MCS Info Less Toxic Living
Safer Products for Home and Personal Care: Personal Care

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), is a medical condition which involves damage to one's immune and nervous

systems. When people with MCS are exposed to many substances, including common personal care products, their

responses vary from mild irritation to life-threatening reactions. What may appear to be a mild fragrance or chemical

odor to you can be excruciatingly toxic to someone with MCS. For example, cigarette smoke or perfume on your

clothes, hair, or body can cause disorientation, heart palpitations, muscle weakness, mental confusion, migraine,

nausea, asthma, itching, seizures, etc. which may last for minutes to days.

Many personal care products in use signifrcantly limit chemically sensitive persons' access to the world. Although

persons with MCS often react adversely to chemicals in even "odorless" personal care items, unscented products are

preferable to scented ones. Scented products include perfumes/colognes/af~er-shave and essential/natural oils,laundry

detergent, skin lotion, shampoo, hair conditioners, hair mousse, fabric softeners and anti-cling preparations (e.g.,

"Bounce"), cosmetics, soap, deodorant, suntan lotion, analgesic cream (e.g., tiger balm) and chewing gum.

You can help persons with MCS and the health ofthe Earth by using non-toxic unscented biodegradable products.

Individual sensitivities, however, vary, so it is best to ask your chemically sensitive friends which products are safe for

them. The products listed below with asterisks are usually tolerable for people with MCS to use, the others are often

good to use so that those with MCS can be around you.

You may not be able to make all of these changes but at a bare minimum, please refrain from wearing perfumes and

essential oils, scented body lotions, hair mousse, scented hair products, and clothes laundered with scented laundry

products, fabric softeners and dryer strips. Note that your hair and clothes may take numerous washings in safe

products to remove fragrance and chemical residues. Also, many products advertised as unscented do contain

"fragrance," so read labels carefuily.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT

*Granny's Old Fashioned Concentrate (natural food stores)

*Oasis liquid (natural food stores)

*Earth Rite (natural food stores)

*Planet (grocery stores or natural food stores)

*Country Safe Unscented (natural food stores)

*Borax (grocery stores)

*Baking Soda

*Seventh Generation (natural food stores)

Cheer perfUme and dye free

Other perfume and dye free products

SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONERS

*Infinity Chamomile shampoo (not the cream rinse or Rosemary shampoo) (natural food stores)

*Earth Science Pure Essential Fragrance Free Shampoo & Conditioner (natural food stores)

*Magik Botanical Fragrance Free Shampoo n' Oil Free Conditioner (natural food stores)

*Real Purity Hypoallergenic Hair Repair Shampoo (no preservatives or unnatural additives)

(Real Purity mail order 800-253-1694)

*Granny's Soft and Silky conditioner (NEEDS mail order, see below, some natural food stores)

*Granny's Rich and Radiant Shampoo (NEEDS mail order, some natural food store)

*NEEDS Concentrate Shampoo (NEEDS mail order)

*Body Shop Unscented Shampoo (the Body Shop)

*All Ways Natural Indian Hemp shampoo (natural food stores)

*Real Aloe Vera Shampoo - Unscented (natural food stores)

Almay (drug stores)

Clinique unscented (department stores)

LOTIONS

*Magik Fragrance Free Moisturizer (natural food stores)

* Natures Gate Herbal Fragrance-Free Moisturizing lotion (natural food stores)

*Kiss my Face Olive & Aloe Fragrance-Free Moisturizer (natural food stores)

*ALBA Botanica Very Emoilient Body Lotion Unscented (natural food stores)

*Granny's Moisture Guard (natural food stores and NEEDS mail order)

*Simple Moisturizer (NEEDS mail order)

*Nature's Plus Vitamin E Cream (natural food stores)

*Jason Natural Cosmetics Nutra Botanical,Vitamin A,C & E Natural Hand & Body Lotion Fragrance-Free (natural

food stores)

Almay (drug stores)

Clinique unscented (department stores)

SOAPS (no deodorant soaps)

*The Chefs Soap (NEEDS mail order and some natural food stores)

*Sappo Hill all vegetable oil glycerin cream soap - natural (natural food stores)

*Save the Whales Glycerin Soap unscented (natural food stores)

*Dr. Bronner's Baby Castile, liquid or bar, or Dr. Bronner's Almond (natural food stores)

*Sirena Coconut Soap (natural food stores)

*Simple Soap (NEEDS mail order)

*Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap unscented (a slight scent) (natural food stores)

*The Body Shop Pure Castile Soap

Conti Castile Soap (drug stores)

Clinique unscented (department stores)

Ivory Soap unscented

Neutragena unscented

DEODORANTS

*Natural Le Stick French Green Clay unscented deodorant (natural food stores)

*Earth Science Liken Natural Unscented Herbal deodorant (natural food stores)

*Le Crystal mineral salt (natural food store)

*Nature de France unscented (natural food stores)

*Baking Soda

Almay (drug stores)

SUNTAN LOTIONS

*Mountain Ocean Sun screen - SPF #8 and #15 (natural food stores)

Rainbow Aloe Paba Sunscreen (natural food stores)

Physicians Formula (drug stores)

HAIR MOUSSE

*Beauty without Cruelty Volume Plus Spray Gel (natural food stores)

*Real Purity Hair Gel (mail order)

*Aloe Vera Gel (natural food stores)

*Egg Whites

Aubrey 5B (many can tolerate it) (natural food stores)

COSMETICS

Almay (drug stores)

Clinique (department stores)

The Following Products are NEVER Environmentally Safe:

Commercial hair-styling products like gels, mousse, processing chemicals (e.g., permanents), most hairsprays, chemical insect repellents, clothes stored near mothballs, anything in an aerosol dispenser, freshly dry cleaned clothes; and clothes dried in anti-cling preparations.(e.g.,"Bounce.")

NEEDS 1-800-634-1380 is a mail order company that provides many environmentally safe products.

Safer Products for Home and Personal Care: Safer Home Products: Alternative Pest Control Products and Methods

Pest	Usual Toxic Chemical Agents	Less Toxic Alternatives
Ants and Roaches	Organophosphate, carbamate, and pyrethroid pesticides	Boric acid bait Caulk cracks, Repair water leaks
Spiders		Insecticidal soap
Flies		Trap with Bait food
Silverfish		Dessicating agents like diatomaceous earth and silica gel
Fleas		Juvenile hormone spray (impedes maturation)
Termites	Organophosphate, and pyrethroid pesticides	Termite baits
Weeds	Chemical Herbicides	Pull and mow weeds; organic herbicidal mulches

NOTE:
Integrated Pest Management programs are comprehensive pest management plans that emphasize prevention and monitoring as well as the use of less-toxic perst control products and methods.