The Wrong Stuff

You should really, really know this. Not just because the following list of chemical cosmetic ingredients are toxic, but because you also should know that what you put ON your skin goes IN.

These chemicals makes beauty products cheaper to produce or longer lasting or prettier. They do everything for the manufacturer and nothing for you.

Read the labels and avoid these evils.

Here they are:

1. Methyl, Propyl, butyl and Ethyl Paraben.

2. Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA).

3. Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea.

4. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate.

5. Petroleum (mineral oil, petroleum jelly).

6. Propylene Glycol.

7. PVP/VA Copolymer.

8. Stearalkonium Chlorida.

9. Synthetically Derived Coloring.

10. Synthetically Derived Fragrances.

I am immensely grateful for the booklet, Natural Ingredients Dictionary, given away free by Audrey Organics for most of this information. If you don't happen to come across one at places where their excellent products are sold, try the Web site: http://www.aubrey-organics.com/.

Pure Stuff

Recommended. I've tried these Evan Healy products (Sea Algae Serum and Chamomile Eye Care Cream) and perused the labels of a bunch more. No allergic reactions to report, because there is nothing in them to react to. Like Dr. Hauschka, the philosophy is that your skin needs to be encouraged to take care of itself. Trust the skin. The up-side of this is that there are no anti-aging ingredients, like peptides. The down-side is that there are no anti-aging ingredients, like peptides. There are anti-oxidants like Co-Q10.

No Wen

Not recommended. At a friends suggestion I tried the "conditioning cleanser" Wen to help with my dry, dry hair. It's a glycerin-based, non-lathering cleanser. No soap, no striping of the hair. Sounded good, and it did help with the dryness, but it also gave me a exzema on my scalp that caused much empbarassment and took many months to clear up. This is because it contains the preservatives Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone (related to isothiazolinone) both of which are allergens known to cause skin irritations, including chemical burns. Not to mention Dimethylamine (basically methanol and ammonia) and Butylene Glycol. Nice one, eh?

Do this instead? This "revolutionary" cleanser is really just glycerin watered down with aloe and some other herbal waters with added wheat protein (for body) and panthenol (to seal the hair surface and add shine - basically B5acid). So skip the Wen and make your own. Good vegetable gylcerin is available for a few dollars at any health food store. Obviously, you can buy aloe juice there too, but did you know you can also buy pantothenic acid and wheat protein? http://www.organic-creations.com/. I think I'll give it a try....

Hyaluronic Acid a Go Go

Recommended: Now Foods (http://www.nowfoods.com/) the vitamin company, has been making some basic beauty ingredients for years, though without much market presence and with some pretty ugly labels. I've been buying them online from a vitamin retailer. But then the other day at Whole Foods.... there they were, repackaged and with some new products. What I'm talking about are the Hayluronic Acid Firming Serum and the Hyaluronic Acid Creme, both of which are terrific (and I don't react to them.) The cream is an avacado oil, shea butter based night cream with soluble collagen and, of course, hyaluronic acid, which helps to bind moisture to the skin (or something like that). The serum is basically aloe with hyaluronic acid. Can't really go wrong with that if what you need is moisture (and I do). There is also a related moisturizer that is a thinner version of the cream for day use. Great!

Avoid if allergic to milk: What's not great is the company's Wrinkle Rescue Moisturizer from the same line. It says "restorative lift and toning" on the label, but alas, it caused the dreaded contact dermitis. I'm not sure which ingredient is the culprit, but likely it's lactoperioxidase, which is apparently cow's milk derived. Even using it on my hands makes me itch all over. Boo.

Now Foods site: http://www.nowfoods.com/