The TRUTH about LUSH

When you go to the website the first words you see: LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics. The site is quite flashy with words such as vegan, natural, organic, mineral, grapefruit, essential oils etc. To be honest, I used to wish for Lush products.

I would browse and browse over their products but never really got myself to purchase because I couldn't stand the cost of shipping. The closest Lush shop around where I live is almost three hours away. I was really sold by the idea of naturally handmade cosmetics and the boatloads of hype and raves on how great Lush products are for all different skin types. I have friends who swear by Lush products.

Now onto the bad news:



This picture above shows you the first and the only product I've ever personally bought for myself from Lush. While trying the item in the store, I was amazed at how a gel could lather up and even more in awe with the amazing citrusy smell of this product. The fact that a gel could act as a soap was beyond me. I had to get it! So, I got it.

According to the website, here is what the product claims:

The invigorating citrus shower jelly.
Anti-jetlag jelly for keeping you calm, cool and focused. If deadlines pass you by and you're left spinning at the end of each day, you need a pot of WHOOSH! It's an ultra-refreshing essential oil blend of lemon, lime and grapefruit juices with revitalizing rosemary and balancing geranium, which we put in there to wake you up a bit.
Fresh, organic lemon juice
Lemon juice is antiseptic and astringent and contains high levels of Vitamin C. It cleans away dirt with natural fruit acids.
Keeps your mind alert and your body refreshed.
When you wash with Whoosh, you're transformed into a single-minded, driven person that can take on the world.

Sounds great doesn't it? Oh yeah, don't worry because I was fooled too. Fooled into thinking that a product could do all these amazing things for me. First, it does not do what it claims, I do not feel ready to take on the world after my shower and was of Whoosh!, Actually, I feel terrible for even being so decieved by this product because when I got home and looked at the ingredient list (which I failed to do before and after purchasing it because I assumed it was natural, fresh, organic etc.) guess what it has in it!?

PARABENS! Oh my goodness, can you believe it?! All those awesome claims, the fantastic smell, the extraordinary idea of turning a soap into a gel... wow! And to make it even worst, it wasn't just one kind of paraben. It was two! Both methylparaben and propylparaben. What a disappointment, I tell ya. See for me - yeah, I justified my use of the product by telling myself I couldn't let it go to waste because I purchased it with my hard earned cash however, what about those poor workers who are making these freshly with their own bare hands! PUTTING PARABENS in all these products.

So, take home message for this post. READ THE LABEL! Don't be fooled by all these false claims. Try not to purchase online, especially for Lush products because their website does not contain a full list of ingredients.

EDTA???

So, I've been trying to be a more concious shopper especially when it comes to personal care products since I am now more aware of the toxic chemicals that can be found in them. I was in need of a new body wash. I love trying new products so I always choose a different one then the previous.

As I was in the body wash aisle of Target in search for a wash that was either natural or one with limited chemicals. Of course, I wanted something that was paraben free. I narrowed it down to two products (pictured above). The Method brand claimed to be EDTA free and when I checked St Ives, it had EDTA in its ingredients list but I still didn't know what EDTA was.

Do you know when EDTA is?

Well, if not, I shall enlighten you. EDTA is an acronym for ethylenediaminetetraacetic. Before I go on, can you just try saying that name outloud to yourself? I can't even pronounce it and I'm going into health sciences! Okay, now what is the significance of this ingredient being found in our personal care products. The answer is: sustainability. There is no research that I've found that signifies EDTA and a toxic chemical however, it is a pollutant which obviously harmful to the environment.