Archive for cancer
Cancer is Preventable
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Cancer is Preventable
Yes, you just read that correctly. Many people think cancer is an eventuality. Most people’s lives have been touched by this terrible disease…me included. My mother passed away of ovarian cancer after years of using toxic beauty products, talcum powder in particular. Watching her suffer was the most horrible thing I have ever had to bear. I suspect there is link between her use of talc and her developing cancer. In fact, research proves there is a link between talc use in the genital area and ovarian cancer. Studies show talc particles in ovarian cancer tumors. Do I think her cancer could have been prevented? Yes! I wish I knew then what I know now.
An alarming statistic from the Cancer Coalition website
A wonderful advocate for cancer prevention is Dr. Samuel Epstein. He has dedicated his life to educating people about avoidable cancers, environmental and consumer dangers. His name many sound familiar to you as I have mentioned him before. I just finished up his latest book, Toxic Beauty, an important book I would highly recommend to everyone.
A bigger factor for developing cancer is the choices you make. On the Cancer Coalition site, you can access a useful list of consumer products to avoid. On the list are food and cosmetics products you should steer clear of. This does not mean get paranoid….make changes little by little to protect yourself and your family.
At preventcancer.com you can also see a list of all the avoidable cancers. Knowledge is power. Use this knowledge to lower your risk factors. I hope everyone finds this information useful and please pass it on so we can spread the word….cancer is preventable!
Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!
Robin
Beauty and the Beast
Posted by: | CommentsMakeup is something most women use on a daily basis. Do we realize just how much harm we may be causing ourselves by doing this? Many people do not know about the chemicals they are putting into their bloodstream via the skin on a daily basis, year after year and believe that because it is on the shelf, it is safe. This is far from the truth. Many commercial makeup brands contain dangerous carcinogens such as lead, formaldehyde, mineral oil, and talc. You might call them the “beasts” of makeup. Watch this video to learn more about the toxins in makeup and what you can do to become a more educated beauty consumer! Take special note of how more advanced Europe is than the US in recognizing toxic substances. Also check out skindeep.org for further information.
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Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!
-Robin
Go Greeeeeen Tea!
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Green tea is not only great for your heart, but for your skin and hair too.
Did the title catch your attention? I hope so…The benefits of drinking green tea are many: weight loss, increased metabolism, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, and improving the immune system to name a few. Green tea contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant which kills cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. If green tea is not part of your daily diet, it should be.
Green tea is so healthy in our diet but what can it do in our beauty products? There are times when your hair needs a break from regular shampoo and needs a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup of styling products. Enter Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo.
It deep cleans and rinses well leaving the hair healthy and manageable. It contains herbal extracts and nutrients which make the hair easy to style and cuts down on dry time (who doesn’t need more time in their beauty routine??) Green tea and nettle extract protect hair and tone the scalp. Aloe replenishes moisture while almond protein strengthens hair fiber, fullness, and manageability. You will be so pleased when you use this shampoo as it contains so sulfates, parabens, or chemicals. It’s also vegan and is not tested on animals. Here are the complete ingredients:
INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Coconut Oil-Corn Oil Soap, Organic Green Tea Extract (Organic Green Tea, Organic Nettle, Natural Grain Alcohol), Organic Aloe Vera, Carrageenan, Organic Lemon Peel Oil, Almond Protein, Organic Blue Camomile Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).
You can explore the entire line of green tea products at Aubrey Organics.
Another company who have tapped into the power of green tea is Burt’s Bees. They make a collection of products utilizing this wonder ingredient. I was able to find a Green Tea set at Marshall’s (I am always looking for deals!) It contained a 12 oz. shampoo, 12 oz. conditioner, 8 oz. hand soap, and a soap bar. Burt’s Bees Color Keeper Shampoo and Conditioner uses green tea and fennel seed to help preserve color. This is a good shampoo, but when compared with Aubrey, I definitely like the results from the Aubrey collection better. My hair seems to stay cleaner longer than when I use the Burt’s Bees. If you decide to try both lines, it is up to you to decide which you like better. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the benefits of green tea or what is has done for you. Please leave me a comment.
Until next time, stay natural… stay beautiful… go green(tea!) -Robin 
The Problem With Parabens
Posted by: | CommentsYou may be hearing a lot lately about parabens…but what are they and why should we be concerned about them? Parabens are a group of preservatives used in over 25,000 cosmetics and personal care products. Which of these items do you think contain parabens? Shampoos, conditoners, make-up, tanning oils, styling mousse, body wash, toothpaste, tooth whitening products? All of them do. If you check your label, anything that contains the word “paraben” is a product you should discontinue using. I stopped using any product containing this toxin years ago and when I check ingredient labels now, if I see parabens, I put it down.
Parabens are artificial ingredients that the body readily absorbs. Studies show that parabens can affect hormones and mimic estrogen (and too much estrogen is not a good thing, for women OR men.) Excess estrogen has the potential to cause breast cancer, in fact, parabens were found in breast cancer tumors of women and in urine of people tested by the CDC (so the body does retain it.) Parabens are so prevalent in personal care products today that more boys are being born with deformed reproductive organs. In fact, a study recently done on fish in the Potomac shows that male fish are being transformed into “intersex fish” – male fish born with female characteristics. This is nature’s way of warning us to stop using parabens in our products. It is something pregnant women should most definitely avoid.
Many companies are finally admitting to the dangers of parabens and are offering paraben-free products. Just be sure to read the rest of the ingredients, because they may still contain some toxins. So I give you this challenge: Go check the labels of some of your products. I guarantee that most, if not all, will contain parabens….and leave a comment here to let us know if you’ve decided to ban parabens from your products!
If you’d like to read more about these “intersex” fish, click here to read the NY Times article: “It’s Time to Learn From Frogs.”
Click here for safe skin care: Dr. Mercola’s paraben-free, organic body butter.
Check out this informative news story regarding toxins in cosmetics today (parabens are mentioned.) It’s a must watch!
A Trip to the Nail Shop…A Rather Toxic Experience
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When you walk into the nail shop, you’re looking forward to a relaxing spa experience. Instead, your nose is probably assailed with chemical odors. What are you smelling? It is not a natural smell….it’s a myriad of chemicals: the powder used for acrylic nails, nail polish remover, and nail polish to name a few. If it smells this bad, can you imagine what it can do to your body? Some of the most toxic chemicals you will encounter at the nail shop is toulene, formaldehyde, or DBP. You may be saying to yourself, what are these and why should I be afraid of them??
Out of those three ingredients, the one you might have already heard of is formaldehyde. Yes, that is the same substance used in the preservation of dead bodies. Formaldehyde is not something you should be using while alive, as it is a carcinogen. And this is the same ingredient in your nail products. Toxins, anyone? It is mainly used to make the polish resilient. Toulene is another chemical used in polishes to make it easy to apply and fast drying. It is a toxin that is easily absorbed through the skin, found in paints and explosives. It can cause a myriad of problems. DBP is dibutyl phthalate, has been found to interfere with birth development and is sometimes not even on the ingredient list!
So when I go to the nail shop or go to purchase nail polish (because let’s face it, most of us do not want to give up our pedi’s and mani’s) I look for this on the label: formaldehye/toulene/DBP free. It’s not too difficult to find, in fact, I recently caught up with one of my favorite blogs, The Organic Beauty Expert and I was delighted to read about a new nail polish (NP2 Nail Perfection) which does not contain any of these chemicals. I went on to read more and went to the site to check out the new polish. Guess how much? $22.50 a bottle. Now, this is a pretty cool product in that it is a two-sided bottle that comes with a supposedly chip resistant express dry top coat. But for some of us on a budget this might not be the best option. To check out this post, click here: The Organic Beauty Expert.
Enter… Walgreens. Yes, Walgreens! I was shopping one day and found they carried Sinful Colors Professional Nail Color, a very affordable (under $5 a bottle) and safe brand of nail polish. And the colors are truly sinful! If you’re like me, you’’ll probably want one of every color. And the best part is, their formulas are formaldehyde, toulene, and DBP-free. You can also find them at sinfulcolors.com. So when you’re at the salon or the store, check out the ingredient list before you buy and make a safe choice when it comes to your nail products. Until next time, stay natural, stay beautiful…Robin.
