“Safe” Mascara: Ask Diva
Dear Diva,
Help – what is your favorite “good-for-you” mascara?
Twitter follower @at1968media
Dear Twiva,
Good question. Mascara is a product that we wear right next to our eye, so being careful with this selection is a prudent idea.
My approach to converting to”safer” cosmetics and bodycare products has been to use up what I own, then replace that product with a safer product. With Mascara I must have hit a good sale one day because it took me a long time to use up what I had, I finally switched to natural mascara earlier this year.
Part of switching to natural products has been to change buying patterns, my old habit of buying a few of one item and keeping them until I needed them no longer works. Better for you products don’t contain as many preservatives, so they often don’t last as long. I digress…
Very randomly one day I was at the drugstore (a rare event these days) and happened across Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara. They were offering a rebate making the mascara free, cool deal and a win – win. So I picked one up to try. The mascara rates a 3 in the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
This is an improvement over my longtime favorite L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara, which rates a 6 and the always mentioned Maybelline Great Lash Mascara which scores a 5.
For those who are really committed to purity, check out Coastal Creations Mascara, which scores 0.
Another brand I’d like to try is 100% pure fruit pigmented mascara which scores a 2 in Skin Deep.
There you have it, 3 different natural or organic options for you to try out! Let me know how it all works.
Love,
Suggested Reading for Raising a Green Baby: Ask Diva
Dear Diva,
My sister is pregnant and I’d like to give her a book about raising the baby “green”.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Athene
Athene,
I checked with my Sister, Alania for her favorite. She owns Indigo Baby, an all natural Baby Store in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is up to date on all things Eco Baby!
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post on Green Girls
Ask Diva: Featured on The Green Girls!
by Tania
Filed under Ask Tania, Worth Sharing
In addition to finding Ask Diva right here at PND, we’ll also be featured on www.TheGreenGirls.com!
Here is a teaser of our first Green Girls Ask Diva!
Dear Diva,
Do you have any info on Origins line of products? I see some of their items say no animal ingredients. Have you tried any? Thanks!
Hi Mary,
Origins is an Estee Lauder company founded in 1990. They have a long-standing commitment to being green. They purchase wind power to offset electricity used in stand alone retail stores and have been recognized as one of the top 30 companies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership as a result their green efforts.
Working with Global ReLeaf they have planted the equivalent of 1.25 million trees. In 2009 Origins launched a program to accept empty cosmetic primary packaging from any brand of product for recycling, which is fantastic as most curbside recycling will not accept this type of packaging – you’ll even be given a sample of their products as a reward for your recycling efforts. Origins has also recently launched a USDA certified organic line of products, another great step.
The growing size of the natural skin care market has not gone without note by Estee Lauder executives.
The not so good news… CLICK HERE to read the whole response on The Green Girls!
Do you have a question you’d like to Ask Diva? We’d love to hear from you.
Tresemme & Garnier Hair Mousse: Ask Diva
Dear Diva,
I use Mousse..by Tresemme & Garnier..I used to be more mindful–what can i use mousse-like that is safe & natural?
Reader
Dear Reader,
I’m not sure exactly which Tresemme and Garnier Mousse you are using – that said in the Cosmetics Database their Mousses range from a hazard score of 5-7 and the Garnier Mousse range from a 8-9. Just by using the Tresemme over Garnier you are going to be choosing the safer of the two products.
Be careful with Hair Mousse – in looking up alternatives I found a lot of brands scored very high in the Database.
I would try the Giovanni Hair Care Styling Natural Mousse – it scored a 1 in the Cosmetics Database. I haven’t used this Giovanni Product, but I have used others. The products I have tried are salon quality, work well and are reasonably priced.
Bare Minearals: Ask Diva
Dear Diva,
My wife and daughter use BareMinerals. What can you tell me about this product?
Thank you,
Victor
Jacksonville, FL
Victor,
I was able to find Bare Eccentuals – Bare Minerals in the EWG Database, that is likely what they are using. This line is one of the more common “mineral” brands in the marketplace.
Overall, their product line has an EWG safety rating of 3-6 (which they classify as a moderate hazard. It’s actually the product my local beauty supply “sold” me at the store as their safest/most natural brand last time I was shopping without a list – I know better.
IMO – it’s not the best and it’s not the worst.
Overall, choosing a mineral brand over other make up types – is likely going to result in lower chemical & toxin exposures. However, because there are so many other choices in the market that have lower scores, I would look to do even better in this product category.
Brands – that have lower overall better ratings:
Everyday Minerals EWG 0-3 Low to Moderate Hazard with 125 products analyzed – PND just did a review of Everyday Minerals, they are a great company with a nice quality product line. I feel comfortable recommending this line as a safer alternative to what your wife and daughter are currently using.
Other brands with very low toxins that PND has not yet reviewed:
Rejuva Minerals – EWG Score 0-1 Low Hazard with 62 products analyzed.
Bare Organics EWG Score 0-2 Low Hazard with 25 products analyzed.
To be safest I would check products individually in the EWG Skin Deep Database or Ask Diva for specific advice!
