Safe Makeup for Kids - Avoiding Lead and Toxic Ingredients in Halloween and Costume Makeup

Halloween 2019 when I dressed as Dr. Frankenfurter from Rocky Horror Picture Show. This look created with 100% safe makeup.

It’s October which means Halloween, costumes, and candy. This year might look a little different when it comes to usual Halloween fun, but I bet my kids will still want to go to the Halloween store. I love a homemade costume, but I often cave and let them get an overpriced one-time-wear. But, one thing I always put my foot down on is Halloween face paints and kids’ makeup.

Why?

They usually include harmful ingredients and have been found to be contaminated with harmful heavy metals like lead.

Lead??? Yep. Lead.

Plus endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, and neurotoxins.

Safe Makeup for Kids - Avoiding Lead and Toxic Ingredients in Halloween and Costume Makeup

In 2016, the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) released a report on costume makeup, cosmetics marketed to kids, and Halloween face paints. They found concerning ingredients in these products and through further independent lab testing found heavy metal contamination in almost half of the products tested. Some of the products had four heavy metals with the darker pigmented colors being the most contaminated.

Label analysis caused the researchers to suspect that the products could contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and further testing confirmed their suspicion - 20% of the products had at least one VOC. VOCs in products marketed to kids! Ugh!

Four of the VOCs found have the potential to cause long-term damage:

• Toluene, a reproductive toxicant

• Styrene, a probable carcinogen and endocrine disruption compound

• Ethylbenzene, a possible carcinogen

• Vinyl acetate, another possible carcinogen

What else did they find? These contaminants and chemicals:

Lead and Cadmium

• There is no safe level of lead - associated with learning disabilities and developmental problems

• 20% of Halloween face paints included lead.

• 30% of them contained cadmium - linked with breast, kidney, lung and prostate cancer

Toluene

• Found in nearly 11% of the products

• A hormone disruptor, and development and reproductive toxicant

Parabens

• At least one Paraben was found in 34% of products, two to three Parabens found in 3%

• Endocrine disrupting chemical

Formaldehyde

• Known carcinogen

• Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives found in 3% of products

Ethoxylated Ingredients

• Found in 28% of products

• Results from the manufacturing process and can result in toxic contaminants linked with breast and other cancers, ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane

Not only do these products contain some pretty harmful ingredients, kids developing bodies are more at risk that adults. A study focused on DDT (a pesticide) exposure and breast cancer found that girls who were younger when exposed had the highest increase risk of breast cancer. (reference below)

We also know that with endocrine disrupting chemicals, exposure during developmental stages like puberty can increase the level of risk for disease later in life.

Cosmetics companies say that these exposures are small and don’t impact our health, but these studies focus only on one product and don’t factor in the other products or exposures an individual experiences every day. Each of the toxins we are exposed to end up factoring in to our overall body burden - so we need to remove the toxins wherever we can.

Unfortunately, regulations in the US don’t protect us so we have to be vigilant consumers and pay attention to the products we bring into our home.

So how can you have a fun Halloween look without harmful chemicals?

Use safe makeup.

I’ve use my toxin-free makeup bag to make all sorts of fun looks for my kids. It may not come as a “kit” marketed for Halloween, but use your imagination, and you can create almost anything you can dream of.

Whiskers - eyeliner

Ghost face - white eyeshadow

Rosy cheeks - lipstick and blush

If you want more ideas, I’m sharing them in my Facebook Group Detox by Design Insiders. Come join the fun!

DDT research: Cohn, B., Wolff, M., Cirillo, P., & Sholtz, R. (2007). DDT and breast cancer in young women: New data on the significance of age at exposure. Environ Health Persp, 115, 1406–1414.

Why It's Time to Detox Your Skincare Routine

Resources and links I mention in this episode:

Detox by Design | The Box

My favorite skincare products that have 100% safe and skin enhancing ingredients.

As a reminder, toxins are everywhere. In the air we breathe, in the food we eat, in our cleaning products, in our furniture and items we bring into our home…and in our skincare products.

Skin Care - Why it’s time to detox your routine!

My motto is that we need to reduce our exposure wherever we can.

Depending on the size of the molecule, the ingredients in our products can be absorbed through our skin and into our bloodstream. These ingredients can often be harmful, like endocrine disruptors or carcinogenic. We need to limit our exposure to harmful ingredients in order to limit our overall body burden.

Most people think that if something is sold in stores, then it must be safe. Unfortunately, that’s just not true. I’ve shared about the lack of regulations before and some ingredients to watch out for include parabens, sodium laurryl sulfate, mineral oil, phthalates, oxybenzone, and triclosan.

When I first switched to toxin-free living, skin care was lower on my list. But when you consider how often we use skincare, often multiple times per day, this should really be a priority.

Many people think we need harsh chemicals in our skincare for them to work. I disagree. There are some great products that have safe ingredients that do wonders for minimizing the effects of aging and protecting and moisturizing the skin. Many of the harmful ingredients in conventional skincare products aren’t even active ingredients that improve the skin. They are often just preservatives and fillers.

I get this question a lot, so I thought I’d share my personal routine.

Morning:

• Crunchi Gentle Facial Bar

• Clarilight Essence

• Daylight

• Sunlight SPF30

Evening;

• Charcoal Facial Bar

• Clarilight Essence

• Nightlight

If you’re curious about what kind of safe skincare routine would be perfect for you, I’m happy to answer any questions and recommend a routine specifically for your type of skin and daily routine. Just email me at megan@detox.design.

What Are Harmful Heavy Metals? And How to Avoid Them!

Resources and links I mention in this episode:

Detox by Design | The Box

Lead Safe Mama

My favorite products that third party test for heavy metals and pass with flying colors.

Heavy metal and I'm not talking music here - where heavy metals are found, how they affect our health, and how we can limit our exposure

You may be familiar with lead and mercury as heavy metals to avoid, but there are many other places to avoid heavy metals.

Heavy metals are found all around us. In the water we drink, in the food we eat, and in the products we put on our bodies. There are some that are essential to our health, like selenium and zinc, but at higher levels, some can cause acute toxicity or at lower levels, harm over time. Heavy metals can bioaccumulate, meaning they can build up within our bodies over time.

While we may not be able to remove all exposures to harmful heavy metals, we need to be careful in the products that we choose so we can reduce our exposure as much as possible.

Heavy metals have been linked with cancer, the toxicity of organs, and toxicity of the reproductive, immune, and nervous systems, and can cause developmental delay.

Unfortunately, US regulations of heavy metals is less strict than in most developed nations.

My interest in toxin-free living started with the knowledge that not all toys are safe, and some toys contain lead. The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates toys, but unfortunately toys are proven safe before they are sold in stores.

Ceramic dishes and pottery often contain lead and other heavy metals. I’ve been concerned in the past about vintage dishes, like the “radioactive red” fiestware, but didn’t realize that even modern ceramics and dishes often contain unhealthy levels of heavy metals within the glaze. Check out Lead Safe Mama for more info.

Heavy metals are also often found in personal care products like:

• Lipstick and lipgloss

• Whitening toothpaste

• Eyeliner

• Nail polish

• Foundation

• Sunscreen

• Eyeshadow

• Blush

• Concealer

• Moisturizer

• Eye drops

Heavy metals won’t necessarily be listed on the product label, but are instead contaminants of the ingredients within the product. Ingredients to look out for include lead acetate, chromium, thimerosal, hydrogenated cotton seed oil, and sodium hexametaphosphate.

While we can absorb heavy metals through the skin, it is also important to limit the amount of heavy metals within the products we put on our lips because we in ingest those products as well.

My favorite skincare and makeup line is Crunchi because they third party test for heavy metals, their products perform fabulously, and they minimize their use of plastics and prioritize eco-friendly packaging. If you’d like guidance on which Crunchi products are my favorite, you can email me at megan@detox.design or learn more in my Facebook group Detox by Design Insiders.

Resources:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/lead-and-other-heavy-metals/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health

Safe sunscreen - what ingredients are reef safe AND human safe?

I know I’ve posted about this before, but I wanted to include it in my podcast line-up so here it is again! I still feel passionate about wearing sunscreen every day.

Why?

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and I have family history too.

My dad has had several malignant melanomas (thankfully all 0 stage or pre-melanomas) and my mom has had one pre-cancer cell removed.

Safe sunscreen - what ingredients are reef safe AND human safe?

There ARE safe sunscreens that can prevent skin cancer! Plus, a daily SPF protects against aging, wrinkles, and sun spots.

Some reminders of why we need to wear sunscreen every day:

• UVA rays can penetrate through glass - you are exposed to damaging rays while driving. Plus you are exposed while walking into the office and during breaks.

• 95% of ultraviolet (UV) radiation comes from UVA rays which are 30-50% more damaging than UVB rays. UVA rays are also around year round and come through cloud coverage. On cloudy days 80% of the sun's rays pass through the cloud filled sky.

• It's true that exposing your skin to sunlight is a great way to get Vitamin D. HOWEVER, you don't need to tan or burn your skin to get Vitamin D, you only need about 15 minutes to get ALL the Vitamin D your body can produce in a single day. The paler your skin, the more easily your skin produces Vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council suggests only exposing your skin for 1/2 the time it takes to get burned. Then it is time to cover up, stay in the shade, and use sunscreen. You also get the most Vitamin D when you expose a large area of your skin, not your face. Exposure to UV light is one of the factors that leads to wrinkles, so we definitely don't want to skip sunscreen on your face, even when spending a few minutes outside getting that natural Vitamin D. 

  • You can get Vitamin D through the following foods:
    - Fatty fish
    - Beef liver
    - Egg yolks
    - Fortified milk and orange juice
    - Fortified cereals

  • You can also get Vitamin D through a supplement.

Safe SPF & My Favorite Sunscreens

Of course you also need to be aware of the ingredients in your sunscreen! There is a big difference between chemical sunscreen (one that absorbs into the skin) and mineral sunscreen (provides a physical barrier on top of the skin). I prefer mineral sunscreen because they work better and there are more mineral sunscreens with safe ingredients.

You know I’ve done my fair share of label analysis on sunscreens! And I’ve tried a ton! I’ve narrowed down my favorites to those that don’t leave my skin look white and ghostly.

My favorite face sunscreen is Crunchi Sunlight. It is broad-spectrum (blocking both UVA and UVB rays), and uses non-nano zinc oxide while also nourishing the skin with aloe, vitamin E, jojoba esters, açaí, and goji fruit antioxidants. It rubs in well and doesn’t leave the skin greasy or opaque like other mineral sunscreens.

For body my favorite right now is All Good. I have two different options in my shop. The sport sunscreen and the kid’s mineral sunscreen butter stick.

What other questions do you have about SPF? What are your favorite safe sunscreens and what do you like about them?Did you know that you can Ingredient deep dive

I hope I have convinced you to wear SPF every day.

How I analyze ingredient labels and "red flag" ingredients to avoid

If you’re ready to start detoxing your home and everyday routines, but you just don’t know where to start, then you’ll want to listen to this podcast episode. I shared my process for determining the safety of products and shared what I call “red flag” ingredients, the ingredients I scan for when analyzing a label.

How I analyze ingredient labels and "red flag" ingredients to avoid

The first thing I do when considering whether I want to buy a product is check the ingredient label. First I look for these ABSOLUTELY NOT, red-flag, ingredients:

• Parabens

• Fragrance/Parfum

• PEGs

• Grapefruit Seed Extract

• Methylisothiazolinone

• Phenoxyethanol

• Triclosan

Then I search the EWG Skin Deep Database to see if they have a rating for the product.  If they do have a rating, then I make sure it is the same version as the product currently on the market and determine if the product and the ingredients meet my personal safety standards.

And if the product isn’t in the EWG Skin Deep Database… then I enter every ingredient into the database and determine if the ingredients individually are up to my safety standards. 

Initially this will seem overwhelming, but as you practice and get familiar with the “red-flag” ingredients, you’ll get pretty good at it. I also suggest you take a screenshot of this list and keep it in your phone. That way you have a list to turn to when you’re deciding which project to buy and which to put back on the shelf.

Want more help going toxin-free? Download my free guide, join my Facebook group, and follow me on Instagram.

Toxins are everywhere - body burden, and your realm of control.

Yes, toxins are everywhere, but before you just give up and go eat some Cheetos, let’s talk about the ways we are exposed. What we can and can’t control.

Toxins are everywhere - body burden, and your realm of control.

We are exposed to toxins through air, water, food, and what we put on our bodies. Within those some we can control and others we can’t.

For example, think about the air we breathe. Yes, we can go for a hike out in the woods and breathe in fresh and healthy air, but on a daily basis, we can’t control the quality of the air outside. For water, we can use a water filter (my fav is a Berkey) or a whole-house water filtration system. And of course with food, you can choose organic, non-GMO, etc.

So I think about my realm control. What I can control and what I can’t.

Why?

Because our bodies can get overburdened by what it is exposed to.

As Rebecca Sutton, PhD, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), explains, “Our concern is daily, weekly, chronic exposure over a lifetime. Maybe if you’re exposed to a chemical a handful of times it wouldn’t cause harm, but some chemicals build up enough or cause enough harm in your body over time that it triggers some kind of disease outcome. The concept [of body burden] is that pollution is not just in our air and in our water — it’s also in us.”

Are you familiar with the term “body burden”? Toxic body burden is the cumulative amount of toxins in the body. These come from what we expose ourselves to every day, like air, water, food, and what we put on our skin.  

The level of a person's body burden depends on their age, gender, disease status, nutritional habits, and genetic makeup. Dose, time between exposures, duration of repeated exposures, and interaction with other chemicals also contribute to an individual's personal factors. I know that sounds like a lot to understand - but the key point is we ALL have multiple factors impacting our health. We need to understand how to control the ones we can.

Our bodies can process some toxins, but if overburdened, they accumulate in the organs and tissues of the body. 

In essence this is why paying attention to ingredients and choosing safe products is so important. We don’t want to overburden our bodies with unhealthy elements.

Want more help going toxin-free? Download my free guide, join my Facebook group, and follow me on Instagram.

Making the switch to toxin-free. Just take it one step at a time.

If you’ve just come into the light about products having unsafe chemicals, then you might be feeling kind of overwhelmed. Believe me, I’ve been there before.

Making the switch to toxin-free. Just take it one step at a time.

I work with clients as they switch to toxin-free. Some do it gradually, while others do it all at once.

If you happen to be in the overwhelmed camp, then I suggest you take it one room at a time.

For example, start in the laundry room. Check the ingredients of your laundry detergent. Is it safe?

Are you still using dryer sheets? If yes, please stop. They’re not good for you or the environment - go watch this video.

When you realize a product isn’t safe you have two options:

1. Throw it out and replace it right away. Make sure you dispose of it safely.

2. Or use it up and replace with a safer product when it’s gone.

Wherever you start, I suggest analyzing every ingredient label and if you’re not going to replace it right away, mark the label. Put a big “x” on the label so you know to find a safer product when it’s time to replace it.

But however you choose to switch your products, just start.

Want more help going toxin-free? Download my free guide, join my Facebook group, and follow me on Instagram.

Greenwashing - are you being tricked by marketing?

I don’t know about you, but I get pretty mad when I buy a product and it’s not exactly what I thought it was. Often, I realize that I bought a product simply because I was marketed to.

Greenwashing - are you being tricked by marketing?

Greenwashing is a marketing technique used by companies to imply that their products are green or safe, when they actually aren’t. Some greenwashing terms to look out for are:

• Natural

• Botanical

• Green

• Eco-friendly

• Non-toxic

• Organic

• Preservative-free

• Dermatologist-approved

Go check a label of a product you think is clean. Is it really?

This is the only way to truly know if what you’re buying lives up to the claims and pretty packaging.

Want more help going toxin-free? Download my free guide, join my Facebook group, and follow me on Instagram.

US Regulations don't protect us - we have to pay attention

Last week I launched my podcast, Toxin-Free Talk. You can find it here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

One of the first episodes focuses on the lack of regulation on the products we use and bring int our homes.  

Sadly, the US government isn’t protecting consumers. Just because it is sold on shelves doesn’t mean that it is safe. 

I think this quote from Rebecca Sutton, PhD, senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, sums it up nicely:

“In terms of household cleaners, neither ingredients nor products must meet any sort of safety standard, nor is any testing data or notification required before bringing a product to market.”

US Regulations Don’t Protect Us - We Have to Pay Attention

Cleaning products are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and manufacturers are only required to disclose those chemicals listed on the "chemicals of known concern" list. This means that in some cases you can’t even find the list of ingredients on the label. The EPA doesn't test to see if the products are harmful and they don't require that manufacturers test them for safety. They are considered "Safe until proven dangerous."

Cosmetics are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act. The federal law that governs this 84 billion dollar domestic cosmetics industry is only 2.5 pages of the 829-page Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act,  and has not been updated since 1938.

 If you’ve ever navigated the personal care product section of Target, you know that’s a LOT of products for only two pages of regulation.

Europe has much higher standards for product safety.

Many companies make the very same product for global distribution, but the ingredients are different based on where the product is sold!

There are also some major loopholes in our laws

When it comes to product labels, the Fair Package and Labeling Act of 1966 has a major loophole. The ingredient “fragrance, natural fragrance, or parfum” is considered a trade secret under this regulation, allowing companies to hide ingredients and not disclose the full ingredient list. That means, you really have no idea what is in a product if it includes “fragrance”.

The cosmetics industry is an $84 Billion industry with an estimated 12,500 chemicals used. Our cosmetics industry uses roughly 10,000 industrial chemical ingredients in personal care products, and the vast majority have never been assessed for safety by any publicly accountable body.

All of this info here is why I think it’s so important to read your ingredient labels! If you’ve found this info helpful, please comment below and share my post or podcast with a friend!

Switching to toxin-free living - this is my story

Photo Source: Google

I recently recorded my first podcast (to be released very soon). I decided to share my story and how I came to start Detox by Design.

You may be surprised to learn that I didn’t grow up super healthy. My parents definitely tried their best, but it was the 80s.

During a high school assembly, I learned about environmental impacts to communities surrounding a large cattle farm and the impact that beef production has on the local community and greenhouse gases. This first opened my eyes to the fact that the environment around us has a big impact on our health. I even became a vegetarian for a few years after that assembly.

Why I chose to Switch to Toxin-Free Living

I ended up studying sociology with a lot of the focus on health. Then after my undergrad I got my Masters of Public Health degree and after graduation I started working in public health building and implementing programs to help people make healthier choices and prevent disease.

Then I had my first daughter and after I learned about lead in toys and BPA in plastics my eyes were opened to the fact that just because something in sold in a store, doesn’t mean it is safe. I learned about the lack of regulations in the US and I started considering the types of cleaners and products we brought into our home.

So that’s how it all began.

I’ll share my podcast when it’s officially approved by iTunes. I hope you listen, comment, and share!

Why You Need to Wear (Safe) Sunscreen Every Day!

Commit to wearing sunscreen EVERY day!

I’m re-sharing this blog post because I still think it’s important to wear SPF every day.

Even though I originally posted this in July of 2019, I still wear my SPF daily, even on days when I don’t leave my house.

Here’s what I shared -

Do you wear SPF every day? I admit it, I didn’t used to. But I recently made the commitment to wear it EVERY day. It is important!

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. My dad has had several malignant melanomas (thankfully all 0 stage or pre-melanomas) and my mom has had one pre-cancer cell removed. This is scary stuff.

There ARE safe sunscreens that can prevent skin cancer! Plus, a daily SPF protects against aging, wrinkles, and sun spots.

I often hear reasons why someone doesn’t need sunscreen. Like, “I’m in an office all day”, “I need the vitamin D” or “it’s raining, do I really need to wear SPF?”. I’m going to bust some myths and hopefully convince you to start wearing SPF every day. It is such a simple way to protect yourself!

I work in an office all day. I don’t think I need to wear SPF every day.

• UVA rays can penetrate through glass - you are exposed to damaging rays while driving. Plus you are exposed while walking into the office and during breaks.

• This jarring photo of a truck driver from the New England Journal of Medicine shows just how damaging the sun can be while driving. This photo is a scary visual of what 28 years of sun exposure can do to the skin.

28 years of UVA ray damage from driving (NEJM)

It rains all the time here, do we really need SPF? 

• 95% of ultraviolet (UV) radiation comes from UVA rays which are 30-50% more damaging than UVB rays. UVA rays are also around year round and come through cloud coverage. On cloudy days 80% of the sun's rays pass through the cloud filled sky.

I prefer to get my vitamin D as naturally as possible, through sun exposure. I don't think I need to use SPF on my face every day.

* I want to start by saying that getting natural Vitamin D through sun exposure is very controversial. I'm not a doctor and I'm not trying to be one. I'm simply sharing information.

• It's true that exposing your skin to sunlight is a great way to get Vitamin D. HOWEVER, you don't need to tan or burn your skin to get Vitamin D, you only need about 15 minutes to get ALL the Vitamin D your body can produce in a single day. The paler your skin, the more easily your skin produces Vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council suggests only exposing your skin for 1/2 the time it takes to get burned. Then it is time to cover up, stay in the shade, and use sunscreen. You also get the most Vitamin D when you expose a large area of your skin, not your face. Exposure to UV light is one of the factors that leads to wrinkles, so we definitely don't want to skip sunscreen on your face, even when spending a few minutes outside getting that natural Vitamin D. 

• You can get Vitamin D through the following foods:
  - Fatty fish
  - Beef liver
  - Egg yolks
  - Fortified milk and orange juice
  - Fortified cereals

• You can also get Vitamin D through a supplement.

Safe SPF & My Favorite Sunscreens

I hope I have convinced you to wear SPF every day. Of course you also need to be aware of the ingredients in your sunscreen! There is a big difference between chemical sunscreen (one that absorbs into the skin) and mineral sunscreen (provides a physical barrier on top of the skin). I prefer mineral sunscreen because they work better and there are more mineral sunscreens with safe ingredients.

You know I’ve done my fair share of label analysis on sunscreens! And I’ve tried a ton! I’ve narrowed down my favorites to those that don’t leave my skin look white and ghostly.

My favorite face sunscreen is Crunchi Sunlight. It is broad-spectrum (blocking both UVA and UVB rays), and uses non-nano zinc oxide while also nourishing the skin with aloe, vitamin E, jojoba esters, açaí, and goji fruit antioxidants. It rubs in well and doesn’t leave the skin greasy or opaque like other mineral sunscreens.

For body my favorite right now is All Good. I think it rubs in better than ThinkSport or Badger, two other brands that use safe ingredients.

What other questions do you have about SPF? What are your favorite safe sunscreens and what do you like about them?

Watch Out for Methylisothiazolinone

Parabens, phthalates, and fragrance are ingredients I often talk about, but I thought it would be good to highlight a lesser known ingredient that should be avoided as well. I have many friends that struggle with eczema. It can be itchy and annoying and hard to get rid of. The ingredient methylisothiazolinone should be avoided if you struggle with eczema. 

What is methylisothiazolinone?

Often called MI, Methylisothiazolinone is a biocide, a chemical substance that controls or kills microorganisms. MI is often found in antibacterial and cleaning products and is used as a preservative. 

MI is another chemical that has been banned for use in personal care products in the European Union (EU) but is still allowed in America. As a reminder, our cosmetics industry uses roughly 10,000 industrial chemical ingredients in personal care products, and the vast majority have never been assessed for safety by any publicly accountable body.

Why avoid methylisothiazolinone?

Methylisothiazolinone can irritate the skin and In 2013, the American Contact Dermatitis Society named MI the contact allergen of the year. Contact dermatitis is a kind of eczema caused when the skin reacts to an allergen. The allergen can be in a product that is applied to the skin or inhaled or ingested. The National Eczema Association names MI, along with fragrance, the metals nickel, cobalt, and chromium, formaldehyde, and other harmful chemicals as the main triggers for contact dermatitis. 

There has also been some concern that MI may be related to organ system toxicity (1) and neurotoxicity (2). This means that Methylisothiazolinone may impact the development and function of the organ system or central and/or peripheral nervous system. Sounds like a good chemical to avoid, right?

As you read labels, Methylisothiazolinone is one to watch out for.

If you’re looking for more help reducing your exposure to harmful chemicals get my Guide to Toxin Free Living.

(1)  Rohm & Haas (2002). Acute Inhalation toxicity study in rate (methylisothiazolinone 53.52% active ingredient). Rohm & Haas Chemicals, LLC Report, 06R-1002.

(2) Burnett, C. L., Bergfeld, W. F., Belsito, D. V., Klaassen, C. D., Marks, J. G., Shank, R. C., … & Andersen, F. A. (2010). Final report of the safety assessment of methylisothiazolinone. International journal of toxicology, 29(4 suppl), 187S-213S.

Let's Chat About Greenwashing Again!

Greenwashing really bugs me. Like to my core it annoys me.

I recently was watching a news story on the internet. The story was all about how toxins in our environment are linked with the obesity epidemic. Yep, you read that right. It’s not just poor food and lack of exercise, it’s also related to the endocrine disruptors that lurk in just about everything.

Well…back to my point about greenwashing… the ad before the story was for Grove Collaborative. While the mission for Grove may be good, their methods aren’t. They market themselves as a resource for natural and healthy living. But as we know, the term “natural” isn’t regulated. It just that…a marketing term.

And guess what… Grove Collaborative sells greenwashing products like Mrs. Meyers. Did you know Mrs. Meyers is owned by SC Johnson? Oh, and did you know that Grove Collaborative was created to fit a marketing niche - not necessarily as a method to distribute truly safe products into homes?

What’s greenwashing again?

 Greenwashing is a marketing technique used by companies to imply that their products are green or safe, when they actually aren’t. Some greenwashing terms to look out for are:

• Natural

• Botanical

• Green

• Eco-friendly

• Non-toxic

• Organic

• Preservative-free

• Dermatologist-approved

I don’t know about you, but I get pretty mad when I buy a product and it’s not exactly what I thought it was. Often, I realize that I bought a product simply because I was marketed to.

So what’s the lesson here? Ignore the pretty label and terms on the front of the product. Look on the back. Read the ingredients. This is the only way to truly know if what you’re buying lives up to the claims.

Don't Know Where to Start with Detoxing Your Home? Sign Up for My Masterclass “3 Secrets to Quickly and Easily Detox Your Home”

Imagine what it would feel like to confidently choose safe products while shopping.

Imagine how you’d feel about staying on budget and not worrying about the products you’re bringing into your home.

Imagine following a simple plan to finally get it done.

I started Detox by Design because I found that moms need a little more help with detoxing their homes. Even though I was providing free tips in my Facebook group, Detox by Design Insiders, I kept getting the same questions. I also found that although many knew they needed to do it, but they kept procrastinating because they were getting overwhelmed.

I decided to provide some extra help in a free webinar. In Three Secrets to Quickly and Easily Detoxing Your Home, I’m going to help you overcome procrastination and the immense feeling of overwhelm and finally detox your home. You’ll learn that it can be simple, easy, and affordable to find safe products to use in your home.

And if you want even more help, I’ve created a simple step by step process to make it all easy and achievable. I’ll be sharing all about my new program within the webinar. So go sign up now!

Fake Scents? No Thank You!

My friend Elissa texted me the other day. She said

“OMG at the dentist and they have Glade plug-ins all over! Instant headache! WTF! A medical office shouldn’t smell like Yankee Candle.” 

Yep, that’s what she said word for word.

I’m proud of her because she actually complained.  She told them that after 20 minutes she felt nauseous, dizzy, her hands were shaking, and her head was pounding. They agreed to unplug them and get this THE STAFF COULDN’T EVEN SMELL THEM! Hmm...I wonder if they plugged them back in later. 

I thought this was the perfect time to address scents not only because of Elissa’s text, but also because as the holidays get closer, you’re more likely to be inundated with scented candles, potpourri, and perfume. Here’s some good data to share to kindly encourage others to just stop it already with the fake smells. They’re not good for us!

So what’s wrong with fragrance?

We’ve talked here before about the ingredient “fragrance” or “parfum” commonly found on product labels and why you should avoid it altogether. (Fragrance/parfum is a proprietary term meaning that cosmetics companies aren’t required to reveal the individual chemicals included within the term.) But here’s more fuel for the fire.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, together with other non-governmental organizations, commissioned independent lab testing of 32 beauty, personal care, and cleaning products and found three quarters of the toxic chemicals in the products were fragrance chemicals. One in four of the 338 fragrance chemicals detected were linked with serious, chronic health effects including cancer, birth defects, and hormone disruption. No thank you!

These are the same chemicals found in many home fragrances. 

Women’s Voices for the Earth commissioned an independent lab test to find what chemicals could be hiding in air fresheners. While they only had enough funding to test for allergens, synthetic musks, and phthalates, they found ALL of them in the Glade products tested - despite the fact that Glad had committed to phasing out phthalates two years prior.

When you use something like a plug-in you’re constantly breathing in those chemicals. These intrusive fake smells not only have potential long term effects, some people have an almost immediate reaction. Alexander Mauskop, MD, director of the New York Headache Center, includes perfume as one of the most common smells that trigger migraines, and more than 2 million Americans are allergic to fragrance. 

Want to make the house smell amazing but don’t want the chemicals?

Here are a few suggestions for you -

1. Use a diffuser with essential oils. How about this recipe I found called “Crunching Leaves”:

   • 2 drops Frankincense

   • 2 drops Myrrh

   • 3 drops Wild Orange

   • 2 drops Cedarwood

2. Create an “old school” potpourri:

   • ½ lemon, sliced thin

   • ½ an apple, sliced

   • 4 cinnamon sticks, or ½ tsp ground cinnamon

   • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract

   • Place a medium sized saucepan on the back burner, fill with ingredients and let it simmer on the lowest setting.  Start your potpourri about a half hour before you have guests come over…your home will smell amazing.

3. Deep clean your home so you don’t have to cover up lingering scents.

   • Open up your windows and bring fresh air in.

   • My favorite tip to help eliminate unpleasant smells - sprinkle baking soda on rugs, carpets, and furniture before vacuuming and toss throw pillows and other fabric items in the wash for a deeper clean.

So the next time you get into an Uber that smells like an entire bottle of Axe threw up, will you say something? Let’s be like Elissa and speak up!

It’s Time for Cosmetics Regulation Reform and You Can Help!

I don’t usually ask for you to take political action, I’m just not that overt about my politics.

But there’s an important bill that needs our support in DC.

When I heard about it I immediately sent my representative a letter. And you can too.

This link makes it quick and easy. 

Why you should care…

There are major gaps in the federal laws that govern beauty and personal care products. The current law is only 2.5 pages long and is over 80 years old. I’m pretty sure there have been some changes in the way cosmetics have been produced in those 80 years.

Representative Jan Schakowsky introduced the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2019 (H.R. 4296), finally adding stricter regulations including:

• Banning over a dozen of the worst chemicals from cosmetics

• Funding research into safer alternatives to toxic chemicals negatively impacting communities of color and salon workers

• Requiring full disclosure of fragrance ingredients*

• Banning most animal testing

*Fragrance/parfum is currently a proprietary term meaning that cosmetics companies aren’t required to reveal the individual chemicals included within the term

You can get more details about H.R. 4296 here. 

I’m asking you to please take a moment and support this bill. Show Congress that we care about the safety of our products.

Each of us is an advocate every day. How we choose to spend our money is advocacy. 

Buying organic vegetables -  you’re an advocate for farming practices with fewer pesticides. Bringing your reusable cup to the coffee shop - you’re an advocate for creating less waste. Choosing a local restaurant - you’re an advocate for local commerce and supporting a family business.

Thank you for voting with your dollar and making smart and conscious decisions about the products and causes you support.

If you want more suggestions how how to get involved, check out my quick to do list.

Let's Have Some Fun with a Smokey Eye Tutorial

Talking about harmful chemicals all the time can get a little bit depressing.

Am I right?!?

So I thought we could switch things up a bit with a fun eyeshadow tutorial. I shared some easy-to-follow tips for a fun fall look!

I review my super quick everyday look, a subtle smokey eye, and a more bold evening look too. All in this quick 5 minute video.

Here are all the 100% safe and high performing products I used in this video: Makeup brushes 5, 8, and 9, Highlighter in Afterglow, Eyeshadows: Peach, Fearless, and Faux Suede, Lipstick in Pomegranate.

What’s your favorite look for fall? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks for transitioning your makeup with the change of seasons!

Endocrine Disruptors and Puberty - Why You Should Be Paying Attention!

My oldest daughter just turned 13 on Friday. 13!

My interest in toxin free living snowballed after she was born. I was scared by the recent recall of lead in toys. Yes, you read that right. Lead in the toys that my baby was putting in her mouth. I continued to learn more about the harmful toxins that we unintentionally expose our kids to. Like flame retardant pajamas. Sounds safer, right?

Wrong! 

The most common chemical used in flame retardant pajamas is polybrominated diphenyl ethers, an endocrine disruptor.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) deserve way more than one blog post, but I’ve been curious about how EDCs impact puberty. After all, I have a couple of daughters who are going through that developmental stage.

What are Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals?

Let’s start with what they are. EDCs are natural or synthetic environmental chemicals that mimic hormones. They are introduced to the body through the air, water, and food. They can also be found in furniture and items used within the home or office. Additionally, EDCs can be transferred to the infant via the placenta and through breastmilk. They especially interfere with reproductive hormones and thyroid hormone (important for development of the brain and nervous system). 

How do Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals affect the body?

EDCs can harm every organ in your body and have been linked with male and female reproductive disorders, obesity, diabetes, neurological problems, immune and thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, and hormone-related cancers. The strength and breadth of linking EDCs to chronic disease has been compared to the evidence linking smoking with lung cancer. (https://www.endocrine.org/topics/edc/why-you-should-care)

Since we’re focusing on puberty here -

EDCs can negatively affect breast development. Rapid mammary gland development happens at three stages-  in the womb, around puberty, and during pregnancy. 

Disruption of normal development caused by EDCs at any or all of these stages can cause abnormal development, impact breast cancer risk, and impair lactation. 

For males, breast development occurs in utero and is stopped by a surge of androgen right before birth. In rodents, anti-androgenic EDC exposure has caused reversal of this response in males. (10.1007/s10911-013-9275-7)

This basically means that EDCs can prevent the body’s natural response to stop breast development in boys. Scary, right?

How do Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals impact puberty? 

Puberty onset and course is controlled by the neuroendocrine system. 

“Factors affecting the timing and regulation of the functions of this system may alter the onset and course of puberty.” (10.4274/jcrpe.v3i1.01)

Because they act like hormones, EDCs can influence puberty. EDCs can affect the hormone system agonistically or antagonistically and can affect puberty in an estrogenic, antiestrogenic, androgenic, antiandrogenic manner or through directly affecting the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). 

I’m not an endocrinologist, and I’m guessing you aren’t either...so what does this all mean? Summed up, it basically means that EDCs can cause early or delayed puberty, or may lead to sexual differentiation disorders.

There are natural endocrine disruptors, like phytoestrogens, found in food we eat every day. Coffee, carrots, legumes, cherries, garlic, apples, to name a few. But these are considered weak in comparison and must be consumed in massive amounts to have estrogenic effects. 

Synthetic endocrine disruptors on the other hand, are different. Here’s a story about one of the most well known EDCs, Diethylstilbestrol (DES). DES was used for years until it was banned from production and marketing in 1997. It was used for pregnancy toxemia and preterm labor. However, there were some major issues found. Mothers exposed to DES had a twofold increase in breast cancer and for female infants exposed through their mothers, a higher rate of cervical cancer, ovarian germ cell cancer, cervical or vaginal dysplasia, and vaginal clear-cell adenocarcinoma. (J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2011 Mar; 3(1): 1–6.)

Where are endocrine disruptor chemicals commonly found?

Many chemicals in everyday products are likely EDCs. 

Parabens, phthalates and BPA (bisphenol A) are examples of EDCs you’ve probably heard of.

EDCs are often found in:

• Pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides

• Cleaning products 

• Cosmetics

• Dyes

• Plastic found in toys, bottles, food containers, lining of canned food, and cash register receipts

• Flame retardants used in clothing, furniture, and flooring

How can I avoid Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals:

• Eat organic and fresh food as often as possible

• Say “no” to canned food and beverages which often have an EDC lining. (Even BPA free linings often contain other chemicals that might be worse.)

• Avoid exposure to gardening and cleaning chemicals

• Reduce your exposure to EDCs in beauty and personal care products

• Wash your hands and dust and vacuum often - this will remove the EDCs commonly found in furniture, electronics, and other products in the home.

• Stop using fragrances and don’t use products that include the ingredient “fragrance” or “parfum”

• Reduce the amount of plastics you buy and use

I hope this article has you feeling informed and ready to make healthier choices to reduce your EDC exposure. 

Wishing you health and love friends!

More Reasons to Stop Using Disinfectant Wipes

Last week I shared my mission to get disinfectant wipes out of the classroom. My reasoning focuses on the fact that conventional wipes are harmful to the classroom environment and can affect the health of both students and teachers.

What I didn’t include is how unnecessary and often ineffective they are. Plus they’re just wasteful and bad for the environment.

Our society has become antibacterial crazy. The truth is that some bacteria are good and we shouldn’t be killing all bacteria everywhere! Before we had antibacterial products, people used hot soap and water, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide to clean. Soap helps loosen and lift dirt, while alcohol and hydrogen peroxide damage cell structures and quickly evaporate.

Antibacterial products, on the other hand, leave a residue on the surface. This may foster the development of resistant bacteria - plus studies show that we just don’t need antibacterial agents.

"Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water."  

- Janet Woodcock, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Until 2016, antibacterial soaps used a chemical called triclosan as an active ingredient. In September 2016, the FDA announced a ban on the use of triclosan, and 18 other antiseptics, in antibacterial hand soaps. 

What is triclosan?

Triclosan is an antiseptic. It is a registered pesticide, that bioaccumulates (builds up in the body). 

Why is triclosan bad?

• Animal studies show that exposure to high does of triclosan are associated with a decrease in hormone levels and may interfere with the normal function of the endocrine system.

• There is evidence that triclosan exposure contributes to making antibiotic resistant bacteria.

• Imported triclosan (from India and China) may contain dioxins linked to cancer and endocrine-disruption.

Yes,  the FDA banned the use of triclosan in hand soaps, but it can still be found in other other items like acne treatment, deodorant, cosmetics,  and other items which aren’t under the FDA’s jurisdiction like: 

• plush toys

• building blocks

• craft supplies. 

Unfortunately, with these types of items there are no labeling requirements to inform consumers that they  include antibacterial agents.

But back to cleaning...

All of this information is a good reminder to use the appropriate cleaning agent for the job. We shouldn’t be using harsh chemicals when soap and water will do. 

It’s also a good reminder that we need to be vigilant consumers. Antibacterial products became very popular. When they came on the scene you could see the word “antibacterial” highlighted everywhere. Perhaps this was because of the scare tactics used in marketing resulting in increased sales. As I often tell my daughters - don’t to believe everything you see on the screen.