The "Dirty Dozen"

A few months ago I picked up a copy of National Geographic Green Guide at an airport, looking for something quick and easy to read. It had an article in there that I liked, and tonight I remembered to look it up (the magazine stayed on the ship for more souls to read while being tossed around in bad seas) - the "dirty dozen of chemicals in cosmetics". I'd been buying more natural shampoo, body soap and conditioner for a few years while in Woods Hole, but the move to Hawaii as tightened my budget quite a bit, so decided recently to buy a considerably cheaper brand to save money. I'd been buying the natural figuring it's better for me and the drain it went down, but never did any major research into it and figured regular shampoo was okay - hey, i'd used it for most of my life. 

Well, it was literally a few weeks after my "regular shampoo" purchase I came across this article. So i'm switching back to natural brands. Luckily there is now a Whole Foods here, which has it's own brand of goodies, much cheaper than many others, and from what i've tried so far, is pretty good. 

It's weird how things that go down the drain concern me more than what I put on my skin.....I guess what goes down the drain goes to the ocean, and thats where my heart lies.........

So the Dirty Dozen - 

- Antibacterials - not a good idea in any form. 

- Coal Tar - carcinogen (in some dandruff shampoos)

- Diethanolamine - hormone disruptor

- 1,4-Dioxane (and Sodium laureth sulfate) - carcinogen

- Formaldehyde - hey, I pickle my animals in this, so it can't be good! 

- Fragrance - probably phthalates - obesity, reproductive harm

- Lead and Mercury - neurotoxic

- Nanoparticles - damage brain cells

- Parabens - banned in the EU....

- Petroleum Distillates - carcinogens

- p-Phenylenediamine - nervous system - found in hair dye

- Hydroquinone - neurotoxic