Makeup Makeover

So I have to admit, I'm one of those crazy people who reads the labels on everything. Grocery shopping with me is a nightmare. But I want to know that whatever I'm buying doesn't have weird chemicals in it. That goes especially for makeup and beauty/personal care products. Think about it... you're using most of this stuff every day and if there's some toxic chemical in it, you're getting a daily exposure. And how many products do you use? That could really add up. I like to check this website, run by the Environmental Working Group, before I buy anything I'm not sure about: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. Just type in the product (or if you don't know the name of it, type in the company and it will give you a list of their products) and it tells you exactly what's in it and possible hazards associated with it. And it gives each product a rating of 0-10 based on toxicity. You can even type in the name of an ingredient and it will tell you about it. In general, you should try to buy products with few ingredients, and ones you can pronounce at that. Does imidazolidinyl urea sound (if you can read it) like something you want to put on your body? Probably not... it comes from animal pee, yet it's used in mouthwashes (yum), lotions, and hair dyes. Try switching to environmentally responsible companies like Burt's Bees, Tom's of Maine, and Nature's Gate, just to name a few. They're being carried in more and more places, so they shouldn't be too hard to find. Use some of these more natural alternatives and take the chemicals, not to mention the pee, out of your beauty routine!