Kelly Bonanno

Your soulful coach for eco friendly living, organic beauty & wellness Savvy | Sexy | Beautiful | Healthy | You

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You Have To See This

file0001655248612This short video from Earth Focus is worth a few minutes of your time. Why am I so passionate about everyone using safer personal care products? Watch this and you’ll know why.

You do not need to subject yourself or your children to toxic chemicals every time you wash your hair or moisturize your body. There are safer options. But don’t be fooled by companies claiming to be ‘natural’ or ‘green’ because they could be misleading you.

Know your ingredients, read labels and stay away from any products or ingredients that score higher than a 2 on the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Data Base. You can see a list of the most dangerous chemicals to avoid here.

 

 

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8 Tips For Your Non Toxic Bridal Beauty Regime

file000854755435Every bride wants to look beautiful on her wedding day, but makeup should be the end of your routine – not the start. To obtain perfect wedding skin you have to start months before the big day and stick to natural, non-toxic ingredients.
This week on Green Bride Guide I offer my top 8 Tips For Your Non Toxic Bridal Beauty Regime. Head over and check out my article so you can be a natural beauty on your wedding and every day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Is Your Beauty Routine Toxic? Part II

As I mentioned in part I of  this series, up to 60% of what we put on our skin gets absorbed which leads to our bodies absorbing up to 5 pounds of chemicals through our skin every year. If something isn’t pure enough to eat we really should not put in on our body, should we?

It’s inauspicious that manufacturers of personal care products are not regulated and therefore not required to disclose ingredients, toxic or not. Fortunately, many organizations are on top of it and bringing awareness to the issue. Some of these watchdog groups may have a political agenda, but not all of them do.

Agenda or no agenda, much of the information they share is based in science and they do have an important message: do not use products containing harmful ingredients that will compromise your health and threaten the environment.

There are many brands out there claiming to be pure and while they may not contain carcinogens, they do have synthetic fragrances, irritants, endocrine disruptors and other unfavorable ingredients. So what can we do? How do we find products that won’t harm us? We have to be cautious but there are some fabulous lines on the market which I will talk about in upcoming posts and videos.

You can also check the ingredients of your products in EWG’s cosmetic data base.  It’s not a complete list of every personal care item out there but it is a helpful resource. I’ll be writing about ingredients to avoid in the near future as well so stay tuned.

Did you read the article I posted on my Facebook page the other day? They tested over 400 lipsticks for lead content, check to see if yours is on the list.

It’s not always easy to find suitable alternatives and many of the organic and truly pure, clean cosmetics are way over priced. But there are companies that offer good, safe products such as Pure Haven. I’ll write about of my finds in upcoming posts. Another one of my favorite lines is 100% Pure.

Mascara has been a tough one for me. Do I really want to spend $25 on mascara that flakes off and leaves a smattering of black dust under my eyes when I can spend $7 on Lash Exact by Covergirl that really does give my lashes great volume and length?!

What’s an eco savvy gal to do?! I’m giving Ava and Organic Wear mascara a try, I’ll let you know how they measure up. If you like an earth friendly mascara that works well and doesn’t break the bank I’d love to hear about it.

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Is Your Beauty Routine Toxic? Part I

Lead in lipstick, coal tar in lotions, formaldehyde in shampoo… harmful chemicals are lurking in our everyday products and most of us don’t even know it. If you’ve been reading my blog regularly you know how passionate I am about clean, chemical free living. I make it a priority to use pure, clean products, both personal care items and the products we use in our home.

gty_cosmetics_jef_130401_wgI love playing with make up. It’s fun to get all glammed up and go out but the stuff they put in most make up is scary. The cosmetic industry is not regulated so manufacturers can include anything they want in their formulations.

Our bodies absorb up to 5 pounds of chemicals each year through our skin which is the largest organ in our body. Up to 60% of what we put on our skin gets absorbed so if something isn’t pure enough to eat we really should not put in on our body.

Because they are not regulated, manufacturers of personal care products are not required to disclose the ingredients so there may not even be a label to read and frankly, reading labels isn’t enough, you have to know what the ingredients are.

Very few people have the time or even the desire to know the scientific properties of dozens of different chemicals. That’s the hard part. But I’ll help you sort it out with a series of posts about chemicals we should avoid in our personal care products as well as our household items.

Be sure to check out part II of this series, it includes some eco friendly solutions such as Ava Anderson Non Toxic.

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5 Ways to Green Your Beauty Routine

A few simple changes can make a positive impact

86525535-300x200What we put on our bodies is just as important as what we put in our bodies. The skin is the body’s largest organ; it absorbs up to 60 percent of what we put on it. Most women use an average of up to 20 personal care items every day and the ingredients in those products go straight to our bloodstream. Treat the earth and yourself a little kinder with these five natural tips to be a greener glamour girl.

1. Know Your Ingredients
Many are carcinogenic, others adversely affect our reproductive systems, and some disrupt our endocrine systems. The cosmetic industry is not regulated, so companies are not required to disclose ingredients. Safety testing is left to the manufacturers, so they can use nearly anything they want in their formulations. The European Union bans over 1300 cosmetic ingredients. The U.S. has banned only 11. If you are curious about whether or not your favorite cosmetics contain toxic chemicals, a good resource is the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Data Base. They rate the safety of several products. Ava Anderson Non Toxic has great products and the whole line is pure and non toxic. 

2. Screen Your Sunscreen

Most dermatologists agree that the number one anti-aging secret is protecting your skin from the sun’s damaging rays. However, like cosmetics, most sunscreens have harmful chemicals as well. Steer clear of sunscreen that contains ingredients like… Read entire article at Parent Society.