Green Options

[photo by Becca C]

I was at Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe looking to satisfy a craving for dark chocolate and couldn’t help but notice the tubes of personal lubricant behind the counter. I’ve got to admit here: until right then, it hadn’t occurred to me that maybe those little bottles of lube from the drug store were problematic. Clearly, some research was in order!

It seems that the issues with a lot of over-the-counter lubes are glycerin and paraben. Glycerin, which is derived from sugar, is just no good for your girlie parts. These sugars can ferment and make you more susceptible to a yeast infection or UTI. Yuck! Paraben is used as a preservative and is banned from use in consumer products in many countries, though not in the U.S. Some recent studies have shown a possible link between paraben and breast cancer.

Yikes! Now, the hunt is on to replace my little tube of KY. I found a few paraben- and glycerin-free products that look like they’re worth a shot. Check out the list with price comparisons after the jump!

Natural Soap?Myth: Beauty products sold as “natural” and “organic” at health food stores and coops are truly natural and organic.

Facts: Some natural, organic beauty products are exactly what they claim to be; however, many of the trusted brands featured in health food stores and coops contain harmful ingredients and/or are not 100% natural. Anyone can claim their product is natural and/or organic, as there are no

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