Read the label on everything! Then go to http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ to enter any ingredient or product to find out more about it. Use Wikipedia to look up definitions of chemical compounds. Use google to further investigate ingredients, definitions, uses.
Remember: you get what you pay for when buying personal care products. Spend a little more for products that have no synthetic fillers or extenders (esp. in makeup, the most common being talc) and the amount needed for each use is considerably smaller, thus extending the total overall numbers of use.Only a fraction of pure products and ingredients are needed for each use compared to those that are not.
Mineral makeup is superior to traditional makeup, in that it is longer lasting, sits on top of the skin rather than soaking into the skin and being absorbed, like liquid makeup. Liquids contain preservatives. Minerals are more pigmented so less is needed to cover. Longer lasting, since pores have room to breathe – you won’t sweat it off. Beware of BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE, a common ingredient in some mineral lines for an opalescent sheen that is a product of lead refinement. It usually turns up in the more expensive lines (Trish McEvoy, True), rather than the cheaper ones (Afterglow, Alima)
Just because something is labeled as a baby product (baby oil, baby lotion, baby shampoo, etc) doesn’t mean it’s more safe and gentle. Baby oil is mostly mineral oil, which is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum. Baby products, unless specifically formulated from organic ingredients without toxic preservatives, are still going to contain the same things as adult products – parabens, etc.
Traditional lipsticks and lipgosses contain mostly mineral oil or vaseline type ingredients. The average woman will ingest 10 pounds of petroleum by-product during her lifetime from simply licking her lips while wearing lipstick. Good alternatives are shea butter, candellila or canuaba wax.
Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470 or E120, is a pigment of a bright red color obtained from by boiling dried insects in water to extract the carminic acid and then treating the clear solution with alum, cream of tartar, stannous chloride, or potassium hydrogen oxalate. Carmine is used as a food dye in many different products such as juice, ice cream, yogurt, and candies, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. Although principally a red dye, it is found in many foods that are shades of red, pink, and purple. As a food dye it has been known to cause severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock in some people.
Search for nail polishes that do not contain formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP (pthalates) which are incredibly toxic ingredients – both for our bodies and for the earth. (toluene is a key ingredient in gasoline, and all gasoline pumps in the state of California are required to post health warnings about toluene!)Look for non-toxic polishes at Whole Foods: Honeybee Gardens, Causemetics, Online: Zoya, Priti (coming soon)
Buy homemade/handcrafted soaps with herbs and flowers in them at farmer’s markets – support local business and avoid chemical additives. Beware of Greenwashing – just because something is labeled ‘organic’ or ‘all-natural’ doesn’t mean it’s free of toxic ingredients. Consider packaging – the less, the better.
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