http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992 No… not my hair. NEVER! Our health/beauty products. The article recently published here about linking autism and triclosan, really made me take a second look at the products we use every day. It turns out that my son was fine, not using any products that contain triclosan (or a form of it), but my husband and I were. I noticed something else though… all the other chemicals in what we ALL use. For what? How long till one of these is discovered to cause Cancer, or birth defects, or Autism?   I went on another “Spring Cleaning.” This time around our bathroom. It would be too expensive to replace everything all at once, so I started with the basics.   -Toothpaste. Tom's of Maine is carried at Longs Drugs. I found that they actually have a small travel size of each flavor. I bought one of each rather than 1 big one guessing what we will all like. When we all agree on a favorite, I’ll get the big one. Comes in paste AND gel.   -Mouth Wash. I did the same as with the toothpaste. Two small Tom's of Maine flavors. My son brushes good, but not really his gums, so this is a must have.   -Deodorant. If it can stand up to my kid, it can take anything. Again, I got a small trial size. No need to waste money!   -Hand Soap. This was the one that surprised me most on the triclosan list. I would never have thought of germ fighting hand soap as a danger! Went all natural with a hint of lavender. I’m feeling calmer all ready. Ahhhhhhh.   -Body Soap. Switched my little Man-Cub from Irish Spring (smells great, but is loaded with chemicals) to an all natural lavender body bar.   It really didn’t cost much at all to up-grade. I will be paying quite a bit more for the hand soap vs. foaming Dial, but it’s worth it to me. So far, it also takes a very little amount to do the job well, so it may turn out the same, or similar price in the end.   The older I get, the more I think about things like “going green” and how I can help my family and the planet we all share. I’ll continue to make minor changes and upgrades in our products, but already feel a little better for the few I just did. I don’t think I can ever give up the hair dye though!!!! No… not my hair. NEVER! Our health/beauty products. The article recently published here about linking autism and triclosan, really made me take a second look at the products we use every day. It turns out that my son was fine, not using any products that contain triclosan (or a form of it), but my husband and I were. I noticed something else though… all the other chemicals in what we ALL use. For what? How long till one of these is discovered to cause Cancer, or birth defects, or Autism?   I went on another “Spring Cleaning.” This time around our bathroom. It would be too expensive to replace everything all at once, so I started with the basics.   -Toothpaste. Tom's of Maine is carried at Longs Drugs. I found that they actually have a small travel size of each flavor. I bought one of each rather than 1 big one guessing what we will all like. When we all agree on a favorite, I’ll get the big one. Comes in paste AND gel.   -Mouth Wash. I did the same as with the toothpaste. Two small Tom's of Maine flavors. My son brushes good, but not really his gums, so this is a must have.   -Deodorant. If it can stand up to my kid, it can take anything. Again, I got a small trial size. No need to waste money!   -Hand Soap. This was the one that surprised me most on the triclosan list. I would never have thought of germ fighting hand soap as a danger! Went all natural with a hint of lavender. I’m feeling calmer all ready. Ahhhhhhh.   -Body Soap. Switched my little Man-Cub from Irish Spring (smells great, but is loaded with chemicals) to an all natural lavender body bar.   It really didn’t cost much at all to up-grade. I will be paying quite a bit more for the hand soap vs. foaming Dial, but it’s worth it to me. So far, it also takes a very little amount to do the job well, so it may turn out the same, or similar price in the end.   The older I get, the more I think about things like “going green” and how I can help my family and the planet we all share. I’ll continue to make minor changes and upgrades in our products, but already feel a little better for the few I just did. I don’t think I can ever give up the hair dye though!!!! en-us We did the same thing after reading about triclosan! Regardless of the autism link or not, it's pretty clear that the stuff is toxic. We now use Tom's of Maine toothpaste and their mouthwash and I threw out all the anti-bacterial stuff and replaced it with old fashioned bars of soap (which are really pretty nice!) and I threw out my shower gel in favor of the Method brand. Honestly, I feel better already :) http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80748 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80748 We did the same thing after reading about triclosan! Regardless of the autism link or not, it's pretty clear that the stuff is toxic. We now use Tom's of Maine toothpaste and their mouthwash and I threw out all the anti-bacterial stuff and replaced it with old fashioned bars of soap (which are really pretty nice!) and I threw out my shower gel in favor of the Method brand. Honestly, I feel better already :) once you get used to the hippie toothpaste, using a name brand toothpaste tastes totally sweet and yucky. lately i've been using name brand/generic baby soap for my babe but now i'm totally switching back to california baby!  if you haunt your regular 99cents store i've often found organic body products.  the smell might be a little strange- that no one wanted to buy so that's why it ended up there-but still it's a great find! http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80753 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80753 once you get used to the hippie toothpaste, using a name brand toothpaste tastes totally sweet and yucky. lately i've been using name brand/generic baby soap for my babe but now i'm totally switching back to california baby!  if you haunt your regular 99cents store i've often found organic body products.  the smell might be a little strange- that no one wanted to buy so that's why it ended up there-but still it's a great find! Thanks for the tip wifemotherdaughtersister. I used to get strawberry Tom's of Maine for my son when he was younger. I'm remembering why I switched to a name brand. The cap mess. That kid can make a goey pile of mess out of a tube of toothpaste faster than you'd think humanly possible. Ick! I wish they made Tom's of Maine in those nice plastic snap off lid type of tube. Darn! I know what you mean munchkinsmom . I also feel better. Now I'm a little worried about the "Made in China" re-fillable plastic water bottles we've been using. I think I'll switch back to glasses. http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80754 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80754 Thanks for the tip wifemotherdaughtersister. I used to get strawberry Tom's of Maine for my son when he was younger. I'm remembering why I switched to a name brand. The cap mess. That kid can make a goey pile of mess out of a tube of toothpaste faster than you'd think humanly possible. Ick! I wish they made Tom's of Maine in those nice plastic snap off lid type of tube. Darn! I know what you mean munchkinsmom . I also feel better. Now I'm a little worried about the "Made in China" re-fillable plastic water bottles we've been using. I think I'll switch back to glasses. That's great that you have switched to your new products.  I know it does feel good to know that you are doing something good for yourself and environment. My favorite deodorant that I've used for the past 10 years is by JASON, the scent is apricot. As far as the refillable water bottle goes, have you considered a stainless steel bottle?  They're a little expensive, but you could check out  Amazon for a good deal and it would survive ages of use. http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80759 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80759 That's great that you have switched to your new products.  I know it does feel good to know that you are doing something good for yourself and environment. My favorite deodorant that I've used for the past 10 years is by JASON, the scent is apricot. As far as the refillable water bottle goes, have you considered a stainless steel bottle?  They're a little expensive, but you could check out  Amazon for a good deal and it would survive ages of use. I have 1 steel bottle that I got at our food co-op for (gasp) $19. I had to get it because it had a shark on it, but I had no idea they were that expensive. Thanks for the Amazon tip. I'll check it out! http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80760 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80760 I have 1 steel bottle that I got at our food co-op for (gasp) $19. I had to get it because it had a shark on it, but I had no idea they were that expensive. Thanks for the Amazon tip. I'll check it out! It is a amazing what we learn when we begin to read and investigate not to mention try new things. It is so easy to assume that what is on the market must be good for or at least ok for us. As well as just accept what we grew up with or doing. Yikes I know it's a total eye opener. One of the new things I have been hearing about is No Poo as in shampoo so check this out http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80762 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/8992/#c_80762 It is a amazing what we learn when we begin to read and investigate not to mention try new things. It is so easy to assume that what is on the market must be good for or at least ok for us. As well as just accept what we grew up with or doing. Yikes I know it's a total eye opener. One of the new things I have been hearing about is No Poo as in shampoo so check this out http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html