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BANG FOR THE BITE
Formaldehyde's easier to avoid in personal care products than parabens (that is, if you can remember the long names of the ingredients that create it).
COCKTAIL FACT
(In)famous mummies: Vladimir Lenin, Eva Peron, Mao Zedong, the head of Mata Hari and a headless King Charles I.
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home › tip library › Formaldehyde-Free Nail Polish
Only want to soak up formaldehyde when you're six feet under?
The Bite
Good idea. Say "sayonara" to formaldehyde while you are alive - another preservative found in many personal care products like perfume and nail polish.The Benefits
- Stay healthy. Formaldehyde's classified as a possible carcinogen by the EPA and can cause itching and burning of the skin. It's already been banned for use in cosmetics in Japan and Sweden.
- There are plenty of natural preservatives (think essential oils), so why go with something used in embalming dead bodies?
- Protect wildlife. Formaldehyde washed off your skin and down the drain might not be broken down in the water treatment process.
Personally Speaking
Heather's happy to report that her (many) beauty products are now 90% paraben- and formaldehyde-free (no easy feat - just check your bathroom labels)!Wanna Try?
- Just check the label. The following preservatives may break down into or release formaldehyde:
- Diasolidinyl urea
- DMDM hydantoin
- Imidazolidinyl
- Quaternium-15
- Ideal Bite's Personal Care Library - our past recommendations for natural personal care products.
- Skin Deep - the Environmental Working Group's comprehensive guide to the ingredients in personal care products.
- Speaking of being "six feet under," check out our Eco-Burials tip.
Sep 26,2006
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One of the good things about being me is that when I get angrier, I actually get funnier. Unfortunately for my own ego, my future career as a comedienne, and for the people around me, I’m not often angry. And the truth is, I don’t get that angry about the things that matter. The things that really matter – those things – I WORRY about. I’m not a funny worrier. I’m a crawl-under-the-covers-and-cry-and-never-sleep worrier. So climate change and wars and famine and bad health… those things make me hide in bed and walk around as a sleep-deprived zombie, but they don’t really bring out my funny side. (This is why I was cut off from watching nightly news a few years ago.)
Oh no - my angry/funny side is brought out by the truly trivial: boys, bad drivers and cable companies. Accordingly, I’m a laugh-riot at the moment. Seriously. Would SOMEone please explain to me why there isn’t a cable or internet company on EARTH who can ever show up in a reasonable timeframe, on time, and actually get the thing done? Can anyone else tell me why San Francisco drivers – contrary to public perception - are apparently a LOT more mean and nasty than those of us were in Brooklyn, while we dodged crater-sized potholes on the BQE? As for boys… don’t even get me started on that subject, unless you want to be subjected to an earful of theories.
But one thing does make me angry and is not in the least funny – the fact that almost no one knows what’s in their lotions and potions. Parabens? They are just – quite simply – scary as hell. I started to give them up after a freaky health issue last year. I haven’t been able to get rid of them completely yet, but I’m getting there. Same with formaldehyde products.
Seriously – go to your bathroom right now and pick up a bottle. Just scan it. Pick up another. And another. Count the times you see the word “paraben” included. Usually toward the end of the ingredients list, and with methyl, propyl or butyl in front…
-Heather… off to yell at the cable company, flip off a bad driver and boil a bunny…
Biter Comments...
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Jen | September 26, 2006 at 06:39 AM