Flashionista

June 09, 2010
Cosmetic Detox

BOC logo
The average woman eats 7 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime!

Would you like a side of fries with that?


In addition to the lipstick we eat, we absorb over 500 different chemicals a day from products we use regularly on our skin.

If you're interested in finding out the purity level of products you're currently using, check out Better Organic Choice.

BOC was launched by beauty industry insiders Karim Orange and Jolene Hart to provide us a virtual organic assessment of our beauty products. Simply visit the BOC and submit a list of your favorites. They'll give you suggestions on how to painlessly replace the biggest offenders.

Jolene Hart answered a few of our questions.

(FL) What 3 products should we replace first?

(JH) I recommend finding an organic body lotion right away. The skin absorbs 60% of what we apply to it. Even small amounts of toxins contained in conventional products add up when applied to large areas of the body on a regular basis.

Nail polish ingredients can be the most toxic. Replace your old ones with water-based polish, or at least a '3-Free' polish without toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate.

Finally, Karim, our BOC makeup expert, recommends organic lipstick or gloss, because anything that goes onto your lips will be ingested.

(FL) What are the most dangerous ingredients and why?

(JH)  1. Phthalates: it's endocrine-disrupting chemicals can be especially dangerous for young, developing bodies and it's linked to fertility issues.

2. Formaldehyde: this is a carcinogen linked to many cancers. It's banned in Canada and Japan.

3. Parabens: another endocrine disrupter. Parabens appear in products ranging from shampoo to facial cream to makeup. They are absorbed quickly and can accumulate in fatty tissue.

(FL) What is used to preserve "green" products?

(JH) Many natural companies use airless packaging to reduce the need for preservatives. Popular natural preservatives include grapefruit seed extract, vitamin E, honey and some essential oils that offer natural preservative properties.

Read also:
Goodbye Poison Kisses
Detoxing From What the FDA Says is Safe (for comments).

NOTE:
Wondering where to start shopping for organic body products? We put together a list with the help of Jolene Hart of BOC, Look for it from Flashionista on June 11.


*****
Karim Orange is an Emmy-nominated makeup artist and eco-beauty advocate.

Jolene Hart is a natural beauty expert and former InStyle beauty writer.

10

Flashionista's Question:


I had to ask one!




"When going green, as with anything, we need to give ourselves some slack. I try to be 80% good about 80% of the time."  The Flashionista

Where Do We START to shop for Organic skin care products?

With our
Organic Favorites List
June 11, 2010

10

Put together by Flashionista
&

Karim Orange &
Jolene Hart

 of
Better Organic Choice

A Special Invitation

Artful Wear

June 17, 2010
at 4 PM
Please Join Us
 
Henri Bendel
 712 Fifth Ave, NYC
Hosted by
Flashionista


Shop & Sniff
 in the
Perfume Boutique on the 2nd floor.

Special event discount and GWP.
Meet the Flashionista!


RSVP please
the space is limited!



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