Do You Remember Your Clean Beauty A-Ha Moment?
We’re just full of questions today, aren’t we?!
We’ve actually been meaning to ask you this one for a while now, because when it comes to clean beauty everyone has had what we call the “a-ha moment”—and it can make for great story telling. Of course, you’ve heard ours about a billion times now: We got the Brazilian Blowout, found out we’d put ourselves through toxic trauma, started reading the labels on our products, and freaked the frig out.
I was reminded of what that felt like today reading Laura Smith’s story over on MyDaily UK—an AOL site we love, not least of all because they named us blog of the week in January. But back to Laura…
Seems her mother has a habit of cutting out newspaper clippings for her, and a recent one was from the Sunday Telegraph. This particular piece featured our guy Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and a clean-beauty pioneer, spelling out why our beauty products may be doing us harm. Laura’s reaction:
I read it. I worried about it. And then I started reading the labels on my lotions and potions…and worried even more.
A little further down she realizes that she uses an average of 14 products a day—despite considering herself pretty low maintenance—and that’s before nail polish and makeup. Going down her list:
My body moisturiser (Palmer’s), face wash (Simple) and leave-in conditioner (Keihl’s) all contain methylparaben and propylparaben, which are used as preservatives. They are suspected hormone disruptors and may interfere with male reproductive functions.
My expensive shampoo (Aveda) has cyclomethicone, used to soften, smooth and moisten. It’s another suspected hormone disruptor and reproductive toxicant that’s known to be harmful to fish and other wildlife.
My face wash and toothpaste (Macleans) contain sodium laureth sulfate, a widely used foaming agent that can be contaminated with a chemical confusingly called ‘1,4-dioxane’, which may cause cancer.
Pretty much everything I use contained fragrance, which can also be referred to as parfum, both of which are catch-all terms that can include any of 5,000 ingredients, some of which are linked to cancer or can trigger allergies and asthma.
Oh, we know honey, we know! And boy can we sympathize—right? Go give the girl some support, but also tell us here about your own moment of truth.
My Ah-ha! moment happened while reading this very blog! A friend of mine recommended it to me because she knew that I was into eating vegan and recycling (all that other good for the planet stuff! ) So I started reading you guys one night about 3 months ago, and said “I’m putting CHEMICALS in my VAGINA?!?!” and then the rest is history.
Ha! I just laughed very very loud.
My “A-ha!” moment came after reading your book and blog; on a recent trip, a small bottle of nail polish remover leaked in my luggage. That nail polish remover melted my sunglasses, various bottles and containers, and melted an eyeshadow compact so badly that I had to break it with a HAMMER to get my eyeshadow out. Scary stuff!
Quick note — I bought some Tom’s toothpaste based on your recommendation, and it contains sodium lauryl sulfate! It was Tom’s “Simply White”. Lesson learned; even when a brand has a good hippie reputation, read the ingredients. Maybe you could do a dental care post sometime?
My aha moment was when I was reading RMS beauty’s other website beauty truth (http://www.beautytruth.com/). My roommate found me two hours later sitting on her futon surrounded by every beauty product I own shaking and ranting about methyparabens, propylparabens and cancer. I stopped wearing makeup that day (found a replacement soon after). Stopped using every other face and body product I owned the next day (after replacing them) and am currently working on replacing my hair products and sunscreen (Oh the joys of summer). Oh & I LOVE Archie Comics btw so I am digging this pic!
P.s. My roommate didn’t think I was crazy for one second. Hows that for support!
<3 Sarah
theantiquepearl.blogspot.com
Oh yeah, I remember my A-Ha moment. It was a Saturday in January of this year, and on my way to the farmer’s market I was listening to the radio – the Green Morning programs on Green 960 AM. Your Super Natural Life with Beth Greer was on, and her guest that day was Siobhan O’Connor. I parked and stayed in the car listening to the program. I don’t remember specifically what it was Siobhan said that triggered me, but I knew I had to have The Book. I thought I was a girl who knew more than a bit about this stuff. I’m a biology geek, already knew and had used cosmeticsdatabase.com, read ingredients labels, and, after all, was the sort who’d listen to my local green, progressive radio station on the way to the farmer’s market. Listening to Siobhan I knew there was more I needed to know, I needed to go deeper, and it had to happen RIGHT NOW. After the farmer’s market I went home and searched the internet for The Book. I just couldn’t wait for delivery, so I called all around town to various bookstores until I located the last copy that seemed to be in local area, picked it up, brought it home, sat down on my living room sofa and read the whole thing. I then tore through my bathroom reading labels and determined that buying “vegan” “cruelty free” or “organic” was no guarantee of anything – I needed to make some big changes. Several months later I’m a healthier (and hotter, if I do say so myself) me. A-freakin’-Ha. ; )
My aha moment was about 6 months ago. It really should have been 5 years ago, when my best friend got breast cancer at a young age and became very concerned about the ingredients in her skin care and makeup products, but I was less wise than she and kept buying what I assumed were “good” products form the health food store (along with “bad” products from the dept store, alas). This continued until someone recommended RMS cosmetics to me. I loved them! So I read more about them online…at which point I finally learned about the difference between truly “clean” products vs “green-washed” products. I began researching more clean products–which lead me to your blog again and again! Eventually I read your AMAZING book. And now everything in my bathroom (ie all shower/bath/body products), cosmetics bag, and even kitchen (dish soaps, counter/floor cleansers) is clean.
This switch to clean products hasn’t been without regrets, however. I’ve been a “perfumista” for many decades and have 100s of bottles of extraordinary perfumes…which I’m no longer comfortable wearing (’cause now I know they’re filled with poison). While, happily, there are a number of people creating high quality all-natural perfumes (Mandy Aftel and DSH Perfumes, for starters), I miss my beloved dirty ‘fumes. (Tho, to be honest, on the rare occasion I break down and wear one, I find them too harsh and long lasting now that I’m used to natural perfumes! Funny, huh–especially since I still miss them.) I guess this is what they call AFOG. :)
I attribute your blog to my A-HA moment when it comes to clean cosmetics. I had already made the switch with household cleaners, but one day while reading the GOOD website (LOVE them!) there was a link to an article on here and I got hooked. I read every post I could, then ordered the book, then purged my bathroom. Went without makeup & deodorant for a week or so waiting for my clean & healthy options to arrive in the mail. I have since bought your book for friends and family and never miss an opportunity to spread the word! You guys are awesome and I am truly thankful to you for showing me and so many others the dangers of a “pretty face” :)
My ah-ha moment was while reading Sophie Uliano’s book, Gorgeously Green, which made me more conscious of my health and the planet. It was the same summer that I worked for a woman who owned an art gallery on the coast of Maine. She had a garden behind the gallery where she grew her own food, and I admired her sustainable approach to life, as well as her natural yet glowing style
My AHA moment actually came only recently. I was reading a beauty blog that was talking about ingredients to avoid for nail polish. I didn’t think too much of it, but then I came across another article talking about parabens. I became more interested in ingredients and started to look around online. I then found your blog, ordered and read your book, and TADA! Now, I am enlightened. (: I also looked up the skincare / makeup products I was using on EWG (I found this site since I was looking for a sunscreen) and was so SHOCKED. The moisturizer / cleanser I was using could give me CANCER? WHAT? And there’s POISON in my PERFUME? And then I found out that some of my favorite brands tested on animals! I’m against it, but never thought to check on the bottles.
The switch to clean products has been a bit hard for me. I know it’s good, but where I live in Asia, there aren’t too many eco brands readily available. As I use up my not natural products, instead of repurchasing them, I’m been buying natural alternatives. I’ve been also trying out more DIY things (like using honey as a face wash etc).
Any tips on going natural when you don’t live somewhere where its easy to get products? I’m also going abroad this summer, and after doing some research, a lot of eco brands are available in the country I’m going to. Could you do a post on your fave brands / products? I would love some recommendations (after your Tata Harper raves, I really want to try it! But unfortunately, I think you can only buy it online) !
My Ah-ha moment occured when my now 6 year old was just a few months old. We were shopping in Wal-mart and ran into my cousin and Mama both of whom were excited to see the little guy and wanted to hold him. Well my cousin had on ALOT of perfume and no sooner had she gotten him then he started fussing. After she handed him back to me and they had went on about their shopping he was still fussy. I tried everything to calm him down and finally just hurried up and left. When I was putting his carseat in the car I noticed he was COVERED in red bumps. He cried the whole way home ( a 30 min. drive) till I changed his clothes (which still smelled like my cousin) and bathed him. Then he calmed down slowly and the rash faded. Well that caused me to notice other things – like when I used certain liquid foundations and was holding him on my shoulder he’d get a light rash on his face and certain baby washes tended to break him out, brand name laundry soaps did nasty things to his skin as well. Starting with the day in Wal-mart I began changing the products we used. I also started doing research and learning what all was actually in what we use – since our pediatrician acted like I was nuts when I would mention rashes, fussy spells etc. tied to certain products. I am still reading your book which has been a wonderful source of information and resource to help clarify just why these chemicals are bad for us and have no place in our products.
My A-Ha! moment came when your brazilian blowout story hit AOL. That story started a chain reaction. The more labels I read, and the more research I did, the madder I got. And I threw everything out. Absolutely everything. I went to the extreme. I refused to use anything but baking soda, ACV, and coconut oil for months. I’m just now getting to the point where I am slowly but carefully adding products back, but only those that check out squeeky clean. The cosmetic and cleaning aisles make me madder than hell when I go to the store. I can’t even walk down them without feeling my blood pressure go up.
The best part of my A-HA moment came in how I view myself. Once I stopped chasing the beauty dragon, I learned to love me for me! So what if my hair is wavy, and not perfectly straight? And my nose gets a little shiny by the end of the day? I love me for me, and don’t need to slather on products to reach somebody else’s idea of beauty. Besides, my boyfriend has always said he loves the real me anyway : )
my aha moment came several years ago when my little girl asked for some make-up to play with… so I went on-line to figure out what would be the cleanest thing for her pure skin (wasn’t even thinking about my skin at that moment) and realized there wasn’t a whole lotta choices – especially for little girls (the nasty “play” make-up at discount stores is disgusting!)…then I found the cosmetic database and both our lives changed forever.
my aha moment came when my doctor recommended using Cetaphil cleanser for my sensitive reactive skin and I only experienced more redness, burning and peeling. I read this blog and was shocked to see that Cetaphil is not a clean product. I immediately switched my whole skincare regime to products you have tested and recommended and am much better now. Thanks for your diligence in testing these products and for getting the word out.
It’s so great to read these stories…it’s making me wonder why I A-Ha-d regarding laundry stuff and household cleaners (and food) a zillion years ago, but the beauty stuff didn’t kick in til recently. I guess it just seems so insane that we’d have toxic products marketed to us that are intended to go on our skin.
My A-Ha moment…well, I suddenly woke up to learning about the green lifestyle, and how that also can be used in beauty products as well.
My AHA moment came when reading your book. I was mildly interested at first, but the more I read, I learned more about how likely/plausible it is that companies will use whatever low-cost, questionable ingredients they want to for profits, and the lack of any meaningful regulation allows companies to not care what their products do to us. I thought about the drug store/ department store items I’ve been using, as their guinea pig! and thought- Oh my goodness, I’ve been putting harmful crap on my skin for decades (I’m 55) – it is now time for me to put only gentle, pure, nice things on my skin. And I started in the bathroom, throwing stuff out right and left. I have now, after a few months, replaced most items with gentler, purer items. I, too, get angry not only at not-clean products, but at the growing number of “green washed” products that try to sound organic/natural, but aren’t. Thank you, thank you for your book and this great blog!
I had two:
2 years ago now I ran out of moisturizer, and went on a hunt for something simple and affordable from the drugstore. Literally everything I tried either reeked of perfume, made my face feel sticky, gave me a rash, made my skin oily and flaky at the same time… I got SO frustrated! So I went to Whole Foods in search of something natural, thinking that something pure and from the earth would probably soothe my sensitive skin. I discovered Evan Healey’s rosehip oil and Rose Geranium hydrosol, and after a month of use I was a convert. My skin has never been softer or more balanced. Aha moment number 1!
Then about 6 months ago a friend of mine mentioned that she used honey for face wash, and I was baffled! HOW could that possibly work?! I went home and googled it, which brought me to this site! Aha moment number 2! I knew my rosehip oil was great, but I hadn’t even thought about what was in the rest of my products. Thank you guys so much for providing all of this awesome information, and for sparking one of my aha moments!
(P.S. I have since switched to honey as a face wash and love it!)
I’ve posted this before; about 5-6 years ago I had 2 cats with kidney failure (brothers, so probably genetic). My guy pointed out that if I had hand cream on my hands when I stroked them, it would be deposited on their fur & they’d lick it off, ingesting it. Since I didn’t want to tax their little kidneys, and coincidentally came across an early article in Yoga Journal talking about possible toxins called parabens (& others), I started looking for non-toxic alternatives. Then I freaked out when I couldn’t find any! Even the Organic stuff had parabens then!
Then I started wondering why, if it wasn’t good enough for my cats, it was good enough for me…
My a-ha moment should have come years ago when my body started telling me that no longer could take all the abuse of hair dyes (swelling of face, redness and all) . I switched to henna ,as vanity has a hold on me, but did not think about all the other products I was religiously using. I then stumbled across an article about Tata Harper beauty line and since all the brands I’ve tried before (both high-end and accesible ones) weren’t producing any visible results on the outisde (as now I know the insides where getting all the evil ), decided to give it a try. After switching to this new product line I saw immediate and positive results with calmer skin, smaller pores (!!) and the redness disappearing at a fast pace. I’ve been a loyal customer ever since, have converted quite a few and continue to brag about this line. But only after coming accross your blog (throughTata Harper ) and finally your book I realized that I’ve been poisoning myself regularly and religiously. My deepest thanks for all the education and fantastic daily postings.
My “moment” was definitely when I was reading your book, followed by several more moments as I staggered the process of replacing my toxic skincare, haircare and cosmetic products with great results. What hit me with the book in particular was firstly reading about hormone disrupters and secondly about how the “miraculous” ingredients were likely the very same ones responsible for my beauty woes themselves! So! Hormone disruptors in my skincare?!?!? A few years back I had to have gynaecological surgery and since then have become very aware of the dangers of consuming animal products with hormones so imagine my dismay / anger / frustration / disgust to discover that I could STILL be affected by these hidden poisons! In addition to that, I had been describing my skin type as “angry” as I had no better way to try and convey the fact that I would, in any and all combinations, have clogged pores, dryness, patches of sore, red eczema-like flakes, zits, the occasional cystic spot… You get the picture. (Plus my three year long battle with dandruff – don’t even get me started!) Having been travelling frequently on business I blamed airplanes, an ever-changing diet, hard / soft / dirty / strange water, different climates and the stress of a demanding job, a demanding schedule and jet lag. My work circumstances didn’t change but my beauty routine did – with every new “clean” product I introduced into my routine I found an improvement, sometimes more than one and as I upped the ratio of new clean products to old toxic products, the improvements were exponential. I realised that my term “angry” was perhaps the most appropriate to have used because I was torturing my skin from the top of my scalp to the soles of my feet. I am so much better armed to go to battle with the challenge of adjusting to different climates and different water types because there is a strength and resiliency in my skin and hair now that makes it so much easier to adapt AND look my best.
I am so grateful for your book, for my sister placing it in my hands & insisting I read it, for this site with it’s recommendations, for all the contributors who share secrets, wisdom, experiences and suggestions. I have often joked about finding the one lipstick / foundation / hair product (you name it) that would change my life. THIS BOOK WAS IT. (I have followed suit & placed copies in the hands of several women asking that they simply become more informed of the industry & choose to change whatever feels right to them. That is my mission: to make sure we know more about what we use because I feel we’ve been duped!)
Oh, and in case I haven’t raved enough, one additional bonus is the ease of packing for trips now – I have so few products to cart along with me because I just don’t need much and so many clean products (like kahina argan oil or Dr Bronner’s magic soap) serve so many purposes.
I am still making the switch to all-natural all the time, but I am so grateful for all the resources at my disposal, especially this blog. My aha moment came when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring. She had to have a mastectomy, chemo, and radiation, and she was so upset about losing her hair and all the other terrible things her body was going to have to go through. They gave her tons of free products at some breast cancer support thing, but I told her to throw them all out once I read the backs. It was because of her that I really started reading product labels and learning about what is good for our bodies and what is not. I was so shocked that they gave her these products full of poison that I started researching what products she could use that wouldn’t scare the bejeezus out of her but would still help her feel her best during such a difficult time. Now I am the queen bee of organic makeup in my family (and my mom’s newly grown hair looks awesome thanks to organic shampoo)!
My Aha-moment came after the story of cosmetics-movie. I used mostly clean products to begin with, but after that I started worrying. Now, I use only 6 or 7 products (cocnut oil, deordorant, hurrawbalm, toothpaste, hauschska cream for my feet (no more shampoo), and only the toothpaste and deodorant on daily basis). I still feel a little bit awkward about natural deodorant sometimes, or about looking like a run-over raccoon with bags under her eyes while all my friends are the epitome of well-rested (uniformly beige) freshness. But the social awkwardness and occasional “are you all-right, you look tired” questions are nothing in comparison to the hassle and itch and chemicals I’d otherwise have on my skin and in my body. It turns out my skin is pretty clear on its own, if I don’t stress, so I don’t have to cover all those zits. And it’s very cheap, not having to spend about 10 euro’s a month on products.
If I look tired, than that’s because I haven’t slept enough, and if I’m sweaty then 9 out of 10 times I’ve just exercised and am ready to jump in the shower. You guys have given some great tips. Especially the coconut-oil has helped loads, both for skin care and for dry patched on knees and elbows. They are now soft as silk.
I can’t remember exactly when or how my ah-ha moment came. I was talking to a friend a few months back and she said that soap has lye in it, which is very bad for your health. I asked her what she uses and she said coconut oil and water for most body cleaning. She said she wouldn’t use anything indigestable on her children. So, I started researching natural products. I came to the cosmetic database (which a friend had told me about years ago, but never looked into it) and couldn’t believe how many natural products there are. I panicked. I’ve been using all this crap soap, shampoo, and cosmetics for years. I have thyroid and hormone issues. Could it be from years of junk on my skin??? I found other blogs and went to their blog roll, which led me here. I recently bought the book and am dying to dive in. I am slowly trying to convert. As badly as I wanted to go cold turkey, it was just too overwhelming. I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m so thankful to have found this blog and all of the other people who comment. It’s so incredibly helpful!
Yes, because it took so long for me to get it! Did I switch to clean beauty after I read many years ago that parabens are carcinogenic? No, I just thought they couldn’t really be bad for me or companies wouldn’t use them. How about after I met my friend Kathy in 2000? She has MCS and told me all about the toxins in everyday products. Although I made a few changes to my routine – such as limiting fragrance – so she could be comfortable around me, I mostly just heard what she said and thought “yes, toxic for you, since you’re sick.” How about after I got MCS in 2008? I didn’t even get it then. Instead, I focused on finding completely fragrance-free products, which led me to toxic sludge like Cetaphil cleanser. It finally hit me a few months later when I was searching lesstoxicguide.ca for something: Why should I settle for “less” toxic? I have MULTIPLE chemical sensitivity, not just fragrance sensitivity. Why not go for a completely healthy, beneficial, all natural routine that actually makes me feel better? So, I changed my approach, and now look and feel better than ever before. And, thanks to all of your good research, when I do want to get all dolled up, I know exactly which products to buy to get me to clean and glamorous. Thanks for all your good work!