I use Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetics Safety Database (also known as Skin Deep) to find safer products for my family. If you’ve been following me, you know I spend a lot of time moving the chemicals out and the safe stuff in. Take some time and check the products you use often, you’ll be surprised at how many are linked to cancer. As Annie says, don’t let the words “natural” or “organic” fool you. Currently, there is no law regulating cosmetics and that needs to change.

Along with Annie, I encourage you to join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Let’s make our products safe. Democracy in Action makes it super easy for you to let your elected officials know that you want them to support the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. Please go send your message! Then spread the word about Annie’s film to your friends and family and get them to pass the message on as well.

Go, watch, NOW!

Finally some good news for our environment! California State Assembly voted 41 to 27 to pass a bill to ban single-use plastic bags. Plastic bags will still be available, but not for free. Shoppers will need to pay a minimum of 5-cents for a recycled bag if they forget their own reusable bags. The bill still needs to pass the Senate, which is it expected to do, then Governor Schwarzenegger will sign it into law.

I don’t think I need to point out the negative effects of plastic bag use. Areas that have enacted similar laws have seen drastic drops in plastic bag use. Washington, DC began charging a 5-cent tax on plastic bags in January and saw a reduction in use from 22 million to 3 million in one month.

So what are the best reusable bags out there? Well, for general shopping, I love my Chico bags. They fold up nicely, easy to pop into my purse, and they hold a lot. For groceries, I prefer my Trader Joe’s bags. At only 99-cents each, they’re affordable. They’re not floppy, so much easier to fill and the wipe clean surface is a big plus. I have a few bags from Whole Foods that are great size wise, but you really have to think while packing, using boxes and other hard items to create sides to the bag.

What’s your favorite bag?

Ginger
Ginger has been used for centuries for various ailments. There’s no reason to stop using it now. Ginger is great for Ovarian and Colon Cancer treatment, motion and morning sickness, pain and inflammation, heartburn, migraines, cold and flu, even menstrual cramping. How many times have you had Ginger Ale when you weren’t feeling well?!

You can add ginger when you’re cooking or make a tea. Steep a bit of ginger in hot water, add honey and lemon to taste. My son was miserable one night from seasonal allergies. He was in the midst of a panic attack because he just could not breathe well enough. We made ginger tea for him and it worked almost instantly.

Arnica
Arnica is a plant best used externally. It’s great for sprains, bruises, wounds, but can be irritating to the stomach. It’s fairly easy to find an Arnica based cream at local health food store. I recently used arnica after falling on ice and spraining my wrist.

Capsaicin
Oh how we love capsaicin! Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers and believe it or not, is a great pain reliever. Capsaicin is available as a cream or gel that you can use externally. Or, our favorite is a nasal spray. The spray is excellent for relief of allergies and migraines. Capsaicin can knock out a migraine in minutes. I highly recommend Sinol nasal spray.

Aloe
Not to be left out is aloe. We all know that aloe is the best remedy for a sunburn, but what about scrapes and cuts? It’s perfect for that as well as mosquito bites and other ailments. Aloe is available in many forms from capsules to lotion and juice. The best and cheapest way to use aloe is directly from the plant. Aloe is one of the easiest to grow plants and it’s always there when you need it. Just break off a bit of one of the leaves and apply to the skin.

Read all about it at Healthy Bitch Daily. Then cruise on over to FDA and read about the new guidelines and take a look at the current violators. In the future, I see simpler packaging with real claims, not over-inflated buy me now advertising. Thank you FDA!