If you’ve ever wondered about the safety of the products you use on your body every day, you will love the Environmental Working Group’s website, Skin Deep: Cosmetics Database. You may wonder how you ever lived without it. Sure, you might already know to avoid sodium laurel/laureth sulfates, parabens, talc, petroleum derivatives, mineral oil, and phthalates, but what about the other stuff? Seriously, how many “bad” ingredients can a girl keep stockpiled in her head at one time? It’s hard to keep up, and even brands that market themselves as “all natural” and “organic” are unreliable. Take Jason, for example. Or Avalon Organics. Aubrey. Alba. Bare Minerals. All of these brands use problem ingredients in one or more products.
Think that’s not a big deal? Consider that your skin is the body’s largest organ. Consider that your skin absorbs what you put on top of it, that these chemicals end up in your blood stream. That parabens appear to act like hormones in the body. That even though you’d never dream of eating what’s in your skin care, hair care, and cosmetic products, they infiltrate your body anyway.
Yes, we live in an unavoidably toxic world these days. I’m not suggesting that we can avoid all toxins, but why not sidestep the ones we can? We have the opportunity to limit the burden. So go check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. They make the process of selecting safe, quality products for your body simple. They catalogue thousands of products and are adding new ones all the time. You can search by product type, by brand, by ingredient–virtually anything.
While a lot of the best choices are pricey, you might be surprised by how affordable many of them are. Burt’s Bees, for example, has created a number of outstanding, safe products that are easy on the wallet. I like Jason too, even though I have learned to avoid many items in their line. For great values, check out www.vitacost.com. This website offers significant discounts on lots of great brands. I have compared their prices with the ones I can find in stores, and Vitacost’s prices are truly discounted, although not always to the extent they claim. Vitacost offers a flat shipping charge of $4.99, which doesn’t negate the savings on their products as long as you order enough at one time. Also keep in mind that you’re avoiding sales tax by ordering online. If you’re so inclined, you might also check out their vitamins and supplements. I have found amazing deals there on some of my most expensive supplements (and they’re identical products, not knock-offs). Vitacost has truly been a life-saver for our budget.
I was wondering if your experience with Vitacost customer service has always been positive? I have found that these companies online not only offer good deals but also go the extra mile in customer service (I have purchased from both Vitacost and Vitabase and they are both outstanding.)
Yes, I have had a good experience with Vitacost’s customer service. I experienced a problem with an order recently, and after they did not respond to my email about it, I called their toll-free number. The customer service rep was courteous and helpful, quickly rectifying the problem. In the future, I will always speak with a representative over the phone, rather than communicating via email. True, they were not as responsive as I would have liked, but when I can get a $36 supplement for $22 (the EXACT same product), I’m willing to put up with a little inconvenience. Thanks for the Vitabase suggestion. I’ve never heard of them before. I’ll be sure to check them out.
Thank you for posting this. I’ve become pretty militant about the products I use on my skin and hair in the past couple of years, and always thought Jason was completely trouble free. Disappointing, but enlightening. I’ll check out the website you recommended.
In an effort to help minimize costs, my husband has even started making our bath soap, and it turns out that it’s easy to make, works well, and smells super nice.
Thanks for the info.
Yes, I had been buying almost all Jason products until I found Skin Deep. The website has been an invaluable resource. I still use a few Jason products, including flouride-free tooth paste, but I’ve switched to other hair and skin care products. The one thing I haven’t yet given up is the wonderful EFA lotion. Man, I love that stuff! I need to find a replacement soon…
How does your husband make bath soap? I would love to do that for my household!
He started making soap by buying a kit for it online. All ingredients were premeasured, and he added the appropriate amount of scented oil and herbs (in this case peppermint oil and dried rosemary). Turns out that it is surprisingly easy to do atbhome, and he just made our second batch, this time lavender goatsmilk. Can you see my email when you log in to the site? If so, send me your email address or have your husband send it to me (we work in the same group), and I’ll forward you some of the websites that my husband uses for his supplies. I can also get a sample to you if you like.
I’ll finish up the Jason products I have and then switch to something new. I’ll also be hard pressed to change from my fav product - their Tall Grass shampoo - but at least it’s not too high on the toxicity rating.
So you use a fluoride-free toothpaste…? What led you to use that if I may ask?
Look forward to talking with you again.