I try to avoid them when I can. I imagine the controversy is not really publicized because of how prevalent they are in everything. I do believe that the high amounts of breast cancer, especially in young women, are partially linked to conventional deodorant usage. They have found parabens in breast cancer tumors but it's not an accepted definite link yet. It makes sense to me though and that's enough for me to change my habits. No need to feel dumb. You can't change what you've used in the past but you can change what you do now, and in the future. The problem is that many people care more about vanity than health so it's difficult to avoid completely because parabens and other nasties are in everything. I just go for natural as much as I can - coconut oil for moisturizer, baking soda for deodorant, paraben and sulfate-free shampoos. You also have to watch the labels because some products will claim to be paraben or sulfate free but if you look at the ingredients, it will contain some derivative of the bad stuff.

Oh my goodness - you have NO idea how worried I am. But not just about those. Mercury. Fluoride. Aluminum. Dyes. HEK293. Sodium Laurel Sulfate. Benzene. Fragrance. Anything that begins with "natural." I have been totally organic since 2005 and gluten free since 2010. I do NOT use the large corporations items. They are well aware of what causes tumors and illness in their products and so does the FDA. (Just a note of info - 40% of the FDA's budget is supported by the huge corporations that make all those meds the commercials tell you that you need for life. Do you really think the FDA will find anything wrong with them until it is too late? Don't fool yourself). You are on your own to do the research and decide for yourself whether you want to put yourself in jeopardy or your family. Support small businesses for they depend on your trust. The larger companies no longer care for they own the politicians and can get away with quite alot. Science testing is done by the very company that produces these harmful things - and the results are ALWAYS favorable - if not questionable. Never done independently. While your at it, check the chemicals added to your processed foods. Genetically modified items are bad. Our government is allowing due to lots of FUNDING dollars. In pet foods. VACCINES. Medicines. Generally recognized as safe doesn't mean that after five years of it's use/ingestion - tumors won't begin to show. Stay healthy. Read the ingredients. Look them up. Find out how many factory made chemicals you actually put on and IN your body. And you wonder why things go wrong?

I will tell you what I have been using for years that does wonders for my skin especially my arms which tend to dry out the worst. I use a product called body silk that is made by hand each bottle individually custom ordered, the only place to buy it is Maggie's Pharm located in Overton Square in Memphis, TN. I started going to Maggie's when I lived in Memphis and went to med school there and worked in the medical center. Some of the people I worked with introduced me to Beaver/Maggie. She is awesome. I fell in love with the body silk. You get out of the shower and put it on while still dripping wet, it seals in the moisture. It can be scented with a long list of essential oils or left neutral. My favorite of her essential oils is China rain and China musk in the barely there scent, it's so barely there I have to sniff the bottle to make sure I don't have the neutral. I like the little scent when I go to bed or am at home. My daughter in law, who still lives near Memphis, goes by Maggie's and stocks up on my "stuff" and gives me a gift basket for Christmas. That's one of my favorite things! There is a website, I don't know if you can still order online but you can call and order, and the website lists the scents and products she carries. I don't know how many people I have turned on to the body silk and Maggie's over the years but it's been a lot. This works out well for me and doesn't mess with the drain. Here is a link that might be useful: Maggiespharm

Back in 2012 If I had known that Annie L. McDowell rose with tiny leaves prefer loamy soil and acidic rain, I would not have given that to my sister in alkaline clay & less rain Southern CA. It died on her quickly. Re-post the tips that I gave to Lavenderlace in 2015: " Evelyn with large & dark green & glossy foliage blooms great with my alkaline soil & water for the past 6 years as own-root. Received 8 roses today 6/15 from Roses Unlimited Summer sale: Madame Earnest Calvat (pale & large leaves), James Galway (pale & large leaves), The Dark Lady (small leaves, medium-green), The Squire (large & DARK GREEN leaves), Marie Daly (PALE tiny leaves), Anna's promise (medium-green & large & glossy leaves), Twilight Zone (almost thornless, medium-green, large & thick leaves), Sutter's Gold (very large, glossy leaves). Marie Daly and the Dark Lady both have small & pale leaves, which means I have to make my soil loamy & fast-draining. Marie Daly is an Earthkind & drought-tolerant rose and The Dark Lady has Rugosa heritage. My code for OWN-ROOT roses in regard to leaves: PALE leaves prefer acidic rain. DARK-GREEN prefer heavy/alkaline clay. GLOSSY: best in partial shade & need constant water & best with alkaline minerals. TINY leaves prefer loamy and fluffy soil. Large leaves = vigorous & big root. THICK leaves = heat tolerant. SOLUTION: the pale leaves with zero blooms need added sulfate of potash & gypsum to fix alkaline tap water, or else tons of acidic rain. Tiny leaves is best in loamy/sandy soil. The large leaves also have large & chunky roots that can go through heavy & dense alkaline clay. But the tiny leaves have more cluster & shallow roots that prefer loamy & fluffy soil. The dark-green leaves The Squire likes alkaline soil & alkaline tap-water.