If you need another reason to start using eco friendly cleaning products (and human friendly) or to switch to organic beauty products, then consider this recent research which show that high levels of synthetic fragrances are being found in breast milk (via New Scientist):

Record levels of synthetic fragrances from everyday cleaning, deodorising and beauty products have been found in the breast milk of American women.

Little is known about the health risks of these fragrances, more accurately known as polycyclic musks. Older fragrances, called nitro musks, caused cancer in animals, and there are indications that high doses of polycyclic musks may cause developmental and reproductive problems. So far, though, no one has looked at the possibility of more subtle effects, says Kannan.

I’ve made the switch to friendlier cleaning products but have yet to completely switch over to organic beauty products. I’m always reluctant to try new skin care products but in the coming weeks I’m going to check out some new products and brands. I’ll review them here so you can all get an idea of the best brands. I’m also going to stop using perfume as it can’t be doing me any good and it’s not really necessary anyway. It’s definitely something I can live without.

New Scientist reports on the banning of certain tests on live animals, which have been used for many years by cosmetic companies:

For decades, posters depicting rabbits with inflamed, reddened eyes symbolised campaigns against the testing of cosmetics on animals. Now the most severe of those tests are to be banned across the European Union.

The so-called Draize tests are a series of notorious procedures that involve applying cosmetics ingredients to the eyes and skin of live laboratory rabbits.

These humane alternatives have been available for commercial use for years, but to enforce their use, ECVAM has had to show they are as good as or better than the procedures on live animals they are to replace.

Unfortunately, they are still allowed to perform certain other tests until 2009 when a complete ban will come into effect. This ban will spare hundreds of thousands of animals each year, mainly mice and rabbits.

While writing my review of Organic Cotton Advantage, I came across Huggalugs, a company which uses OCA’s organic cotton to manufacture some of their fatalistic children’s clothing.

Huggalugs is a fun and funky baby, children’s and maternity clothing label. All Huggalugs products are designed to hug little ones in colour and are made in Australia using high quality materials, such as Australian grown organic cotton and superfine Australian Merino wool.

They specialise in Leg Huggers (or leg warmers if you prefer) which are so cute. Really adorable! They come in loads of different colours and designs. The range of Leg and Arm Huggers are:

Designed to keep little legs and arms warm at all times:

• under pants or under skirts
• no pants or no skirts
• just a nappy or no nappy
• under tops, over tops or no tops at all

Huggalugs super funky Huggers will keep little legs and arms covered, protecting them from the elements and hard surfaces.

Huggalugs also sell:

• T-shirts
• Wraps
• Blankets
• Bump Huggers

Their products look great so check their site or visit one of their stockists.

Today is the final day of the Top 5 group writing project. Yeah, I’m glad too! Ok, it’s a lot of reading (not that I read all 893 submissions mind you) but I’ve found some great new blogs and gained a few new subscribers to this one.  I’ve just finished checking out the submissions from day 4. Again, apologies for those posts which are off topic. If you want something on-topic then you can read my submission about organic beauty products. Here are just a few of the excellent posts on offer on day 4:

• Top 5 Herbs in My Garden
• My Top Favourite Flowers
• Top 5 Italian Words You Really Don’t Want to Mispronounce
• Top 5 Things to do in Istanbul
• Top 5 Things to do Online Before Your Trip
• Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Grilling
• 5 Steps to Getting the Man of Your Dreams
• Top 5 Reasons Darren Rowse is a Marketing Genius
• Top 5 Board Games I Grew Up Playing
• Top 5 Ways to Break Out of a Boring Life

Enjoy reading!

More from Problogger’s Top 5 group writing project. Don’t worry, normal programming will return shortly. I’ve just finished checking out the submissions from day 3. Again, apologies for those posts which are off topic. If you want something on-topic then you can read my submission about organic beauty products. Here are just a few of the excellent posts on offer on day 3:

• 5 Ways to Reduce Your Car’s Fuel Consumption
• 5 Foods to Keep Your Breath Fresh
• Top 5 Signs That You’re in Rome
• Top 5 Reasons Why Australians Are More Likely to be Successful Bloggers
• Top 5 Things I’m Doing to Lose 50kgs
• How to Gain an Additional 5 Hours Per Week
• Top 5 Easy Way to Have Healthier Food
• My Top 5 Brisbane Photos
• Top 5 Productivity Tips
• 5 Ways to Get Rid of Your Muffin Top Without Dieting

Enjoy reading!

More from Problogger’s Top 5 group writing project, there are even more submissions than in day 1. I’ve just finished checking out those from day 2. Sorry if some of these are off topic. If you want something on-topic then you can read my submission about organic beauty products. Here are just a few of the excellent posts on offer:

• Top 5 Eco Friendly Flooring Options
• Top 5 Green Companies to Put Your Dollars Behind
• 5 Reasons Queen’s Market Must be Saved
• Don’t Grow These 5 Plants
• 5 Ways to Make Money on the Internet
• Top 5 Strategies for Travelling Light
• The Top 5 Reasons the Succeed and Why it Sucks to be a Loser
• Top 5 Most Entertaining Foreign Films
• Top 5 Ice Cream Flavours
• Top 5 Things to do With Rhubarb
• Top 5 Free Gym Exercises
• The Top 5 Reasons to Get Even Leaner
• Top 5 Doggie Facial Expressions
• Top 5 Australian Beach Locations for the IT Commuter
• 5 Top European Cities I’d Move to Next
• Five Ways Shiatsu Has Changed My Life
• Top 5 Cutest Gadgets Ever
• 5 Reasons to Work From Home

Enjoy reading!

I’m so behind on Problogger’s Top 5 group writing project, there are so many submissions to get through! I’ve just finished checking out those from day 1. Sorry if some of these are off topic. If you want something on-topic then you can read my submission about organic beauty products. Here are just a few of the excellent posts on offer:

• Top 5 Gardening Tips
• The Top 5 Time Savers in My Kitchen
• Top 5 Languages I Would Like to Learn
• Top 5 Spanish Tapas
• Top 5 Bathing Suit Trends
• Top 5 Different Workout Approaches
• The Top 5 Ways to Become a Millionaire
• 5 Ways to Get Fit and Sexy While Blogging
• Top 5 Healthy Relaxation Techniques

Have you submitted your top 5?

Nick from Organic Cotton Advantage asked me to review his website promoting their Certton organic cotton t-shirts so I’ll start by quoting his comment:

We would love a straight up review of our ‘Certton’ Australian made from Australian grown certified organic cotton t-shirt range!
We’re on a mission to build a sustainable Australian organic cotton farming industry, and yes our farmer in NSW grows the ACO certified organic cotton in our ts on a dryland non irrigated farm. We’ve been in business for 3 years and strive for quality and colour – the fact that we use Australian certified organic cotton is a huge bonus.

To start with, I’m pretty impressed that he would ask for a review after reading the negative review I made about Natural Fashion. However, I can understand why he’s clearly not worried about what I have to say – he has a great looking site, which is easy to navigate, full of information about organic cotton and their products. The Organic Cotton Advantage site shows off their simple organic cotton t-shirts which are proudly made in Australia.

What’s to like about Organic Cotton Advantage?

• Their products are Australian made and the company is Australian owned.
• The cotton is certified organic meaning it’s produced without the use of pesticides, genetically modified seed, and synthetic fertilisers.
• The t-shirts come in a wide range of colours, all of which are appealing.
• They sell organic cotton fabric by the roll which is fantastic for manufacturers.
• You can buy directly from their website or from one of the many stockists.

I’m going to be really picky and say one negative thing about their site. What’s with the use of American English throughout the site? They make a special point of mentioning they are an Australian company and are ‘Australia’s Organic Cotton Specialists’ and then they use American spelling and terms like cell rather than mobile phone. Ok, it’s not a big deal, it’s just a little strange that’s all.

I almost bought a few of the Certton t-shirts, just to check them out, but was put of by the international shipping rate which was more than the cost of one t-shirt. That’s not their fault of course, it’s my fault for living in France! I’ll definitely get some when I’m back in Australia – they look great.

While it might be a bit sensationalist to say that choosing beauty products can be a life and death situation, but in the long term, that could possibly be the case. Our skin absorbs the products we use on it and if those products contain chemicals with unknown effects then you could be at risk of minor problems like skin irritations, to more serious health problems like cancer.

Most chemicals used in beauty products are perfectly safe and have been approved by government organisations for use in beauty products, however, the problems lies in the use of these products over time. After years and years of use, what is the effect? Of course no research is conclusive either way but if you want to lessen your risk of skin problems and diseases then why not go for natural and organic products.

Top 5 Natural and Organic Beauty Products

Nvey Eco Mascara

I never used to wear mascara because it made my eyes itchy and I would tend to rub them, leaving mascara all over my face – not a good look! I now use organic mascara and haven’t had any problems with it irritating my eyes. Nvey Eco Mascara is natural and organic and, importantly, effective.

Dr Hauschka Aluminium Free Deodorant

Many believe that aluminium found in deodorant is a contributing factor in getting breast cancer but there is no scientific evidence to show that this is the case. However, if you don’t want to take the risk and would prefer a natural, aluminium free product then you can try Dr Hauschka Deodorant. Dr Hauschka is one of the most popular organic brands as their products are natural, biodynamic, and organic.

Absolutely Gorgeous Lip Balm

The average woman consumes around 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick over her lifetime. That’s an awful lot of lipstick and a lot of potentially hazardous chemicals consumed. Switch to an organic lipstick and lip balm to avoid nasty chemicals. This lip balm by Absolutely Gorgeous is paraben free, sls free, contains only plant based ingredients, and is completely natural and organic.

Bamboo Lemongrass Soap

Who’d have thought you could make soap out of bamboo? Well it is possible so you can now keep clean with a product which is natural, organic, and environmentally friendly.

Miessence Shampoo and Conditioner

Keep your hair clean, free of chemicals, and smelling great, with Miessence shampoo and conditioner.

This post is part of Problogger’s group writing project.

If you are going to buy organic fruit and vegetables then you will probably want to buy what is currently in season. That way you’ll get the freshest and best quality produce at reasonable prices. If you choose produce which is in season you can buy locally, meaning less transport costs which is, of course, better for the environment, as well as supporting local farmers.

Kathryn has just posted her regular list on what is in season:

Fruit:

• apples (fuji, golden delicious, granny smiths, gala & jonathons)
• avocadoes (fuerte & hass)
• bananas
• chokoes
• custard apples
• dates
• grapefruits (yellow & ruby-reds)
• grapes
• kiwifruit
• lemonade fruit
• lemons
• limes
• mandarins (imperials)
• nashi pears
• oranges (navels & valencia)
• passionfruits
• pears (packham, williams & beurre bosc)
• persimmons
• plums
• pomegranates
• quinces
• rhubarb
• tamarillos

Vegetable:

• asian greens
• beans (green, flat & snake)
• beetroot
• broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• cabbages
• carrots
• cauliflowers
• celeriac
• celery
• chestnuts
• daikon radish
• fennel
• ginger
• Jerusalem artichokes are coming into season
• leeks
• mushrooms
• okra
• onions
• parsnips
• potatoes
• pumpkin
• silverbeet
• spinach
• squash
• sweetcorn (from Qld)
• sweet potatoes
• zucchini

There is lots of variety available at the moment so enjoy it while you can.