Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts

Sunday, June 15, 2014

START OF SUMMER GIVEAWAY!

So, we've still got one more week before summer officially started, but I've already got summer on my mind! The nice people at Santa Cruz Organic® generously gave me a sample of their organic lemonade & organic mango lemonade to try. If you know me, I'm kind of stickler for organic stuff. I do my best to have my family use as many organic foods, beverages & products as possible. My kids loved the original lemonade & the mango lemonade was super yummy too. I can imagine a hot summer day with some mango lemonade and vodka being a really refreshing drink! But I can also imagine the kids really enjoying a cold glass of lemonade too. ;) When Santa Cruz Organic® offered to do a giveaway for my readers so they could try these delicious, yummy organic drinks, I said yes! Free stuff is another thing I love!

Here's some information about the products:

Summer fun pairs perfectly with these lemonades: enjoy them at picnics, backyard barbecues or make them the star of your favorite recipe.

Santa Cruz Organic® Lemonades and Limeades are made with Certified USDA Organic fruit juice and are a great addition to any summer activity. 

·         No artificial preservatives or ingredients
·         Certified USDA Organic
·         Flavors include Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, Peach Lemonade, Mango Lemonade, Cherry Lemonade and Limeade 
Reader Giveaway:
Santa Cruz Organic® wants to give my readers a fun way to celebrate summer, so they’re offering a giveaway! Two (2) randomly selected winners (U.S. only, please) will receive two Santa Cruz Organic® Lemonade Beverages!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

What toxins are you washing your hair with?

Let's face it, people are into their hair! A 'bad hair day' usually means plopping on a hat, crying, complaining, or a rushed trip to the hair stylist or barber. A good hair day makes us feel beautiful - or handsome - and invincible. In the US alone, about 80,000 hair care salons generate combined annual sales of $16 billion dollars.

If you're thinking of getting into the hair care business, this could be good news. But for purists, that means billions and billions of toxic chemicals wafting into the air, pouring down the drain into our ground water, and infiltrating their way into human bodies through pores that suck them up like plants absorb sunshine and water.

It has been a slow erosion that has allowed people to replace lab-generated, synthetic chemicals for natural botanicals in their hair, skin and personal care products. Chemicals might make life easier and produce more drastic effects, but they also exact a huge negative toll on our health and planet. And just as destructive, they offer a false standard of beauty and aging that many people spend their entire lives striving for but never reach.

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Nature, on the other hand - flowers, herbs, fruits, nuts, and seeds - is simplistic, peaceful, beautiful, and accepting. There is a natural cycle in nature that synthetic chemicals try to eradicate - the seasons. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter exemplify our lives - whether we want to accept it or not. In Spring we burst forth in life so fresh, smooth and delicate, and with such possibility, the whole world wants to embrace us. In Summer we bloom bright and beautiful and with such strong potential and possibility, it takes the breath away. In Autumn we start to change, but with such grace and loveliness, people want to bask in the sheer joy of our experience and calm. And in Winter, we get to rest, reflect, rejoice in the life we've built, taking it all in with the wisdom and sagacity of one who has been there and knows, and can now sit back and simply enjoy.

This is nature at its best. This is what nature offers human beings. This is what we at Miessence embrace when we choose, handcraft, and manufacture the purest products on the planet for your whole body health and wellbeing!

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Let's compare ingredients & side effects:

Theirs:

1. Cocoamide DEA (diethanolamine) can cause nitrosamine contamination, which is a potent carcinogen. Cocoamide DEA is a detergent that causes allergic reactions, including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin, and can be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time.

2. Propylene Glycol is a petroleum derivative and industrial antifreeze. It's so toxic that the EPA requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles. Because PG penetrates the skin so quickly, the EPA warns against skin contact to prevent consequences such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities.

3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate is used in car washes and engine degreasers - and in 90% of products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS and ALS experience eye damage, central nervous system depression, laboured breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation, and even death. Frequently disguised in semi-natural cosmetics with the explanation "comes from coconut".

4. Suttocide (sodium hydroxymethylglycinate) is a formaldehyde releasing preservative used in many 'natural' shampoos. Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen and is extremely toxic when inhaled or swallowed.

5. Fragrances can contain allergens and sensitisers, which can trigger asthma attacks. Fragrances also contain chemicals called phthalates, which are hormone disruptors that can affect foetal development and fertility and damage sperm in men.

6. Ext. D&C synthetic colours are made from coal tar and are certified safe for drugs and cosmetics, but not for food. Toxic coal tar has been shown to be carcinogenic in animal tests, and many people are allergic to it.

Ours:

1. Coco Glucoside an extremely gentle, yet effective, cleansing agent made from glucose and coconut fatty acids. Non-toxic, fully biodegradable and mild on the skin.

2. Certified Organic Aloe Vera has healing, soothing, antibacterial, and moisturising properties.

3. Yucca Juice contains natural saponins that gently cleanse and repair damage to cell membranes of the scalp and skin, helping to prevent nutrient loss.

4. Certified Organic Avocado Oil restores lustre to the hair and hydrates dry and damaged ends.

5. Certified Organic Horsetail Extract is an effective remedy for psoriasis, dandruff, eczema, and similar skin conditions.

6. Panthenol is the provitamin of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). It improves the moisture-retention capacity of the skin and stimulates skin regeneration. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-itching effects. It makes hair easier to comb, reduces hair splitting, improves the condition of damaged hair, thickens the hair, and provides sheen.

7. Bitter Orange Extract is a natural antibacterial agent that acts as a mild preservative in our hair care products.

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As you can see, the difference between caring for your 'Crowning Glory' naturally or synthetically is huge. The side effects of hair treated with synthetic chemicals can be devastating, especially as the toxins build up in your body over time.

The side effects of hair treated with the best of nature's offerings benefit your skin and body as the healthful ingredients are absorbed through your pores.

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Testimonial:

I recently had my hair cut for a shorter look and hadn't really used the Protect Hair Repair in the past, as my hair has been relatively healthy. I had some extra product [Hair Repair] that was going to expire, so I used it. What an absolutely great volumizer it is!! I just shampoo with the Desert Flower, a little Shine Herbal Hair Conditioner, spray some Protect Hair Repair on and a dab of Shape Styling Gel, rub them in well and blow dry. When I use a curling iron, it holds the curls all day long.

I really love your hair products. My hair is really soft with a nice shine and I get compliments on it all the time. Thank you!!

Kathleen Balaban, United States

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It's time to be kind to your hair and put your toxic hair care products where they belong: in the garbage. To help you change over to the purest, certified organic hair care products on the market - Miessence, of course! - in June we're offering you the opportunity to purchase our new Healthy Hair Care Pack at 20% off the retail price.


To order your beautiful Miessence products, go to Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net, go to Products & click on Miessence.

MiTime is published by Organic & Natural Enterprise Group 27 Expansion Street, Ashmore, Qld, Australia, 4214

Monday, April 5, 2010

Would the REAL Organic products please stand up?

Organic Consumers Assn. Identifies Fraudulent and Authentic Organic

Sun Apr 4, 2010 1:35 pm (PDT)

The Organic Consumers' Association (OCA) recently tested various personal
care products claiming to be organic and identified manufacturers and brands
that appear, to the OCA, to make fraudulent and genuine claims in this
regard.

OCA's coming clean campaign:

The OCA has initiated a boycott against the following brands, which it
characterizes ad fake organics:

. Avalon "Organics"
. Desert Essence "Organics"
. Earth's Best "Organic"
. Eminence "Organic" (Except Few w/USDA Seal)
. Giovanni "Organic"
. Goodstuff "Organics"
. Head "Organics"
. Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic"
. Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic"
. Nature's Gate "Organics"
. Physicians Formula "Organic" Wear
. Stella McCartney "100% Organic"

In contrast, here are some organic brands which the OCA has identified as
honest organics:

. Alteya Organics
. Baby Bear Shop
. Badger
. Brittanie's Thyme
. Bubble and Bee Organic
. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps
. Earth Mama Angel Baby
. Indian Meadow Herbals
. Intelligent Nutrients
. Kimberly Parry Organics
. Little Angel
. Mercola
. Miessence Certified Organics
. Nature's Paradise
. OGmama and OGbaby
. Organicare
. Organic Essence
. Origins Organics
. Purely Shea
. Rose Tattoo Aftercare
. SoCal Cleanse
. Sensibility Soaps / Nourish
. Terressentials
. Trillium Organics
. Vermont Soap

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Hooray! Miessence is finally getting validation for being a truly safe, organic product line! You can learn more about Miessence at my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. Look under Products.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

More proof that "organic" in bodycare products doesn't mean that much

Round One Legal Victory for Organic Consumers and Dr. Bronner's against "Organic Cheater" Personal Care Brands and Certifiers


Organic Consumers Association, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, 10/13/08



After hearing oral arguments earlier this month, the San Francisco County Superior Court on Thursday Oct. 8th ruled that Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps can proceed with its lawsuit seeking to compel organic cheater companies & certifiers to drop, or stop certifying, deceptive organic label and brand claims. Culprit brands include:

Avalon "Organics"

Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic"

Nature's Gate "Organics"

Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic"

Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics"

Head "Organics"

Desert Essence "Organics"

Stella McCartney's CARE "100% Organic".

The culprit certifiers are OASIS and Ecocert; Estee Lauder is also a defendant due to its expressed intent to enter the market under its Aveda brand with misleading OASIS certified "organic" products.



The 800,000 supporter strong Organic Consumers Association has played a leading role in exposing and educating consumers about deceptive organic branding, and is a party in the litigation with Ecocert. The Court turned aside the defendants' arguments that Dr. Bronner's, in its complaint filed with the Court, hadn't sufficiently spelled out how actual consumers, the company and competition in the organic personal care industry have been hurt by the defendants' deceptive practices. The Court also rejected a claim by OASIS that its deceptive certification could be protected as free speech. In so ruling, the Court moved the case closer to full consideration of the merits of Dr. Bronner's claims.



Organic consumers expect that the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients in soaps, shampoos and body washes that are labeled "Organic", "Organics" or "Made with Organic" will be made from organic as distinct from conventional agricultural material, produced without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and be free of petrochemical compounds.



Dr. Bronner's products, in contrast to defendants' products, contain cleansing and moisturizing ingredients made only from certified organic oils, made without any use of petrochemicals, and contain no petrochemical preservatives. The misleading organic noise created by culprit companies' branding and labeling practices, interferes with organic consumers ability to distinguish personal care whose main ingredients are in fact made with certified organic, not conventional or petrochemical, material, free of synthetic preservatives.



Posted at www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare and www.drbronner.com/usda_organic_bodycare.html for the media and public to review, is: one, the Case Management Conference document filed jointly by Dr. Bronner's and Defendants that frames the case from either position; two, the Court's recent Oct. 8th rulings; and three, a detailed comparison of U.S. and European natural and organic personal care standards, ranked by rigor and integrity, including: USDA Organic (US); NSF (US); Soil Association (UK); BDIH (Germany); Natural Products Association (US); Whole Foods Premium (US); OASIS (US); NaTrue (Germany); and Ecocert (France).



Over the summer, Dr. Bronner's was pleased to settle with former defendants Ikove and Juice Beauty. Ikove has committed to reformulate problematic products to exclude any ingredients containing petrochemical compounds and label their products appropriately. Dr. Bronner's and Juice Beauty have entered into a Settlement Agreement, in which Juice Beauty agrees to accept the Court's decision; but in any event, even should the Court not so mandate, Juice Beauty has committed that no ingredients including petrochemical compounds shall be in any Juice Beauty product whatsoever, as of February, 2010. Says Dr. Bronner's president David Bronner: "We're optimistic as the case progresses, that other companies that have further to go will nonetheless see the light and agree to settle rather than dragging this out." Adds Ronnie Cummins, OCA Executive Director: "The writing is on the wall for companies who misbrand conventional personal care as organic to mislead consumers."



So...if you really want truly safe bodycare products such as toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, skin care, sunscreen, probiotics, baby care & even household cleaner, use Miessence, which is certified organic to food grade levels by the USDA & IFOAM. Go to my website to learn more...www.AWellLivedLife.Net & click on Miessence.



http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Organic labeling doesn't mean it's safe

Here is a link to a great blog article about organic products not being as safe as people think. Basically it says those products that are not USDA approved as organic often contain 1,4-dioxane which is thought to be carcinogenic. The USDA National Organic Program prohibits the use of Dioxane in organic products seeking certification by the USDA. It lists some of the company/name brands that have dioxane in their so-called "organic" & "natural" products.http://www.vegetarianorganicblog.com/2008/03/ocas_study_finds_carcenogenics.html

Here is another article about this issue:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/DioxaneRelease08.cfm

Here is a link to a site where you can sign a petition to ensure the quality of organic products: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/action.cfm

This article brings up some important points that people should know about Dioxane in "organic" products. It also brings up the topic of what the cosmetic industry's definitions of "organic" & "natural" are.

Did you know that the cosmetic industry's definition of "natural" is any ingredient "derived from " a natural source? You'll still see ingredients in natural products with long chemical names followed by the phrase "derived from coconut oil". For example, to create cocamide DEA from coconut oil requires the use of the carcinogenic synthetic chemical diathanolamine (DEA). It is therefore no longer natural.

Did you know that the cosmetic industry's definition of "organic" is any compound containing carbon?Carbon is found in anything that ever lived. So, by using this definition of organic, they can say that the toxic petrochemical preservative methyl paraben is organic because it was formed by leaves that rotted over thousands of years to become the crude oil used to make this toxic preservative.

The ONLY health & beauty products that are truly safe are Certified Organic. Certified organic is an independent 3rd party guarantee of an "organic" claim. They must comply with stringent international standards that cover all aspects of the processing chain to ensure that the organic integrity is maintained from seed, growing, harvesting, storage, transporting & processing through to the finished product.

If anyone is interested in a product line that is certified organic to food grade levels by the USDA, IFOAM & ACO, check out my website at http://www.awelllivedlife.net/ & click on the Miessence tab.

There are several new product lines that are certified organic. Compare the ingredient lists. Miessence has the highest percentage of certified organic ingredients & has the shortest list of ingredients. They use cold-pressed & cold-extracted ingredients & are a carbon neutral company.

http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Tell food companies that you won't eat food from cloned animals

Hi-
Tell food companies you won't eat food from Clones!

FDA Approves Food from Clones against the Will of Congress and the American Public

Despite scant data, congressional action demanding further research and over 150,000 public comments in opposition, FDA approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals yesterday. In addition, the FDA will not require any special procedures for tracking or handling food products from clones. It will not require labeling of any kind on food products from clones or their offspring, depriving consumers of their right to know about the origins of their food. This action comes at a time when Congress has voted twice to delay FDA’s decision on cloned animals until additional safety and economic studies can be completed.

The FDA’s bullheaded action disregards the will of the public and Congress. FDA based their decision on an incomplete and flawed review that relies on studies supplied by cloning companies that want to force cloning technology on American consumers. FDA’s action has placed the interests of a handful of biotech firms above those of the public they are charged with protecting.
While FDA may deem these products safe to enter the market, companies like Ben & Jerry’s and Organic Valley have pledged not to use cloned animals or their offspring. Dean Foods, Hormel, Tyson and Smithfield Foods have also stated they do not plan to accept milk or meat from cloned animals, but have not addressed their plans regarding the offspring of clones.

Sign the Clone-Free Pledge! Let food companies know you won’t buy food from clones. Go to this link: http://ga3.org/campaign/clone_pledge

While animal cloning has been banned for use in organic production, we need to let other companies know that we will not buy their products if they are from animal clones or the offspring of clones.

What else can you do?
1. Buy organic meats and dairy if you eat animal products. The National Organic Standards rightly prohibit clones and their offspring from use.
2. Tell Congress to Label Food from Cloned Animals! There are bills to label food from clones and their offspring in both the House and Senate. Contact your Congress members and urge them to support this important bill!

Saturday, December 29, 2007

The Story of Stuff

This is a really cool informative video about what happens to our "stuff".

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. Go to
www.storyofstuff.com to watch the video. Please forward this info to your friends & family...it's definitely worth watching!

I thought I was pretty educated about things & did my part to recycle & buy organic, but this really showed me that there are so many other things that affect our stuff. I'm going to think again the next time I find that "great deal". I'm also really glad that I've become a Representative for Miessence Certified Organic products. The company has created the world's 1st extensive range of certified organic (to food grade levels) health & beauty products. Don't be fooled into thinking you're buying safe, non-toxic products when the label says "natural" or even "organic" because the cosmetic industry has found a way around label descriptions & there are still carcinogenic chemicals even in "organic" & "derived from coconut oil" ingredients. Miessence limits the amount of packaging, thus decreasing its footprint on the earth. It is also carbon neutral! Visit my website at
www.AWellLivedLife.Net & click on the Miessence tab to learn more about this great line of products.