Cancer runs in my family. After finding out that another family member has been diagnosed, I have been more vigilant in what I put in and on my body, including cosmetic products.
Recently, I read the ingredient label of a relatively expensive cleanser that I just ran out of: Second ingredient is Sodium Laureth Sulfate (makes things foamy), at least 3 different kinds of parabens (acts as a preservative), cushioned by other chemicals that I cannot even pronounce.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these ingredients appeared in a cheaper product, but not on the label of a seemingly “gentle” facial cleanser that costs close to $30/tube! Unfortunately, toxic fillers such as SLS, parabens, sulphates, fragrance/parfum, etc. don’t seem to discriminate based on price tag. 
Is it too much to ask that good money should also be buying a safer product??
Determined to find a decent cleanser without any of this junk, even though there may not be any concrete links to the C-word, I scoured the drugstore shelves, reading countless labels. One thing that I discovered is that the words “natural” or “organic” or anything along those green-lines don’t mean a thing! As these buzz-words doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re free of toxins. There also doesn’t seem to be any regulations about slapping any words, that carries certain claims, on bottles. So even though something says it’s “100% Natural”, in green font, it actually can be made of 100% petrochemicals.
Eventually I settled on a waterless-cleanser that was on sale from Shoppers. However, after some googling, I found out that the second ingredient was mineral oil (a.k.a. paraffinum liquidum). After a week of usage, with disappointing results, I finally returned it today for a full refund.
(By the way, Shoppers does accept full-refunds on opened merchandise as long as you have the receipt and it’s done within 30 days!)
In order to decide on a cleanser, I have decided to use myself as a guinea pig by testing out a sample that I got from Sephora (Korres), blending oats to create a paste, castile soap, olive oil soap, and olive oil, all for 7-10 days each. Hopefully, I will come to a truly natural, non-toxic cleanser that will work on me!
Do you read labels of cleansers, body washes, shampoo/conditioners that you use?
If you have a Whole Foods Market in your area, they have many excellent natural cleansers. I like the Derma E line and Andalou. (Other Health Food Stores carry these as well) (You can look up all ingredients on dermae.com) I won’t buy products if I can’t read the ingredient list)
You have to for the most part get out of the drug stores and into the Health Food Stores for more natural products.
Whole Foods also carries many other shampoos and conditioners without SLS & parabens. They have there own line of shampoos/conditions called 365 that are reasonably priced. They also have unscented products.
You also have to check if the hand soaps you are using have parabens in them. Most liquid hand soaps do. What I did was buy a foaming soap bottle & I use the Dr. Bronner liquid soap from a Health Food Store. It seems expensive but you only have to use a very small amount in the bottom of the bottle & add the rest with water. (You could also do this with The Soap Works – glycerin soap)
Hope this helps.
Alyssa: Wow I didn’t know that! That is horrible — all those people thinking that consuming products with the Health Check symbol are healthy products. Yikes. :/
Try Lush. All of their products are completely organic. They’re a little on the pricey side but my toner & cleanser’s from there and it’s the only thing that’s worked to get rid of my acne. They have a huge selection of products and they all do different things. Their employees go through rigorous training on the product so they’re very helpful for first time shoppers.
The other day I was looking at a shampoo called something-or-other organics, so of course I checked the ingredients and there wasn’t a thing ‘organic’ about it. I also discovered that it contained egg, which I am allergic to. Dodged the chemical nasties AND anaphylaxis there
I have been shopping with an online green company for about a year now. I get amazing, chemical and toxin free products at about the same prices and sometimes cheaper than the toxin laced grocery store and drug store products. It blows my mind that the chemicals used in the products we used are only tested for safety AFTER enough people claim to be getting sick from them.
The company also offers up to 15% cash back from other retailers when you go through their website, cheap phone services, alarm services and profit sharing for their customers. No other store sends me a cheque at the end of the month for being a loyal customer AND protecting my health AND keeping my home safe AND helping the environment. You can see a couple videos about the company and products by clicking on my name.
I know I am never going back to the toxic brew that the major manufacturers are putting out there.
Hi! I was in the same predicament when we had our first son, and eventually found a Vancouver based company called “Bug & Pickle”.
Their products are natural, sulfate free, and ph balanced with no added fragrance, colour or preservatives.
We have always used the “Head-to-Toe” Badywash on our lil guy, but it is also a FANTASTIC facial cleanser too.
Hope that helps!!
Try to find yourself an Arbonne Rep. These products are enviro-friendly, non toxic and safe to use for cancer patients/survivors.
For a cleanser, try pure Jojoba oil. It’s not actually an oil but a wax that is suppose to mimic sebum. The trick is to massage it in for a period of time. I will sit on the couch and watch a tv show (a half hour) while massaging it in. It helps get rid of blackheads and helps bring all the yucky stuff to the surface. After massaging I will rinse and then wipe off with a cleansing cloth (or paper towel) to remove all remaining oil
I have extremely oily acne prone skin and I like using jojoba.I’ve had better results from it than anything else I’ve used (trust me, I’ve used alot of products).