Hi Everyone,

Since I am a complete novice on all these things, I am again looking for advice.

I seem to have such a bad reaction to gluten in particular, as well as other chemicals in general, so I am going through everything in the bathroom today. What are the bad ingredients I need to look for in lotions, soaps, hair care, make up so I can toss out and buy anew?

I want to replace them with the better, organic products. Many thanks as always!  

Victoria has some nice recipes for natural skincare she uses.  

I have a book called The Safe Shoppers Bible which has A LOT of info on what to avoid and what is safe.

For shampoos it says to avoid anything with ____ lauryl sulfate in it.  Avoid propylene glycol (this seems to be in heaps of things), formaldehyde (seems obvious), DEA, TEA, DMDM hydantoin to name just a few.

Avalon, Jurlique and Alchemy all sell body, hair and face products that are safe.  Weleda is also very nice.

OK then, great. I'll look for them here in HK. Must be here somewhere! We have Jurlique but I cannot afford that one. I have Sanctum (from home!) right now.
I'm about to look at all ingredients on the stuff I already have. Something tells me alot is heading to the rubbish bin  

I have just found the distributors for both Alchemy and Avalon here in HK. I'm on my way! I know exactly which store it is now.

I actually have a question along similar lines regarding haircare and body products.  Does anyone know if we should avoid products with things that are on our BTD avoid list?  Many products contain wheat protein, coconut oil, corn etc.  I would really love to know if this can still affect us.

IMO, if you're extremely sensitive to wheat, corn etc, then it would be best to avoid products with those ingredients. Otherwise, don't worry about it. If possible, stay away from the stuff they sell in salons and beauty supply stores, in general they're loaded with chemicals and way too expensive. Most natural foods store and HFS carry Weleda, Avalon and other great brands that are the next best thing to making your own soaps, shampoos, etc.

The main things I try to avoid are petroleum derivatives--they dry out my hair and skin terribly, not to mention being hard on the environment--and the strong perfumes used in cheaper shampoos give me all kinds of sinus and skin problems. My favorite shampoo brand is Aubrey Organics--their Blue Chamomile really shines up my silver hair and leaves my scalp nice and clean And it smells heavenly!

Quoted from Caz B

For shampoos it says to avoid anything with ____ lauryl sulfate (also might be listed as SLS) in it.  Avoid propylene glycol believe it or not, this is used in foods, pills and like she said - a heap of other things. But seriously, we need an ingredient they use to make antifreeze, which can kill ya, in our foods? Guess it's sorta like putting flouride (also used in rat poison) in our toothpaste and water  

Quoted from marmalade

Something tells me alot is heading to the rubbish bin  

I have a suggestion for this so that you don't have to throw your money away. I use my old rubbish shampoos, body wash, etc to clean my toilet and fixtures in the bathroom. Just wear gloves while doing so.  

A nice soap, albeit a bit a expensive, Zumbar. Lots o' yummy 'flavors'.    http://www.indigowild.com/shopping/natural-zum-bar-goats-milk-soap.cfm

and for your face - Plain ol' Grapeseed Oil.  You can use it for a moisturizer as well. I haven't used anything else on my face for years. People always guess me younger than I am. Partly to do w/ genes, but not using chemicals surely helps also.
http://grapeseedoil.com/
I found this at a World Market store for half price once. Bought up the lot they had left. What a steal!!

Italy knows that I also love the oils for cleaning.  You only need a few drops to clean your face, and it's the best!!

My skin oil:

1/2 and 1/2 Grapeseed oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Add a few drops of pure Vit E oil
Optional:  a few drops of a pure essential oil, such as lavender

I also add some Emu Oil, which has wonderful healing properties, but this is also optional.

People with more oily skin seem to prefer straight Grapeseed oil.  Mine is more dry, so I add the Olive oil.

After bath or shower, while skin is still dripping wet, put some oil into the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, and massage well into your entire body (not your hair).  No need to use too much.  I find that 1 Tb covers my whole body, including the soles of the feet.

nothing beats genoma!
http://www.4yourtype.com/prodinfo.asp?number=GNS01

http://www.arbonne.com/

check their products out.......haven t tried them myself....

Some of the Arbonne products contain alot of junk!!  

Hello all BTD's:
   For those of us who live in a southern state, might want to check out the Food Lion chains near you. I know the ones here in S. Carolina have an all natural,organic product section(sampoos,conditioners,lotions,toothpaste etc.) including the avalon line of products. I bought the avalon shampoo for my hair type there and was very reasonable. I like avalon myself, the ingredients are very natural and botanical and the scent is wonderful, like a botanical garden. Plus, you don't use very much, a small amount goes a long way so it lasts longer.
Like you, I believe in using all natural and organic products when appropriate. Besides, I have very sensitive skin and have to be extra careful what I use. Don't like those nasties in my food or products either, I just seem them as poison to the body.
Everyone take care and stay in good health.

I am so happy and content with my grape seed oil!

and this lady Amanda whatever, talks about all these mineral oils and stuff being so bad for you and here she is selling
Arbonne!!    as they say, follow the money.....

Quoted from Lola

and this lady Amanda whatever, talks about all these mineral oils and stuff being so bad for you and here she is selling Arbonne!!  

no kidding........I'm kinda aggravated that they tout their products to be so pure, but I guess all I can do in the way of 'protest', is not buy them.   No problem.  

Hi Marmalade, not sure if you can get this in Hong Kong, but for hair, I'd go with PurePact Organics, Kaparti or Giovanni. The Alchemy products and Avon products really didn't work for me.  My hair fell out and my scalp dried right out.  My hair was like straw.  Now with the PurePact ones it's shiny and manageable again.  I do have thick, coarse hair though.

For skin care, I like the EmerginC line - they're paraben free and not tested on animals.  Some of their products are more chemical than others, but as long as you check the labels, you should be fine.  They're also fairly reasonably priced and a bottle of cleanser lasts for probably 8 months before you need to replace it.  

Rebecca,

Where do you get the Purepact haircare from?  My hair also is thick and coarse and needs lots of moisture.  We only have GNC and Healthy Life stores around here, makes it hard to find some things.

I get purepact from the hairdresser, so I honestly don't know of a source near you.  I'm going in for a trim next Friday so I'll ask them who else stocks it.  I know that their supplier is based in the eastern states so surely one of the hairdressers over there would use it.

For those interested in learning about what's in products like cosmetics, shampoo, etc., and for ratings on which ones are safer, look at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Quoted from Rebecca_C

I get purepact from the hairdresser, so I honestly don't know of a source near you.  I'm going in for a trim next Friday so I'll ask them who else stocks it.  I know that their supplier is based in the eastern states so surely one of the hairdressers over there would use it.

Thanks Rebecca, I would appreciate that