Into Healthy Living

Unfortunately, organic, natural, and chemical-free skincare products are often NOT yet mainstream items at your local chain drugstore.  Unless you are a regular shopper at a store like Whole Foods, it can be difficult to find products without any toxic ingredients.  Fortunately, internet shopping has made it easy to purchase these items online either directly from the manufacturer or from utilizing a search engine. 

My latest personal addiction are nontoxic skincare products that contain rosa damascena otto, otherwise known as rose oil.  The scent is exquisite– so delicate and light.  Rose also has stress relieving and soothing properties.  Listed below are my favorite nontoxic Rosa Damascene skincare products.  Wouldn’t these items make a special and thoughtful gift for someone who loves roses?  What’s your favorite nontoxic Rose product?

(1) REN Skincare Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash: My number one favorite product, so if you make one new skincare purchase– definitely try this body wash!  It is also free from sulfates and synthetic colors.

(2) Pangea Organics Italian Red Mandarin With Rose Lip Care: This “chapstick” is thick enough to cover and protect your lips, but doesn’t feel heavy at all.  And if you happen to lick your lips or give a few kisses– you get just a hint of the delicate rose scent.

(3) Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Light Cream: Truly a lightweight moisturizer that is perfect to apply before your make-up and it smells heavenly!

(4) Boscia Blotting Linens (Rose): Very effective at removing excess oil or perspiration without disturbing your makeup.

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I recently attended the San Francisco showing of LUNAFEST, short films by…for…about women.  The event simultaneously promotes women filmmarkers, raises awareness for women’s issues, and supports women’s nonprofit oganizations in the United States and Canada.  Be sure to check the upcoming LUNAFEST calendar as the event is running across the United States through March 2009.  One of my favorite short films was a documentary of the making of mannequins at a factory in Los Angeles.  The 8 minute film illustrates how poor body image can develop from mannequins that have “false” physical perfection with measurements of just 34×25x36.

I recommend arriving to the event at least 20 minutes early in order to sample items and pick up materials from the vendors.  One such tabletop display by PurePrevention.org caught my attention with their messaging: “only 1 out of 10 women who have breast cancer have a genetic history of the disease.”  Pure Prevention raises awareness about the environmental causes of breast cancer.  The campaign urges every woman to commit themselves to making smart choices about known environmental causes of breast cancer and pledge to do the following:

(1) Create a Healthy Home: I will make my home a sanctuary by choosing natural, chemical-free products.

(2) Eat Smart: I will read food labels, choose natural and organic foods rich in antioxidants and purchase hormone-free meat and dairy products whenever possible.

(3) Choose Safe Cosmetics: I will chose safe personal care products by avoiding ingrediants linked to breast cancer like parabens, petroleum distillates, and lead acetate.

(4) Get Outside: I will get outside to walk, exercise, or breathe deeply three times a week for 30 minutes.

One of the best web sites to help you make safe and smart choices about your cosmetics is Skin Deep.  Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products from researchers at the Environmental Working Group.  Conduct a search of your current make-up products to determine their hazard score: 0-2 is low hazard; 3-6 is moderate hazard; 7-10 is high hazard.  If your beauty products are all falling in the “high hazard” range, then its time to start making serious changes in the brands you purchase and support.

Your action item — take the pledge (see items 1-4 above) and learn the hazard score for the cosmetic products you put on your body every single day!

Technorati Tags: lunafest, pure prevention, skin deep, breast cancer

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Recent press over the past few years has increased public awareness of possible toxin ingestion from pesticide application in our food supply as well as the potential risk of consuming milk derived from agricultural animals given artificial/synthetic hormones. While we may be aware of the relationship between food consumption and health, what about the chemicals women absorb from their daily cosmetic regimen? There have been many polls that estimate women use over 20 different beauty products per day. Toxins can be just as readily absorbed into the body through the skin as they are through the consumption of food. Why then aren’t women more inquisitive about the ingredients in their cosmetic products as they are to shop at Whole Foods to buy organic produce?

“Cosmetics do not have to be approved as safe by the FDA before they are sold. As a result, they too often contain dangerous ingredients banned in Europe and Japan or chemicals deemed unsafe for specific uses by their own industry scientists,” said Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org).”

Have you ever looked at the list of ingredients contained in your foundation or your eyeshadow? If you knew the product contained a potential carcinogen, why would you risk applying this toxin to your face ever single day when healthy alternatives already exist? Alima cosmetics, www.alimapure.com, created a nice pocket-sized chart of the Top 10 Cosmetic Toxins to avoid. Visit their site to request a .pdf copy of the list; then, print out and take with you on your next visit to the cosmetics aisle.

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It is with great pleasure that I begin my first blog on healthy living. While I’m not quitting my day-job as an oncology pharmacist, I do hope to bring to this medium an awareness of eco-friendly products and lifestyle decisions for a healthier self and a more sustainable environment.

Who am I? A 30-something California girl currently living in San Francisco, a vegetarian, an animal lover, a devout dog owner, and a runner when not injured. My husband describes me as a constant state of action-a “go-go-go” lifestyle. My on-paper qualifications: I received my BS in biochemistry from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and my doctorate in pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of California San Francisco.

Why a blog? I am driven by my determination to never be idle on topics that drive my passion. John Sawhill, former president/CEO of The Nature Conservancy exemplifies my feelings perfectly with his statement: “A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy.”

Let the blogging begin…

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