ingredients Archives - Compassionate Women

My List of Yummy Vegan Lip Balm

May 8, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I loooove lip balm. It’s a necessity in my life, like coffee and chocolate and slobbery dog kisses. I’m the kind of girl that goes on shopping sprees for 3 things – books, the bulk foods section of the grocery store, and lip balm. There’s nothing like trying to peel off that annoying seal from a brand new lip balm, finally succeeding, and using it for the first time while it’s all smooth and perfect…

Unfortunately, the ingredients you find in popular brands are full of chemicals and things that actually dry your lips out. In my opinion, lip balm (and most beauty products) shouldn’t have more than a handful of ingredients. So I decided to tempt you (yes, you) with a list of vegan lip balms that contain outrageously yummy flavors that are all-natural, organic, and free from animal testing. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll get more excited than the average person.

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Hungry for Change

March 23, 2015 by Jillian 2 Comments

Today I finally watched the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary Hungry for Change, directed by James Colquhon and Laurentine Ten Bosch. I like this film because it gets down to the root causes of obesity, illness, bad health, and unhappiness and makes the connection between mind and body. It also talks about why diets don’t work, what is in the foods we are consuming, and gives a solution to this epidemic of unhealthiness.

I decided ahead of time to take notes while watching Hungry for Change because I knew it was going to be filled with great information. And boy was it! I highly recommend watching this documentary (which you can find on Netflix and the Hungry for Change official website), but in the mean time, here are the “cliff notes” with what I found in the film to be most significant.

OVERFED & UNDERNOURISHED

While hunter gatherer cultures consume more nutrients and less calories, Americans today are consuming more calories and less nutrients. We are fatter than ever but starving our bodies at the same time. Why is that? Because Americans are consuming processed foods instead of whole foods that come from nature. Let’s take a look at a few of the toxic ingredients that are causing widespread obesity and chronic illness, and some of my suggestions for healthy alternatives.

MSG – A food additive used in nearly every processed food and restaurant in America. The problem with MSG is that it’s an excitotoxin, meaning that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, which can cause brain damage and learning disabilities. It also causes overeating and weight gain. Case in point: MSG is used on lab mice in medical studies to make them fat. Alternative: pink Himalayan salt
Aspartame – It’s an addictive substance most commonly found in diet soda. Aspartame causes neurological damage and weight gain, yet it’s marketed by diet soda companies as a “healthy” alternative to regular soda. Alternative: Stevia

Fat/Fat Free Foods – If you see “fat free” on a food label, that usually means loaded with sugar because they have to make up for the taste. And sugar is what really makes us fat. Low fat foods leave you hungry because your body needs good fats, NOT fats like soybean oil, corn oil, or canola oil. Partially hydrogenated oils are the worst kinds of fats and are used in many baked items and margarine spreads. Healthy fats are plant based. Alternative: avocados, chia seeds, flax oil, coconut oil
High Fructose Corn Syrup – Created by Japanese scientists in the 1970’s, it reduced production costs, but fructose (or “fruit sugar”) is highly addictive and changes brain chemistry. In the 1900’s, children consumed about 15 grams of fructose a day, which is less than 1 ounce. Presently, children consume about 70-80 grams of fructose a day and some children consume up to 120-150 grams a day, which is 10x the amount in 1900. Alternative: maple syrup, coconut palm sugar

Take away: Read the ingredients labels on foods! Be careful of ingredients that are plant derived but have been chemically altered, like high fructose corn syrup.

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Be Beautiful Inside & Out, Part 3

January 21, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Hello there all you lovely ladies! This is the last blog post of a three part series on finding cruelty-free beauty products that are void of dangerous ingredients. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already. And if you want to know more about going cruelty free, I wrote this article about picking humane beauty products that describes why it’s important.

Okay, let’s get started! Here’s why it’s so important to actually read the ingredients lists before buying beauty products (or any product for that matter):

Moisturizer – Since skin is the biggest organ, it’s sort of a big deal what we put on it because it absorbs everything and enters our bloodstream – and eventually – our body tissues. If we’re using moisturizers with harmful chemicals in it, those chemicals essentially become a part of us. Yikes! Look for organic products, and definitely stay away from the 4 P’s: parabens (they mimic estrogen and disrupt hormonal processes, and have been linked to cancer), propylene glycol (causes skin irritation and kidney/liver abnormalities), phenol carbolic acid (suspected to cause respiratory failure and circulatory collapse), and petroleum products such as mineral oil, paraffin and petrolatum (they create a plastic coating over the skin that clogs pores and allows for the build up of toxins, and can result in early aging signs and cancer). Also be aware of acrylamide (linked to mammary tumors), dioxane (carcinogenic), sodium laurel sulfates (also called SLS or SLES, it breaks down the moisture barrier of the skin with possible cause of hair loss. Will sometimes be sneakily described on the label as “coconut derived” or “comes from coconut.” Don’t be fooled!)

Instead of using products with these ingredients, here are some suggestions. You’re best bet is to use organic oils that are safe for the skin. I personally use oil of oregano (mixed with a little organic sunflower oil) because it’s moisturizing but also helps with acne and dermatitis. I buy it off Etsy.com from Hippiecrap (technically it’s called Hippieshit but gotta keep it PG for Etsy lol); it’s handmade by a lovely woman who grows her own oregano. You can find oil of oregano in most health and natural food stores, just make sure it’s not 100% oil of oregano, it’s too potent to be put on the skin that way. It should be infused with another oil like sunflower or olive. If the directions specifically tell you how to use it externally, then you’re probably good. You can also use other oils as moisturizers, such as coconut oil or argan oil. Sea buckthorn berry is great for the face and chock full of anti-oxidants. Oils can be used in moderation, just a few drops is usually good.

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Picking Humane Beauty Products

August 17, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

For nearly my entire life, I never put much thought into what beauty products I bought (cosmetics, facial & body products, perfumes, etc). That is, until I learned that reading the ingredients label isn’t just for food. Furthermore, I’d always known in the back of my head that many companies tested their products on lab animals, but I didn’t really know what that meant or what was actually going on. I’m sure some people feel relief when they know that a product is tested on animals first. But studies show that testing on animals is pretty much useless and most large companies today only test on animals because it saves their butt if they ever get sued. It may make their product seem safer, but there’s a much better way to tell if a beauty product is safe or not – look at what’s in it. If there’s a bunch of ingredients that you can barely pronounce, that means it ain’t natural and if it ain’t natural, it shouldn’t be slathered, dabbed, or rubbed into the largest organ on your body. Your skin absorbs everything you put on it. Putting chemical, unnatural, and man-made ingredients onto your skin is almost the same as eating them. The best rule of thumb is this: If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.