Get the Lead Out (of Lipstick)

Dear Cosmetics Industry: Please stop defending lead and other nasty chemicals in your products.  Love, Mia

A $25 tube of department store lipstick should be safe, right? You might assume it is safer than $2 drugstore brand. Not necessarily …

During the busy 2011 holiday season, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly released its new data on 400 popular lipsticks sold in the U.S. These products are contaminated with widely varying levels of lead, including higher amounts than found in earlier studies.  Perhaps the cosmetics industry was dismayed to see that just in time for Valentine’s Day 2012, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics picked up the story and spread the word with their “Kiss Lead Goodbye” campaign. The consumer group is asking the worst offender and the FDA to get the lead out of lipstick, already.

The jury isn’t out on lead—it is toxic to the developing brain, even in small amounts, and it builds up in our bodies over time. That’s why we took it out of house paint and gasoline decades ago.  We have limits for the amount of lead allowed in drinking water and candy.  But in the stuff many, many women put on their lips several times a day, even while pregnant? Not so much.

Interestingly, the brand with the highest levels of lead also makes one of the lipsticks with the lowest levels in the FDA study. They are all over the map. But note: they can make lipstick with little-to-no lead. Vested interests have long defended lead in lipstick, saying that these are low levels, and compared to other exposures, these amounts are safe. But in January 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restated that there is no safe level of lead for children and pregnant women.

Haven’t we been through this already—big companies defending lead in lipstick, FDA doing nothing about it, and experts saying that there is no safe level, period? The point here is that there might be heavy metal exposures we can’t control in life, but apparently in lipstick, companies can get the levels really low. Yep, I’m definitely having déjà vu. And lately, haven’t there been other members of the cosmetics industry defending the use of chemicals known to harm humans, animals and/or the environment, like formaldehyde in baby shampoo and in hair straighteners?

So, Cosmetics Industry, I have a crazy idea: What if the you stopped wasting time and money declaring that lead in lipstick is safe, carcinogens in baby shampoo is nothing to worry about and formaldehyde in hair straighteners is okey dokey, and instead made sure that your products are free of (or have as little as possible) heavy metals and other toxins in the first place?  We see that you can do it! Oh, and you don’t need a focus group to see if women will choose lipstick with lead or without lead, if given the option. We’ll always pick the one without it.  (There—I just saved you some more money!)

I think that it is time that the cosmetic industry enter the 21^st century and stop making excuses for negligent behavior.  I think we’re all worth it. Don’t you?

For more by this author visit, www.counterexpectations.com.

Photo credit: _Frankenstein_

Safe Cosmetics: Five Tips for Frugal Shoppers

If you’ve kept up on the latest news about toxic chemicals in cosmetics, you may be wondering if it’s possible to find safe products without breaking the bank. The good news is, you can protect yourself from toxic exposures while saving money too – it just takes some creative accounting and a willingness to look at the big picture.

I like to think of money as energy, and I want to put my energy into creating the kind of world I want to live in. So I buy all my personal care products from companies I trust; companies that share my vision of a healthy world. These tend to be small, independently owned operations that don’t use air-brushed celebrities to hawk their toxic anti-aging creams.

All of us have the power every day to make a positive impact on the world by spending money in ways that advance our values and offsetting the cost by refusing to spend money on the things that don’t. In this way, I actually spend less money than I used to on products that are better for my health and the planet. Here’s how:

Less is more – Companies love to make us think we need a different lotion for every part of our bodies, a different cleaning product for every room in the house. Better to buy one high-quality, non-toxic product from a company you love. An advantage to getting to know your local manufacturers is that sometimes you can get a great discount! (Thanks Grateful Body!)

Bye-bye hair dye (and other expensive toxic stuff) – Hair dye, relaxers, perms: Anything that changes the shape and color of hair tends to be quite toxic chemically, not to mention messy and expensive. Giving up the hair dye saves hundreds of dollars a year, and this is where I save the most money. Sometimes I miss the highlights, but my theory is that most women actually look better with their natural hair color. (Check out my Bye Bye Hair Dye page on Facebook.)

Make your own – Coconut oil and sesame oil make great lotions, and baking soda and vinegar are excellent cleaning agents. Here are some cheap green cleaning recipes and ideas for making your own cosmetics. I also love these ideas from the Zero Waste Family lady.

Just say “No” – to gratuitous products that add unnecessary expense and chemical exposures to our lives: perfumes, body sprays, vaginal sprays, air fresheners, dryer sheets, bubble bath.… It feels great to discover how much we actually don’t need! And after taking a break from all these synthetic fragrances, you start to notice how gross they actually smell.

Get political – No matter how smart we shop, we can’t avoid toxic exposures as long as companies continue to pollute the environment with toxic stuff. So we need to get behind laws like the national Safe Cosmetics Act that will shift whole industries to safer products.

Extra bonus points: Save lots of cash by turning off the TV! How much do people spend on cable these days? I have no idea because I don’t even own a TV. Most shows I like run for free on the Internet without all the brainwashing ads that try to make me think it’s a good idea for the scent of laundry detergent to last for seven days!

For more savvy tips, visit Stacy at notjustaprettyface.com

Photo credit: eyeSPIVE

DIY: Earth-Lite Cleaning Products

Yes, I know. An eco-glam fellow or lass can buy Mrs. Meyers or Shaklee almost anywhere, but let’s hypothetically say you are cheap or broke or would just rather make deliciously green cleaning products at home, how would you do it? We got your back, as always.

Most cleaning products leave more toxins behind than the germs and toxins they are supposed to clean up. Read here about what mainstream cleaning products do to your insides.

Some scary, but interesting, factoids* attributed to the chemicals in our mainstream cleaning products: (from HealthyCleaning.com)

• In the past 40 years, at least 70,000 new chemicals have been released into the environment through new consumer and industrial products and food.
• Male and female infertility are on the rise. Research is now pointing to pesticides as a viable cause.
• Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate than women who work out of the home.
• Each year more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergic diseases. Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the US, costing the health care system $18 billion annually. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (inflamed nasal membranes) has increased substantially over the past 15 years.
• Asthma ranks among the most common chronic conditions in the United States, affecting an estimated 14.9 million persons.
• According to the US Poison Control Centers, “A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds and more than 50% of all poisonings occur at home with children under 5 years of age.”
• Asthma is the #1 cause of absenteeism in schools.
• There has been a 25% increase in the last 25 years in cancer incidence among children under 15 years of age.
• ADD/ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed childhood behavior disorder today. More than two million (3-5%) children have ADD.
• Thirty years ago the 3 major childhood illnesses were chickenpox, measles and mumps. Now it is asthma, ADD and cancer.
• Brain cancer in children is up 40% in 20 years.

If this ain’t enough to get you cleaning with simple products, we don’t know what is! First of all, you can technically use Dr. Bronner’s soap to clean everything (and at GirlieGirl Army HQ, we do!). From washing our pets to our floors, this is an all-purpose dream product and is available at any health food store. Plus a large bottle lasts forever, so it’s economically a smart choice! Dr. Bronner’s smells wonderful, is totally natural, and does the job – even in the filthiest of abodes. But you should also know that some of the most basic household items create cleaning products far superior to the icky commercial jobbies. White vinegar is the holy grail of at home cleaning! You’ll get giddy for this site, which gives you 1001 uses for White Vinegar!

RECIPES:

All-purpose Cleaner: 2 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon Borax (natural soap), 16 ounces of hot water, 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner’s. Mix vinegar and Borax in a clean spray bottle. Fill with water and shake until the Borax has dissolved. Add Dr. Bronner’s. Shake and use.

All-purpose Kitchen Cleaner: Baking soda, essential oil. Fill a shaker halfway with baking soda. Add 20 drops Essential oil of your choice. Stir. Add more baking soda, then shake. Sprinkle a bit on dirty surface, then sponge off with warm water. Rinse well.

For Filthy Pots: 1 cup fine-grade pumice, 1/2 cup clay powder, 2 tablespoon grapefruit essential oil, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup sodium lauryl sulfacetate, 1/2 cup boiling water – enough for thick paste. Mix all ingredients together and stir. Store in a container that closes tightly. To use, apply gently with a damp sponge or cloth and scrub.

Editor’s Note: Sodium lauryl sulfacetate is the not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).

Floor Cleaner: White vinegar, water and essential oil. Fill a squirt bottle with equal amounts of vinegar and water. Add 20 drops of essential oil. Mix and squirt on floor.

Bathroom Cleaner: 1 2/3 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoon white vinegar. Mix baking soda and Dr. Bronner’s in a bowl. Dilute with water, and add the vinegar. Mix with a fork until lumps are gone and mixture has a smooth consistency; adding a little more water is fine. Pour into a squeeze container, then shake well. Keep lid on firmly to avoid drying out. Use. Alternates: 1 cup Dr. Bronner’s, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon Borax, 6 cups hot peppermint tea, 1 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil. Add mint tea to liquid soap, stir to mix well. Add baking soda, borax and eucalyptus oil. Store in plastic jug or squirt bottle. Shake before using. This soap can be used for washing floors, tubs and cleaning almost anything (except your mouth after a round of dirty cursing).

Toilet Cleaner: Use white vinegar and a brush. Baking soda can also be used if you like the SoftScrub vibe.

Glass Cleaner: 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s, 2 cups water, essential oil (only if you’re fancy.) Mix soap and water in a spray bottle. Add vinegar and essential oil. Shake it up and spray. We suggest using old newspaper to clean mirrors and windows. It’s exponentially more effective, and lighter on planet earth since you are re-using. To use, spray and wipe. If you don’t want to add the soap (which requires a stronger arm, but think of the bicepts you’ll have!), it’s fine to omit it and stick with 1 cup of vinegar per 2 cups of water. Alternates: Experiment with lemon juice, club soda and cornstarch, all of which (mixed together) clean windows well.

Key Lime Dish Detergent Powder: This recipe is a litte more elaborate, so only go there when you are feeling super badass. 1/2 cup clay powder, 2 tablespoon lime essential oil, 2 cups sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, 6 cups baking soda. Wear a dust mask to mix this formula. Mix clay powder and essential oil; then, in a 2 gallon pail, combine the baking soda and sodium lauryl sulfoacetate. Mix well. You can convert this recipe to a liquid detergent by mixing 2 tablespoon of powder to 2 cups boiling water, and stir until ingredients are dissolved. You should use a squeeze top bottle to store this. To use, add aboout a tablespoon of powder or liquid per sink-load while filling sink. For tough jobs, make a paste by adding water and rubbing directly on spot.

Laundry Detergent: Use Dr. Bronner’s, straight up. We like the lavender scent! Use two small cap fulls for a large load of dirty clothes.

Fabric Softener: Toss 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your wash load. Don’t worry, it won’t smell like vinegar. The vinegar also brightens, like a natural bleach.

Dryer Sheets: Pour a few drops of essential oil (your choice of smell, there are so many!) on a hand towel or wash cloth. Toss in dryer with your clothes. Re-use forever (adding the drops of essential oil each time).

All you need is a little elbow power and creativity and you can make anything! We believe in you! Share your tips in the comments.

Get more green on with Chloé at girliegirlarmy.com

*Originally published June 8, 2009.

What You Don’t Know About Products You Use Everyday

You strive to lead a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps you exercise regularly, are on the lookout for healthy recipes and read product labels before you buy? It’s time-consuming to stay well-informed and do all of this legwork. But – you’re not done yet. If you want to keep your family safe and healthy, you’re going to need a Ph.D. and find a way to gain access to trade secrets. Think you can fit that into your already hectic schedule?

Here’s why: Many common products – your sofa, food containers, household building materials, electronics and more – are made using chemicals that you’re not likely to find by reading labels, technical manuals, or anything else. Scientists have linked some of these chemicals to serious diseases like cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, reproductive disorders and more.

For example, certain phthalate chemicals are linked to breast cancer and improper development of the male reproductive system. A host of chemicals are thought to damage the nervous system, including some potential contributors to autism, which many researchers think results from both genetic and environmental factors. Another group of chemicals, called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s, among other diseases. And PCBs, once used in TV sets, were banned from commercial production in the United States in the 1970s, but are still detected in our bodies and the environment today.

Wait, doesn’t the law protect us from toxic chemicals?

Intuition would tell you that it doesn’t make sense for potentially toxic chemicals to be allowed unchecked into the marketplace, where they end up on store shelves. But the record speaks for itself.

The vast majority of more than 80,000 chemicals available for use in the United States have never been adequately tested for safety. You’d need a mobile chemistry lab, a couple of Ph.D.s and a lifetime to sort out this chemical mess on your own.

Why are we in this situation? The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), passed 35 years ago, was meant to give the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to obtain information on chemicals from their manufacturers. The EPA was to then use this information to evaluate the safety of each new chemical and  regulate those chemicals found to be dangerous.

Unfortunately, roughly 62,000 chemicals were “grandfathered in” when TSCA was passed allowing manufacturers to keep producing these chemicals without any evaluation of their safety. Today, most chemicals on the market are among these original 62,000, and information on their safety remains incomplete and inadequate.

Keeping secrets: Under TSCA, chemical companies can claim virtually any information submitted to the EPA about a chemical is “confidential business information.” As a result, the information is kept secret from the public and even our government.

Tell me the good news – there is good news, right?

While there isn’t an instant solution, there are some things we can do. Sites like Healthy Stuff, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Household Products Database and resources found on this list can help you prepare for your next trip to the store.

However, being a savvy shopper is only a part of the solution. Such an enormous amount of chemicals has made it into the marketplace and the environment, that we need a large-scale solution in order to truly protect our health and the health of future generations. The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, recently introduced in Congress, would be a big step forward. It would require that chemical manufacturers prove their chemicals are safe before being allowed into your home.

Some in the chemical industry are lobbying against this new law, so we need concerned citizens to help it pass. Please speak up! Urge your senator to strengthen our toxic chemicals law. Click here to email your senator.

Test your knowledge

What chemical carcinogens (chemicals that cause cancer), endocrine disruptors (chemicals that disrupt the function of the hormone system and impair normal development), and obesogens (chemicals that disrupt normal metabolism functioning and are linked to obesity), can be found in products we come into contact with everyday?

Here’s a quick brainteaser to get you prepped for your next trip to the store. Match the synthetic chemical to the product you can find it in:

Sofa                           Nonylphenols

Electronics             PBDE’s (flame retardants)

Shoes                       Formaldehyde

Photocopiers         Styrene

Carpet                     Hexavalent chromium

Nicole Shore is the Communications Director of the Not A Guinea Pig campaign, an Environmental Defense Fund initiative. The Campaign works to raise awareness for the unchecked chemicals in our society and to foster a system that ensures chemicals are demonstrably safe before entering the marketplace.

Photo credit: gonzales2010

Answer Key:
Sofa – PBDE’s
Electronics – Hexavalent Chromium
Shoes – Nonylphenols
Photocopiers – Styrene
Carpet – formaldehyde

What’s in that Pink Ribbon Product?

It’s that time of year again, when we can’t walk five steps without finding some new opportunity to spend money for breast cancer. We can “Kiss for the Cause” with Revlon lipstick, dust our cheeks with Estee Lauder’s Pink Ribbon Shimmer Compact, or hydrate our feet with Foot Works for the “Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.”

Before I rush out for a pink-ribbon makeover, I have some questions for these companies: How much money are they actually contributing to breast cancer charities, and what is the money being used for? And most importantly, are they willing to stop using chemicals linked to cancer?

The big beauty companies don’t want such questions raining on their pink parade. Revlon, Avon and Estee Lauder generate lots of goodwill and positive press with their signature pink-ribbon products and events. Yet ironically – outrageously – many of their products contain chemicals linked to cancer.

Revlon, for example, makes more than 20 hair dyes that score a 10 (for most toxic) in the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. Just one hair-dye product, Revlon Colorist Expert Color & Glaze System, contains more than one dozen chemicals linked to cancer!

Avon and Estee Lauder make various products containing PEG compounds and other chemicals that undergo a nasty chemical process called “ethoxylation,” which uses ethylene oxide (a known breast carcinogen) during processing and often leaves products contaminated with 1,4 dioxane (a carcinogen and serious groundwater contaminant).