IOTUT -- Sounds a little nutty

It's time for Friday's Instead of This, Use This, and I have a proposition for you. I'm looking for guest bloggers to offer their green alternatives to commonly used items. So, if you'd like to be heard here on GG, email me at greengrandma@comcast.net and let me know what you'd like to blog about. I love featuring guest bloggers and learning new things from them!

This week, I'm looking at cosmetics... moisturizer in particular. While I know there are wonderfully effective safe alternatives out there there, I wanted to present an alternative that is not only eco-friendly, but is friendly to your wallet as well. And I sincerely hope none of you are still using the toxin-laden hand and body creams that are on the market from companies like L'Oreal, Jergens, Bath & Body Works, etc. 

I have to admit, it was hard for me to break away from my favorite Bath & Body Works fragrance, Japanese Cherry Blossom, which scented many of my products, including my body lotion. I absolutely loved the scent. Still do. But when I found out it rated 8 out of 10 for toxins on the EWG's Skin Deep database, I reluctantly disposed of it. Here's what the database has to say about the formula I was using:

Other HIGH concerns: Biochemical or cellular level changes, Endocrine disruption, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Miscellaneous, Occupational hazards, Persistence and bioaccumulation; Other MODERATE concerns: Cancer, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive); Other LOW concerns: Enhanced skin absorption, Data gaps, Ecotoxicology, Contamination concerns

Yeah, I thought it was time to move on. 

So, what do I use now? I use a variety of products from trusted companies with zero toxins like Earth Mama Angel Baby, SKINourishment, and Ava Anderson. I sometimes venture into using products from companies like love&toast, although I understand there are still some issues with their products. For example, I recently purchased love&toast's Honey Nectar Body Butter. It's made with shea butter and smells divine. It contains no parabens, no phthalates, no petrolatum, no mineral oil, no propylene glycol, no retinol, no sulfates, and no synthetic color. However, it does rate a 3 out of 10 on the EWG's database, so every time I use it, I know it's not as safe as EMAB's lotion.

But today, I wanted to give you an alternative to all the commercially available moisturizers, safe or otherwise. Coconut oil. Yes, organic coconut oil. It is the only moisturizer I use on my face and the most-used "lotion" I use on my legs after shaving. A tiny bit goes a long way. This is a healthy-for-my-body and pocketbook alternative.

So, that's it. Instead of commercial and potentially-harmful moisturizers and lotions, use plain ol' coconut oil. Slather it on. You're worth it.

Keeping it earth- and people-friendly on a Friday,

Thursday's Truths and Tidbits -- Johnson and Johnson caves into pressure!

The EWG is calling it a VICTORY! Back in November, corporate giant Johnson and Johnson succumbed to the pressure put on them by concerned people like you and me and agreed to take 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde out of their baby products. This should have been a no-brainer from the start, but apparently the chemists at J&J didn't see a problem with poisoning our children.

The news just got better, however. J&J has agreed to phase out 1,4 dioxane, formaldehyde, and other carcinogens and toxins from their adult products as well. These are chemicals that have been linked to birth defects, diabetes, hormone disruption and breast cancer. And the toxins are found in the J&J company product lines by Aveeno, Neutrogena, ROC, Clean & Clear, Purpose and Johnson's Baby Shampoo.

It will be awhile before the products are safe, however, so don't rush out and buy them quite yet. Of course, you're always safe with Earth Mama Angel Baby's line, so at least you know of one alternative!

While the news is good, there is still more we can do. Such as start putting pressure on some of the other companies that continue to assault us with their toxins. So I encourage you to go to this link where you will be able to send a form email to the good folks at Proctor & Gamble, L'Oreal USA, Inc., The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., Avon and Unilever. Let them know how you feel about their products being full of carcinogens and other junk, and remind that of how Johnson & Johnson is turning the tide and caring about the health and well-being of their customers.

Thanks for doing your part!

Sharing some truths and tidbits with you,

Hana

Thursday's Truths and Tidbits

I hate cancer.

Later today, we'll be going to my daughter's mother-in-law's viewing. She just turned 51 in the middle of June. Now she's gone. Cancer ate away at her until she could no longer fight it. And, plainly speaking, that sucks.

Cancer. That insidious disease that just worms its way in and wreaks havoc wherever it goes. Yet we still don't seem to get it. We surround ourselves with carcinogens and we joke about it, "Well, I'm gonna die sometime." Yeah, real funny.

For the most part, I've come to accept that we cannot rid our lives of carcinogens and other toxins completely. After all, no matter what we do in our own homes, once we step foot outside, we're exposed.

We eat at a restaurant on a table that's been cleaned with bleach. We go to the restroom and breathe in air freshener with naphthalene. We wash our hands with antibacterial soap with triclosan. We work in office buildings or schools full of formaldehyde and other toxins. Our neighbors douse their yards with Roundup. The list goes on and on. And on and on. And it's enough to make us ... well ... sick!

Recently, my husband and I stayed at a B&B. It was lovely, until I laid my head down on the pillow and breathed in a nice whiff of fabric softener!! Gasp. Gag. Gross.

We can't get away from it. Do you know why they label something as a carcinogen? Because it's been proven to cause cancer. What part of that do people not get?????

Do not use toxic shampoos on your baby's tender scalp. Do not use sunscreens on your kids that are high on the list of toxins on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Be a responsible parent and check these things out. Don't just assume that they are safe because they have the words "gentle" or "natural" or "safe for baby" on them. Advertisers lie. The FDA does not have your best interest in mind. Every day we learn of more and more hazardous products that the FDA deemed safe.

And while I'm on a rant ... it's about those stupid pink ribbons. I'm all for research. I'm all for finding a cure. What I'm not for is the fact that they slap the pink ribbons on anything that will accept them, without checking to see if any of the ingredients cause cancer ... and many of them do. There are no words.

Parents -- you have to be proactive in keeping your kids safe. Can you protect them completely from carcinogens? Unfortunately, no. But you can do your best, and I encourage you to do just that. For many of us, like my daughter's mother-in-law, it's too late. We are part of a generation that didn't know any better. We embraced innovation without regards to potential dangers. We ditched natural products for ones laden with chemicals we couldn't pronounce because they promised better results. Yikes.

You have some choices. Use them wisely.

And that's it for today's truths and tidbits. Any thoughts?