Taking Care of Me

Four years ago, I talked about cleaning up my beauty routine. Over the years, I've switched a lot of my products. I've had problems finding a shampoo and conditioner that I really like, but I've been using Pai on my face for a while now. It works well for me, and I absolutely love it. I often use these to give myself mini-facials, and I think it has helped my skin be clearer than it has ever been.

This past weekend, I got a long, overdue haircut. It felt nice to take the time for me, and was a great reminder that I need to take that time for myself more often.

And while things like this are not as "clean" as I would like, sometimes it is worth it.

I've been putting WHAT in my hair?

My newest project? Dumping all my old beauty products, and going with clean versions. After finding the No More Dirty Looks blog and book, I started going through my bathroom. I checked my $20 vegan conditioner on the Skin Deep database, and it scored an 8. I was not liking that at all. For $20 a bottle, I want low risk, not high risk.

Almost all of my hair, skin and make-up products had chemicals that I was not happy about, even though most of them were advertised as "natural". Under the current law, the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938, the FDA does not have a lot of regulatory power and cosmetic companies can get away with almost anything. A new bill, the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, has just been introduced to congress which would change that. Until this bill is passed (if it is passed), I am going to be strictly reading ingredient labels.

So I'm going to be phasing everything out as we finish what we have. In the past, I've had a lot of issues with sensitive skin that I'm hoping that this helps to clear up (but with my luck, it won't). Either way, I'll feel better knowing that we are not absorbing all these chemicals that have been linked to cancer and are known hormone disruptors.

Here are some interesting articles on the subject:
What's the Story with Cosmetics? And How Will the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 Help?
The Safety of Personal Care Products
How to go Green: Natural Skin Care
Five Ways the FDA is Failing to Protect You
The Six Craziest Things in Your Cosmetics
The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010: What it Means for Cosmetics Companies

Here are some resources:
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database
The Story of Cosmetics
No More Dirty Looks
BeautyTruth.com

Consider asking your representative to support the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010.


And finally, here is a petition that I believe is worth signing.