Whole Foods Rocks!

At first I wasn’t so fond of Whole Foods. Mainly because their prices are high. But that’s a fact of buying organic and buying the lesser known brands. When I first learned to really like them was when I learned that they don’t carry anything containing MSG or nitrates. That’s actually a very small subset of the items they don’t allow, but those 2 are important to me because they trigger migraines in me. Finally I had a place that I could buy soups and salad dressings and lunch meats and bacon and the occasional pepperoni without worry.

I also now use them for a lot of other products - especially cleaning and personal care products.

This past weekend I was there looking for my shampoo. I’ve used Earth Sciences for years. They make a fragrance free one that truly has no added fragrance of any kind.

Couldn’t find it. I typically forget that name and just look for the bottle. While looking, I found a “365 Everyday Value” Shampoo that is fragrance free. “365 Everyday Value” is Whole Foods own brand and tends to be a lot cheaper. A Whole Foods employee came up to me to see if she could help me. I told her what I had been looking for. She asked me what the bottle looked like. Then she showed me where that shampoo was. They had totally changed their packaging. Instead of a green rectangular bottle, it was now in a white tear shaped bottled.

But by then I was more interested in the Whole Foods brand. She said they make shampoos, conditioners, body lotions and shower gels. They come in scented varieties, but also in truly fragrance free varieties. The label says they are specially formulated with 100% natural, biodegradable ingredients; free of parabens, animal ingredients, artificial fragrance and unnecessary chemicals. And they are not tested on animals.

The Whole Foods brand items are reasonably priced. In fact, I wound up saving a TON of money:

The Earth Sciences I used to by (the green bottle) was $5.99 for 17 oz. OR $ .35 per ounce.

Their new, improved bottle is only 12 oz and cost $6.49 OR a whopping $ .54 per ounce.

The shampoo I bought was 32 oz. for $4.99 == $ .1559 per ounce!

So, Earth Sciences new label resulted in lost sales for them.

Now, if only Whole Foods would start carrying items with reduced sodium…

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Hecho En Mexico

My Time: 4:33

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What Not To Buy

I ran across this blog post recently that talks about 8 Ways To Deal With Toxic Chemicals In Beauty Products.

She has summarized some useful tips. The one I found most interesting is the What Not To Buy list. It’s part of the Cosmetics Safety Database put out by the Environmental Working Group. You may want to check the list for the products you use or are considering.

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Dichroic Cat

My Time: 5:24

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What Does Fragrance Free Mean?

I see a lot of talk on the web about this. As well as hear a lot of different comments. Some comments are about the fact that a product has an odor of any kind.

So, what do I mean by Fragrance Free?

It’s the addition of artificial fragrance that I mean when I talk about fragrance added to anything. You can call it “fragrance”, “masking fragrance”, “perfume” or even “parfum” (for that French feel). They are all the same. A bunch of chemicals that likely haven’t been tested on humans. Probably some have, but the fragrance industry doesn’t what to tell you about that. So they hide behind their “trade secret” claim.

You have to be careful when shopping. It isn’t enough that the front of the label says “Unscented” or “Fragrance Free”. There’s no FDA regulation about this. Or any regulation anywhere. If it’s a personal care product (shampoo, lotion, makeup, etc), then turn it over and read the ingredients. I know it’s more work, but if you’re sensitive, it’s necessary. Read the whole list. Fragrances are usually listed near the end, but don’t rely on that. I even read the ingredients when the front says “No Added Fragrance”. If you’re sensitive to fragrances, you can’t be too careful.

And if it’s a household product, it’s trickier. There’s no regulation that requires them to even list their ingredients. Sometimes it can be trial and error. Here are some clues: If it says “Fresh Clean Scent” or “Ocean Fresh Scent” or anything else that implies a certain scent, then don’t buy it. It has fragrance of some sort in it. Some products say “No Added Fragrance”. I trust these cautiously. Your best bet (although nearly impossible to follow 100%) is to only buy household products that list their ingredients.

And yes, a fragrance free product is likely to still have a ‘odor’ to it. Some chemicals have an odor. So you’ll still be able to smell something. Some people find the chemical odors objectionable. Which is why you often see “masking fragrance” in your ingredient list. To me, a masking fragrance is as bad (or even worse) than other added fragrances. I say worse because it can fool you without that fragrancy smell to it.

If you still want a product with a nice smell, consider purchasing a bit of an essential oil and adding it to your products. Don’t add a lot, a little goes a long way. And some of your ‘greener’ products have essential oils added. I’ve become so sensitive to odors that I stay away from these too. But you might want to give them a try.

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Pearls!

My Time: 3:51

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Fire Engine Puzzle!

My Time: 5:48

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This Explains A Lot

MCS causes a lot of problems include chronic pain, fibromyalgia and migraines. If you suffer from any of these, you’ve probably found that your brain doesn’t seem to work quite as good as it used to. You very easily forget things, can’t concentrate, have difficulty with anything requiring thought. Your friends and family are likely to say it’s just part of getting older. But deep down, you know that it is more than that in your case.

Sound familiar? Well, you’re right. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago have found that chronic pain disrupts brain function and causes many problems. These include difficulty making even simple decisions, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances. The scary part is that the damage can be permanent. You can read an article on it here.

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Snowman Puzzle

My Time: 4:22

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The Top Ten Reasons to Be Scent Free at Work

by Catherine Dicker et al. Originally appeared in The Advocate: The newsletter of the Massachusetts Nurses Association Labor Relations Committee.

1. You save money.
2. Your co-workers can breathe easier.
3. You won’t attract the wrong kind of attention.
4. You won’t trigger someone’s migraine (or maybe your own).
5. You won’t exacerbate your patient’s asthma.
6. You will contribute to better Indoor Air Quality.
7. You will not be in a cloud of acetone, formaldehyde, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, ethanol, limoline, linalool, and methylene chloride—all of which are listed as hazardous waste and contribute to workplace asthma.
8. You won’t cause skin reactions in sensitized people.
9. You won’t be supporting big business profits of companies that disregard consumer health and safety.
10. You’ll be safe to be around… and safe to hug.

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