Finally a Canadian version of what to avoid in beauty products with a practical resource of where to find toxin free products. Gillian Deacon’s book isn’t ground breaking, nor does it have any new information about the dirty state of affairs in the beauty product industry, but it offers the information in an easy to read conversational style. It focuses on the most important toxins and offers advice from personal experience on what alternatives are out there.

This book has been a catalyst for me. I had already been using safe cosmetics, but I was still using soaps, body lotions, hand cream and household cleaners that contained enough toxins to knock out a horse. Finding decent replacement products has not been as hard as I thought. There are new product lines that have sprung up and they are not only being consumer safe, they are also using lovely natural scents and appealing packaging. In other words, it is no longer just marketed to hippies in burlap sacks and paper bags, but they have realized that the modern woman uses all of her senses to decide which products she will introduce into her beauty regime. We need to send a message to our cosmetic and beauty producers that only the safest and purest ingredients will be acceptable – and only buy those that comply.

Visit the SKIN DEEP web site to test what is in the products that you use. Just plug in the name of the product that you use and it will tell you how hazardous it is for your health on a scale 0 – 10 plus name all of the dangerous ingredients. You can search by product name, company name or ingredient and find safer products.

David Suzuki talks about the “dirty dozen” cosmetic chemicals to avoid including industrial chemicals –  carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. His site not only offers information about how to green your personal care products, but how to avoid the toxic chemicals that have creeped into other areas of our lives.

Put this handy guide onto your phone or mobile device for reference when you are shopping.

These online shopping sites offer clean products and are based on Canada. Well.ca  Saffron Rouge

Goodness Me, The Horn of Plenty and  Body Sense also carry safe products in the Hamilton area.