Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Product Purge #1 - What I'm Throwing Away and Why

As I've mentioned before, the switch to natural and organic products does not come overnight. I loathe to throw away some of my most treasured items, but others I don't feel so bad. I am starting to go through my collection of products and throw away the ones that are almost gone and have dangerous ingredients and chemicals in them. The following are the items I decided to throw away this week:



1). Generic Eye Shadow from a random Christmas stocking gift a few years ago. 


cheap crappy eye shadow

These probably came from the dollar store or some place really cheap, and they have no brand whatsoever. Not that I'm knocking the dollar store, but it's not the best place to buy makeup. I have used these a couple of times, and they are terrible. They smear all over my face and last maybe 1 hour at most. Considering their ingredients aren't listed, who knows what horrors they contain! :)




2.) Cocoa Butter Lotion. 


cheap crappy cocoa butter lotion

Oh how I used to love cocoa butter lotion. I still do, but I need to find one with less harmful ingredients. The second ingredient listed on this bottle is Mineral Oil, which is basically a cheap byproduct of petroleum. Manufacturers can buy it in bulk for very cheap and it does not spoil, which is why it is found in lots of products. However, mineral oil can cause allergies, clog pores, and prevent your body's ability to release toxins. The 6th ingredient is DMDM Hydantoin, which is a formaldehyde releaser. Yuck! And then there is the all-too-nebulous "fragrance." What does fragrance include? Who knows. Yep, this bottle's getting chucked.







3.) Peony and Waterlily Lotion from Victoria's Secret. 


flirty peony and waterlily

This lotion smells sooooooooooo good, but I know it's not good for my body. The third ingredient is petrolatum, which basically has the same negative effects as mineral oil. Next are such baddies as Fragrance, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Tetrasodium EDTA, and Propylene Glycol; all known carcinogens, aka cancer causing! Those are only a few of the more than 40 ingredients listed on this bottle! Seriously, I used to love Victoria's Secret, but now I see that they are a company run by greed and they don't really care about the women that they make products for. It's a shame.








4.) Another Victoria's Secret product: Sexy Little Things Noir Body Powder. 


scented body powder

Fragrance, mineral oil, parabens, imidazolidinyl urea, and talc are just a few of the problems with this product. Added to the risk of these being on my skin is the fact that it is a powder that poofs everywhere and I am also breathing this stuff in! It smells great but it's not worth the risk.








5.) Bath and Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Spray. 


Japanese cherry blossom body spray

Fragrance and propylene glycol are two of the main ingredients; need I say  more?


















6.) Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation. 


Dream Matte Mousse Foundation

One of my favorite products, but it's filled with every kind of paraben imaginable. I really don't want these potentially cancer-causing molecules soaking into my face. 











Again, it is disappointing to me to have to discontinue using these products, some of which work well and smell delicious, but I know it's for the betterment of my health.

Would you be willing to give up some of your favorite products if you found out they included some of these harmful ingredients? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!!!

As always, thanks so much for reading.!

Until next time,
J

Other Posts of Mine You May Enjoy:
The First Five Products to Switch When Going Natural
Trying out a Natural Deodorant

10 comments:

  1. I'd love to say I would be strong and get rid of products that were harmful but in all honesty, if something worked really well I'm not sure I could give it up.

    Fair play if you can make it work for you though!

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    1. Hi Clare! Thanks for your comment. There are a couple of things that I am not willing to give up yet. One of them is my Estee Lauder foundation. Never before have I found a foundation that truly matches my skin, and I won't sacrifice it until I find its equal (which could take awhile!).

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  2. Go Jamie! Welcom to the world of natural products! I've had great success with Jane Iredale pressed powder, if you're looking for a replacement for your Estee Lauder foundation I'd give it a whirl! Their Bronzer is also gorgeous!! xx

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Rebecca! I'll have to check out Jane Iredale. Do you know which stores generally carry it? I'd love to try it out before buying, since like I mentioned above my skin is so hard to match! :)

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  3. Dear Jamie
    Interesting blog you have a large amount of work ahead of you if you plan on showing us what is bad and what is good to use. I am interested in what you replaced these products with, since we still get dry skin and want to smell good and look good.

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    1. I agree! It is a lot of work, which is why I'm doing it slowly, and I'll be reviewing new natural products as I try them out.

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  4. Once again you have caused me to take a closer look at the products that I'm allowing to soak into my skin. I think I'll be going through my bathroom cabinets, I want to be a good healthy example to Rebecca.

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    1. Thanks for the comment, Kelly! I'm hoping that as more and more people stop using products that contain these harsh and harmful ingredients, companies will have to "wake up" and start providing us with better stuff! :)

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  5. I did not realise all these products were so bad for you thanks for opening my eyes!

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    1. You're welcome! I'm still learning myself about all these things too! :)

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