Have you been at the end of a frustrating search? Are you as confused as I was at deciphering the ingredients in your personal care products? We’ve all been in this place? Maybe you are there now?
Let me share from what I was using—Avalon Organics Volumizing Shampoo. Did you notice the word “Organics” in its name? Do you know that products with organic ingredients only require 70% of the ingredients to be organic. That’s what Avalon Organics does with this shampoo. The other ingredients can be whatever, even toxic and it’s legal! It’s known as “greenwashing”. It’s when we are led by marketing to believe we’re buying a safe, “clean” product when in reality we are not. Manufacturers use catch-words like “natural” or “clean”, add some organic ingredients or (my favorite, ultimate deception) provide a long list of harmful chemicals not found in their products but use a sea of other toxic ingredients. You’d be surprised how frequent and rampant this occurs in the industry. My advice…if a manufacturer advertises a long list of chemicals not in their products, pause and look more closly at their ingredients just to be sure! Personal care products are unregulated by the USDA and FDA. Manufacturers decide what is safe for our use; most times, it’s based on profit as toxic ingredients are less costly. Essentially, consumers are chemical-test “guinea pigs” for most of the 85,000+ chemicals in personal care products on the market today. Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients in this Avalon Organics product….click here. Then, click on “ingredients”.
Why is, and was, this label so disturbing to me? There are many issues but let me explain what pushed me over the top, at the height of my frustration. Do you see sodium benzoate and citric acid in this product? When combined, and it’s common and most people don’t know as I didn’t, these two ingredients together create benzene! Yes, BENZENE which ranks 9-10 out of 10 for toxicity by the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics. The American Cancer Society in 2019 says...”Benzene is known to cause cancer, based on evidence from studies in both people and lab animals. The link between benzene and cancer has largely focused on leukemia and other cancers of blood cells.” Ok, I don’t know about you, but that was enough for me and that shampoo did not touch my head again. I then understood why this product caused my hair to be dry. The scalp has large pores that absorb about 100% of what we put on our heads. It’s direct access to our bloodstream, organs, endocrine system, digestion, brain, etc.! Does this bother you? It did me…I was putting benzene on my head! It was time for me to get proactive and make some changes.
Prior to this eye-opening experience, I’d believed the marketing but the real proof is in the ingredients for ANY product. You have to ignore marketing and read labels! Do you read them as I once did? Acknowledging the recognizable and “good” ingredients like aloe and orange peel oil, rosemary leaf and breezing over those you don’t know? Maybe that’s what you do now? I no longer was comfortable glancing over labels, focusing only on the “good” and ignoring the unknown. I couldn’t do it once I knew about BENZENE! If I don’t know a particular ingredient listed on a label, I research it. The knowledge I gained led me on a mission to find suitable replacements without harmful ingredients.
After ditching the benzene, the best shampoo I found was $62 for a 4 oz. bottle! This product was “clean” by my standards but I couldn’t afford it for my whole family. Frustrated and discouraged, I decided to mix my own ingredients. I was clueless about this process but was determined to research and learn.
Before starting this research, I prayed for God’s wisdom and guidance. As we are reminded in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Isn’t this the case though…it’s just where God wants us, at the end of ourselves, when we are ready to hear from Him! He definitely guided me to ask the right woman. The following weekend, I attended a Camp Bravehearts retreat, which is a story for another blog share. While at camp, I discussed my dilemma with only one Camp friend. Now I know it was the right friend. She suggested Pure Haven! When I returned home, I did my research including, of course, reading the ingredient labels. All were legit. I started with the skincare, loved the products which led us to convert our home to a Pure “Haven”. Now, I’m on a passionate mission to share what I’ve learned as my hope is to simplify for others what was initially so confusing and overwhelming for me. I can’t help but share with those interested in learning. With all the rising health issues with Americans, prevention is where it is at. And, what you put on your skin contributes to your body’s total toxic burden. When our load gets too heavy for our kidneys and liver to filter, we get sick. Good news…there are things we can do to minimize exposures.
Have you ever visited a product website where it was a mad search to find a listing of ingredients? Yeah, me too! Isn’t that a frustrating waste of time?! If a company doesn’t make it easy, one has to ask “why not?” and “what’s to hide?” Do you know what’s in your products? If you’re interested in learning more, go get your favorites and visit my website. To get started, click here for a simple, helpful guide with 21 of the most common toxins in personal care products. Compare your product ingredients to the ingredients in Pure Haven. They are easy to find. Just click on each product and see its full ingredients list. Do you notice a difference between your product(s) and Pure Haven’s? I sure did. I love what they do to guarantee our ingredients, without compromise. I’m thankful to God for guiding me and ending my frustrating search for truly clean products. I have total confidence in what I use on my skin, around my home and provide for my family. Do you have that same confidence? If not, give Pure Haven a try! Everything ships directly to your home from our USDA Certified Organic Facility in Rhode Island. We are so confident you will love our products, there is a 60-day empty jar/bottle return policy so you have nothing to lose but your toxins!
Can you relate to my frustrating journey? What has helped you while navigating this unregulated industry? Please do share below…
