Need a New Year’s Resolution?

How about making a commitment to eliminating as many toxic chemicals from your personal care regime as possible? A large swell of opinion is moving toward the reality that we are bombarded from multiple sources with small (legal) amounts of toxic chemicals in everything from our deodorant to our toothpaste. No ONE chemical can be blamed, rather it is the cumulative effect of breathing in, ingesting and absorbing (through our skin) NUMEROUS chemicals which build up in our system. A few years ago that meant maybe foregoing deodorant and using baking soda as toothpaste. Not so any more! Samantharoma is one of many small (and a few large) businesses that are living proof that it IS possible to Live Clean AND Go Green. It’s better for you, it’s better for your planet. So this year consider taking the plunge (not the polar bear kind) and begin eliminating toxins from your body wash, deodorant, lip balm, lotion and skin care. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much better you’ll feel!

The article excerpted below highlights three worrisome ingredients that dominated the headlines in 2008 but remember it’s not just one product or one ingredient. That’s a great start but many – MOST – drug or grocery store products contain all of the ingredients below – and more…Read the article. Read labels. Make a safer choice.

If you would like to read more please visit www.safecosmetics.org

-Samantha

Phthalates

The use of a number of members of this family as plasticizers and perfume fixatives has attracted criticism this year, rounding off with the National Research Council’s call for more research last week.

Earlier in the spring, researchers at the University of Washington suggested there was a link between the presence of the phthalates MEP, MMP and MiBP in the urine of infants and the use of baby care products.

In the summer, questions focused on another angle: the effect of phthalates on the environment.
In August, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would be expanding its fish tissues pilot study in order to determine the effects of both personal care and pharmaceutical products on the waterways.

The National Research Council has been the most recent to follow up the issue, recommending that research takes into account the cumulative effect that these compounds, and their relatives with similar properties, may have on the body.

As the ingredients are found in a disparate range of products, from cosmetics to building materials, the NRC has advised the EPA to look into the effects of widespread exposure.

Parabens
Used as preservatives, parabens have received significant criticism of late in the European arena, particularly in France.

A campaign from a French health association focusing on the ‘toxic cocktail’ of baby cosmetics distributed in maternity wards led to calls from the health minister for further research and even a label marking certain products as unsafe for pregnant women and young children.

Triclosan
Criticism of the use of this antimicrobial ingredient in cosmetics and personal care products has come from both sides of the Atlantic this year.

In July, a number of public health and environment groups banded together to lobby against all non-medical uses of triclosan and triclocarbon.

The lobby groups claimed scientific studies have linked the chemical and its degradates to endocrine system disruption, cancer and increased dermal sensitization in addition to noting its ability to persist in aquatic environments.

Industry again supported the use of this ingredient, stating there is no conclusive evidence to suggest it is harmful to humans as well as pointing out that it can play an invaluable role in protecting against potentially pathogenic organisms.

In Europe, in response to research suggesting the ingredient can be toxic to laboratory rats, Ciba argues that the levels used in personal care products are much smaller than those used in the study.

Even the cumulative effect of using multiple triclosan-containing products as part of a beauty regime will lead to blood triclosan levels 200 – 300 times smaller than those shown to have an effect in the animal study.

Source: "Triclosan, phthalates and parabens repeatedly criticised in 2008" by Katie Bird,

22-Dec-2008. www.cosmeticsdesign.com

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Samantharoma will be closed from Dec 25 to Dec 28th. Orders will resume shipping on Monday 29 December. From our house to yours - Merry Christmas!

Last chance to shop in person!

Come out and see us this Saturday at Mt. Pleasant's Holiday Farmer's Market. This is our fourth year at this event and Carol and I are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces! If you mention this blog, you can receive 10% off your total order (except previously discounted merchanise). We have some wonderful gift sets ready to go, or mix and match to create your own. We also have lots of stocking stuffers for $10 or less! You don't have to shop at Walmart to get some great deals!

What: Mount Pleasant Holiday Farmers Market and Craft Show
Where: Moultrie Middle School
When: 10am-3pm, Saturday 13 Dec
Why? Unique crafts, local vendors, fresh air!

See you there!

-Samantha

Support Local Vendors!

Come visit us at the old Navy Yard in North Charleston and support local business during Low Country First's first "Buy Local Week"! Skip the crowds and the mad rush at the Mall and shop for unique gifts that will be appreciated and remembered. For details go to:

http://lowcountrylocalfirst.org.

When: Dec 2nd, 3-8pm
Where: 10 Storehouse Row
What: yummy food, live music and shopping

Be there (we will)!

Rediscovering Henna

Do you ever look back on an event or time in your life thinking it was maybe 10 years ago, then you do the math and realize it was more like 25 or 30? Well, somewhere between My Sharona and Like a Virgin, I was big into dyeing my hair. One of my phases was henna - bright, orange henna. It definitely made a statement! Well hair color for me has been my last bastion to becoming chemical-free and I thought it was about time to reconsider my not-quite-a-blonde anymore roots! Maintaining blonde is costly and I don't even want to know how many toxic chemicals are in hair color. So on a recent trip to Whole Foods, I rediscovered Henna. I went with "Light Mountain Natural Hair Color and Conditioner" in Chestnut. It doesn't say henna on the box but that's what it is. The mixture smells awful and looks much like a cow patty but after a strand test and an hour of cow poop on my head, I had glorious, shining, chestnut hair! So, if you're having trouble letting go of hair color or deodorant or body wash (laden with harmful chemicals), I recommend taking another look at the natural alternatives. You might be pleasantly surprised! -Samantha

Start enjoying our chemical-free products and enjoy a 10% discount now through Nov 26. Enter coupon code: BLOGNOV at checkout.

Help for Rosacea

Excerpted from Natural Awakenings, Charleston edition, November 2008:

A tiny berry may offer big benefits to people suffering from rosacea. Sea-buckthorn oil appears to ease the facial redness, itching and inflammation of rosacea by eliminating microscopic mites that may contribute to the skin disorder.

According to the National Roseacea Society, an estimated 14 million Americans suffer from the disorder. Research funded by the society demonstrates a possible link between bacteria associated with mites (demodex folliculrum) that inhabit hair follicles and the development of rosacea.

Recent findings by Chinese and Russian researchers and the University of Turku, in Finland, indicate that the oil extracted from sea-buckthorn berries may help protect and regenerate mucous membranes and skin. The oil is high in vitamins a, B1, B12, C and K as well as carotenes, essential fatty acids and tocopherols, or vtamin E-type antioxidants.

Research into the demodex-rosacea link indicates that while the mite does not cause adverse symptoms in most people, it is more prevalent and active in rosacea patients. Sea-buckthorn oil's anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial benefits work to help eliminate the mites, reduce inflammation under the skin, and provide relief from the mechanisms causing rosacea symptoms.

If you would be interested in purchasing this product, please email us.

Do you know what is in your deodorant?

An environmental activist group “Beyond Pesticides” is once again lobbying against a common and controversial anti-bacterial called “Triclosan.”

Triclosan is regulated in the US and found in soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, shaving creams, mouth washes and an increasing number of consumer products.

Do you use any of these?

• Clearasil Daily Face Wash


• Dentyl mouthwash, Mentadent


• the Colgate Total range, Crest Cavity Protection, Sensodyne Total Care


• Softsoap, Dial


• Right Guard deodorant.

If you do then you should confirm whether Triclosan is listed as an ingredient. By law, US manufacturers of products containing triclosan must say so somewhere on the label.

Why should you be concerned? Triclosan scores a 7 on EWG’s Cosmetic Database (10 being the most harmful) and is restricted in Canada and Japan.

Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides believes that,

"The nonmedical uses of Triclosan are frivolous and dangerous, creating serious direct health and environmental hazards and long-term health problems associated with the creation of resistant strains of bacteria."

Reports have suggested that triclosan can combine with chlorine in tap water to form chloroform gas, which the EPA classifies as a probable human carcinogen. As a result, triclosan was the target of a UK cancer alert, even though the study showed that the amount of chloroform generated was less than amounts often present in chlorinated drinking waters.

A 2006 study concluded that low doses of triclosan act as an endocrine disruptor in the North American bullfrog. The hypothesis proposed is that triclosan blocks the metabolism of thyroid hormone, because it chemically mimics thyroid hormone, and binds to the hormone receptor sites, blocking them, so that normal hormones cannot be utilized. Triclosan has also been found in both the bile of fish living downstream from waste water processing plants and in human breast milk.

Despite the lobbying, personal care industry groups have continued to use Triclosan, claiming that there is no conclusive evidence that it is harmful to humans.

As always – caveat emptor – let the buyer beware. Be assured that our soaps, deodorants, or any of our products for that matter, do not contain this controversial ingredient!

Read reviews of Samantharoma’s Deodorant Mist at:
Thegreenguide.com
Lesstoxicbeauty.com

Sources:
http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Formulation-Science/Anti-bacterial-chemical-back-in-the-spotlight
http://cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=706623
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Triclosan%20cited.pdf

Samantharoma in Cyberspace

Here's what they are saying about us this week:

Julie the wonderful blogger at Less Toxic Beauty, reviewed our Unscented Facial Soap. She loved it and we love her because she placed a link to our fundraising efforts for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Click here to support Samantha and the Dragon Boat Charleston Team in raising money to fight Breast Cancer.

Body Sense went live this week. We are proud to be associated with this e-retailer mutually commited to selling chemical-free personal care products. Look for our Unscented Facial Soap featured in one of their "Starter Sets."

Bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastic bottles

Plastic bottles have been in the news again. Some of you may have already gone through your cupboards getting rid of bottles & containers marked with a #7 on the bottom when a report released in 2003 exposed research conducted in 1998, linking the use of a controversial chemical called Bisphenol-A (BPA) to cell mutation in mice.

Depending who you talk to, BPA is either perfectly safe or a dangerous health risk. The plastics industry says it is harmless, but a growing number of scientists are concluding, from some animal tests, that exposure to BPA in the womb raises the risk of certain cancers, hampers fertility and could contribute to childhood behavioral problems such as hyperactivity.

If you consume canned soups, beans and soft drinks, you also may be inadvertently swallowing residues of a BPA that can leak out of the can linings into your food. BPA has also been found to migrate, under some conditions, from polycarbonate plastic water bottles.

Concerned about BPA leaching into our food & drinks, some of you have already asked what about the products I use on my skin? At Samantharoma, our plastic bottles are made from PET - or polyethylene terephthalate - a form of polyester. PET is the type of plastic labeled with the #1 code on the bottom. PET does not contain BPA nor is BPA used in its manufacture.

Why is PET good?
PET acts much like glass & resists absorbing light, heat & other external sources. Whilst chemicals are undoubtedly used in its production, we believe that PET’s ability to act as a barrier helps protect your product from chemical leaching. PET is also recyclable, more economical than glass & lighter to ship (requiring less gas in transit). Of course fuel is used in its manufacture but if we all recycle (and we DO recycle) we can help lower our carbon footprint ;-)

So what should you do about BPA exposure?
Some scientists urge that action be taken now, "Science is not in the business of demonstrating anything beyond a shadow of a doubt," says Ana Soto, M.D., a professor and researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who has found that BPA alters mammary-gland development in mice. "We cannot wait that long to discover whether this chemical is harming human reproduction and development." However, because government agencies remain unconcerned, it is unlikely that BPA will disappear from consumer products anytime soon.

So yet again it us up to each individual consumer to decide if they wish to avoid or limit exposure to this chemical. I for one, feel like we are bombarded daily with chemical exposure from all different sources. If there is something simple that I can do to reduce my exposure, then I’m going to follow my heart. You should follow yours.

If you need help determining what action to take, read National Geographic’s The Green Guide report. While you’re at this great website, check out what they had to say about deodorant. They even reviewed ours!

Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate
www.napcor.com/plastic/bottles/whatispet.html
thegreenguide.com/doc/114/bpa
www.petresin.org/key_facts.asp

What's up with the Website????????

Well, we're still working on it! We know it's very frustrating to you Mac users & you super-trendies who MUST use the latest browsers but we promise we don't wish to exclude you! We are still working on some challenges but we are doing our utmost to bring you a modern, fully functional and easy to use format. Please follow the blog posts for the latest, or join or our email list admin@samantharoma.com, type "add me to your list" in the subject headline. Your name, address & phone number are all optional but much appreciated!

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog, please check back often for product news, special offers, industry developments and random musings somehow related to Samantharoma and our products!