I’m a huge fan of the Stuff series. I’m also a huge fan of organic body care industry reform. Mash them up and weeeeee! Check out the newest, just out this week, Story of Cosmetics..

Also see – Organic vs. Green Body Care

You know, with summer here and so much to post about I’ve sort of let the non-toxic body care series slide. In case you need to catch up, we first looked at how to keep toxic body care products and cosmetics out of your home. Then we looked at USDA Certified Organic body care products and Organic vs. Green Body Care Products.

Next up some icky old ingredients you should avoid. Really there are scads of chemicals and ingredients you should avoid in body care and beauty products, but this list is the baddest of the bad. If you see one of these ingredients listed in a product I’d suggest finding an alternative.

Note, I was going to actually list what these ingredients are found in, health concerns and links to more info, but after doing two of these I realized it would take me forever. That said, I’ll add to this from time to time – eventually linking all the ingredients to a more substantial post.

PS – these aren’t in danger order. I ended up placing them in basic alphabetical order because I kept forgetting if I’d listed a chemical or not.

1. 1,4-dioxane

2. Butyl Acetate

3. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)

4. Coal Tar

5. Diethanolamine (DEA)

6. Diazolidinyl Urea

7. Ethyl Acetate

8. Formaldehyde

9. Hydroquinone

10. Lead

11. Nitrosamines

12. Parabens

13. Petrolatum

14. Phthalates

15. Propylene glycol

16. Sodium Laurel Sulfate

17. Synthetic Musks

18. Talc

19. Triclosan

20. Triethanolamine

Found in: Nitromusks known as musk ketone and polycyclic musks along with Galaxolide and Tonalide are most commonly found in many perfumes for women, lotions, colognes and body sprays and fragrance for men. They’re less commonly  found in exfoliating products, acne treatments, facial moisturizer and other body care products.

Health concerns: The biggest issue with synthetic musks is the total lack of research surrounding them. Several studies suggest synthetic musks may disrupt hormone systems or trigger skin sensitization when exposed to UV light. Synthetic musks identified in fragrances have been found in the cord blood of newborn babies and in blood, breast milk and body fat. Other possible issues include developmental/reproductive toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) and organ system toxicity.

Learn more:

• Synthetic musk facts
• Your Perfume Could Harbor Nasty Secrets
• A Whiff of Danger: Synthetic Musks May Encourage Toxic Bioaccumulation

Found in: Who knows what? An analysis by the Environmental Working Group suggests that 1,4-dioxane may be found in 22% of the more than 25,000 products in the Skin Deep database of cosmetics products BUT you likely won’t see it on an ingredient list.  1,4-dioxane is a contaminant not an ingredient and the FDA does not require that contaminants be listed among intentionally added ingredients even though the FDA themselves classify 1,4-dioxane as a probable carcinogen. So, what to avoid?

The EWG suggests you…

“Look for products free of carcinogenic impurities. To avoid 1,4-dioxane, read ingredient labels and avoid any of the 56 cosmetic ingredients that can contain the contaminant, including “sodium laureth sulfate” and ingredients that include the clauses “PEG,” “xynol,” “ceteareth,” and “oleth.”

Health concerns: The MSDS sheet for 1,4-Dioxane notes that it’s a carcinogen and that effects of overexposure can cause eye, skin and mucous membrane irritation, central nervous system depression, nephrotoxin, and hepatotoxin.
Acute exposure can cause irritation, headache, dizziness, and narcosis. Chronic inhalation exposure can produce damage to the liver and kidneys, and blood disorders. Research also shows that 1,4-dioxane readily penetrates the skin.

Learn more:

• 1,4-dioxane facts
• 1,4-dioxane info from the EPA

Currently at Growing A Green Family we’re looking at how to keep toxic body care products and cosmetics out of your home. The other day we looked at USDA Certified Organic body care products. However, while organic is good, it’s not everything in my opinion when it comes to choosing safe non-toxic body care products for your family. Organic, even certified, doesn’t always equal the greenest or safest products. Organic is one eco-friendly factor, but there are others you should consider.

*NOTE: When I talk about body care and cosmetics I mean the following types of products – toothpaste, soaps, body washes, lip gloss, lotions, shampoo, hair coloring, nail polish, essential oils and all related products. Body care products, to me, means products you use on or in your body (such as conditioner or mouthwash) or body care accessories such as razors.

Green body care product factors to consider:

Is it organic? If so is it certified organic? By who? For example, here in the U.S., although the USDA Organic program has some serious faults, the USDA Certified Organic seal is pretty much the gold standard of organics and the best organic guarantee you can get beyond growing your own ingredients and making homemade organic body care products.

Have you read the label? Don’t trust products that make claims such as “dermatologist-tested,” “natural,” or “organic.” Read the ingredient list and see what’s in that product. My general rule is that if I don’t understand an ingredient without looking it up in a chemistry book, the product could probably be safer. Look up products at Skin Deep before you buy. For example, Earth Mama Angel Baby products all score very well at Skin Deep.

What’s up with the packaging? Is the packaging excessive or even necessary? For example, you can buy bars of soap with zero packaging at my local natural food store. You can get unpackaged soap, solid shampoo and solid conditioner at LUSH as well. Zero packaging is much greener than packaging. If there is packaging can it be recycled? Was the packaging made with recycled or eco-friendly materials?

Can you get it in bulk? Bulk is the greenest way to go when it comes to body care products but few companies offer this option. Some do though. For example I can get Dr. Bronner – Castile Liquid Soap in bulk (using refillable bottles) at a local natural grocers here in Portland along with some hand soaps, shampoos and conditioners. That’s a better deal for the earth than buying new bottles of soap over and over.

Where is the product made? Does it have to be shipped a long way to get to you. Can you choose a local product instead? Check out small boutiques, the co-op and the farmers markets near you to find local products.

Is it a token green product? I hate token green products. A token green product is when a company has a slew of bad toxic products, such as the Clorox company and one good product (Green Works). You can find companies who make all safe and non-toxic body care vs. a company who just makes one or two.

Is it tested on animals? Why buy products that are tested on animals when there’s so many that aren’t. Look for the Leaping Bunny – this is the only seal in the USA that guarantees you that a product is not tested on animals.

A couple of other issues to consider:

• Why should you buy it? – Is the product useful? Does it do what it’s supposed to do. In my experience green body care products tend to cost more than their conventional counterparts. With this in mind they better work and work well.
• Is it safe? Many organic, natural and/or eco-friendly products use flowers, herbs, essential oils and other natural ingredients in their products but natural is not always safe. Make sure you know which flowers and herbs are safe for your family and check for any essential oil allergies.
• Do you need it? I love eco-lip gloss but I don’t need as many as I have (I’m trying to break my lip gloss addiction). The best way to go green with almost any product is to buy less of it. Also, make sure you stick with products that work for you so you don’t buy a bunch of unnecessary products. Use less and live greener.

Although I do feel it’s important to support the organic industry when you can, eco-friendly is still a little more than simply organic. When choosing body care products consider all of the above.

In My plan to cut out excess packaging, I discussed my plans for cutting out excess packaging this year. However, first I need to know which packaging I have that’s excessive and can be cut, so a small green home audit about said packaging is in order.

I went through my bathroom and found the following packaging – along side each I’ve made notes about which I can cut and which I’m not so sure about.

Packaging in my bathroom:

• Organic Body wash – this was an unnecessary impulse buy and one I don’t need it and two I can cut it by using unwrapped bar soap, homemade body wash, or fill a reusable container with body wash at the natural food store.
• Organic Shampoo – I rarely use shampoo and don’t need a special kind so I can get a refillable bottle instead.
• Conditioner – I have naturally curly hair (blah) and use a super charged, really good organic conditioner. Since I can’t find a decent conditioner in bulk, I don’t know if I can cut this. One option is to make my own conditioner. I make hair masques, but I’ll have to look into conditioner.
• Organic face wash – I should make my own like I used to, but not sure if I want to. I like my current face wash.
• All natural facial grains – I LOVE these facial grains, but I can make my own in a reusable container, they’re not as good IMO, but close.
• Organic shaving cream – well, I could quit shaving, or figure out how to make my own. This is a bath product I haven’t ever tried to make though, so I’m not sure. We’ll call this a maybe.
• Razors – I use recycled razors from Preserve. Right now I like shaving, so I suppose I’ll keep them, but I don’t love how the Preserve razors work. My goal is to find an eco-razor I like better.
• Bath scrubby – I usually have a washable bath scrubby in the tub, most of the time made of natural hemp – right now though for the last year I’ve been using one made with organic cotton fibers. Since I use them to death and rewash, I’m not concerned.
• Lip gloss – OMG I have so much lip gloss that it’s embarrassing. I LOVE lip gloss, especially my Tarte lip gloss. I think though what I’ll do is just commit to buying new Tarte and one take along organic lip gloss when I run out, then recycle the packaging. Another option is to make my own lip gloss more often.
• Deodorant – This is one of the biggest baddies in my bathroom. I don’t buy organic or natural because I’ve never found one I like that works. Trust me, I’ve tried a ton too.  The perfect goal would be to find a healthier one that works in less packaging, but I’m not holding my breath.
• Cosmetics – I actually own very few cosmetics. I don’t really wear make-up much due to the excess packaging and time involved. I have maybe 4-5 organic products, but they were all sent to me by companies for reviews and all have recyclable packaging. However, it’s not like I’m out there buying cosmetics.
• Body lotions – I actually have two bottles of lotion right now, (impulse buys) which is not cool. I used to buy only bulk lotion. However, I think what I’ll do here is switch over to just using my organic soy lotion bars. I LOVE these bars and the packaging is not only reusable but recyclable.
• Face lotion – I hate my current face lotion, and frankly don’t use it much. It’s an organic brand that turned out to be lame. I would like a good face lotion, but I think I’ll stick with making my own unless I can find a brand I actually like that comes in recyclable packaging.
• Q-tips – not organic, and come in lame packaging. I’ve never seen them in bulk though, but I bet could find them in organic cotton. They’d still have the packaging though, but I use them for various things, so I’m not sure I’d give them up.
• Nail polish remover and nail polish – this along with the deodorant above is a big bad, but I like cute nail colors. Darn it. I need to switch over to just using more natural brands of both. Goal – better brands and just a couple of colors.
• Female products – I actually have various sorts; reusable pads, organic tampons, and organic pads. I should cut out all non-reusable pads, which I never used to use ever (not sure why I half switched? Lazy maybe). There are lots of options that are not disposable, so being lazy is a bad excuse.
• Hand soap – I always buy bulk soap and refill my refillable container, so I’m doing good here.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste – I only buy recycled toothbrushes from Preserve and I recycle them when I’m done. I’m not sure what to do about the toothpaste situation. I currently use Tom’s of Maine cinnamon clove paste with fluoride. I know the debates about fluoride, but I’m on the side of it’s better. I’m not sure if I could make my own. I’ll look into it, because it would cut out the packaging. However, one good thing is that the tubes are recyclable so maybe this is some packaging I could keep.
• Floss – my dental floss comes in plastic packaging and while I do toss it in the recycling bin, I’m not 100% sure it’s recyclable. I need to cute out floss packaging, but since I don’t know anything about it, I’ll need to look into it.
• Oils – I don’t use perfume, but I do use essential oils. The packaging is recyclable though, and I use them to make homemade beauty products, so I won’t be cutting them. Note, I rarely buy them.
• Hair ties and clips – I use little plastic bands and plastic hair clips right now if I want to wear my hair pulled back. I could quit that and just use a piece of cut hemp like I used to.
• Comb – I have a plastic comb, which will probably last many more years. I should buy a more sustainable, non-plastic version the next time I need one though.

Whew. That’s a lot of bathroom stuff, and I’ve got a lot less than most people I know, which is scary. All in all my audit revealed the following…

• There’s some non-reusable packages I can cut. Shampoo, lip gloss, body wash, and facial grains. I’ll need to get some refillable containers that are non-toxic for these products or buy less (like with the lip gloss).
• I need to research floss and see what’s out there that’s eco-friendly.
• My bathroom is pretty non-toxic overall. I use mostly organic products, but I could find a better, more eco-friendly versions of deodorant, cotton swabs, and nail care products.
• I need to do away with non-reusable female care products and plastic hair clips and bands.
• I need to find out if it’s possible to make homemade organic shaving cream.

If I do all this, it’ll save on lots of packaging and result in a healthier bathroom overall. Coming up soon, I’ll run green home audits for packaging in the kid’s bathroom, kitchen, and pantry too.

Now, is there any excess packaging in your bathroom that you could cut?