I want to restock with no-nasties toiletries

beautyscientist

I think the very phrase 'cocktail of chemicals' which you hear all over the internet was coined by someone with the intention to mislead. Just about everything you come into contact with is a cocktail of chemicals.

A lot of these sorts of things can be traced back to an organisation called the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an American lobby group. These are the people that drafted the Safe Cosmetics Act which Jacks mentioned. They also publish the cosmetic database to which people have been referring.

The directors of this organisation get a six figure income from this work. Here is a link

http://wingedseed.com/blog/2010/07/08/the-revealing-truth-of-the-money-trail-of-ewg/

The revenues are generated by donations. If like me you sign up for their newsletter you will very quickly see how often they solicit contributions. It will also be pretty obvious that they have a vested interest in talking up risks and issues.

These people are highly savvy and know how to use the media to get their point across - their point being that you should be scared enough to send them some cash.

And if like Jacks you think I am just an ill informed big cosmetic company toadie you might be interested to learn that the Safe Cosmetics Act is being opposed by small producers who fear that it will put them out of business.

http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2010/08/report-from-dc-education-matters.html

And I think they are right. Big companies already have extensive data on their products and would have no trouble complying.

And apologies about the squalane. It does seem that I was wrong. But I can at least assure everyone that I personally have never used shark derived squalane. It is great stuff - both natural and non-toxic.

sunshineyday

Hi TomsMom

Louise Galvin does a range of hair products which have no nasties and also claim to be carbon neutral. They are available online but they are a bit pricey.

I am currently using the Natural Locks shampoo for normal hair and it is lovely. It is the first time I have used a 'no nasties' shampoo and to be honest I didn't choose it for its ethical credentials , it had been lying in the cupboard for ages and I'm determined to use up all my toiletries. Having said that, I'm so impressed with the difference that this shampoo has made to my hair that once I get through my stash I will definitely switch to more natural products.

TomsMom

Thank you Sunshiney Day. I can't get out to do any mooching or shopping yet so am still looking.

I'm finding the debate very interesting and checking out links etc.

So far I'm quite liking the Weleda shower/bath, I think that may go on my list. Not got much further yet as I'm trying to look at all the ingredients but sometimes not understanding a lot .

I checked out the lovelula site and was looking at the A'kin stuff. Apparently A'kin wont let them list their ingredients for each product but they do have a general list of ingredients that A'kin use across their range.

I shall keep look, thanks everyone for your suggestions, advice and links.

gwen80

Hi

I'm currently looking to do something similar with my toiletries/skincare/haircare. I've tried the new Body Shop haircare range (the Rainforest Shine one) and wasn't overly impressed with it. I might try Rainforest Moisture one though and see if that makes any difference.

Then I checked out Green People. I ordered a small trial size of their Aloe vera shampoo and conditioner and their Vita min fix moisturiser. The moisturiser is lovely. The conditioner is really good, but the shampoo kind of left my hair in a big matted mess until I put the conditioner on (which saved the day!). Then I ordered their Moisturising shampoo and I find it much better than the Aloe one for my hair. I'm not sure if it's the absence of SLS, but it seems like the shampoo's I've tried have a tendency to make my hair not very smooth (I couldn't use them without conditioner afterwards), tangled and rather matted, so I'm still looking for my ideal shampoo.

A tip for an intensive conditioner is coconut oil. I used to use it years ago and I'm going to go back to it. I put it in before I shampoo'd and left it in as long as possible, before I washed it out. It left my hair really shiny, smooth and felt in great condition.

I've been ordering oils for the oil cleansing method. I'm going to try that. I've heard great things about it, so I'm hoping that'll be my facial cleanser sorted and hopefully my skin will look better too

Gwenx

Kirri

Gwen, I had the same problem with the Green People shampoo and conditioner, I have very long and dyed hair, it just didn't suit me. But they do some amazing other products for face care. I find it's a case of a bit of one range and a bit of another.

I use the Jason Natural sea kelp or aloe (the lavender wasn't so good) and they are much better.

http://www.essentialslondon.com/product/940.aspx?gclid=CImrnb-tp6MCFRgulAodNC9R4A

gwen80

Thanks Kirri! Yeah, it does seem like different companies do different things well. On the plus side, there seem to be more and more companies producing products without SLS/parabens etc, so there'll be more choice and better formulations as time goes on.

I've heard of Jason's actually and it seems to have got good reviews...cheaper than Green People too :T I'm keen to try some Phyto hair products as they seem to have good reviews (particularly the hair relaxing cream stuff). It's fun trying out different stuff and I'm hoping my skin and hair will be all the healthier for it.

Gwenx

adelight

https://www.akomaskincare.com for their african black soap which makes an excellent facial soap, great for sensitive skin, doesn't dry skin or leave it feeling tight, and removes make up a treat. Makes a great hand and body soap too, and you can even wash your hair with it!
It's 100% natural and fair trade, just like their fantastic pure shea butter I do believe a lot of their products are also organic.

Delivery is reasonable, even when your order weighs several kilos like mine do(buying in bulk makes a cheap product even cheaper if you know you love it). I bought a kilo of the soap 15/16 months ago and still have a third left.

Kamen_Rider_W

A couple of mine:

Natural shea butter - good for scars/stretch marks

Camellia oil - apparently makes a v.good deep conditioner from hair, Japanese women in the past used to do this. I've never tried it because I don't like the smell (too flowery and sickly sweet) Leave on for about 20 minutes then rinse off

Azuki beans - crush and use as an exfoliant. You should be able to get them online or at speciality Japanese/East Asian shops.

Rosewater - good facial toner

clairibel

adelight wrote: »

www.akomaskincare.com for their african black soap which makes an excellent facial soap, great for sensitive skin, doesn't dry skin or leave it feeling tight, and removes make up a treat. Makes a great hand and body soap too, and you can even wash your hair with it!
It's 100% natural and fair trade, just like their fantastic pure shea butter I do believe a lot of their products are also organic.

Delivery is reasonable, even when your order weighs several kilos like mine do(buying in bulk makes a cheap product even cheaper if you know you love it). I bought a kilo of the soap 15/16 months ago and still have a third left.

They do coconut oil and rosehip oil here as well and thats reasonably priced too. All in one store shop saves on postage and environment. Ooh very MSE. This is the shop link

CatValou

Thanks for this thread. :T

Shizen, Trilogy, Nude, Jurlique and Kimia are brands I can personally recommend that you could look at for high quality no nasties skincare, but in the case of Nude, Jurlique and Kimia they are at high end price points.

However, destroying our health and the planet with ingredients suspected of, or known to, cause bioaccumulation, endocrine disruption, developmental toxicity, disease, allergies or environmental devastation has a much higher cost in my eyes.

http://search.qvcuk.com/QVCUK/Search.ff?query=shizen&cm_re=PAGE-_-SEARCH-_-SEARCH&cm_scid=SEARCH

http://www.spacenk.co.uk/p2p/search/searchresults.do?method=view&search=basic&keyword=nude&sortby=bestSellers&page=1

http://www.lovelula.com/cat_kimia.cfm

http://www.lovelula.com/cat_trilogy_face_care.cfm

http://www.lovelula.com/cat_jurlique.cfm