movin' on down...

When I read this article last week, sadly, it came as not much of a surprise to me.

Just about a month ago, I happened to really read the ingredients on a shampoo I had purchased, and realized that it wasn't quite as "natural" as the label touted it to be. (And this was something other than 1,4-dioxane)

At that point, I went on a pretty intensive internet search for shampoo that was truly organic... and was quite disappointed in my search.

Many brands that I had seen previously, and thought were organic, were not completely so. And the one or two that I found were outrageously priced.

The next day, I happened to drive to a natural foods store and was browsing in their health and beauty aids section. I ended up in a discussion with a very helpful employee, and we debated whether it was better to buy the $2 bottle of a popular non-organic brand, since after all, we're not really getting organic stuff anyway, or to pay the $8 a bottle for the shampoo that has fewer chemical ingredients, but still is not completely organic. (Buying the $14 "certified organic" shampoo is completely out of the question for me at this point!)

Her take was that it was better to buy the "more" organic/natural shampoo because it was a step in the right direction, and that since it had fewer chemicals it was better for us and the environment.

While I saw her point and agreed with it to an extent, it angers me that many companies charge and receive $8 or more a bottle and have customers who think they are getting an organic shampoo. So IMO, continuing to buy their product is rewarding them for something they are not doing, and to a point rewarding them for hoodwinking consumers.

It's quite discouraging. I cut corners to spend the $$$ on items that are supposedly natural and organic, etc., both in foods as well as personal care products and cleaning products also. It costs a lot of money to buy with your conscience, and so many people are trying to, and sometimes it makes you wonder why you bother.

Sorry to vent. Actually, duluth, this was one reason why I didn't post to this thread earlier. I'm kind of discouraged and didn't want to be a downer to everyone, lol!

I guess we've just got to really read labels and educate ourselves on what those labels really say.

:)
Dee

a "toxin" is a poisonous product of the metabolic activities of a living organism, like the aflatoxin found in grains and oilseeds, or patulin in apple juice ... toxins are the result of microbial activity, bacterial or fungal .... what that report is talking about is a contaminant, and considering that it's a petroleum derivitive, it may simply be a "natural" result of using a plastic container, or from contamination by lubricants at the production facility, not terribly dangerous in a soap product

Bill

This subject is one of my pet peeves. I read there are over 2,000 toxic ingredients in cosmetics. I didn't save the website, but you could find it in a search for "toxic chemicals in cosmetics". Below is a website that lists 59 & states what those toxins cause.

I printed out the list & went to a health food store & spent 2 hrs. reading labels to find safe shampoos, skin care, etc. Burts Bee's is one of the brands I found to be safe. They have signed a contract not to use harmful products or harm animals in any way. (Now it's owned by Colgate, so I don't know if that's still the case.) You can buy their products at a discount at Vitacost.com, plus, of course, supplements, food & many other things. Shipping is a flat $4.99. I've ordered from them several times & have been very pleased. Products arrive in 3-4 days.

I was using a shampoo that cost $26 (probably higher now) for 18 oz. The first ingredient is water. The 2nd & 3rd are on the toxic list. The reason they use these products is because they are cheap & they give the suds consumers want. If the first ingredient is basically free & the other 2 are cheap, what was I paying $26 for?

I received an email from a company promoting their product. I read the ingredient list & can't remember what the product was, but it turned into formeldayde or had formelahyde in it (can't remember the particulars). I sent them an email stating I was aware that "whatever it was" was a toxic chemical. I received an email 2 weeks later stating that the form of that product they used didn't do that. I told them if they would make it 100% safe I would be interested. No reply from that email.

We all need to be writing these companies & letting them know we are concerned.

I subscribe to a health newsletter that investigates everything to do with health. I'm new here, so I don't know if I can post it here. It's shocking news. Someone please let me know if it's allowed.

I'm not involved with Vitacost or Burt's Bees. Just angry that companies would put so many lives in danger for profit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Toxic ingredients in cosmetics

Interesting... 1,4 Dioxane is not a naturally occuring substance, but is manufactored directly or as an incidental by product in other reactions. My company is in the business of environmental remediations, and we look for 1,4 dioxane in groundwater contaminated with the chlorinated solvent trichloroethane. 1,4 D is added to TCA degreasing solvents as a preservative. 1,4 D is an ether compound just like MTBE. The ether stucture of 1,4 D makes it highly soluble in water, recalitrant to biodegradation, and difficult to treat once pumped out of an aquifer.