I have opened a (toxic) can of worms.... I decided to investigate what kinds of chemicals are in the grooming products I use. Yikes! I didn't realize that cosmetics and grooming products aren't regulated, they can pretty much just put what they want in there, and there are still companies that put lead in their lipstick. I found a website by the Environmental Working Group that gives products a 1-10 "hazard" rating... pretty much everything I've been using is "hazardous." Great. (Especially nail polish and deoderant.) I'm not sure yet how reliable this is or how seriously I should take it... But have you ever read your tube of toothpaste? Notice it says that if more than is used for brushing is swallowed, contact the Poison Control Center immediately. Hmmm.... so I'm brushing my teeth with poison? What about all the tiny amounts of toothpaste that I've swallowed over the years? Of course I have heard before that nail polish has some nasty chemicals in it, for instance, but I just let it go in one ear and out the other because I like to have pretty toenails. And I realize I'm not going to drop dead immediately after I brush my teeth tonight. But after what Josh has been through over the past year, I thought maybe I should pay more attention to what I'm ingesting and absorbing. (Not to suggest that Josh got cancer from makeup and nail polish, of course). So I know some of you who are reading this have already been pondering these issues for awhile and trying to use nontoxic products... give me some input. Where do I shop now? I want to try to slowly replace my products with safer, nontoxic options, preferably without looking and smelling like a dirty hippie. :)
Peace,
Kimberly
