I have been reading this book called “Green Babies, Sage Moms” By Linda Fassa. It has been such an educating book for me. The one topic that I was most affected by was the cosmetics that we use everyday. Most cosmetics use a preservative called “Paraben”. If you look on the labels of most lotions, make-up, deoderant ect. you will see words like:

- Methylparaben (E218)
- Ethylparaben (E214)
- Propylparaben (E216)
- Butylparaben
- Benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Ethyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Parahydroxybenzoate

What do these giant words mean and what do they do? Well, for a long time now, studies have shown that they are fine to use as a preservative in cosmetics, but recently there has been evidence that suggests this may not be true. Parabens are absorbed through the skin and can then be stored in the body. Once parabens are in the body it affects the hormonal system by mimicking estrogen, the hormone that promotes cell growth. The promotion of cell growth link parabens with cancer. Parabens have actually been detected in human breast cancer tumors. (You can read more about this in the article I linked to above).

So, this really freaked me out and I started to throw everything away (and recycle what I could of course!) I have been on a quest to find paraben free products. Here is what I have found so far:

-Physicians Formula Organics make-up: I found foundation, concealer, eyeliner, eye shadow, blush and powder. I have used the concealer, foundations, eyeliner and eye shadow. I really like the eyeliner and eye shadow, there is really no difference in these products compared to others I have used with parabens in them. The foundation and concealer, have been a little hard for me to get used to. They are not as smooth and liquid as others I have used. I am sure that that is because of the mostly natural and organic ingredients. They are still really good products, but quite different than others that I have used.

-Tom’s of Maine: I found really fabulous deodorant (Citronella and lemon) from Tom’s. Honestly, I lift my arm up and I think, what is that fabulous smell? And it is me! I just love the deodorant. I also got some really great Tom’s toothpaste for us and special kiddo kind for Noah. Noah loves the tooth paste and says it tastes like ice cream and berries.

- Kiss My Face: I got some great shampoo and conditioner from here. I went to get some lotion today though and I saw that the Kiss my Face Peach lotion had parabens in it. I was very disappointed. Most of their stuff doesn’t have them though.

In other news, I am super excited (too excited really) for the TOXIC ROUND-UP in Cochrane happening this Saturday (October 25) from 10-4 at the Cochrane Fire station. I have been rounding up all the cleaners and toxic products I wish I knew never to buy and I am going to take them to the kind firemen to dispose of for me. I, in return will never buy those products again!!! I encourage you to find a toxic round-up in your area and get rid of all those things that are not doing our bodies good!

We are coming down to the final months of our year of not shopping. These past 10 months have not been too difficult (as we have often shared on the blog here) but I can see that as we reach the finish line our consumer tendencies are resurfacing. We are beginning to look to January with a list of things we want to buy or need to replace. Simple things that we have gone without or found used throughout this year are again floating to the surface as “needs”. I need some black spot shoes or the new Dear and the Headlights cd. The list of needs is growing and it is the so called needs which trouble me becuase it is going to be easy for me to get back into the habit of feeding every need that comes my way by stopping at the mall on the way home (maybe not the mall but somewhere).

I have noticed that our awareness of what we are buying has changed this year. I needed some new socks becuase my old one were all busted and holy (spiritual socks). Socks were on the Ok list of things to buy new. So, I went online and searched for fair trade socks. I couldn’t just go to the mall and buy socks. It took me over a week of research and looking around to buy Union made socks made in the USA at Mark’s.

I think one major shift that has happened is that we are willing to do the work required to buy products that are the fairest product we can buy. Whether that is organic, fair trade, union made, or local grown we want to buy things that reflect our values. We value the lives and feelings of every single human on earth and we value treating the earth in the best possible way that we can. These values need to be reflected in what we buy, where we buy it, and how it is made. We will not go back to buying stuff that exploits people or the earth becuase that just aint us anymore.

This is one of the biggest things that consumers can do to make a difference. Be aware of what you are buying. Just becuase it says its “green” or “organic” it doesn’t mean it always is. I found organic socks that were made in China. There is no way to tell if they were made in a sweat shop or not. Be aware of  what you are buying and shop based on your values. We can make a significant difference if we shift the way we think about what we consume.