Safe?

A special post for all my dear family and friends, and readers of my blog, wherever you are:
since being with our cousin after her breast cancer surgery, I'm even more aware of the need for women to take to the market place concerns for what is in products aimed at women. The statistic that I read and had confirmed by our cousin's oncologist is that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. These are women with no family history of it. What can we do to prevent cancer? Who really knows for sure, however, there is something we women can do and that is to change the products we use. Products that we put on our skin are absorbed quickly into our system, thus the use of patches to administer meds. Our skin is our biggest organ. So what do we put on it....known carcinogens! Yes, check out the products you use, moisturizers, make-up, shampoos, and even nail polish. Make yourself aware of what is in them. One place you can check is on-line at the Skin Deep cosmetic safety data base. It's run by a non-profit group. I have been gradually eliminating products containing phthalates, lauryl and laureths, and parabens. So far, I have found moisturizers, sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner, nail polish, and some makeup that I feel is safer for me. I, also, learned that there is mercury in mascara and found one by Jane Iredale, that I buy on-line, that is mercury free. (put "mercury in mascara" into your browser and see what you get, Minnesota has banned the sale of mascara with mercury.) You can find resources to purchase these products on-line if you can't find them in a shop where you live. I buy my moisturizer by Nuxe through SpaSkin, which doesn't charge shipping, a plus. I was able to buy Badger sunscreen on-line, then found it at Wegman's in New jersey. The Burt's Bees was available in Walmart (which I don't shop at normally, but went there with our cousin) but I'm sure it's readily available in stores. I was really impressed by the Burt's Bees because right on the label it said "no phthalates, no lauryl or laureth, no parabens. O.P.I. nail polish is free of dangerous chemicals, yay, I love my purple and blue nail polish! The E.U., European Union, is very strict about carcinogens in the skin care and make products sold in E.U. countries. Buying from those countries, if the formulation hasn't changed for American export, is a better choice for us, which is my reason for buying Nuxe, a French product. I am really upset, really, when my female friends and relatives mention price when talking about skin care products and make-up. It's our health here, dear ones. Gradually replace your products with safe ones. You're worth it. Please! Do it! For those of you nearing your 40th birthday, get that first mammogram. For those of you who are pregnant and not considering breast feeding...re-think this decision. Breast feeding can lower your risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, not to mention the benefits to your child. Educate yourself, please. Vote for safer products in the market place with your purchases. Please share with me any other information you learn, a products you like, a site you found that is helpful, and so on. Please pass this information to other women. HUGS for all of you.