Skin deep/do you know what you put on your skin?

[KnottedYet]

I am throwing out a lot of my lip balm keeping the badgers pass though. That is a good one at least! And Dr bronner's! Knottedyet already knew this!

Love my Dr. Bronner's! Wash my bod, my hair, my clothes, my dishes, my dog, all with the same bottle.

The lip balm (Dr. Bronner's/Sun Dog Magic) is my favorite lip balm of all time. (much better on my lips than Burt's Bees, which is now owned by Chlorox anyway)

I like the Dr. Bronner's/Sun Dog Magic lotion, but not as much as I like my plain grape seed oil (face and body) or plain olive oil (hands and feet)

[jobob]

Interesting. This site requests users to petition Congress to require manufacturers to prove the safety of their products before they are allowed to sell them.

One of the items in the petition is:

All chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products must pass a strict safety test that protects the most vulnerable in the population, before products are allowed to be sold.

So campers, what do you suppose a "strict safety test" would involve?

Could it be ... animal testing ?????

[KnottedYet]

yup.
Most likely. I'd rather have educated consumers than stricter testing laws. Whichever is done, though, it's always an uphill battle. I remember reading about what a battle it was over listing ingredients... whew!

[Meg McKilty]

Interesting. This site requests users to petition Congress to require manufacturers to prove the safety of their products before they are allowed to sell them.

One of the items in the petition is:

All chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products must pass a strict safety test that protects the most vulnerable in the population, before products are allowed to be sold.

So campers, what do you suppose a "strict safety test" would involve?

Could it be ... animal testing ?????

Well, hell's bells, already two of my four cosmetics are tested on animals it seems. I am not a fan of that practice. How cruel!! Test on humans if you are so unsure; I need to make an extra buck or two.

On another note, better start hoarding the bunnies so labs can't find them.

[OakLeaf]

Could it be ... animal testing ?????

Unlike a lot of environmental additives (paints, fabric treatments, plastics etc.), the artificial chemicals in personal care products already are tested on animals. That's where the EWG data comes from. They're tested on animals, found to be dangerous, and passed for human use anyhow. Companies that use chemicals that someone else has tested can claim that their finished products aren't tested on animals. Completely natural products like Dr. Bronner's or pure coconut oil get waived because they're grandmothered in as Generally Recognized as Safe. (Although on a side note, the pharmaceutical companies are now testing natural foods on animals so that they can make health claims. )

Some people (i.e. for-profit corporations) have instilled the idea that "progress" means abandoning ancient ingredients and traditions, and that anyone opposed to that abandonment is a "Luddite" (which the history and reality of Luddism is actually another discussion...). In reality, it's more about selling people Vytorin because their patent on Zocor is about to expire. The lotion in the colorful plastic package at Wal-Mart (or the natural food store) doesn't necessarily work any better than the ugly weed growing in your backyard, or the nondescript jar of oil in the baking aisle.

Occasionally there is room for improvement, and for products that really do show some practical value, there's been a lot of advances recently in in vitro testing on human tissue. Yes, those advances do unfortunately involve comparisons with animal testing. But IMO the discussion about animal testing for pharmaceuticals and surgical techniques - whatever your position on that - is a completely different discussion from the question of animal testing for cr*p that they just want to sell you for around the house.

[SadieKate]

So campers, what do you suppose a "strict safety test" would involve?

Could it be ... animal testing ?????

So, what if I'm the aminal?

Horseman's Dream Veterinary Cream* (for use on horse and dogs) is the cat's PJs for healing bloody fissured heels and cracked fishing hands. I don't leave home without it.

*NOW WITH LANOLIN!

[Brandi]

Love my Dr. Bronner's! Wash my bod, my hair, my clothes, my dishes, my dog, all with the same bottle.

The lip balm (Dr. Bronner's/Sun Dog Magic) is my favorite lip balm of all time. (much better on my lips than Burt's Bees, which is now owned by Chlorox anyway)

I like the Dr. Bronner's/Sun Dog Magic lotion, but not as much as I like my plain grape seed oil (face and body) or plain olive oil (hands and feet)

I have super coarse hair. Would the bronner's make it really frizzy? Do you use conditioner?

[Eden]

I have super coarse hair. Would the bronner's make it really frizzy? Do you use conditioner?

I have thick curly hair. This sounds nasty and I was super skeptical, but I tried it and it really works. Only shampoo your hair once or twice a week... It took a lot of will power and I cut down slowly going to every other day... every 3rd day. Now I just wash it when it looks dirty, which is usually only once or twice a week, or less depending on how much time it spends in a helmet. I still shower every day of course and my hair gets rinsed and conditioned every day as well, just no shampoo. I find this also means its much less important to be careful about what I wash it with, because it doesn't frizz as easily.

[shootingstar]

Responding to original topic...in a way this is why I don't want to go the hair colouring route at all and be on that path for many years. Hard to believe the chemicals to dye hair, which might touch scalp are all safe products.

It's amazing to look at bottle of shampoo these days to see its ingredients.. not that I've gone "organic" yet... since so-called "organic" shampoos are expensive.

My use of makeup has reduced over the past few years. In my present job, I only wear makeup (meaning foundation and lipstick), um..every 3-4 months.

And it's a predominantly male workplace. 25% women vs. 80%.

I think cycling has made me care about being fit instead of how polished I look on the job. Not sure that's the objective here.

[Jolt]

I have thick curly hair. This sounds nasty and I was super skeptical, but I tried it and it really works. Only shampoo your hair once or twice a week... It took a lot of will power and I cut down slowly going to every other day... every 3rd day. Now I just wash it when it looks dirty, which is usually only once or twice a week, or less depending on how much time it spends in a helmet. I still shower every day of course and my hair gets rinsed and conditioned every day as well, just no shampoo. I find this also means its much less important to be careful about what I wash it with, because it doesn't frizz as easily.

Interesting...you're making me want to experiment--I picked up some soap recently that's not Dr. Bronner's but seems similar (Trader Joe's brand) and plan to try it once I finish the stuff I currently have in the shower. Not sure I could get away with washing only once or twice a week though--on about day 3 my hair definitely starts looking dirty.

[Eden]

Not sure I could get away with washing only once or twice a week though--on about day 3 my hair definitely starts looking dirty.

When I first started my hair would get dirty faster, but now it seems to have reached a better equilbrium - now that I'm not stripping the natural oil out of it so often it doesn't produce as much and it stays clean much longer. I *do* rinse it out and use conditioner every day and that helps a lot. If I weren't doing that I probably couldn't go more than 2 days at a time.

[KnottedYet]

I have super coarse hair. Would the bronner's make it really frizzy? Do you use conditioner?

I don't know what it'd do for your hair. Lucy Liu also uses it, and her hair looks pretty darn good!

I don't use conditioner. (my hair is very thin and fine)