Pink in October

I walked into Michael's yesterday to get some Halloween crafts for my monsters and I was stopped dead in my tracks upon entering.  Placed right in the entrance, there was a large display of pink.  Pink ribbons, pink socks, pink stickers, pink duct tape, pink pins, pink printers.  This list can go on and on but I quickly scooted by.  I knew this was going to happen.  I know Breast Cancer Awareness month is coming up, but I couldn't help feeling like I was being used.

Pinkwashing is a term coined by BCAction in 2002 to describe a company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures, and/or sells products that are linked to the disease. 

Let me tell you, when I had the dreaded disease, I wasn't lovin' pink.  I was scared for my life.  I couldn't relate to pink or the pink ribbon.  I was my own person, surviving.  Even months after, when I did the Komen race, I felt a little uncomfortable about the ribbon thing.  During the race, the love, support, and community that I was surrounded by was beyond powerful.  If that is what pink does than rock on but clearly that is not all.

Much of the pink  ribbon and products was popularized by the editor of Self magazine and EsteeLauder companies.  They want you to buy and support makeup labeled pink and in return, pennies of their profits would go to the cure.  Meanwhile, those who thought they were doing good and supporting the cause were actually heading home to slather makeup onto their face which was full of toxic chemicals.  The same chemicals that have been linked to breast cancer.  It would be funny if it weren't so so awful.   I am guilty of selling (when I worked for a certain cosmetic company) and buying into it.  This was before I really thought about my actions and if they were harmful.  Shoot, I felt like a hero.  Now I realize, not so much.

According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, they have repeatedly asked Avon, Revlon, and Estee Lauder companies to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, a pledge to remove chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities and other harmful health impacts from their products.  These companies have been unwilling to make this public commitment.

Once again, here is a list from the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics, of chemicals to stay clear of that are commonly found in makeup and beauty products.

• ·         Parabens
• ·         Phthalates
• ·         Fragrance
• ·         Nonylphenols
• ·         Sunscreen chemicals
• ·         Isobutane
• ·         Ethoxylated compounds
• ·         Metals
• ·         Petrolatum
• ·         Toluene
• ·         Triclosan

Ugly right.  This is why I switched to a green lifestyle and I am happily selling from a compassionate, clean, non-toxic company 100% Pure.  You get the quality without compromising your health.

Now don't get me wrong.  I think companies that shed light on such a horrible disease and help raise money to go to a cure is ah-mazing, but not when they are using that to make money with their toxic product.  Do us a favor and just write a check donating to the cause rather than trying to profit off of a product. 

How about you do me a favor and think.  First and foremost, think about your health.  Do you feel right?  Has there been anything nagging you?  Get it checked!  No point in waiting.  Early detection is key.  October, Breast Cancer Awareness month should be more focused on health and not necessarily pink products.    

Second, think about the product you are about to purchase in the name of breast cancer.  Does "Buckets for a Cure" from KFC really help support breast cancer?  Does eating a cup of growth hormone rBGH induced yogurt help?  What about pink cosmetics?  Pink lipstick?  Gloss?   How about buying some pink alcohol?  Or better yet, pink energy drinks. 

October is an important month.... because it is my husband's birthday and my favorite holiday, Halloween.  Kidding aside, considering how many women (and now men) are being diagnosed with breast cancer each year, we need all the reminders we can get about the seriousness of breast cancer.  Discovering it early is critical.  Listen to your bodies and check yourself ladies! 

On a side note, my friend and fellow blogger asked if I would write my testimonial.  I was happy to share.  If you care reading about how I was diagnosed and what it was like for yours truly at that time, please visit her blog at www.heathnutblogg.wordpress.com.  I think her topics are fascinating.  Talk about a health nut!

Feels oh so....toxic????

It is pretty scary to find out what is lurking in the everyday items we use. I am a sucker for anything that promises to make me look glamorous. I never thought twice about the lotions, shampoos, and cosmetics that I wore. I mean people, I even worked for Bobbi Brown cosmetics for 5 years!  If it had nice packaging, promised to do miracles, or smelled pretty, I would buy it.  It turns out, many of these items happen to be toxic. The government does not require that cosmetics and other personal care products be tested for safty.  Really?  Surely I thought someone would be regulating the ingredients of what is absorbed in my body. 

Did you know that many products have parabens and formaldahydes in them and that they are banned in other countries?  Parabens are chemical agents which are commonly used by most big companies to preserve skin care products. Parabens are used to artificially increase the shelf life of various skin care products. They are used in products that range from facial creams and conditioners to moisturizers and tooth paste. It has been proven that they have a negative impoact on our overall health but yet nothing is being done to regulate it.

Large companies use parabens because they are cheap to get hold of and cheap to add in formulas. They don't offer anything special to the quality or effectiveness of a certain skin care product; they just keep the production prices low so the companies can have the largest profits.

Parabens have been linked to disrupting the bodies hormone and endocrine activity. It's also a well known fact that parabens have even been found in breast cancer tumors, and there is only one way they could have gotten there. Through the products we use that are absorbed by the skin.

My good friend, Nikki, introduced me to a great website that checks the toxicity level of makeup, lotions, sun protection, nail polish, hair care, oral care, and baby products. I think everybody needs to check it out.  The website is www.cosmeticdatabase.com  Just type in a product, ingredient, or company you are curious about and the Environmental Working Group will let you know in a scare , I mean scale from 1-10 how hazardous it is.  Moms, Dads, and caregivers, be sure to check out baby products.  Many of the bath washes we use are dangerous for our little ones.  I don't mean to scare you, but it's worth checking out for our own well-being. Since discovering this information, I have begun to switch my lotions, hair products, and yes, makeup to more organic/natural ones.  I will do reviews of some of the products I use in a future post, so be sure to check back!

In the meantime, I want to share a great article by Stacy Malkan asking President Obama to help stop the American cancer epidemic.   

Dear President Obama: Stop the American Cancer Epidemic

How many carcinogens did you put on your body today? Probably more than you’d guess, since many popular brands of shampoo, body wash, soap and even children’s bubble bath contain cancer-causing chemicals that are not even listed on labels. How can this be?

Right now, it’s perfectly legal for body-care products and other household goods sold in the U.S. to contain chemicals known to cause cancer and other diseases, with no warnings to consumers. This has been the story since the advent of synthetic chemistry in the mid 20th century. Since that time, American industries have released billions of tons of unregulated synthetic substances into the environment – chemicals that are now all over our homes and inside our bodies.

Since that time, we’ve seen the dramatic increase of unexplained cancers – to the point that 1 in 2 American men and 1 in 3 women are now expected to get some type of cancer in their lifetimes.

Is there a connection here? The President’s Cancer Panel thinks so; and this week, environmental health groups are calling on President Obama to heed the advice of his own panel and take action to regulate chemicals in order to protect Americans from cancer.

The President’s Cancer Panel issued a strong warning and urgent call to action last year. “The true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated,” the panel reported. “With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.”

The panel urged President Obama “most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

Add your voice to the call by signing the petition to President Obama.

“The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with a myriad of combinations of these dangerous exposures,” warned the cancer panel.

That’s you and me, and our kids in the tub.

The time for action is now. Europe is already far ahead of the United States in regulating chemicals. Just last week, the E.U. announced the first set of chemicals to be banned under Europe’s REACH chemical policy – including three phthalates, musk xylene and other chemicals that are found in various American products from medical devices to nail polish to fragrance.

Will America become the dumping ground for chemicals that are being banned in Europe? Or will we stand up and demand the same safer products that companies have already figured out how to make?

It’s time for the U.S. to step up; it’s time for President’s Obama and Congress to prioritize cancer prevention and responsible regulations that will shift the market to safer products and bring American industries into the 21st century.

If you want to take action go to www.crazysexylife.com , look for this article and sign the petition to President Obama.  There are other links to support other bills to promote saftey in our cosmetics. 

Source: www.crazysexylife.com