DEBRA'S ANSWER:

First of all, Ecodent does not make toothpaste, they make tooth powders. I have used them and really like them--in fact I probably will be buying more very soon since I have been trying out some other tooth powders I didn't like.

I actually prefer tooth powders over toothpaste. Ecodent toothpowders contain minerals and herbs, no sweeteners or sodium lauryl sulfate.

All Ecodent dental care products are fine with me.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Toilet paper could certainly be the problem. Even if there is no fragrance, the paper itself could be an irritant.

We use Scott 1000. I know there is recycled toilet paper, but I don't feel comfortable using recycled paper for this purpose. I don't know what toxic materials might remain in the recycled paper of that rough quality.

You could also use a bidet. This website has a little video that shows how a bidet works: www.biffy.com/.

And check out this blog for more discussion on toilet paper: ReNest: Green Alternatives to Toilet Paper.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Tom's of Maine has a good explanation of zinc ricinoleate at www.tomsofmaine.com/products/ingredient-detail.aspx?id=27&name=Zinc, which is consistent with explanations I have found elsewhere.

"Zinc ricinoleate is a zinc salt of ricinoleic acid. The zinc source for the material is zinc oxide while ricinoleic acid is a purified fatty acid from castor seed oil, a vegetable oil obtained from the seeds of the Ricinus communis plant."

It's not a toxic metal. In fact, many people have zinc deficiency and often take it as a dietary supplement.

As long as we are talking about deodorants, I stopped using deodorant of any kind about six months ago (maybe more). Not one person has recoiled from my body odor or mentioned it. While on our recent trip to Germany, my husband asked me, "Can I use your deodorant?" and I laughed and told him I hadn't been using deodorant for months! Now if HE doesn't think my underarms smell without deodorant, as close as he is to me, I think I don't need deodorant after all.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Any info on this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers, what successful experience do you have with this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers, what are your recommendations?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Unfortunately, their website does not list any ingredients, so I can't look at all the ingredients lists. I know when they first came out, they weren't 100% natural, but I know they changed their formulas.

A lot of beauty product websites list their ingredients, so consumers can check out the products before they buy.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

One thing that is important to keep in mind regarding assessing danger is how much of a potentially hazardous substance your are exposed to. Remember "the dose makes the poison."

A lot of the toxicity data that is available comes from safety standards set for workplace exposure, not consumer exposure. I've seen many products contain ingredients that are "dust hazards" in the workplace, but at home, we use so little there is hardly a dust hazard. Think of scouring powder, for example.

The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit for the workplace is 15 milligrams per cubic meter. Same for kaolin. All day long. You're applying your makeup for less than a minute.

Keep in mind that this is a dust hazard, it's a mechanical particle thing. It is the same for any dust. Mineral makeup isn't any more dusty than any other face powder or body powder or baking flour. It's all dust.

I'm not concerned about it.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

There can be nickel in earrings.

The toxicity of metals is a whole subject in itself, something that I plan to study more thoroughly after I complete my website redesign and restructuring I am in the midst of right now. They don't give off toxic fumes, however, they can be absorbed through the skin.

Metals can also affect health in ways that are not about toxicity. A friend of mine just recently told me about a necklace her husband gave her almost twenty years ago. She has worn it continuously since that day. She has had a lot of health problems. It turned out to be her necklace. It's silver or gold, I don't remember. She stopped wearing the necklace and her symptoms significantly improved.

I also seem to recall something about how piercing the body can affect energy meridians.

The body is a finely tuned instrument. Many environmental factors can affect it for better or worse.

If you think the earrings are affecting your health, don't wear them.

The only jewelry I wear is my wedding rings. Gold and diamonds. But I don't even wear these continuously. I like to wear them most of the time, but there are times when I take them off and just let my body be as it is in it's natural state.

I'll be writing more about metals in the near future.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Titanium is considered a "bio-compatible" metal, used in many medical applications with a long history of being safe.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Here's a webpage that explains about lanolin--what it is and how it is obtained--which is consistent with my understanding: Sheepish Grins: Lanolin.

You bring up a good point. "Natural" means only that the ingredient is or came from a plant, animal or mineral (not petroleum). But it indicates nothing about the purity of the ingredient. Natural ingredients can be grown with pesticides and may contain other contaminants. This is why the movement toward organically grown ingredients in skin care products.

I consider lanolin to be a safe, natural ingredient. Any pesticides that may have been used on the sheep are filtered out of the lanolin to make pharmaceutical grade.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't use eyebrow pencil. Readers, your suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Well, this is an interesting concept.

My first thought is "makes a seal?????" The skin needs to breath. If this seal keeps water away from the skin, does it also prevent air from penetrating the seal? What about perspiration generated by the body? Can it get out though the seal? I'm just having a hard time visualizing the mechanics of this.

Without going in to analyzing each ingredient, I don't see an ingredient on the list that I recognize as silicone. PVP is a plastic and it's got three preservatives, among other petrochemical ingredients.

To answer your question simply, I'm not sure this is better than the chlorine.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

This looks like a good formula to me. I have a little bottle of peppermint oil that I keep in my medicine cabinet because my dental hygienist told me years ago to use peppermint oil to heal my gums. I rarely have gum problems now, but if I do, the first thing I do is floss thoroughly and apply the peppermint oil with a Q-tip. Any bleeding or soreness goes away in 24 hours.

So your experience is consistent with mine.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Any suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Interestingly, ChapStick is labeled as a drug.

Active ingredients:
Padimate O 1.5%..................Sunscreen
White petrolatum 44%.............Skin Protectant

Uses
* helps prevent and temporarily protects chafed, chapped or cracked lips
* helps prevent and protects from the drying effects of wind and cold weather
* helps prevent sunburn
* higher SPF gives more sunburn protection

Inactive ingredients:
arachidyl propionate, camphor, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol, D&C red no. 6 barium lake, FD&C yellow no. 5 aluminum lake, fragrance, isopropyl lanolate, isopropyl myristate, lanolin, light mineral oil, methylparaben, octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, paraffin, phenyl trimethicone, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, white wax.

Without going into an analysis of every ingredient, I'll just say that almost half of the product is petroleum, plus artificial colors and fragrances, and preservatives.

By contrast, here are the ingredient for their new ChapStick 100% Naturals Lip Butter, which is labeled as a cosmetic:

Ingredients: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Jojoba Esters, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Flavor, Beeswax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Lipids, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed (Mango Butter), Octyldodecanol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil (Olive Butter), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil (Avocado Butter), Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil (Raspberry Butter), Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate.

I'd choose a 100% natural lipstick or lip gloss over the classic ChapStick. You can find them at your natural food store or on the Bodycare page of Debra's List.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I am not sure I am qualified to give an opinion on this as I have not thoroughly researched this. But I'll say this...

Whenever you have plastic or metal in your mouth for an extended period of time, it could leach into your body. How much or what effect it would have, I don't know. Readers, anyone have experience with this?

I do want to mention that in the 1930s, Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist, traveled around the world to study the diets of traditional cultures. Dr. Price had noticed that the children in his practice had dental problems that their parents did not--more tooth decay and teeth that did not fit properly into the dental arch, which were crowded and crooked. He subsequently studied "primitive" peoples and found that when they ate their traditional diet, they had all thirty-two teeth, perfectly fitting into the dental arch, and perfectly formed. When they began to eat a modern diet, they had dental decay and bore children, in the very next generation, with crooked and crowded teeth. This is well documented in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

Braces wouldn't be necessary if we ate foods in their natural state, not just additive-free, but as nature intended.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Thank you! Feel free to post more DIY makeups as you discover them.

I've found that you can just rub a cut beet on your lips for a nice red...

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

"Fragrance" on a label typically means it is synthetic (made from petroleum). If the scent is natural, the label will list the essential oils used (i.e. essential oil of lavender).

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I personally don't wear eye makeup except when I'm speaking or on television, and then I just wash it off in the shower.

Readers, your recommendations?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Oh this is smart...just paint plastic on your kid's teeth to prevent cavities.

No.

BPA or no BPA, it's still liquid plastic going in a kid's mouth. I wouldn't do it.

It didn't take more than five minutes to find this medical article about the toxicity of dental sealants: Dental Sealant Toxicity: Neurocutaneous Syndrome (NCS), a dermatological and neurological disorder by Dr. Omar M. Amin, PhD

Abstract: Neurocutaneous syndrome (NCS), a newly discovered toxicity disorder, is described in light of our new understanding of its relationships with the causative agents included in the dental liners used in afflicted patients. NCS is characterized by neurological sensations, pain, depleted energy and memory loss as well as itchy cutaneous lesions that may invite various opportunistic infections. Components in the calcium hydroxide dental sealants Dycal, Life and Sealapex have been identified as sources of the observed symptoms considered compatible with classical sulfa toxicity. Sulfonamide and neurological toxicity issues are discussed, three case histories are presented and an outline of management protocol is proposed. Additional notes on zinc oxide, Fynal, IRM and Sultan U/P sealants are also included.

Brush and floss...I've never had one cavity.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

OK. I already shared my experience at HEALTH, HOME & HABITAT #153. Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I agree with you. Porcelain.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Well, I don't have any definitive studies on the health effects of Teflon on dental floss, but I would use one without.

Readers, any recommendations on this? Personally I don't use dental floss, but very skinny pointed toothpicks that seem to work better for me (my dental hygenist is happy with the results).

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You can find lotions and lip gloss made from non-petroleum ingredients at natural food store and on the Body Care page of Debra's List.

There is a product called Un Petroleum Jelly that is sold at many natural food stores and online (just search for it), made from vegetable ingredients. Don't know if it is as strong as Vaseline.

Personally I don't use much of either product. I've found that by using filtered water in my shower, my skin doesn't get dry.

Readers, what do you recommend?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I think mineral makeups are fine. There are now a number of different brands and I haven't checked the ingredients on all of them, just read the labels and make sure they are pure minerals and don't contain any harmful ingredients.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm not familiar with all the toothbrush disinfectant machines, but UV rays and steam will kill the bacteria without any side effects I know of. In hospitals, they sterilize the instruments used during surgery in an autoclave, which basically is a chamber for using pressurized steam.

I would suggest that you can just use boiling water, because boiling water is the standard method for killing bacteria in questionable water supplies. Just pour boiling water over the brush, or "cook" it in a pot of boiling water. For the purpose of killing bacteria for drinking water, the instructions are to bring the water to a rolling boil and then letting it boil for one minute. This is sufficient to eliminate harmful bacteria.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Yes, a lot of plastics are used for eyeglasses.

The thing to remember about polycarbonate is that the concern is not outgassing, but leaching into food and water from contact. Since our skin does not contact the eyeglass lens, I don't believe there is a problem with toxicity during use.

I do wear eyeglasses. Just reading glasses I buy at the drug store. I buy the type with metal frames, not plastic. At the moment I am wearing a pair with metal sides and frameless lenses. Sometimes the metal sides make my skin break out in a rash, but others don't. Seems to depend on the brand and quality of the metal.

Plastic eyeglass frames, though, are not particularly toxic. Look for frames made from zyl (zylonite, or cellulose acetate). It is actually a plant-based plastic that is made from wood pulp and has been in use for decades.

Other frames are made from propionate, a nylon-based plastic that is hypoallergenic and nontoxic.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Any recommendations?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I found a website called nappturality.com that says it is a "resource for the style and beauty of Natural Black Hair...the place to find photographs, Black natural hair journals, websites, forums, information and links about the care, maintenance and politics of natural hair. Natural napptural hair." You have to sign up as a member (free) to get into the site, so I didn't check it out, but you may find what you are looking for there.

You also might take a look at Carol's Daughter. Their tag line is "beauty by nature" and the product descriptions give a lot of natural and even organic ingredients that the product contains, but there is no full ingredient list, so I can't tell you if the products contain any unnatural ingredients. Therer's also African Wonders, which is similarly uninformative about their ingredients on their website.

There are also a number of books on the subject at amazon.com. Textured Tresses is one of them, other will come up under "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought".

I have no personal experience with this, so this is the best I can do. Could you respond and let us know if any of these give you what you need?

Readers, any suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I went to the
Physician's Formula Organic Wear website. I looked at the ingredients and found that their products contain anywhere from 11 to 84 percent certified organic ingredients.

To answer your question, I don't see any ingredients on that list that I would call unsafe.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I probably can't tell you anything you haven't already read on the internet.

Emu oil is made from the refined fat of the Emu, a bird native to Australia. It has been used for thousands of years by the Australian aborigines for the treatment of burns, wounds, bruises, and as a pain reliever for bone, muscle, and joint disorders. It is frequently used to soften skin and found in ointments for dry cracked heels. Studies have shown that Emu oil aids in reducing scar formation in healed burn wounds, can help muscle sprains, and can relieve arthritis due to its strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Readers, anyone have any experience with this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I personally can and like to use handmade soaps with natural fragrances, so I can't recommend an unscented soap I use, but I'm sure you'll get many responses!

My general recommendation is to check out the websites that sell handmade soaps at Debra's List: BodyCare: Skin: Handmade Soap. Many of them sell unscented soaps and since they are all handmade, you can talk with the people who are making them and find out what's in them.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I suggest you try the remedies at Q&A: Dandruff Treatment.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Your recommendations?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I went to the website for Pears Soap, which says it is a natural soap that has been made for almost 200 years. "It contains high quality skincare ingredients like glycerin and natural oils. Pears Soap is especially made to take care of even sensitive and delicate skin, cleansing thoroughly, yet gently and rinsing clean.It is hypo-allergenic, contains a mild cleansing formula and no colorants."

However, they don't give any ingredient and their Contact Us page was "not found" so I can't tell you anything about the ingredients.

If you go to a store and look on the label, and post the ingredients here, I'll comment on them.

Glycerin itself is fine to use. It is actually created by the soapmaking process. Industrially, it is usually skimmed off and used in lotions and the soap is sold without it. Most handmade soaps contain their natural glycerin because it is not removed.

There's no need to avoid glycerin soaps, but watch out for the fragrances and other ingredients which might be added.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Looks good to me. I like that they list all their ingredients and even show pictures of the soap being made. These are definately "all natural" products.

The only thing for me, though, is that while they say they use organic ingredients, on the ingredients lists they don't specify which are organic. It's also not clear if they are 100% organic. It also doesn't say they are certified organic. So these are my reservations.

I want to be clear that, personally, I am looking for the most organic products possible, so I'm pretty picky. But there is a whole spectrum of products that are better than the worst, most toxic, unhealthy products, and it's better to use any one of those "better" products than the worst products.

These seem to be "much better" than most. They may even be exquisite. But all I have to go on is how they present themselves in their own website description.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

If you haven't already, I suggest you read the post on this blog Q&A: Tooth Soap, which talks a lot about toothpaste and other methods of cleaning teeth as well.

Just because a company is not listed on Debra's List doesn't mean it's not a good company. I have many websites waiting to be added, as I only have so many hours in the day... :-)

That said, I just took a look at the Nature's Gate website and right away there was a "red flag"--the statement "blending nature and science to benefit you and the Earth". This generally means that the products are not 100% natural. That "sciene" part usually indicates the presence of man-made artificial ingredients.

Now I want to say some things here about these products, but I don't want it to sound like I am picking on Nature's Gate. These points apply to many so-called "natural" products.

You asked about toothpaste. I looked at the ingredients for Creme de Peppermint Natural Toothpaste, which is fluoride-free and contains baking soda. Both good. Also some natural flavorings, some herbal extracts, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Now sodium lauryl sulfate is one of those not-quite-natural ingredients that comes from a natural source, but is processed with chemicals. So it's not, per se, 100% natural, but is considered natural by the natural product industry because it's source is a plant ingredient. It's about like adding pesticides to a plant, which is still considered natural to the natural products industry. Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) is no longer considered safe and is being removed from many natural product formulations now. So, no, I wouldn't put this toothpaste on Debra's List. The best ingredient in this toothpaste is baking soda, so why not just brush your teeth with baking soda?

I also took a look at their new "organics" line. Now, if you look at the organic bodycare products on Debra's List, you'll find that most of the ingredients are organically grown. Nature's Gate "Organics" Lavender & Aloe Nourishing Conditioner for All Hair Types has only one organic ingredient...the lavender. The rest are those not-quite-natural "science" ingredients.

I actually think this is mislabeled. This amount of organic ingredient wouldn't qualify it to be a certified organic product by USDA food standards, yet they seem to be able to get away with using the word "Organics" in the name.

Though Nature's Gate has been one of the old standby brands in natural food stores for years, there are more natural and more organic products available.

All that said, they are better than the standard supermarket brands, so it would be a step up to choose Nature's Gate over brands that are not natural at all.

Almost forgot to recommend a toothpaste! Personally, I use baking soda or various SLS-free tooth powder when I get bored with the toothpaste. There is also lots of good tooth care information at Natural Dentistry.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know of any reason why it wouldn't be safe.

There's no toxic exposure, except perhaps a swab of alcohol. I don't know about electromagnetic fields and electrolysis.

The only thing is that you want to make sure the needles are sterile and the person who does the procedure follows the standard rules of hygiene so there are no infections.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm glad to hear you are giving up toxic chemicals!

There are two dangers to nail polish.

One is the fumes from the polish when you are applying it.

The other is that it forms a coating on the nail that prevents the nail from breathing, leading to nail damage.

If you have some nail polish remover, I would probably go ahead and use it one last time--outdoors with good ventilation--and remove the polish. Sometimes part of the transition off toxic chemicals is to use them one last time to be done with them.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Your suggestions?

My husband has dandruff off and on, and when he does, he simply eats more raw vegetables and it goes away. So perhaps dandruff is a signal from the body that something is amiss and needs correcting, rather than cause to use a toxic consumer product.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

First, just because a company is not on Debra's LIst doesn't mean it isn't good. I'm adding links as fast as I can, but there are still more to add. For cosmetics, I'm focusing on the companies that have organic ingredients, since personal care products are absorbed into the body through the skin even more quickly that food ingested.

Burt's Bees is a good "natural" brand, but not all the products are 100% natural and none of the ingredients are organic. One thing I like about their website is they tell you the exact ingredients and the percentage that is natural (mostly 90-something).

Given my limited time and space, I won't be adding them to Debra's List because of lack of organic ingredients, but they would certainly be on the list if I were including "natural" personal care products.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

This list of ingredients looks fine to me. Notice it is just soap with a little calcium (the same type as in dietary supplements, and flavoring. This is very similar to tooth soap.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

It's been my understanding that only rinsing with water in the shower is needed.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

This looks pretty good.

Over the weekend my husband and I went kayaking and needed some sunscreen so our skin wouldn't burn being out in the sun on a three-hour trip. We had to buy whatever we could find at a chain drug store and were pleased to find Neutogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion. It also contains titanium dioxide, though the inactive ingredients are not natura, and it is unscented. It went on white, so no nanoparticles. While not the best, it was nice to know there was at least a better choice at the drug store!

Still, I want to caution that there are some health concerns about titanium dioxide so I suggest using it as needed, and not just applying it every day. Better to block sun with umbrellas or clothing or stay in the shade when you can.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers, what have you found?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

My book Home Safe Home has some do-it-yourself natural formulas for hair coloring, but I would suggest checking our the Natural Hair Dye website. They carry all the safer hair colors and can advise you on choosing one. All they do is nontoxic and natural hair color.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Here's my husband's response...

Dear Joan,

I used the natural progesterone creame on myself where my hair was thin. About 1/4 teaspoon/day at first. After about three months I went to 1/4 teaspoon/week to maintain the hair that had grown.

Larry Redalia

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I didn't see any ingredients on the website, so I can't evaluate these products for their naturalness, but they claim to be. If anyone tries them, let us know.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I found the list of ingredients for Ivory soap on a handmade soap website. Here's what they have to say:

Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, water, sodium chloride, sodium silicate, magnesium sulfate, and fragrance. (This information is from the Material Safety Data Sheet prepared by the Proctor & Gamble Company.)

Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate are all natural soap compounds produced from tallow, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil, respectively. Magnesium sulfate is also known as Epsom salts and sodium chloride you may recognize as common table salt. Sodium silicate is also known as soluble glass or sodium silicate glass. While the amount in Ivory soap is probably too small to be of concern, sodium silicate is harmful if ingested and in it’s pure form can cause burns through skin or eye contact. Of all the mass produced commercial soaps that this writer has examined, Ivory is closest to an all natural soap with a minimum of additional chemicals. Of more importance to the consumer could be what isn’t in Ivory soap. Notice that glycerin is missing from the list of ingredients. This cheapens the soap and removes one of the natural moisturizers for the skin.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know how to contact Ruth Winter, but here's more about glycerin...

Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin. Glycerin is a natural, sweet-tasting, colorless by-product of the soapmaking process. Commercial manufacturers remove the glycerin from soap and put it in their more profitable lotions and creams; handcrafted soap retains it's glycerin.

Glycerin is a good solvent, which may be why it is used so widely. Many ingredients can be dissolved into glycerin more easily than into water or alcohol, and glycerin itself can be dissolved into water or alcohol, but not oil.

Glycerin is also highly "hygroscopic" which means that it absorbs water from the air. if you left an open bottle of pure glycerin exposed to air it would take moisture from the air and eventually would become 80 per glycerin and 20 percent wate. Because of this hygroscopic quality, pure, 100 percent glycerin placed on the skin may raise a blister, since it is dehydrating. Diluted with water, however, it will soften your skin.

Now, I did also find some sources saying that glycerin pulls water from the lower layer of dermis as well. It may be that the glycerin, having this quality of attracting water, pulls from the lower dermis as well as the air.

Not being a cosmetic chemist, I don't have a definitive answer to this, but perhaps a reader will enlighten us...

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

See Fragrance-free Deodorants and Deodorants for Teenage Son.

Readers, any other suggestions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know anything about this particular product, but..readers, how do you (women) safely remove unwanted facial hair? The best method I've found is the Finishing Touch Personal Hair Remover. Yes, it's one of those cheap infomercial gadgets, but it really does work very well! And it is inexpensive, easy to use, nontoxic, painless, and hair actually grows back lighter and softer.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? What is your experience with this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

To answer, I'm going to give you an excerpt from my e-book Debra's Guide to Choosing Natural Sun Protection...

SUNLESS TANNING LOTIONS

I've been asked about using sunless tanning lotions as an alternative to sun tanning to get that "healthy glow."

I can understand a desire to have a summer tan. Growing up in California, just as soon as it was warm enough, I would be out on my patio in my swimsuit with my suntan lotion—not sunscreen—suntan lotion to get my skin as dark as possible as fast as possible. I didn't know then that a suntan is a sign of skin damage.

I still think that a little tan looks healthy and nice in the summer, even if scientific facts prove otherwise. But I no longer sit out in the sun, attempting intentionally to damage my skin.

The only active ingredient approved by the FDA for use in sunless tanning products is dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA is a colorless sugar that interacts with the dead cells located in the upper layer of the skin. As the sugar interacts with the dead skin cells, a color change occurs. The effect is temporary, because as the dead cells naturally slough off, the color fades, disappearing within a week unless the lotion has been reapplied.

Is DHA safe to use? The Environmental Working Group's "Skin Deep" website (http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/) lists "0" health concerns. The MSDS sheet for this ingredient also lists no health effects from skin exposure beyond the possibility of mild irritation.

The Skin Cancer Foundation (http://www.skincancer.org) says, "[Using sunless tanning products is] a lot more healthful than a suntan because...getting a suntan breaks down the DNA in skin cells, but using self-tanners causes no such damage. At worst, sunless tanning products present a minimal risk of irritant or allergic reactions.

If you want to give your skin a darker tan color naturally without going out in the sun, try this concoction:

HOMEMADE NATURAL SUNLESS TANNING LOTION

1. Boil 3/4 cup pure water and brew strong tea with 3 black-tea bags.
2. Put 1/4 cup tea into a blender with ¼ cup lanolin and ¼ cup seasame oil.
3. Blend at low speed.
4. Add remaining tea steadily.
5. Spread sparingly on your skin (try a patch in a hidden spot first to test the color).

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Thanks, Cary. Readers, this is from the office of my holistic dentist, Dr. Ray Behm, who I know personally and trust. I would follow this advice when choosing a holistic dentist.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm hoping my readers will have an answer because I don't have any experience with this, not having a teenage son. But you're not the first person who has asked me this.

Is the baking soda irritating to his skin? Try mixing it with some cornstarch and see if that helps. Have you tried a deodorant stone?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

It can be confusing to make decisions about exposures to toxic chemicals of all kinds because in a addition to how toxic something inherently might be, "the dose makes the poison," meaning, how much you are exposed to and the frequency of exposure determines the toxicity in your body more than the inherent toxicity of the substance itself. Salt, for example, is essential to life, but can be deadly if too much is eaten at one sitting.

Bisphenol A is known to have negative health effects (read all about them at Our Stolen Future: Bisphenol A). According to Our Stolen Future, "Research over the past decade has established that BPA alters cellular function and disrupts developmental processes at exquisitely low levels, far beneath EPA's current 'reference dose' for the compound, and at levels to which many people are exposed daily, in the US and other countries."

Bisphenol A has been most highly publicized for it's presence in clear and colored transparent polycarbonate plastic, because of the popularity of using this plastic for water bottles. Bisphenol A leaches from polycarbonate as the plastic ages. The rate of degradation depends on how the plastic is used. If exposed to acid or alkaline solutions, or heated, the rate of leaching increases. When you wash water bottles in a dishawasher and reuse them, for example, that process accelerates the leaching. Therefore, a new plastic water bottle would leach less bisphenol A into the water than one that has been reused many times.

It's likely, though, that you are being exposed to bisphenol A from many other sources. It is also used to make the resin that lines metal food cans to prevent the metal from contact with food. Some estimates approximate that 80% of metal food cans are lined with bisphenol A resin, and it's not on the label. Another reason to eat fresh food.

Bisphenol A is also used in the manufacture of epoxy resins and other plastics, including polysulfone, alkylphenolic, polyalylate, polyester-styrene, and some polyester resins. It is also used as a fungicide, antioxidant, and a flame retardant, in the making of rubber chemical, and to stabilize polyvinyl chloride.

It is used as a plastic coating for children's teeth to prevent cavities and to make plastic food containers, refrigerator shelving, baby bottles, micro-wave ovenware, eating utensils, and returnable containers for juice, milk and water. You might also be exposed to bisphenol A in adhesives, false teeth, nail polish, compact discs, and other common items.

I've learned from my past study of plastics that soft plastics leach more than hard plastics, so a bendable plastic water bottle would leach more than a hard brittle item made from polycarbonate, such as a blender container. So I would think that your dental device would leach less than a water bottle, but since you are wearing it for hours every night, that increases the exposure time and regularity.

The only way to know for sure what the danger is would be to have some kind of laboratory test to see how much bisphenol A leaches from the device in the presence of saliva over an 8-hour period. Ask your dentist and see if you can find out the manufacturer to see if they have any such studies.

I don't want to say it's OK to use this, since I'm not 100% sure, but on the other hand, you may be being exposed to more bisphenol A from other sources.

If it is necessary for you to use this device and there are no other alternatives, you might want to do some other "detox" things to offset this chemical exposure, such as drinking more water, more exercise, eating more raw vegetables, and other things that tend to cleanse chemicals from the body.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I had never heard of brushing your teeth with soap until I received this question, but apparently there is something to it. There is now an actual soap designed for dental hygiene called Perfect Prescription. It is made from saponified coconut, palm, and olive oils (all edible) and essential oils of peppermint, cinnamon, or spearmint. They also sell a tooth brightener made from calcium.magnesium and baking soda (which you can easily mix up yourself at home).

I don't see any reason health-wise not to use this dental soap, but I also don't have enough information or experience to recommend it.

What I do want to say about this is that one should NOT use ordinary bar soap to brush their teeth! (I read one account where a woman was using Dove, of all things!) Most bar soaps contain many artificial ingredients that should not be ingested and can also coat teeth.

If you want to try brushing your teeth with soap and don't want to spend $20 for a jar of tooth soap shreds, try a plain, unscented olive oil soap, which is sold at most natural food stores.

For years, I personally have preferred to use various tooth powders, which do not contain either glycerin or fluoride or any of the other bad toothpaste ingredients. And baking soda has been recommended as a healthy dentifrice for years.

But I'm going to look into this soap thing. Will let you know if I find there is something to it.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

The challenge for people with MCS is to find products that are both nontoxic and unscented. And the difficulty is compounded by the fact that each individual has their own sensitivities, so what's perfect for one person with MCS may not be right for another.

Here's a comment on the safety of SLS from Annie Berthold-Bond, my long-time friend and author of Home Enlightenment. I agree with her assessment.

If you have MCS and have used this shampoo, tell us how you like it.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

It's OK with me for you to let your daughter get highlights in her hair. Now don't be shocked, but I get highlights in my hair occasionally.

So I asked my hairdresser what to recommend, since whatever she used on my hair had no odor.

She said, "First, most people don't realize that when you get highlights the coloring product doesn't touch the scalp at all, so none of it is absorbed through the skin like regular hair dye. I use Farouk products for highlights. These are well known and used in many salons."

She said it is ammonia-free. I couldn't find out the ingredients, but I can tell you the highlights I got had no odor and didn't touch my scalp at all. I had no reaction and was very happy with the end result.

Would love to hear from others about successes with highlighting or hair colors. Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't have any personal experience with nail fungus, but it's a good idea to use natural remedies as the FDA has warned that anti-fungal drugs have been linked to severe liver damage and death.

There is a long list of possible natural cures posted at Earth Clinic: Cure Nail Fungus--everything from apple cider vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to tea tree oil and coconut oil.

If anyone has successfully used natural rememdies for nail fungus, please respond to this post and let us know what you did.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers...?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Aside from using baking soda, the purest deodorant products I know of are made by Deodorant Stones of America.
They made deodorants products from pure potassium alum (there's a difference between aluminum and alum "without the addition of chemicals, fragrances, oils or alcohol". It comes in a stone, stick, spray, roll-on, and powder. It is marketed under several brand names, including Thai Crystal, Pure & Natural, Crystal Orchid, Nature's Crystal, and Nature's Pearl.

Readers, please let us know what unscented deodorants you use and like.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

My lashes are thick, so I've never experienced this. Readers...?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Thanks, Mary Anne. I actually had it on my list to research a natural manicure and pedicure, so I appreciate your sending this.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know of one. Does anyone else? If you know of one, click below on "POST A COMMENT" to respond.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Try contacting the Natural Hair Dye website. They specialize in natural hair color. They should be able to advise you on this.

Also type "hair color" in my on-site search engine. Additional sites that sell natural hair color will come up.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I asked my natural dentist, Dr. Ray Behm at Natural Dentistry, to answer your question and here is his reply:

Grinding on a piece of plastic is definitely better than grinding on your own teeth. Teeth grinding makes them shorter, which can create effects throughout the body, including headaches, fibromyalgia, etc. There is a type of dentistry that is making a fortune by "opening up the bite." What this means is that by crowning each tooth in the mouth, they are lengthened back to the length the patient had in his early 20's. That is the optimal length for looks and optimal function of the TMJ, head sutures and indirectly joints and function thought the body. Also grinding wears away the enamel, making the teeth more prone to decay, including at the gumline.

The only downside on biting on a piece of plastic would be if it were not a biocompatible material. Non-holistic dentists do not recognize that many of the materials they use are actually toxic. The best thing would be to be tested for the material, either through a serum compatibility test, or take a sample of the material to your chiropractor or nutritionist, and they can test it either by muscle testing or with an EAV machine.

We have found that many people who grind actually have a parasite situation in their intestines. Through the connection of the energy meridians, they create the effect of grinding at night. So we handle grinding by having the person do a parasite cleanse.

I would just add that while I am not in favor of plastic, sometimes using plastic is the lesser of two evils. Go to the Holistic Dental Association website to find a dentist who can help choose the most compatible tooth guard for your body.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

My husband has been balding too. He has been using a product called Moisturizing Cream #1 that he gets from Nature's Botanicals (if website is down call 800-203-9668 to order) and it actually works! His hair is growing back!

This isn't a gimmick product from a television infomercial. He started using it after a woman we know told us the product restored her thinning hair. Today she has a full head of thick beautiful hair.

I do think a detox would be a good idea for him as well if he has had a lot of chemical exposure.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I would suggest using just plain hydrogen peroxide, though I've never tried this myself. Since women use it to bleach their hair, I assume it would work on facial hair too.

If you want to remove facial hair, the best method I've found is the Finishing Touch Personal Hair Remover. Yes, it's one of those cheap infomercial gadgets, but it really does work very well! And it is inexpensive, easy to use, nontoxic, painless, and hair actually grows back lighter and softer.

Debra :-)

I ran a request for fragrance-free hairspray from a woman with MCS who needs to use hairspray and her favorite brand she has been using has been discontinued. I myself don't use hairspray, so I have no personal experience. Click on COMMENTS for more responses.

A number of fragrance-free websites carry unscented hairspray made by Magick Botanicals. This hairspray is unscented, but it does contain plastics. Free & Clear Perfume Free Hairspray is another popular brand sold on many websites.

What I've found is that most of the fragrance-free hairsprays are still made from petrochemical plastics (PVP on the label).

One reader wrote, "Thai Crystal Deodorant Mist doubles as a good hairspray!" It's 100% natural and unscented.

Another reader wrote, "I use the "old fashioned" hair spray--corn syrup that has been boiled in water. It works like a charm, has no scent (unless you choose to scent it), and is a very natural product. You might be able to use honey as well, but I haven't tried it."

Ah ha! This last suggestion prompted my memory banks to dredge up an article I wrote on making your own hairsprays in a newsletter I published in 1986 (twenty years ago!). Here's the text of that article...

Have you been eyeing those fabulous hairdos in all the fashion magazines and wondering how you can get your hair to stay in place without using a plastic resin based hairspray or mousse?

We took an assortment of natural potions and our friend Sara Harris down to the beauty salon at I. Magin in San Francisco to see if expert haircresser Jeannie Taylor could work with our natural hair preparations and create a look identical to what is possible with hairspray and mousse. "I'm amazed," she said. "These hold as well as any of our superhold hairsprays and mousses."

There are three basic formulas you can use. You'll have to experiement with each one to determine the correct proportions for your hair, depending on the amount of hold you need. For each formula, the stronger the soluition, the stronger the holding power., but more is not always better as they can all get very sticky. State with the proportions given, and add or dilute from there.

GELATIN HAIR GEL

Dissolve one packet of unflavored gelatin in about 3 cups hot water. Let cool and apply to dry or wet hair, then blow dry into place. This will hold your hair in whatever position you dry it, so be careful! Jeannie liked this formula the best and suggested that it be diluted even further into a hairspray. Using geletin has the added advantage that it actually gives your hair more body, and even fine hair will stay in place for days after the initial application. This might simply be used as a hair conditioner, too.

LEMON HAIR MIST

Chop one lemon (or orange for dry hair) and place in a saucepan. Cover with two cups of hot water, bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat until only half remains (this will take about an hour). Cool, strain, and pour into a fine spray bottle. If desired, add one ounce of vodka as a preservative, otherwise, store in the refrigerator. This works well as a spray and will keep your hair in place while still leaving a soft feeling. Jeannie used the lemon spray after styling our hair with the gelatin. "The water in the lemon mixture reactivates the dried gelatin for a firmer hold," and our hair stayed in place for the rest of the day (even through wind and rain!)

HONEY HAIR SPRAY

Dissolve 2 to 5 teaspoons honey in about 1 cup of warm water. We didn't try this one in the salon, but it's easy to make and may be just right for your hair.

ATTENTION MEN! These formulations aren't just for ladies. We've heard good reports about men using them too!

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Iron oxides are used in almost 2,000 cosmetics products. I don't know how they are processed, but they are naturally occurring minerals in Nature. I was once driving through the deserts in the Southwest and stopped to look at the colored rock by the side of the road. They had so many colors I could see how they could just be ground up to make cosmetics.

The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep website says only that they are concerned that iron oxides have not been assessed for safety. I have not heard of any concerns about the health effects of iron oxides over the years.

Contrast this to the fact that the same source says titanium dioxide is a suspected human carcinogen and zinc oxide is known to be an immune system toxin and a respiratory toxicant, and may present risks to human reproduction and development based on limited data, and I would say iron oxides are much safer. I don't see any reason to not use them.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

To answer your question, here is an excerpt from my book Home Safe Home about natural ingredients bold added.

The word natural, as it relates to consumer products, is meaningless, since every consumer product is made from the natural resources of the earth. Because there is no legal definition, natural has been both overused and misused on many product labels.

Natural is commonly used to mean that a product is made primarily of renewable resources, as opposed to man made ingredients derived from nonrenewable resources. The basic substance or material used to make the product is found in nature instead of being manufactured from petroleum and is therefore thought to be more compatible with the human body and the entire ecological system. Materials generally thought of as being natural are those plants, animals, and minerals that appear wholly formed in nature such as cotton, wool, or salt, or ingredients derived from plants, animals, and minerals such as lavender oil, gelatin, and baking soda.

The main drawback to the term natural is that it gives the illusion that the product is "of nature," and therefore absolutely acceptable and harmless to our health. In fact, most "natural" products are natural only in the respect that some part of the product exists in nature, that it is not completely made from petrochemicals.

Natural products are rarely completely natural in our modern world of processing, petrochemicals are almost always used with the natural materials when making a "natural ingredient." More accurately, most "natural" substances and materials might be called I'm coining a new term here "hybrid natural" basically of nature, but grown or processed by industry with added petrochemicals. Virtually all products being currently marketed as natural are really hybrid natural.

One excellent example of a hybrid natural ingredient was described by Philip Dickey of the Washington Toxics Coalition in an article for Green Alternatives magazine May/June 1992. He specifically wrote of a coconut oil surfactant used in natural cleaning products, but the same principle applies to all so-called natural ingredients.

This detergent is called linear alcohol ethoxylate...The alcohol from which this surfactant is made is similar to the ethyl alcohol we know from beer and wine except it has more carbon atoms...They are arranged in a straight line, hence the term linear alcohol. This alcohol called lauryl alcohol can be manufactured from either coconut oil or petroleum. Let's pretend that our alcohol came originally from coconuts...

Lauryl alcohol is not a surfactant. To make it function as a surfactant, we have to build on a hydrophilic, or watersoluble, structure...In an ethoxylated alcohol it is done through a chemical reaction with a highly toxic and carcinogenic compound called ethylene oxide, distilled from crude oil. During this process, called ethoxylation, carbon atoms from ethylene oxide are progressively added to one end of the coconut-based structure until a hydrophilic chain of the desired length is reached. At this point the surfactant can be though of as part vegetable, part petroleum...a hybrid [italics mine]. The ratio varies, but often near 50/50.

In general, when you find ingredients that you recognize, such as “lemon” or “cotton,” the products will be relatively safe.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is also produced via ethoxylation. Ethoxylated surfactants may be contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4- Dioxane dioxin, as a by-product of the manufacturing process. Carcinogens are considered cause for concern even at very low levels.

The Australian government has determines the main risk for the general public for dioxin exposure is from consumer products containing dioxin as an impurity. Dioxin contamination has been found in these common household products: shampoos 50-300ppm, dishwashing liquid 3-65ppm, baby lotion 11ppm, hair lotions 47-108ppm, bath foam 22-41ppm and other cosmetic products 6-160ppm.

I'm not going to comment on whether or not one should or shouldn't use products containing Sodium Laureth Sulfate. There is a lot of controversy about this which you can read by typing "Sodium Laureth Sulfate" into any seach engine.

My only point here is that even though Sodium Laureth Sulfate is "derived from coconut oil", it's not what I would consider to be natural in the sense that it is in the state in which it occurs in nature.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I asked certified Bau-Biologist Mary Cordaro, who has much more experience than I with EMFs, to answer this question. Here is her reply.

"I'm only familiar with one unit, the Angelite, which I've tested, and is indeed very low EMF specifically for the AC magnetic field. The others may also be okay, but I've never tested them with my gauss meter. Any company who claims that their unit is low EMF should provide test result documentation, saying what they're measuring for and how.

"There are several types of EMF's. Most companies making low EMF products are concerned only with AC magnetic fields, but a very few are also concerned about AC Electric fields. The AC Magnetic Field is a type of EMF present when current is actually present and running, so an appliance or unit would need to be switched on to be tested, as opposed to simply being plugged in. The AC Electric Field is present when a unit is simply plugged in, whether or not the unit is turned on. I'm not sure but the Angelite might also be making their unit so it's shielded for AC Electric Fields as well, which would make it even better.

"If I were to purchase a hair dryer, I'd see if I could find one with low EMF's, both AC magnetic and AC electric, and ask for documentation. If a unit is manufactured for low AC Electric Fields, all the wiring would have to be a special type called "shielded cable". This is not just the plug, but the entire cable inside and outside the unit, and sometimes even parts of the motor.

"As far are whether or not it's important to use a Low EMF hairdryer, here's my opinion:

• If you are electrically sensitive, then yes.
• If you using a hairdryer professionally, for several hours a day, definitely.
• If you are weak, ill, or pregnant, it definitely couldn't hurt to avoid high EMF's as much as possible.
• If I had a small child who felt they had to use a hair dryer frequently, I'd get a low EMF unit.

"HOWEVER, for most of us who use hair dryers, holding an appliance for a few minutes each day is probably not a big issue. I'm more concerned about longer term exposures, such as sitting at a computer all day or in other sources of high EMF's for several hours a day. The biggest concern is long term exposure during sleep, when we are most vulnerable, and need to eliminate contaminants of all kinds in order to regenerate and heal. There are so many other potential sources of EMF's that pose longer term exposures, that I'd rather see someone invest in a meter or better yet, an inspection, to diagnose and eliminate those bigger, longer term exposures, than an appliance that's used only a few minutes per day.

"That having been said, here's the approach I took, personally. I located and eliminated all longer term exposure sources of EMF's AC magnetic and high frequency everywhere,  then in the bedroom AC electric, as well as both DC magnetic and DC electric fields. For shorter term sources, my bigger concern is energy use. I don't like that I use a hair dryer because it takes precious energy to run it, especially since motors can potentially use a lot of current. So I looked for one that would dry my hair FASTER, which cuts down on the time I'm exposed to high EMF's as well as the energy it consumes. I bought an ionizing unit, because it seems to work faster and doesn't dry my hair out like regular units. I'm totally against ion generators used for cleaning air, though, just want to make sure I say that. Although I'm certain it's not shielded, so the AC electric levels are high, I got lucky accidentally:  the ionizing unit I bought is low in AC magnetic fields to boot. Lastly, I try to avoid using a hair dryer unless I have to, meaning, I have to look more professional or dressy. I just wasn't happy using a low EMF unit that would take more time and thus more energy to use, and would also wreck my hair.

"Even if you hold a conventional high EMF dryer at arm's length, you are still exposed because you're holding it. As long as it's in close proximity to any part of your body, that part of your body is exposed. If you hold it a few inches from your head, you may not be exposing your head, but you are certainly exposing your hand and arm. The drop off rate also varies, depending on how the unit is manufactured. Anything with a motor will have potentially high levels, though, that's the important point, so the drop off rate for some units might not be just a few inches. It all depends on the unit."

I'm in agreement with everything Mary said, and I have some additional comments.

If you want to purchase a hair dryer advertised as low-EMF, they are available on these websites:

• folica.com - Chi Ceramic Ionic Hair Dryer, "A lightweight quiet professional dryer that utilizes ceramic technology, negative ions, far Infrared and low EMF Electromagnetic Field for healthier and shinier hair."
• LessEMF.com - "This unique dryer with six foot hose allows you to stay far enough away from the motor to reduce electromagnetic exposure to acceptable levels."
• lowemf.com carries the Angelite Hair Dryer.

Myself, I just get a great haircut and let it dry naturally. But I live in Florida, where the weather is warm most of the year and I can do that. I do own a hairdryer, but, like Mary, I only use it occasionally--mostly for professional appearances.

If you have the type of hairstyle that requires styling with a hairdryer and brush every morning, consider switching to a simpler hairstyle if you don't want to spend around $150 for a low-EMF hair dryer.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I have read their website pretty thoroughly and have a link to Terressentials on Debra's List. I really admire their dedication to the purity of their personal care products. They only use ingredients that the USDA permits in certified organic food, and every single ingredient is certified organic. They don't make cosmetics, however, so if you want to wear cosmetics, you'll have to choose from those that are available.

I looked at their website again in response to your question and found that they recommended avoiding castor oil because "castor beans yield the biotoxin ricin." So I looked up ricin to find out how toxic it was.

It turns out that ricin is one of the deadliest natural poisons on earth, BUT ricin is removed from the oil. So it's not likely that one would be exposed to ricin by using a cosmetic product.

This puzzeled me. Surely Terressentials must know that ricin is removed from the oil. So I called Terressentials and Diana Kay--who co-founded the company with life parther James Hahn--explained why they don't recommend castor oil.

Diana has survived cancer and is now chemically sensitive. She is concerned not only about the health effects of product ingredients when you use them, she is concerned about the toxic pollutants that are going into the environment during manufacture. She calls this "second-hand pollution" because she likens it to second-hand cigarette smoke--it's a by-product of the process that causes harm to others. We don't see this pollution when we buy personal care products in pretty packaging, but it's there...even in so-called natural and organic products.

For Diana, an ingredient has to be sustainable and supportive to life from beginning to end. That's why she and Jim will only use certified organic ingredients in their products. "Our personal choices DO affect others in a major way, and it can be a matter of life and death." They have done a lot of research on the manufacturing effects of personal care ingredients and that is what their recommendations are based on in their guide to ingredients.

As far as castor oil is concerned, she acknowledged that the danger is not in the using of castor oil, but rather the effects it has on the rest of life and re-reading her website, I did see that she didn't say castor oil was toxic--she said "castor beans yield the biotoxin ricin.". I'll let her tell it in her own words excerpted from her website

For decades castor oil has been a part of the folk medicine repetoire. The oil has been used as an industrial lubricant, lamp oil, hot compress, laxative, body care product, etc. The plant material, stalks and leaves, when dried after a harvest are a highly potent allergen/sensitizer and cause severe, disabling allergic asthma in workers who handle the material. The mash that remains after the oil has been pressed or solvent-extracted is toxic to many animals. The majority of castor oil that is produced today is produced in the Middle East, India and Africa. Curiously, there are no significant scientific studies that can strongly document skin healing properties or other therapeutic effects.

There are two interesting things that can be reported about this oil: 1 it has never been used as a food for humans and 2 when you type the words "castor oil army ricin" into the search engine "google," there are 1950 results linking to the potential use of ricin a deadly component of castor beans being used in biowarfare terrorist attacks to kill US citizens and many listings for our government's and the military's concerns about ricin's ease of manufacturing and the virtually unlimited quantities of castor beans available for processing ricin.

For an enlightening report on castor beans and ricin production visit this article from the Harvard Independent magazine titled "Iraq Sharpens Weapons Disguise."

So while castor oil may not affect your health directly, it produces manufacturing pollution, and harm to workers and animals, not to mention it the toxin could be used against us in biological warfare.

I asked Diana if she knew of any cosmetics that didn't contain castor oil, and she said no I found castor oil in all the cosmetics on Debra's List, too. Her greater concern, however, was titanium dioxide, which is even more common in natural cosmetics. This is not a natural mineral, but rather one that is highly processed, requiring a lot of energy and producing a lot of pollutants. More on manufacturing...

We also discussed the even larger issue of women feeling the need to wear cosmetics at all. Neither she nor I wear them. I only wear cosmetics when professional appearances require that I do, and even then I remove them immediately after the appearance. It's all tied up with how we perceive beauty. I'm fortunate that my husband would prefer to look at my face without makeup. He actually screws up his nose and won't kiss me when I have it on. That's a pretty good incentive not to wear it!

So, it's not a simple question with a simple answer. There's much more to explore about the world of natural cosmetics, which is on my list to do.

In a world where there is so much that is harmful to health and the environment, it's important to not lose heart. Yes, most products are not perfect, but many are better than others. By supporting those better products and continuing to push for products that are even better, we do have an beneficial effect on the marketplace.

As to whether or not you should wear cosmetics containing castor oil, that's a personal choice. At least now you know what it is and why Terressentials has chosen not to use it. The most natural cosmetics available contain castor oil and titanium dioxide. If you choose to wear cosmetics, that's the best that's available right now. If anyone finds cosmetics without these ingredients, let me know.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I went to their website and here's what I found, or more accurately, what I didn't find. I didn't find any ingredients lists for their products. What they listed were the natural "key ingredients." These key ingredients, though natural, could be mixed with other ingredients that are very unnatural.

My experience has been that companies that have truly natural products include complete ingredients lists and often have glossaries to explain exactly what their ingredients are and what function they perform in the product. With so many all-natural and even organic bodycare products available now see the Debra's List bodycare page, there's no need to use products that have mysterious ingredients.

[After I sent her the above reply, she responded with a list of ingredients from the label of a bottle of their foundation make-up.]

I looked up the sources of each of the ingredients see chart below. You can see they are hardly natural. Note that five of the ingredients all the parabens near the end are all preservatives made from petrochemicals. The parabens are frequently used in so-called "natural" products, but are not of plant, animal or mineral origin. I tried to linked each ingredient to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, which tells the toxicity of the ingredient, but the links wouldn't work. You can go to their website and type any ingredient in that you would like to look up. Ingredient source information is from Ruth Winter's A Consumer's Guide to Cosmetic Ingredients.

As you read this, keep in mind that most of the ingredients from natural sources are derived from those sources--they are not in their natural state. To my mind, the further we get from ingredients in their natural state, well...the less natural they are.

I've marked the ingredients made from petrochemicals with an asterisk *. I'd say this isn't a natural product.

Debra :-

	ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:
	Titanium Dioxide	naturally occurring mineral
	Octinoxate	not in book or database
	OTHER INGREDIENTS:
	Water	natural, but may be contaminated with chlorine, fluoride and other water pollutants
	Isododecane	not in book or database
	Cyclomethicone	derived from silica, a naturally-occurring mineral
	Dimethicone	derived from silica, a naturally occuring mineral
	Talc	naturally occurring mineral
*	Nylon-12	a petrochemical plastic
	Sorbitan Sesquioleate	derived from plants
*	Butylene Glycol	made from petrochemicals
	Dimethicone Copolyol	derived from silica, a naturally occuring mineral
	Quaternium-18 Hectorite	derived from plant cellulose
	Isononyl lsononanoate	made of unspecified alcohol and acid
	PEG-30 Hydroxystearate	derived from natural materials treated with chemicals
	Glycerin	a natural by-product of soap manufacture
	Silica	naturally occurring mineral sand is silica
	Sodium Chloride	salt processed to remove 82 other minerals, leaving only the sodium and chloride
	Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract	herb
	Daucus Carota Sativa carrot Root Extract	herb
	Larrea Divaricata Extract	herb
	Rosa Canina Fruit Extract	herb
	Ginkgo Biloba Extract	herb
	Tabebuia Impetiginosa Bark Extract	herb
	Triticum Vulgare Wheat Germ oil	herb
	Stearic Acid	made from animal fat
*	Phenoxyethanol	made by treating phenol with ethylene oxide--both petrochemicals
	PEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate	derived from natural materials treated with chemicals
	Polysorbate 20 // derived from coconut	derived from coconut
*	Propylene Carbonate	derived from petrochemicals
	Aluminum Hydroxide	aluminum is a naturally occuring metal
	Tocopheryl Acetate	vitamin E
	Retinyl Palmitate	derived from coconut
	Xanthan Gum	cultured from plants
*	Methylparaben Ethylparaben Propylparaben Butylparaben Isobutylparaben	parabens are all derived from benzoic acid, which is made by the chlorination of toluene, a petrochemical derivative
	Trisodium EDTA	a processed salt, not in it's natural form
	Iron Oxides	naturally occurring rust

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

There are actually a number of natural bristle brushes available. These two would be best for your son, as they have wood handles instead of plastic: Caswell Massey and Squeaky Monroe.

Other websites sell natural bristle toothbrushes with acetate handles. The first time I saw this and read that it was "natural and biodegradable" I thought they were wrong--acetate is a plastic. Well, I looked it up and found that while it is manmade and it is a plastic, acetate is a specific type of plastic--called cellulose acetate--made by introducing the acetyl radical of acetic acid commonly known as vinegar into cellulose from wood-pulp and/or cotton fibers. This combination produces a tough, clear plastic that is used to make a wide variety of household products, including frames for eyeglasses.

Other websites that sell natural bristle toothbrushes include

Classic Shaving, eDentalStuff.com, and HomeDental.com. These dental sites carry natural bristle brushes not because they are natural, but because "they remove plaque better than any other conventional brush in the world."

Internatural carries Fuchs German toothbrushes that have a patented replaceable-head design. This allows you to replace the bristles regularly without disposing of the entire toothbrush.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

All beaches are different in terms of their level of pollution. Here in Florida where I live, we have a lot of beaches. They test the water regularly and we get beach alerts if the local regulators find that pollutants go to levels high enough to cause illness.

I'm not particularly concerned about sand. It's siting out in the hot sun all day. The sun is a natural disintectant.

I go to the beach all the time and walk on the sand and swim in the water. I'm not concerned about it at my local beach. Learn more about the specific area where you are collecting your sand. Certainly there are polluted beaches, but not all beaches are polluted.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I could only find unscented talcum powder one place: Birch Hill Happenings. The owner says that it is "100% pure" to the best of her knowledge. It is imported from Australia.

Talc is considered safe enough to be used as an ingredient in nearly one thousand cosmetic and bodycare products. In the past, there has been some question about its safety. It is often stated that talc contains traces of asbestos, however, eighty-five samples of talcum powder studied from 15 countries found that the main detectable mineral impurities were chlorite, mica, carbonates, quartz, and feldspars. Purity varied from 47% to 93%, with powders from Germany and USA having the highest quality. Products from Chile, France, Andorra, Portugal and Colombia were the lowest.

Dr. Hauschka products website FAQ states:

Talc is an inert mineral with no inherent toxicity. Concern over talc safety relates to its association with asbestos. Talc itself is not asbestos; however, some talc deposits contain another mineral, tremolite. In rare cases tremolite can occur in a fibrous crystalline form that can be classified as asbestos.

Since 1972 government-mandated testing and certification assures all talc used in cosmetics is tremolite-free. Today, cosmetic talc meets current FDA specifications and purity standards. The talc in Dr.Hauschka Decorative Cosmetics is certified tremolite-free in accordance with Federal regulations.

Capricorn Soaps Silky Fairy Dust Herbal Body Powders. "An all natural base of arrowroot powder to which we add natural clays, organic herbs and essential oils."

Bath and Body Naturals Natural Body Powder. A body powder made with corn starch, arrowroot powder, clay and oat starch.

Also, you can just purchase plain cornstarch or arrowroot powder and use that.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Interesting article.

Your question brings up an important concept regarding how to determine toxicity.

Your daughter is probably using a very small amount of hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and keep her ear holes from getting infected. So the choice here is to use hydrogen peroxide or some other bacteria-killer or risk infection, which would cause a greater problem.

It's the nature of hydrogen peroxide to damage bacteria--that's why we use it. To kill one thing bacteria to preserve another ears.

Remember that whether or not an exposure is toxic to you is based on the inherent strength and toxicity of the substance, frequency of exposure, amount of exposure, method of exposure, and one's individual tolerance for the substance. Hydrogen peroxide is known to be safe and effective in small amounts for a variety of health uses. We don't know how much was used in this experiment and the length of exposure required to cause the cell damage. Enough table salt--which is vital to our health--can cause cell damage enough that it was traditionally used as a preservative to prevent food from spoiling.

I'm not worried about your daughter using hydrogen peroxide on her ear holes.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

For those of you who are not familiar with gel socks I wasn't, they are socks lined with a moisturizing gel for people who have extremely dry skin on their feet such as diabetics. Typically gel socks are made from a blend of about 50% cotton, plus nylon and about 4% spandex for stretchability. The moisturizing gel is made from Mineral Oil and various plastics, including styrene, the plastic used to make styrofoam.

Mineral oil and plastics are made from petrochemicals. I don't recommend mineral oil lotions for this reason, and also because mineral oil tends to dry the skin, rather than moisturize it.

Just at the last minute, as I was working on this newsletter, I stumbled over some cotton H2O Plus Gel Therapy Socks with a lining of "antioxidant green tea, healing vitamin E and natural oils of jojoba, avocado and olive to improve skin texture and suppleness," but that was all the info that was given and I don't know if that's the complete ingredient list.

You can also make your own natural gel sock treatment by applying oils or lotions you know you tolerate, then slipping on Cotton Moisture Socks. This homemade treatment has been around for a long time. You can also do the same thing for your hands by applying lotion and wearing a pair of cotton gloves.

Find organic and natural lotions at Debra's List/Bodycare and more cotton socks at Debra's List/Textiles.

Debra :-)