Lovin' your oven

It's Thanksgiving crunch time. Who's with me? Come on, don't deny that you're running by a schedule of what needs to happen when, days and hours leading up to the big meal. If you're hosting, at some point or another your oven is going to need cleaning. Maybe you do it before the holiday so that each basting of the bird doesn't come with a fresh dose of embarrassment. Maybe you do it after the holiday to clean away the memory of that exploded pie or the awful glue that we once called green bean casserole.

Whenever you clean your oven, here's a great, chemical-free way to do it. Sure, a lot of ovens have that self-clean feature that basically chars all that sh*t away, but if you're not into babysitting a 700-degree range for 6 hours, this is for you.

It comes from Cha Ching Queen. GREAT name. I don't know where she got the idea, but it's killer. Very Hints from Heloise. My mother had a copy of that book and it was like a Bible for housework. Basically it goes like this:

-- Mix some vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
-- Spray down your funky oven
-- Throw in some baking soda. Toss to coat, as they say.
-- Spray down the whole thing again
-- Listen for the hiss, close the oven door, and gorge on BuzzFeed lists of cute animals while the acid-base reaction of the vinegar and baking soda do all the work.

Are you trying this? You totally should. But even if you don't, take a minute to think about how you do clean your oven. Maybe stop using those cans of toxic, corrosive cleaner, yah?  Do it for Heloise.

Best,
Jazzy

Phthalates have met their match!

Do you follow TED? There was a link in my FB feed last week about these two brilliant teenagers who in 2013 presented on bacteria that can break down plastics! Amazing. Watch here.

My favorite comment on the video is someone who wrote, "where are the trumpets?" Seriously, these girls deserve a LOT of attention for their findings and for the notion that we have the intelligence to put people into outer space, breed wolves into thousands of different versions of a different species, and see through sh*t with x-rays and ultrasound and infrared. But we can't figure out the plastic problem?

Poised and informed, these ladies could probably take their solution pretty far, reducing waste and even applying their science to recycling processes. Who else wants them to save the world? Who's supporting their work (besides their parents)? Isn't in time to stop whining about the damage we're doing to this planet -- and by extension, ourselves -- and take some real action?

In the meantime, phthalates can suck it.

Yours,
Jazzy

Mustache you a question...

Hey there! It's been a while. But things keep on keepin' on, don't they? It's mustache month, where we kick off a long winter by watching our friends and loved ones of the hairier gender grow some serious 'staches to raise awareness (and sometimes some money too!) for prostate cancer. So it's a natural that we'd take a look at shaving products.

Over at EWG's Skin Deep database, the results aren't surprising. The drugstore brands (Gillette, Skintimate, etc) score pretty poorly, as do products from greener brands such as Kiss My Face and Alba Botanica. The products with better scores are pretty obscure or high-end brands. I recently picked up a tube of the unscented Alba Botanica Very Emollient Cream Shave at Whole Foods, to the tune of $6.99, and the best I can do is a '3' from Skin Deep. Better than the 7s that Gillette's shave products are getting, but at more than three times the price!

GoodGuide has a lot of love for Dr. Bronner's Organic Shaving Gel, giving the top 5 spots in the category ranking to different versions of that product. It's worth comparing how the two databases rank products because they don't rank ingredients in the same ways. The Kiss My Face Moisture Shave is a good example; EWG doesn't like the retinyl acetate but GoodGuide lists it simply as 'vitamin A' with a low health concern. Which is it, folks?

So when your man is ready to shave off the dead animal on his upper lip, don't let him use something harsh and toxic on his skin. Hit up the databases, do your homework, and find a shaving cream that doesn't cause the cancer we're trying to avoid.

Hairlessly yours,
Jazzy

Live chat with Beautycounter

Happy belated Indigenous Peoples Day!

I was on the fence about promoting this live FB chat that the Breast Cancer Fund is hosting with cosmetic company Beautycounter today at 1:00 pm EST. I think you can find it here. Not only am I not the end-all be-all expert on trusted sources for information, but it was a completely new company to me. Serious stranger danger.

But then I decided that there really aren't all that many opportunities for an open dialogue about toxic chemicals in consumer products. I think we can realistically expect a hard sell  by Beautycounter, the heavy push to buy their products. But I also think we can gain something as consumers not to just listen but to have the chance to speak.

By that I mean speaking up about our concerns about chemical exposure in the products we use. Speaking out against manufacturers and retailers who put profit, and not their customers, first. After all, change doesn't occur in a vacuum of silence and complacence. 

Beautycounter benefits greatly from their partnership with EWG and the Breast Cancer Fund. Street cred, if you will. I want to dig in a little and see what they're about. I'll admit, I am curious, not just for the purposes of the blog, but for the hopeful notion that someone out there gets it.

Me, I can't make the chat tomorrow. Can you make time for it? Maybe BCF will post highlights or something. If you do participate, let me know how it was! In the meantime, I will see what I can unearth about Beautycounter to share with you.

Cautiously yours,
Jazzy

Nothing is sacred

After months of nothing, I'm coming back with what's becoming an annual tradition: a righteously indignant rant on pinkwashing. Didn't you miss me?

Komen's in bed with some fracking company that's no doubt paid handsomely for the privilege of using that signature pink on its drill bits. You've seen it on going around the Internet, I know you have, so I'm not linking to it here, because I refuse to give either party more attention than they deserve.

Aside from a really horrible tagline (seriously, who writes this sh*t?), the whole thing is just completely busted. Fracking. A process that, when done successfully, creates and spreads carcinogenic chemicals and by-products. So yes, by all means, fork over some good cash money to get the blessing of the best-known breast cancer organization in North America.

For shame, Komen. FOR. SHAME. With the majority of breast cancers caused by environmental exposures, are you seriously getting involved with a company that profits from increasing the cancer risk of its employees and neighbors? 

Since my own brush with cancer, I've not had a lot of respect for Komen. It's not really a popular view, given all the money they channel to the cause. But to whose benefit? How have survival rates increased? How are diagnoses decreasing? I'm not here to win any popularity contests. I'm here to call bullish*t, which is what this is, big time. 

Happy Friday,
Jazzy

This is your skin. This is your skin under UV light.

Summer's starting to wind down, but there is still a full month of potential sunburns before the season officially ends. Are you still using sunscreen?

This incredibly powerful video about UV light is making the rounds on the Internet right now, and I highly suggest spending the 3 minutes or so watching it. Go ahead, I'll wait.





How's that for crazy? I don't know what type of sunscreen is used in the video -- mineral or chemical -- but I think it's safe to say that any liberally-applied mineral sunscreen will give you similar protection to that seen here.

Don't become a wallet-face!!! I've got a couple posts on sunscreen in the queue and no, it's not too late to still be talking about it. Skin protection is a year-round gig!

Yours in healthier living,
Jazzy

SMACK! Reviews: everyone soap by EO

Product reviews are easily the most popular thing here at SMACK! so it seems like a natural way to break my summer hiatus. Today we're getting to know everyone soap by EO Products. This isn't the first EO Products review I've written. My post reviewing their cleansing wipes is here.

I came across this 32-oz pump bottle of awesome in a search for a new shower gel. I'm not a huge fan of bar soap but don't feel so clean after using something that is full of chemicals, ya dig?

Here's where the love fest starts. everyone soap is good for everything -- hair, face, body -- so I not only have fewer chemicals in my body, I have less crap in my shower. And I am of a certain age where things like that make me happy.

So I don't mind the $9.99 regular retail price. Remember, this replaces your shampoo AND bar soap/shower gel. I'm nothing if not frugal.

How does it work? It's so nice. Like, really. Some soaps can be drying, others can leave a filmy residue (moisturizing?) but everyone soap just leaves you clean. Your skin feels fresh but not stripped. The lather is decent, both on hair and body. I've used it both home and away, and the amount of soapy foam does vary with different types of water (hard, soft, etc.) but not enough to matter.

EO offers a nice range of scents -- or fragrance free if that's your jam -- including Coconut and Lemon, Lavender and Aloe. There are simpler versions of the same scents in the kids' line, at the same price (and no age restrictions!), and a few additional scents in their mens' line. This is a good example of 'gendered marketing' since they are all very likely THE SAME PRODUCT. Take your pick.

You likely won't find this stuff at your local grocer. It's at Whole Foods, and online. If you do see it locally, good for you! If you don't, try asking for it. I'm always advocating for consumers to ask for what they want. Any store manager with half a brain knows keeping a customer is easier than gaining a new one. So speak up!

Have you used any EO products? Let me know what you think, and if you get a chance to try this great body wash.

Yours in cleaner living,
Jazzy