Toxic Beauty

January 2012 Newsletter

2012-01-05T07:48:00.001-08:00

Hair cuts to clean up Gulf oil spill

2010-05-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Salon Verve, along with thousands of other salons around the nation have been donating hair clippings to Matter of Trust. A California based non profit that specializes in recycling and reusing unwanted items including hair clippings. The hair clippings are pressed into matts and stuffed into booms (reusing old nylon stockings) and used to clean up oil spills and save wild life. Matter of Trust is currently on hand distributing these hair mats to the agencies working on the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The following links may be of interest:

Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQOD_Ir2vQ

Information: http://matteroftrust.org/

Just because a product is labeled "organic" doesn't mean it is.

2010-02-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

This was taken from organicconsumers.org website:

OCA Spreadsheet Summarizes "Organic Cheater Brand" Cosmetic Hazard Scores

The OCA has prepared a spreadsheet summarizing "Organic Cheater brand" products and their Hazard Rankings according to the Environmental Working Group's "Skin Deep" Cosmetic Safety Database. The tabs at the top of the spreadsheet list various brands horizontally: click each tab to view that brand's product scores from the Skin Deep" database. By far the majority of fake organic products score in the "Moderate Hazard" category. Conversely, Dr. Bronner's Skin Deep product scores show that the vast majority of true NOP certified organic personal care score in the safest "Low Hazard" category. A couple of brands, Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic" and Nature's Gate "Organics", even had some of their fake organic products score in the unsafest "High Hazard" category.

Perhaps even more disturbing, two of the "organic cheater" brands who are the subject of OCA's Complaint to USDA NOP, have reneged on their signed promise to provide product and ingredient information to Skin Deep so that their products' safety can be assessed. Those brands are Eminence "Organic" Skin Care and Head "Organics". Another two brands, while they have not reneged on any promises, have also decided to not submit product and ingredient information to Skin Deep: Ilike "Organic" Skin Care and Surya Sapien "Organic". As noted in the Complaint, all these brands utilize surfactants made in part or entirely from petrochemicals as primary cleansing ingredients, which contain no organic agricultural material whatsoever. Eminence in particular deceptively claims that Alpha Olefin Sulfonate, the primary cleanser in its "Organic Stone Crop Bodywash", is from a "plant source," when in fact this cleanser is commercially available only in pure petrochemical form.

Both Nature's Gate and Eminence do produce a few true USDA NOP certified organic products under their respective brands. However, the vast majority of their product lines are not certified under the USDA's National Organic Program, because their main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients are generally based on conventional or petrochemical, rather than organic agricultural, material. As a general rule when shopping for organic personal care, check for the USDA seal to be sure you're buying true organic personal care rather than fake organic products.

Botanical Renewal Facials

2010-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

Salon Verve is running the ever popular facial special again this February. For the month of February, get 50% off Botanical Renewal Facials, and with the facial special, recieve a progressive discount on your facial care products. 5% off one product, 10% off two products, 15% off three products and 20% off four or more products. This special always fills up quickly, so call me ASAP to book yours!
231-932-8378

Don't Touch Me!

2010-01-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help break it down and flush it out of your body.
When you put these chemicals on your skin, however, they are absorbed straight into your blood stream without filtering of any kind, so there's no protection against the toxins. Instead, they are in large part going directly to your delicate organs.

Toxic Ingredients to watch out for!

2010-01-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

In pursuit of cleanliness and beauty, we buy approximately $20 billion worth of personal care products every year. Unfortunately, many ingredients in these potions and lotions have the opposite effect on the planet—and some of them are linked to damaging effects on human health. And unlike the pharmaceutical industry, the government does not require safety testing for these products before they go to market. Updating "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, " we've culled a list of the worst of the worst, twelve chemicals you do not want on your skin.

1. SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS)
Used as a foaming agent. It is found in 90% of commercial products. It was originally developed to clean and degrease garage floors as an industrial cleaner. It is an extremely harsh cleanser. The Cosmetics Ingredient Review (CIR), a panel of cosmetics-industry experts established to safety-test ingredients (cir-safety.org), reported that SLS also causes "severe epidermal changes" to mouse skin, a finding that "indicates a need for tumor-enhancing activity assays." This year, after review of over 250 existing SLS studies, the CIR concluded that SLS is not cancer-causing. However, Samuel Epstein, M.D., says he is not convinced and recommends avoiding SLS. SLS has also been linked to permanent eye damage especially in young developing eyes. Don't be fooled by Sodium Laureth Sulfate, as it only has a compound added to anesthetize or numb the eye so that it doesn't sting and therefore appears gentler.

2. METHYL AND PROPYL AND BUTYL AND ETHYL PARABEN
A petroleum based preservative. Used in underarm deodorants, sunscreens, shampoos, conditioners, hand soaps, lotions, etc. Parabens have recently been found in tissue samples from human breast tumors according to a study published in the Jan/Feb 2004 Journal of Applied Toxicology. The estrogenic activity of parabens may be linked to the development of breast cancer, since estrogen is "a major aetiological factor in the growth of human breast cancer" according to an editorial accompanying the study.
o Methyl Paraben: Allergies/immunotoxicity, non-reproductive organ system toxicity, irritation (skin, eyes or lungs), biochemical or cellular level changes.
o Propyl Paraben: Developmental/reproductive.... toxicity, endocrine disruption, allergies / immunotoxicity, and non-reproductive organ system toxicity.
o Butyl Paraben: Developmental/reproductive.... toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, non-reproductive organ system toxicity, and biochemical or cellular level changes.
o Ethyl Paraben: Allergies/immunotoxicity, non-reproductive organ system toxicity.

3. ANTIBACTERIALS
Found in cleansers, deodorants and other cosmetic products, antibacterial agents such as Triclosan encourage the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, according to a studies in the April 1999 Journal of Biological Chemistry and the July 13 2000 Nature.
4. COAL-TAR COLORS
So-called coal-tar chemicals are found in many "FD&C" or "D&C" colors used in makeup and hair dye. FD&C Blue 1 and FD &C Green 3 are carcinogenic, and impurities in other colors -- D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6 -- have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin.
5. DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA)
Widely used in shampoos, DEA is a suspected carcinogen, and its compounds and derivatives include triethanolamine (TEA), which can be contaminated with nitrosamines -- compounds shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Contamination is more likely if the product also contains Bronopol (see above).

6. FORMALDEHYDE
Found in eye shadows, mascaras and other cosmetics, formaldehyde is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen," according to the National Toxicology Program's "Ninth Report on Carcinogens" (January 2001). The EPA classifies it as a probable human carcinogen.
In its liquid state, formaldehyde, present in the ingredients DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, and quaternium-15, can be absorbed through the skin and nails. As a volatile organic compound, or VOC, formaldehyde evaporates when the product is wet; levels drop sharply once it's dry. Consumer concern has led many manufacturers to remove it from their nail polishes. Quaternium-15 causes more dermatitis complaints than any other preservative, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Bronopol, often listed as 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3....-diol can contribute to the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines, according to the FDA. It can also break down to produce formaldehyde.

7. GLYCOL ETHERS
Widely used industrial solvents found in nail polish, deodorant, perfumes and other cosmetics, some glycol ethers are hazardous to the reproductive system. Other effects of overexposure include anemia and irritation of the skin, eyes, nose and throat. Avoid those listed on labels as EGPE, EGME,EGEE, DEGBE, PGME, DPGME and those with "methyl" in their names.

8. PETROLATUM (Vaseline, petroleum jelly)
Commonly used in cold creams, lipsticks, lip protection, baby creams, eye shadows. Petrolatum can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Furthermore, since it is a petroleum product, its use depletes a non-renewable resource.

9. PHENYLENEDIAMINE (PPD)
Found in many hair dyes, PPD is linked with skin irritations, and respiratory disorders. PPD is mutagenic and reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, and has been banned in Europe. Also called oxidation dyes, amino dyes para dyes, or peroxide dyes.

10. PHTHALATES
Used widely in fragrances, deodorants, nail polishes, hair products and lotions, the oily texture of phthalates acts like a moisturizer and helps lotions penetrate skin. Various members of this family of chemical plasticizers have been found to produce cancer of the liver and birth defects in lab animals. Since, phthalates often "hide" behind the term "fragrance;" choose products labeled "fragrance-free" or that are scented exclusively with pure botanical or essential oils.

11. TOLUENE
This solvent found in nail products can cause liver damage and is irritating to the skin and respiratory tract.

12. SYNTHETIC FRAGANCES
Neurotoxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and miscellaneous concerns. 84% of chemical ingredients in synthetic fragrance have never been tested for safety. Because of proprietary laws, manufacturers are not required to list or disclose ingredients of their fragrance products.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
This website is a great tool! Type in any ingredient and the website will rate the ingredient on a scale of 1-10 for safety.

Toxic Beauty Business

2010-01-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

Hair salons and beauty products have always been criticized for the amount of pollution it generates. Aerosol sprays, chemicals found in hair color and perm solutions, pounds of plastic and glass bottles sent to landfills, the beauty business has a reputation for being a toxic business. Hair dressers have been the subject of health research projects due to their high frequency of health concerns like chronic bronchitis and sinus infections, asthma, and 70% of hairdressers suffer from work related skin disorders such as dermatitis. Hairdressers also have an increased risk of infertility and miscarriages, probably due to the occupational chemical exposure. Thankfully, there is Salon Verve where they use natural products and ammonia free hair color which is safer for you, for us and for the environment. Salon Verve recycles everything possible and refills shampoo and conditioner bottles. I am finding “organic” salons popping up all over the country. The beauty business is evolving and we, as consumers can make a difference by making sure our money goes to businesses that care. Not only about the planet, but also about the people in our lives!

Misson Statement

2010-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Our mission at Salon Verve is to provide the very best in organic and non-toxic personal care products and services to preserve and enhance the wellbeing of our guests, our community, and our environment. We pursue this mission through continuous education and research with a passion for the art of beauty and the science of wellbeing.