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All-natural products (1 Viewer)

SarahG

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What do you all know about all-natural products? I'm thinking about going to more of these types of products for skin care, toothpast, etc. Just for a change really. Does anybody use these products? Stuff like Burt's Bees or any other products on the market?
 

Jay H

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I've tried an all natural toothpaste, I think it was called Tom's or so, but it's really strong and doesn't have any sugar or that much things added for taste like the regular major brands so it comes out strong. It also I think has baking soda in it. Might want to buy a small sample of it to see if it's agreeable. As I've only tried it once, I have no idea how effective it is, but if it's got flouride as an active ingrediant, it can't be too different, I figure much of the differences in the brands of toothpastes is flavor, breathmint stuff and marketing.

Jay
 

SarahG

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I've seen Tom's in the stores I think. Never tried it though. I may test some out just to see how I like some of them. I know Burt's Bees offers little variety bags that included about 10 different products. I can pick one of those up for fairly cheap and see how I like it.
 

Drew Bethel

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We use natural products for my 15 month old daughter. Mostly Burts Bees stuff like soap, lotions, shampoo, conditioner and others. We also use a non-fluoride toothpaste for her as well. We like the results and feel good about our decision.
 

Mort Corey

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Read the labels too...."all natural" came mean most anything. I occasionally drink a nice glass of single malt scotch because it's all natural. ;)

Mort
 

SarahG

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I'm going to try that variety bag that includes all this stuff and see how I like it. The only product I've really tried of theirs is the lip balm, which I liked.

Which products does your daughter like the most?
 

Drew Bethel

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Oh yeah, we also have the lip balm...it's awesome! My daughter's only 15 months old (see edit) so she doesn't have much of an opinion...yet! :D
 

Chris Lockwood

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In many places they put flouride in the water, so people get way more than they need.

I didn't know toothpaste had sugar in it. That seems counterproductive.
 

DaveF

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What is an "unnatural" product? All things are made of "natural" atoms. Maybe it's like the non-organic food I eat, which has no carbon...

Harumph! Lousy marketing terms. ;)
 

Philip Hamm

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There's great commentary in the book "Fast Food Nation" (recommended reading for all Americans - along with "Suburban Nation") about "Natural" products.
 

Joseph DeMartino

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The following are "all natural"

Snake Venom
Uranium
Arsenic
Bubonic Plague

"All natural" is one of the greatest scams going. Along with the "man-made chemical" scam. (Hint: Except for some transuranic elements created briefly in laboratories, there are no "man made chemicals".)

As for dangerous effects - any forensic chemist will tell you, "The dose makes the poison." Anything is poisonous in high enough concentrations, and many things will induce cancer in genetically pure lab rats if you make them eat three times their own body weight of the stuff twice a week. The same materiral in trace amounts in foods humans eat once a month won't do anyone any harm.

But, hey, if it makes you feel better to spend four times as much for an "all natural" product that may contain natural poisons that "processed foods" are processed precisely to remove, knock yourself out.

Regards,

Joe
 

Jeff Gatie

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You know when fluoridation first began? Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
- General Jack D. Ripper
 

Scott Dautel

Second Unit
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Wow ... this is my biz ... really!

Before a recent change, my title was Personal Care Marketing Manager for an major ingredient supplier to the industry. Our biggest sectors are toothpaste, hair care and body wash. Companies like Burt's Bees, Toms of Maine & Aveda (division of Estee Lauder, FWIW) were among our customers.

Bottom line ... though the above 3 companies take their claims very seriously, their products are not that different from those of the multinational PC mfrs. like P&G, Colgate, J&J, L'Oreal, etc. As alluded to above, The "all natural" mfrs succeed due to "feel-good" marketing. In exchange for a higher price, the consumer enjoys the idea that all ingredients are "natural botanical extracts", etc.

I'll just say that if you want to get dirt and oil off your skin/hair, it's going to require a surfactant. Most of the commodity surfactants (sodium laurel sulfate, cocoamidopropyl betaine, cocoamide MEA,, etc.) come from tropical extracts (i.e: coconut oil). production of the actual surfactants is a chemical process performed in a reactor with petrochemical reagents like ethylene oxide. BTW ... Toothpase typically does not use sugar ... instead, most use sodium saccharine (yup, remember cancerous lab rats) at approx 0.2% as the sweetener.

My company makes thickeners "derived from natural cellulose". virtually ALL toothpaste uses sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the primary thickener. This is a food ingredient (check your ice cream labels), has been for 60 years, and is perfectly safe. The FDA name is "cellulose gum". Sounds better, no. You get the idea.

I say if you want the "feel-safe" mentality, stick with Ivory soap and J&J baby shampoo, but by all means, watch out for dihydrogen monoxide on the labels.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Notice he said nothing about flouride, hmmmm? I'm with Gen. Ripper, this guy's a commie pinko like all the other marketing people.;)
 

RobertR

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I agree with the comments from Joe and Scott. "Naturalness" is way overrated. Our "natural" state is hairy, unbathed, dirty teeth, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and naked. Who clamors for all that?
 

SarahG

Second Unit
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Jun 6, 2003
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...but is it true that some of the products that claim to be all-natural may, in fact, contain more natural ingredients than many other products on the market? My perception of all-natural may be skewed, but I guess it comes down to a matter of what products people prefer over others. The feel, smell, and preference of certain "all-natural" products are different than other products that do not claim to be all natural. I have noticed that. Some people react to ingredients in those products favorably and some don't.

I'm at least going to try some of the Burt's stuff to see how I like it. I'll take a look at the ingredients when I get them.
 

Scott Dautel

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please dont take this negatively ... but you "really WANT to believe in this stuff", dont ya?
That's all they need ....

It's perfectly OK ... I sometimes buy "Fiji" water because I like the bottles.
 

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