Blog Posts by GoodGuideEditor

1. Turkeys labeled "Natural" may actually have been treated with antibiotics and fed corn and soy meal grown with synthetic pesticides. The USDA defines "natural" as a turkey containing no artificial ingredients such as added flavors or colors, and that is only minimally processed. It turns out, this leaves out a lot. A turkey labeled "natural" can be fed grains grown with pesticides and raised on a farm that uses pesticides on their fields. Antibiotics can be used not only to treat illnesses, but also as growth promoters. Look for turkeys that are USDA Organic or that say "free of antibiotics".
2. "Free range" turkeys may have never set foot outdoors. According to the USDA, "free range" means simply that the turkey "has been allowed access to the outside." This can mean that they are raised primarily in "range pens" or houses, and that there is a door to the "outside," which might simply be a cement patio. So "free range" turkeys may almost never see the range.

Read More »from 10 Surprising Things About Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Healthiness and Cleanliness

The H1N1 flu virus is sweeping the nation. One of the main strategies for avoiding the flu is to regularly clean your hands.

California's Governor Schwazenegger has even issued an emergency proclamation to help prevent the spread of H1N1 that include using alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizing companies are now scrambling to fill orders.

So, what's in those hand sanitizers and how do they work?



What's In Hand Sanitizers?

Most hand sanitizers are made up of 60-90% alcohol. But, you might also find:

Glycerin - speeds repair of the skin's protective barrier
Dimethicone - reduces santizer's greasy feeling
Aloe vera gel - soothes skin
Propylene glycol - has antifungal properties
Triethanolamine - helps maintain the pH of the lotion
Carbomers-thickeners

Click here for GoodGuide's top-rated hand sanitizers.



How does Hand Sanitizer work?

Ethyl alcohol (Ethanol) is found in most hand sanitizers. It is a anti-microbial agent that has been recommended

Read More »from What's In Your Hand Sanitizer?

Good News / Bad News

You put a lot of stuff in your hair-shampoo, conditioner, gel, and maybe some added color. The good news is that hair care products are made mostly of water, about which we have nothing bad to say.

Unfortunately, the chemical ingredients that actually do the work-chemical detergents, dyes, fragrances, and conditioners-aren't always safe for you or good for the environment.

Toxic Dyes

Dyes and colors often come with ingredient lists that are 60 or 70 chemicals long and can include toxics like P-Phenylenediamine, resorcinol, eugenol, and ethanolamine. You can also find DMDM hydantoin, a preservative that releases small amounts of formaldehyde and is a potential skin irritant.

Click here for top-rated hair dyes.



Carcinogenic Chemicals

Some shampoos use cleaners such as sodium laureth sulfate or octoxynol-40 that, depending on the way they are made, can introduce contamination into the product, including carcinogenic chemicals like 1,4-dioxane.

Read More »from Changing Colors for Halloween? 10 Toxins in Hair Dye

Top Honey Products on GoodGuide

1) Skippy, Honey Nut Roast Creamy Peanut Butter -- Besides High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), this peanut butter has 3 types of trans fats in its list of ingredients.

2) Perdue, Honey BBQ Glazed Chicken -- The HFCS is in this chicken's barbecue sauce.

3) Honey Maid Graham Crackers, Lowfat and Honey -- Besides HFCS, these snacks also have partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil which is a trans fat.

4) Kellogs' Toasted Honey Crunch Cereal -- Honey is just 1 of 5 different kinds of sweeteners in this cereal, including HFCS.

5) Wheatables Oven-Baked Snack Crackers,Toasted Honey Wheat -- These crackers have sugar, honey, and high fructose corn syrup to sweeten them up -- more like a cookie than a cracker.

Click here for the top-rated honey products on GoodGuide.

Read More »from 5 Foods that have "Honey" in their name BUT are also sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup

5 Health Issues to Consider When Picking a Sunscreen

1. Sun Blocker
In the United States, one of the active ingredients in many sunscreens is oxybenzone, a moderately effective sun blocker, but one that reacts with sunlight to form possibly allergenic and carcinogenic chemicals. Oxybenzone is popular because it rubs in well, but for safety, we recommend sunscreens with either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as the active ingredient.

2. Tiny Toxins
Some companies use a nano-particle sized version of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide (often referred to on labels as micronized titanium dioxide or micronized zinc oxide), which absorbs better and won't make you look ghostly white. However, nano-scale ingredients are also small enough to be an inhalation risk in powder or spray-on sunscreens, and titanium dioxide is known to be carcinogenic if inhaled.

3. Preserve, Protect? Add to lightboxSunscreens commonly contain immune system toxicants DMDM hydantoin (a form of formaldehyde used as a preservative) and

Read More »from 5 Health Issues to Consider When Picking a Sunscreen

* Lipstick
Is there lead in your lipstick?

* Blush
Is there formaldahyde in your blush?

* Concealer
Is there arsenic in your concealer?

* Eyeshadow
Is there a carcinogen in your eyeliner that is banned in the EU?

* Nail Polish
Are there neurotoxins in your nail polish?

* Mascara
Is your mascara listed on the the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics list?

Read More »from Top Picks for Wedding Season: A Guide to Finding Safe Makeup