getting the toxins out of our cosmetics

A lovely blog (a favorite of mine) called My Sweet Greens has a fabulous post today about getting rid of the very toxic chemicals in almost all cosmetics and facial/body care products.

Head over for a peek at a great video!

(photo, above, via Flickr)

Given the massive extent of greenwashing (which is calling something organic or eco friendly or non toxic when it is only partially that, or not at all), it's really important to carefully read through each ingredient on your products.

A great place to visit is the Environmental Working Group's SKIN DEEP Cosmetics database - where you can search by ingredient, product name and product type to figure out what's in your stuff, and what you might want to choose instead. Lots of "organic" products, for example, still use toxic "fragrance" or sodium benzoate, which is not something I'd like to be rubbing into my skin.

Here at home, we make our own organic beeswax-based skin cream (which we use on our bodies and faces and scent with organic essential oils depending on our mood, and the season), and use these other brands:

Stem Organics (until the end of November, you can use code SewnNatural20 for 20% off anything in their line!!)

Pangea Organics (which you can find here if you're in Canada, or at most Whole Foods)

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What are your favorite DIY recipes for non toxic beauty products? Should we do a DIY beauty product exchange (something I've been thinking about for awhile)?