• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Eat Right Mama

A healthy slice of eating advice for moms & moms-to-be.

  • Home
  • Pregnant
    • Vitamin & Mineral Supplements
      • Tips for Shopping for and Taking Your Prenatal
      • Do You REALLY Need a Prenatal Vitamin? Five Reasons Why You Might
      • Vitamin D and Pregnancy
      • Which Individual Nutrient Supplements Might You Need during Pregnancy?
      • Iron Deficiency Anemia during Pregnancy
    • 5 Easy Ways to Curb Pregnancy Weight Gain
    • Pregnant? What if You’re Not Gaining Enough?
    • Food Safety
      • 4 Step Food Safety Guide To Keep You Safe During Pregnancy
      • Food Safety Tips for Pregnancy
      • Should You Eat Fish While Pregnant?
    • Morning Sickness
      • Making Morning Sickness More Manageable Online Course–Grab Yours Now!
      • Morning Sickness Recipes to Beat the Queasies!
      • Must Try Morning Sickness Survival Tips for Moms-To-Be
    • Healthy Eating during Pregnancy
      • Iodine: How to Make Sure You’re Getting Enough
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Strawberries While Pregnant
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanuts When You’re Pregnant
      • How to Fight Sugar Cravings during Pregnancy
      • 5 Tips to Shop Smart when Pregnant
      • Are You Getting Enough Calcium While Pregnant?
      • “Baby Brain” is Real–Try These Tips to Help Your Brain Work Better During Pregnancy
      • Seafood Sources of DHA for Pregnancy
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanut Butter (Even When You’re Pregnant)
      • Glycemic Index 101
      • Pregnant or Trying to Be? Here’s What You Need to Know about Zika
      • 8 Great Almond Recipes–Plus Why You Should Eat Them When You’re Pregnant!
      • Healthy Seafood Recipes…for Pregnancy & Beyond!
      • How to Cap the Caffeine during Pregnancy
      • Caffeine Content: a Mom Need-to-Know
      • Alcohol-Free Drinks for National Margarita Day!
      • Moms-to-Be: Another Reason to Can the Diet Soda?
    • Healthy Living during Pregnancy
      • Realistic Advice from Dietitians About Your Pregnancy
      • Eat To Sleep
      • Should You Drink Coffee While Pregnant?
      • Positive Attitude During Pregnancy Could Affect your Child’s Risk of Overweight
      • Zika: Still a Worry for Pregnant Women
      • Pregnant? Here’s Help to Be Smoke-Free
      • Pregnant? Steer Clear of Environmental Chemicals
      • Realistic Advice from Dietitians About Your Pregnancy
      • The Power of Being Unplugged: Do You Need a Digital Diet?
      • Pregnancy Apps You Need Right Now!
    • Happy Mother’s Day
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Roundup: A Must Read for Moms
    • What is a Healthy Breastfeeding Diet?
    • Can You Lose Weight While Breastfeeding?
  • Trying to Conceive
    • Eating Your Way to Increased Fertility With Veggies
    • Smoking and Fertility: What You Need to Know
    • Zika: Still a Worry for Pregnant Women
    • Exercise… Too much or Too little When Trying to Conceive?
    • Welcome to The Fertility Project!
    • Happy National Chocolate Day: Chocolate for Fertility
    • A Healthy Lifestyle is Job One When Trying to Conceive!
    • How Weight Affects Fertility: What You Need to Know
    • Eating for Fertility
    • Insulin Resistance, PCOS, and Fertility
    • Why Healthy Gums are Important for Fertility
    • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & Diet: What You Need to Know
    • The Road to Pregnancy with PCOS
    • Male Fertility in the News: Reliable Reads
    • Dad’s Diet Important for Fertility says Dave Grotto, RDN
    • Trying to Conceive? 14 Foods to Fuel Your Fertility!
    • Avocado–Slice One Today!
    • Is Your Body Ready for a Baby? Take Our Pre-Pregnancy Quiz!
    • Pregnant or Trying to Be? Here’s What You Need to Know about Zika
    • How to Cap the Caffeine during Pregnancy
    • Program Your Baby For Good Health…Starting before Pregnancy
    • Glycemic Index 101
  • Healthy Kids
    • Back to School Lunch: Tips to Avoid Tossing or Trading
    • Artificial Sweeteners & Your Child’s Diet
    • Just Say No to Juice for Babies says American Academy of Pediatrics
    • How You Feed Your Baby: The First Step in Preventing Obesity Later in Life
    • 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love!
  • Healthy Eating/ Recipes
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
    • 13 Good for the Gut Recipes You Need to Try This Summer!
    • It’s Soup Season! Try this Easy Creamy Veggie Soup
    • Ho Ho Hold the Carbs!
    • Say “Cheese” for this Late Summer Appetizer
    • Make Crepes your New Family Tradition
    • Pizza on the Grill—-When It’s Too Hot to Cook!
    • Fueling Your Immune System during the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Is Your Diet a Fixer Upper?
    • Peanuts for Everyone! 25 Ways Eat Some Today
    • 5 Sandwich Fillings that Avoid Processed Meats
    • Meal Prep for Quick Family Meals
    • Steelhead Trout with Jicama Slaw–Great Leftover!
    • Quick Avocado Breakfast Tostada
    • 13 Good for the Gut Recipes You Need to Try This Summer!
    • Surprising Nutrition Advice from a Registered Dietitian
    • Go Green with a Registered Dietitian: It’s National Nutrition Month!
    • 12 Healthy Nut Recipes You Can’t Resist!
    • 8 Great Almond Recipes–Plus Why You Should Eat Them When You’re Pregnant!
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanut Butter (Even When You’re Pregnant)
    • Let Us Eat Chocolate!
    • Five Things You Can Do TODAY to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk!
    • Avocado–Slice One Today!
    • Channel Your Cravings into Something Healthy!
    • Healthiest Restaurant Main Dish Salads
    • Vegetarian Shopping– The A to Z Guide
    • Main Dish Salads For Supper–Deconstructed!
    • Eat More Veggies–Shopping, Storing, Cooking
    • Veggies: 13 Ways to Eat More
    • Building a Better Sandwich
    • Think Outside the Sandwich for Lunch
    • Blueberries for Breakfast!
    • Caffeine Content: a Mom Need-to-Know
    • Alcohol-Free Drinks for National Margarita Day!
    • Got Allergies? Try these foods!
    • Glycemic Index 101
    • Lunch Time at Preschool: Suggestions for Success
    • 4 Skin Moisturizers You Can Eat!
    • 3 Ways to Clean Up Your Beauty Routine
    • 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love!
    • Hurricane Harvey–Safe Cooking from the Pantry
    • March is National Nutrition Month!
    • Trying to Lose Weight? Try These Tips
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
  • Healthy Living
    • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
    • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
    • Pregnant During Covid-19? Tips to Stay Healthy
    • Is Your Diet a Fixer Upper?
    • Eat To Sleep
    • Why You Should Try Pasture-Raised Pork
    • 5 Heart Health Myths for Women
    • Happy Healthy Heart Month!
    • Choline for Everyone: The Important Nutrient You’ve Never Heard Of
    • New Year, New You in 5 Easy Steps!
    • Food Safety Mistakes to Avoid!
    • Just Say No to Juice for Babies says American Academy of Pediatrics
    • Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?
  • Healthy Travel
    • Healthiest Restaurant Main Dish Salads
    • Thirteen Healthy Travel Tips
  • Parenting Advice
    • 10 Must-Have Baby Products for New Mamas
    • Positive Attitude During Pregnancy Could Affect your Child’s Risk of Overweight
    • Best Parenting Books for New Parents
    • Back to School Lunch: Tips to Avoid Tossing or Trading
    • The Power of Being Unplugged: Do You Need a Digital Diet?
  • March is National Nutrition Month!
  • The Mustard Seed Café
  • Establishing Healthy Habits: Six Tips
  • 4 Healthy Options for Your Picky Toddler
  • Make it a Cheesy Night with Fondue
  • Ho Ho Hold the Carbs!
  • It’s Soup Season! Try this Easy Creamy Veggie Soup
  • Say “Cheese” for this Late Summer Appetizer
  • Living Clean
    • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
    • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
  • About Bridget
  • Bridget Swinney MS, RDN: Work with Me!
  • Contact
  • SHOP!
Home » 3 Ways to Clean Up Your Beauty Routine

3 Ways to Clean Up Your Beauty Routine

April 25, 2017 by Bridget Leave a Comment

Like it? Share it! Thanks:)
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Google Plus Plus
Send To Devices Send

Looking Good: Could Fragrance and Other Cosmetic Ingredients affect Your Fertility?

In this post, I’ll be giving you tips on how to shop for the healthiest beauty products.

Find out how to make your fragrance safer here:

Let’s face it, we all like to smell good.

Women (and men) around the world like things with fragrance, be it hand lotion, shaving cream, deodorant, lipstick or shampoo. We even put air fresheners in our cars and offices. The problem: fragrance means added chemicals—often hormone-disrupting phthalates like diethyl phthalate (DEP). Phthalates may affect male reproductive system development and some are suspected to be carcinogenic. More info here. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found DEP in 70% of fragrance products tested in 2010. According to the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-food Products, 1-3% of the European population is allergic to fragrance. These fragrance allergens can cause and trigger asthma attacks. In Europe, potential fragrance allergens must be listed on the label; in the US, fragrance ingredients are considered a “trade secret” and labeling is not required.

Tips for Kicking the Fragrance Habit

  • Take a quick inventory of fragrances in your home. You’ll probably find at least a hundred. Decide which ones you can do without.
  • Do your best to avoid air fresheners.
  • If you must use some synthetically fragranced products, choose one or two and limit/avoid the rest.
  • Shop smart. Avoid products with:
    • DEP
    • DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate)
    • DBP (dibutyl phthalate)
    • BBP (benzyl butyl phthalate)
  • Watch for DEHP, CBP and BBP, which are banned for use in cosmetics in Europe due to their classification as reproductive toxicants. 
  • Choose products with no added fragrance, fragrance-free products or those with no synthetic fragrance added. Beware of label claims, though. Recently I found a deodorant labeled “unscented”, but was disappointed to find “fragrance” on the ingredient label! Use the advanced search of the Skin Deep Database to find products. Pay special attention to those on the label.

Safer Smells

Safer smells come from fresh ingredients like roses.

To feed your love of fragrance, try these healthier alternatives:

  • Saturate a cotton ball with vanilla, almond extract or peppermint extract and leave it in an open dish.
  • Simmer cinnamon and cloves with orange slices in a pan with water. Find more natural scent ideas here.
  • Burn naturally scented soy or beeswax candles that don’t contain a lead wick.
  • Essential oils are very popular–and though natural–may not all be safe for pregnancy. Here are a few that have been deemed safe (when diluted properly) by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy:
    • Bergamot
    • Chamomile
    • Eucalyptus
    • Ginger
    • Lavender
    • Lemon
    • Mandarin
    • Rose
    • Sweet Orange

Avoiding Lead in Lipstick

Lead in lipstick? Yes, unfortunately. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analysis found lead in 400 lip products tested. (Natural pigments in lipstick contain minerals, including lead.) While manufacturers claim the amount of lead you might absorb from lipstick is nothing to worry about, and the FDA agrees, we think lead in lipstick is, well—ugly! See this FDA site for more information. (Some of the most expensive and cheapest brands were on the list of lipsticks with the least amount of lead!)

But–lead in lipstick may be the tip of the iceberg, however, when it comes to chemicals in cosmetics. Why? Because the cosmetic industry regulates  itself, at least in the United States. The FDA has no authority to require companies to test products for safety. In addition, the U.S. doesn’t review the vast majority of products or ingredients before they go to market. Surprisingly, many products in the U.S. contain ingredients which have been banned in Japan, Canada or the European Union. You can absorb ingredients in cosmetics and hair care products through the skin, so their safety is of upmost importance, especially while you are pregnant or trying to conceive.

How To Choose Safer Cosmetics and Beauty Products

In general, get in the habit of reading ingredient labels on cosmetic and body care products just as you would a food label.

According to Good Housekeeping, these are 6 ingredients to avoid:

  • Petrochemicals including petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol, methyl alcohol or methanol, butyl alcohol or butanol, ethyl alcohol or ethanol
  • Sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates and other sulfate-based detergents
  • Propylene glycol (PG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and ingredients formulated with PEGs and PGs
  • Formaldehyde & paraben preservatives such as butylparaben, ethylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben
  • Synthetic dyes including anything with F&DC preceding it, usually followed by a color and a number, as well as color ingredients caramel, lead acetate and manganese violet
  • Artificial fragrances like those in most beauty products, including your favorite cologne

Use the Think Dirty app, which lets you scan the barcode of products and then analyzes the ingredients for you!

Read more:

  • The Environmental Working Group maintains the Skin Deep Database, which helps consumers check the safety of cosmetic and personal care products. Also see Safe Cosmetics for more information.
  • In Australia, a non-government organization, Safe Cosmetics Australia, has a certification program for toxic-free personal care and household products. Find Health Cananda’s “Hotlist” of chemicals, which are restricted or prohibited from use in cosmetics.
  • Post about Toxic Beauty from Goop–a must read!
  • National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy
  • More about Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Related Posts at EatRightMama:

4 Skin Moisturizers You Can Eat!

Pregnant? Steer Clear of Environmental Chemicals

✕

Choose Healthier Fast Food!

Need grab-n-go with a side of healthy? Grab our fast food guide to help you navigate the drive-thru!

Healthier fast food choices are a click away! Check your email for your free download!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
Like it? Share it! Thanks:)
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Google Plus Plus
Send To Devices Send

Related

Filed Under: Healthy Living, Healthy Living, Living Clean, Pregnancy, Uncategorized Tagged With: Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, carcinogens, clean beauty, cosmetics, Environmental Working Group, FDA, fragrance, living clean, phthalates, pregnancy, reproductive health, safe beauty, Skin Deep, toxic cosmetics

Previous Post: « 4 Skin Moisturizers You Can Eat!
Next Post: 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love! »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hey there–I’m really glad you stopped by!

I'm Bridget...and I'm a mom on a mission to help you and your family eat healthier. I'm also a registered dietitian and author of three books on family nutrition.

Check Out My YouTube Intro!

Read More about Bridget…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Iodine: How to Make Sure You’re Getting Enough
  • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
  • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
  • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
  • March is National Nutrition Month!

Latest reader feedback!

  • Top Twelve Healthy Travel Tips | Eat Right Mama on 5 Sandwich Fillings that Avoid Processed Meats
  • Bridget on 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
  • Carola Jain on 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds

Categories

Check out my latest book!

Archives

pregnancy

9 better than store-bought recipes alcohol-free holiday drinks avocado breastfeeding Bridget Swinney Bridget Swinney RD calcium-rich CDC cheap home workouts cheese chocolate Chrissy Carroll RD cocoa crustless quiche recipes eating for fertility eggs Elizabeth Ward RD Emily Kyle RD exercise family time fertility fruits healthy chocolate recipes healthy eating holiday eating tips Jessica Levinson RD Jessi Haggerty RD morning sickness nutrition overweight PCOS peanut butter pregnancy pregnancy nutrition prenatal nutrition prenatal vitamin salmon screen-free activities seafood Trying to Conceive Twelve days of Christmas vegetables veggies ways to stay on track over the weekend whole grains

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress