by which parabens, phthalates and bPA are endocrine disruptors? Do they convert to estrogens themselves (or to androstenedione which aromatase then converts to estrogen)? If the latter, I would imagine that aromatase inhibitors would be effective against them as well as against the androstenedione that our adrenals and fat cells naturally produce after our ovaries stop producing estrogen; and tamoxifen would block the estrogen thus produced from occupying the tumor cells’ receptors just as well as it does naturally-produced estrogen. If the former, I’d be interested to learn about the process.

I stopped using bPA-containing plastics and cans long ago. I’ve been using Organix hair care products (keratin, argan and coconut oil) for five years because they are sodium and sulfate-free. I am extremely lazy about skin care (just swiping off my makeup with Burt’s Bees wipes and following up with black soap and a generic Clarisonic-type brush) even though I have a ton of anti-aging products---who has the time to slather on all that gunk? I just slap on some tinted sunscreen (Bare Minerals) if I’m going outside in daylight. Never use foundation anyway except when onstage in a large theater for the weeklong run of Bar Assn. annual musical (and I’m taking this year off from that). When I remember, I put on Andalou night cream from Whole Foods, which doesn’t have any of that stuff. As to antiperspirant or deodorant, I am not concerned about aluminum--except for my right armpit during radiation, when I’ll be using Tom’s of Maine deodorant for the smell and plain cornstarch for the wetness. Which if any antiperspirants do and don’t contain endocrine disruptors?

When attending a convention or conference of any kind, I avoid fragranced products out of concern for MCS-afflicted attendees. (I wash my hair at home before leaving and again once I get home).

But because I expect my combo skin will get drier once letrozole puts the kibosh on what little estrogen I make, I’d be interested in any proven anti-aging products that don’t contain endocrine disruptors.

The theory is that parabens (xenoestrogens) are absorbed thru the skin. No reason that couldn't be-afterall nicotine and hormonal patches deliver in this fashion. From one article I read:

"Parabens promote the growth of damaged cells: as stated, parabens mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen. [3] And the role of oestrogen in the growth of breast cancer has been well established."

As for it being too late or AIs or Tamoxifen being enough to offset these: AIs inhibit aromotase production by the adrenals-the major source of estrogen in postmenopausal women, they don't work for premenopausal women because they don't stop estrogen produced by the ovaries-no reason to think this would protect these women from estrogen from other sources like HRT therapy or xenoestrogens from cosmetics or any other source.

Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen blocker, it blocks estrogen in some places (breasts) but increases it in other places (bones-good, uterine lining-not so good). Some premenopausal women use ovarian suppression along with tamoxifen to help protect them, so reducing total estrogen seems to be part of the goal-adding things like parabens can't help things IMO.

Then there are the environmental factors, damage to our earth that using all these chemicals causes and of course our children. Maybe it is too late for me, but not for my daughters.

I threw out all my Yves Rocher products after reading the labels-they are so not natural. In any case, I've not found it a hardship to use only natural products and I've not had any reactions to any products I've tried. Coconut oil seems to be my go to product of choice for all things dry.

But I do agree with you that it isn't worth doing if it causes you stress or makes you feel your life is "devoid of many if not most things you found pleasurable." In my case, being proactive in this area makes me feel (whether it's true or not, who knows) like I am doing something good for myself and the environment and I don't really miss most of the products I've thrown out/replaced with natural products. I feel better without gluten too, LOL , but it's really up to each of us, about what makes us comfortable and what we feel might help us-never underestimate the placebo effect! If you want to keep using products with parabens or whatever in them, you don't have to explain it to anyone here, but by the same token, those of us who have chosen to view BC as a wake-up call and make changes we consider to be helpful and positive for ourselves shouldn't be expected to have to explain ourselves either. Do the research, make up your own mind about what you are/are not willing to change or do, and try to make peace with it. It is a bit of a crap shoot, no doubt. Of course for years it was claimed that tobacco was perfectly harmless, even healthy, but now we know better. It's hard to say what the future will bring in terms of just how dangerous these chemicals are or are not, but I've found I don't miss them and don't need them.

Leggo - is that ghee?

have you tried Thrive Market?