Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Why Worry

I was asked yesterday why I am concerned about the law that CO is looking at passing. After all, I use all natural ingredients and stay clear of dangerous stuff, right? Well, yes, there are several concerns still.
  1. Who decides what is hazardous and what isn't? Is there a scientific research group that is in no way influenced by any lobby groups? How will we test to see if something is unsafe? What about products that are safe in small concentrations and diluted as we use them? The way this law is worded it does not set any standards for safe usage. It is simply a blanket ban, which is silly because water is deadly and we don't ban it.
  2. The enforcement of this law would be left up to citizens to bring it to the state's attention that a company is doing something they should not. However, there is no protection from businesses for false accusations or frivolous law suits. While a large corporation would look at the expense as an inconvenience, a small business would not be able to survive, even if they aren't fined. In the past, laws like this have let to a sort of bounty hunt against business and it bogged the legal system down with an excess of lawsuits that turned out to be groundless.
  3. I am concerned about the tactics used by the major campaign groups behind this law and the fact that the law is vague enough that they could end up being the deciding interest group. This group uses scare tactics, poor science, and false conclusions for their campaign. I have known many business owners that were once supporters that have withdrawn their support because of the shady practices. That is not the group I want making decisions on what is safe and what isn't. I want good solid scientific research to show me what is harmful to me. I don't want someone to scare me with falsehoods while the real threat sneaks up behind.
  4. I don't not see this as being beneficial to the industry as a whole. I believe that regulation is needed, but that those regulations should be written carefully and specifically. When a regulation is too vague, it leaves too much room for abuse and misuse.
These are my 4 main reasons. There are of course others, but I don't see the need to go in to everyone of them. Needless to say, I am concerned for the future of my business. I know what I produce is better for you than what you find on most shelves and my business practices are better for the environment than anything most major corporations do. However, this law does not discriminate between those of us honestly creating a good product from those creating a product for profit.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act

"THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (23) DECLARES IT TO BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE (24) TO TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS SOLD AND (25) USED IN THIS STATE ARE SAFE AND DO NOT CONTAIN SUBSTANCES THAT (26) CAUSE CANCER OR REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY." HOUSE BILL 10-1248

Wow, this sounds so great, right? We will protect every person in CO. However, this bill proposes a blanket ban on all ingredients determined to be "potential carcinogens." It does not give any information on who will determine what ingredients go on the list. It does not say how the ingredients will be chosen. Will they be determined based on a particular campaign or lobby group? Will decisions be based on reliable scientific data that has been tested multiple times and solid conclusions have been drawn? Why are we not setting safe usage standards instead of a blanket ban? Humans are not lab rats that we are directly injecting highly concentrated doses into, so why would are decisions be based on such studies.

I know, some will read this and think I'm overreacting. However, the reality is that this is meant to put some control on large corporations, but it does not distinguish between them and small business owners trying to create something better for customers. Did you know that some essential oils have a potential carcinogen present in minute quantities? The dosage is nowhere near high enough to be harmful (remember don't ingest essential oils), but there is no safe usage standard, it would ban ALL potentially harmful substances!

The risk for business owners is a $5,000-$10,000 fine. The state will rely on consumers to enforce this law. So, I could make sure that my products have NONE of the listed substances and still run the risk of a costly law suit. So what if it doesn't go through and I don't have to pay $10,000 for a fine. How much will I spend on legal fees to defend myself in the first place? Not to mention the lost time because I have to be in court.

There are many other reasons to be opposed to this bill, but I won't list them all. Instead, I would encourage all who are concerned about the potential loss of business or options that you have as a consumer, please check out the following blogs written by ladies much more articulate than myself. Essential U, Indie Business Blog, and finally The Soap Queen. All three are extremely well written and very informative, plus each looks at this bill from a different standpoint. Be sure to read the comments too. My favorite is that someone pointed out one of my favorite arguments; titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are used as sunscreen alternatives to chemicals such as oxybenzone, but they are considered "unsafe" too. So what should we do? Avoid all sunscreens and the sun altogether :) Love it!

If you would like to get involved, please contact CO representatives. You can find the phone number and email addresses of your Colorado State Representative here. The bill is sponsored in the house by Dianne Primavera phone # 303-866-4667 click here to email, Dennis Apuan phone # 303-866-3069 click here to email, Karen Middleton phone # 303-866-3911 click here to email, Joe Miklosi Cap phone # 303-866-2910 click here to email.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Small World

I received an email today from a friend of mine that recently moved from Colorado Springs to NM. While visiting her aunt there, she noticed some of my products on her aunt's counter. It turns out that her aunt had purchased some stuff last spring in Canon City. How exciting is that? My products have made it to New Mexico and her aunt was very excited to find out where to get from. That is really nice to hear. Someone likes your stuff enough that they want to make sure they can get some more of it rather than buying something else. Ego boost!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Been Missing In Action

I have NOT felt well over the last few days. It is nothing more than a combination of pregnancy and overworking myself, but that doesn't change how UNproductive I've been. I haven't been having morning sickness, I've been having afternoon or early evening sickness. I can't stand the smell of most things right now, so formulating has been especially difficult. I had read that at times you just feel exhausted and I really didn't think it could be that bad, but boy did I found out. I was cleaning the kitchen one afternoon and decided I just needed to sit for a moment. I was OUT and didn't wake up for 2 hours. It is crazy! So, if you know someone who is pregnant, cut them some slack, we really can't help it. But, I'm feeling better today and am getting some work done (finally) and will keep up with this better now.

In case you are wondering, I'm 11 weeks along and due Sept 10th.

Anybody want to make me feel better about how lazy and useless I've felt the last week?!!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Kissing Camels

Get ready for Valentine's Day. Find your camel to kiss!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Perfect Microwave Cleaner

The microwave at school was disgusting!!! I'm sure you understand. Everyone uses it and nobody is responsible for cleaning it. Plus, its a school, so we only have 25 minutes for lunch anyway. Well, I just couldn't take it anymore.

I've worked there since September and the same crusty substance has been on the bottom since then. Bowls stick to it. Quite disgusting really. So, I went up to the science store room, dug up some vinegar and a squirt bottle. I used a little vinegar and diluted it with water. I found a rag that I hope nobody misses and I went back down to the office. I squirt with my mixture and set myself to scrub.

Now, my microwave has never been that gross, so I really wasn't expecting it to be so easy. There was really no elbow grease required. I squirted and let it sit for a moment and then wiped. Most everything wiped off fairly easily. The crusty substance did require a bit more effort. So this is my conclusion, if this simple mixture works that well on a nasty school microwave, it will pretty much clean itself in your microwave. Unless, your microwave is that bad and I won't even judge you for that.

So, save yourself some money, time, and nasty smelling cleaners. Vinegar and water really does do the trick!

Monday, February 8, 2010

National Kite Flying Day

Today, February 8th is National Kite Flying Day. Does this seem odd to anyone else? I know that it is summer in the southern hemisphere; but as our nation is in the northern hemisphere, I'm a little confused.

Why in the world would we celebrate kite flying during a month that is pretty much cold for everyone? It is snowing today! We can't fly kites in this kind of weather. Even in the south it's still too cold to go hang out outside flying kites.

This is so wrong, I think we need to contact someone about this. Who do you contact to get a national holiday such as Kite Flying Day changed?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

First Friday Sale!!!

Today is Parent/Teacher conferences at school, which means I'm at school until 8:30 tonight. However, to make up for that, we are only here until 11 tomorrow for conferences. So, I really won't get much done tonight and it won't be a whole lot of fun. BUT....tomorrow is First Friday.

So, tomorrow (Feb 5, 2010) I will be at a vendor event at 14525 Sterling Rd, Colorado Springs, 80921 from 3-6pm. There will be several vendors available! So, if you need to do some Valentine's Day shopping or if you just want a little something for yourself, come out and join us.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Olive Oil

Olive oil is such an amazing and versatile oil. In addition to be great for you on the inside, it nourishes your outsides just as well. Olive oil is composed to fatty acids, vitamin e, and trace amounts of squalene. If you are looking to purchase olive oil, choose extra-virgin varieties; these have been processed the least.

Many natural skin products contain olive oil because it does so much for the skin (plus hair and nails). Olive oil is an excellent moisturizer and products containing olive oil help to nurture skin by balancing moisture, this oil is also good for people with oily skin. Olive oil absorbs into the skin to help nourish your skin below the surface. Those who suffer from eczema or psoriasis benefit from olive oil's therapeutic property; when my eczema flairs up, I just dab a bit on and it clears up quickly. Olive oil also makes a wonderful deep conditioning oil treatment for hair or nails.

If you are interested, try substituting olive oil for the following and see if you don't notice a difference:
  • Massage oil
  • Facial cleansing oil or makeup remover
  • After bath body oil
  • Bath oil
  • Cuticle oil treatment
  • Whatever else you could think to use it for!!!