1. Don’t read labels; learn to read ingredients. Unlike the food industry, there are no laws for words like “natural”, “organic”, “herbal” on beauty product labels. Many products advertise with these in their name but may still contain synthetic petrochemicals, toxins, and harsh preservatives. Don’t trust labels, they’re just a marketing gimmick. Ingredients in a product are the most important thing to look at. It’s impossible to memorize all the hazardous ingredients to avoid but as a rule of thumb – if you can’t pronounce it; it likely to be toxic. The most common toxic ingredients in skincare products you may want to avoid are: Butyl Acetate, Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Coal Tar, Cocamide DEA/Lauramide DEA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Ethyl Acetate, Formaldehyde, Fragrance, Parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl), Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Talc, Toluene, Triethanolamine (TEA). 2. Choose products that do not contain “fragrance” or “parfume”. Fragrance is found in many products like shampoos, deodorants, lotions, and shaving creams. By law companies don’t have to disclose what chemicals are in “fragrance”. But most often fragrance contains hundreds of potentially hazardous ingredients which are likely to be toxic to the brain, endocrine, and immune system. Look for products that do not contain the word “fragrance”, instead choose products that use natural essential oils. Be aware that some products may say “un-scented” but still contain fragrance to cover up the other chemical scents. 3. Buy only cruelty-free products. Testing products on animals is torture and shouldn’t even be required if the product doesn’t contain potentially harmful ingredients. Make sure that the products you buy clearly advertise that they have not been tested on animals. Look for the PETA “cruelty free” or leepingbunny.org logos on the packaging. 4. Use water-based nail polish insterad of conventional polish and remover. Conventional nail polish and removers contain toxic chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde which are linked to cancer, reproductive harm, birth defects, and other negative health effects. Try water-based nail polish and remover which are odor free and have a very low hazardous rating. 5. Use the Internet to research the safest of your products. The best website for researching cosmetic safety is The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database - you can search by ingredient or product and get a detailed profile of health concern and referenced medical studies. You can also view lists of alternative non-toxic beauty products as well.

1. Your skin absorbs things easily. Anything that is applied to the skin is absorbed into the body and into the blood stream just as if you’d eaten it. 2. You are exposed to over 168 hazardous chemicals each day. Chemicals such as phthalates, mineral oils, sodium lauryl sulphate, propylene glycol, and parabens, are all commonly used in cosmetics and body care products, and are known to be carcinogens or otherwise toxic to the human body. 3. Most chemicals have not undergone any safety testing. Of the more than 80,000 chemical ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products less than 10% have actually been tested. 4. The Gov’t does not regulate chemicals in beauty products. Of the more than 10,000 chemical ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products less then 10% have actually been tested and of those that have been tested virtually none have been banned. Health Canada and Environment Canada list restricted ingredients on the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist; however this has no legal authority and cannot be enforced. In the US, the FDA has stated that it does not regulate ingredients in personal care products and has only ever restricted 9 chemical ingredients in 67 years. 5. Infertility is rising in women under the age of 25. A major study found that pregnant women and women of child-bearing age are at greater risk for infertility and reproductive problems as result of exposure to common chemical ingredients in beauty products. 6. Cancer, autism, and birth defect rates are rising. Numerous reports have proven links between the increases in illnesses and the large number of chemical toxins that we’re exposed to on a daily basis. 7. Unborn babies have been found to carry 100s of chemicals. Laboratory tests have detected as many as 232 chemicals in newborns which were tested through an umbilical cord blood study. This report has produced hard evidence that children are being exposed, beginning in the womb, to complex mixtures of dangerous substances that may have lifelong consequences. 8. Natural products just work better. Products free of synthetic ingredients and fragrance are more effective simply because they are made with ingredients that don't disrupt your body's natural state, hormones and endocrine system. How do you find natural, organic and synthetic free products? Don't Read Labels - While labels such as "organic", "natural" and "herbal" attached to skincare products sound reassuring these labels have little, if any, meaning. Just as companies are not required to conduct safety tests of ingredients in their products, they are also not regulated about what they put on products labels. Many products may use the word "organic" yet contain a very small amount of organic herbs in a base of petrochemicals, toxins, and harsh preservatives. Read Ingredients - What hazardous ingredients are in the product is the most important thing to look at. While the product may contain some organic ingredients it may also contain synthetic chemicals like parabens, petrochemicals, fragrances, or other harmful additives. For a product to be healthy and safe - it must be more then organic – it must be as pure and non-hazardous as possible. You can check the safety of your favorite products or check ingredients using the Cosmetic Database, a searchable resource of cosmetic and personal care products. The Cosmetic Database integrates a collection of personal care product ingredient listings with more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for nearly a quarter of all products on the market - 52,394 products with 8,823 ingredients. Skin Deep is the world's largest and most popular product safety guide.

I recently had the opportunity to try the Active Enzyme Exfoliator from Josh Rosebrook’s organic beauty line and was really impressed with its truly chemical-free ingredients and the beautiful results. Josh Rosebrook is a hair stylist turned natural skin care guru from West Hollywood. His all-natural beauty line is not only a healthy approach to skincare, but also rare in a market dominated by brands made with chemical ingredients. What I love most about the Active Enzyme Exfoliator, other then the fact that it doesn't contain any unsafe ingredients, is that it is made up of walnut shells, herbal extracts, plant enzymes, and essential oils and really helps to open pores, stimulate blood circulation, and collagen production. Regular exfoliation is important because it helps removes dead cells to reveal fresher, younger skin cells below. Every 28 days our skin generates new skin cells at the lower layer (dermis) and pushes them to the surface (epidermis). As the cells rise to the surface they gradually die and become filled with keratin piling up unevenly on the skin's surface, giving it a dry, rough, and dull appearance. Exfoliation should be done at least once a week; if you have a thicker skin you can exfoliate 2-3 times per week. Josh's line is available at joshrosebrookskincare.com at The Parlour on 3rd in Los Angeles If you'd like a change to WIN this product simply:

• LIKE Josh Rosebrook Organic on Fabebook and leave a comment on his wall! xo

The California-based Center For Environmental Health (CEH) has filed a lawsuit against 26 cosmetic companies, claiming they have been misleading consumers with their use of the term "organic" on their product labels. The CEH discovered that these companies were in direct violation of the 2003 California Organic Products Act which states that any product with "organic" on the front label must consist of 70% organic ingredients and those with less than 70% organic ingredients can only use "organic" on the ingredients list. The CEH also found that many of these products included toxic and harmful ingredients with known or suspected links to conditions such as child birth defects, hormone disruption, asthma and cancer Currently there is little government regulation in terms of cosmetics safety. Virtually any ingredient can be used in personal care products with no pre-market safety testing. The 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act, a bill that proposed that all personal care items should be free of unsafe ingredients, was introduced July 2009, never got past committee reviews.

Sunscreens are great to help prevent sunburn but only 1 in 5 sunscreens are both safe and effective. Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group's 2011 Sunscreen Guide has been released offering a complete guide to finding the safest products. EWG has details on more then 1,700 sun care products including beach and sport sunscreen, lip balms, moisturizers, and makeup with SPF. It's important to remember that sunscreen does NOT prevent cancer. The FDA’s 2007 draft sunscreen safety regulations say: “FDA is not aware of data demonstrating that sunscreen use alone helps prevent skin cancer”. Unfortunately, many products with SPF, especially those aimed for kids, contain many harmful or toxic ingredients, nano particles and hormone disruptors. However, if you are going to be in direct sunlight; sunscreens can help prevent sunburns and cell damage. And if you are going to use sunscreen then you may want to use the safest available. Here are some of the top picks of beach and sport sunscreens.

1. Loving Naturals Sunscreen Stick, SPF 30+
2. Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Sport Stick Unscented Sunscreen, SPF 30
3. Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Unscented Sensitive Skin/Children Sunscreen, SPF 30+
4. Badger Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30+
5. Badger Sunscreen, Unscented, SPF 30+
6. Beyond Coastal Natural Clear, SPF 30
7. California Baby No Fragrance Sunblock Stick, SPF 30+

Click here to view the full list.

Ten times the amount of lead and 20 times the amount of arsenic, that Health Canada deems safe, may be going in your mouth and absorbing in your skin every day from your favorite cosmetics. A new study by Environmental Defence has revealed that toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium has been found in popular cosmetic products; and none of these heavy metals were listed on the label. The study tested the makeup bags of several Canadian women and included 5 foundations, 4 concealers, 4 powders, 5 blushes or bronzers, 7 mascaras, 2 eye liners, 14 eye shadows, and 8 lipsticks or glosses. The study focused on popular brands like Laura Mercier, MAC, L'Oreal, Mary Kay, and Sephora and found that 100% of the products contained nickel, 96% contained lead and 90% contained beryllium. The heavy metals found in these products are categorized as "unintentional contaminants" and by law are not required to be listed on the labels. While individual exposures to small amounts of heavy metals are unlikely to cause harm, heavy metals can build up in the body over time and may increase risk for a variety of health problems. If you're using popular big brand name cosmetics on a daily basis, or more than once daily, you could be putting yourself at risk. Doesn't the government have laws to protect our health? No. Even though European countries have banned or restricted 1000s of toxic chemical substances, in Canada and the US cosmetic ingredients are virtually unregulated. Of the 80,000+ possible chemical ingredients found in cosmetics less then 10,000 have any associated health studies and of that only a few dozen are banned or restricted. Why do popular big brand name cosmetics pose the highest risk? Large profit-driven corporations are run by boards and committees which can rarely see past short term quarterly gains. As a result they laden their products with heavy metals, toxic preservatives and synthetic chemicals because it's cheaper, it's legal and that means it's good for business. What can we do?

• Download the report and make sure your favorite products aren't listed
• Sign the petition asking Health Canada to better regulate impurities in cosmetics
• Swap out some of your beauty products for safer alternatives
• Learn to choose safer cosmetic products

With the release of the Heavy Metal Hazard report exposing the hidden toxins in women's makeup, Environmental Defence will be hosting a Twitter party!  Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defence and author of Slow Death by Rubber Duck, and Gill Deacon, author of There’s Lead in Your Lipstick - will be answering your questions on toxins and personal care products. The party is on May 17, at 9:00 pm EST - 10:00 pm EST. Winners will be chosen randomly throughout the party to win prizes!! You can join the party on twitter by searching #metalmakeup on twitter on by you can view the conversation right here live and in real time.

We all love beauty and skincare products. They keep our skin looking great but have you ever taken time to read what's in your favorite products? Far too often they contain all kinds of harmful synthetic chemicals and preservatives. The good news is that you can reduce the amount of chemicals you are exposed to and still look fantastic by making easy substitutions. Consider making some of these natural beauty swaps! Face Cleanser The cleanser is the foundation of all beauty routines that keeps us clean and clear. In an effort to manufacture products cheaper and have a longer shelf life, many cleansers contain all kinds of harsh chemicals like BHA, PEG, Parabens, Salicylic Acid, and Triclosan. Consider swapping out your conventional face wash for safer chemical-free cleansers or simply dab a cotton ball with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and massage gently over your face; it's is a very good natural cleanser to eliminate dirt and oil. Face & Body Moisturizer Moisturizers are vital to keep our skin soft, happy and balanced. One wonders then why so many contain all kinds of eyebrow raising ingredients like Hydroquinone, Triethanolamine, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance, and Alumina. Keep yourself healthy and hydrated by applying a little jojoba or coconut oil to your face and body after showering; these oils are light, absorb fast and won't clog your pores. Eye Makeup Remover While working great to remove waterproof mascara after a long day of work or a late night partying; most conventional pads or gel eye makeup remover is full of synthetic chemicals like Benzyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, and Tetrasodium EDTA. Next time put a few drop of coconut or olive oil on a cotton ball and smooth over closed eyes to clean them without irritation. Cuticle Softener Hydrated cuticles are important for healthy hands and nails. Unfortunately, many cuticle creams and gels contain stuff like Linalool, Limonene, Propylparaben, and Ethanol. You can achieve soft cuticles naturally by simply placing your fingers in a bowl of warm olive oil for a few minutes a few times a week. Eye Cream Hydrating the delicate skin around the eyes is important to prevent fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles. It's a shame that so many anti-age eye creams and serums are made with harmful ingredients like Coumarin, Oxybenzone, PEG, and Methylparaben. Try swapping the expensive creams for sweet almond or argan oil, just massage a little around the eyes each night before bed. Got your own secret beauty substitutions? Share it by posting in the comments below!

I recently had the privilege to be interviewed for a blurb in Glamour Magazine (Italy). For those who don't speak or read Italian, the article is about VIPs on Twitter aka Socially Important People. Though I'm not sure I'd label myself such - it's humbling to be featured next to Eva Longoria,  Ellen Degeneres, and Perez Hilton. For me, however, the message about health, natural beauty, and reducing our exposure to chemicals will always been more important the "celebrity" of it all. Here's to spreading the word!

Check out the full article here: Glamour Magazine Italy

Thank you to everyone who entered the Win your Organic Wishlist Contest hosted by MintandBerry.com on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and on the blog! I used Random.org to determine the winning wishlists:

1. JLT1984
2. Crystal
3. ReincarnatedCat46

If created a wishlist you can complete your order with the coupon code ORGANICLOVE for a 15% discount and a FREE organic body polish kit as a gift!