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18 Comments

  1. Thank you for this excellent post. I’m a health care practitioner and have had clients (and myself) with reactions to Myni cleaning products. It’s a Canadian company located in Quebec. I have asked 4 times for a list of ingredients for their scented household cleaner and have received nothing but a run around.
    What is the best question to ask to get exact ingredients? They have not yet pulled the “proprietary” card. I was thinking if asking for the Safety Data Sheet/ WHMIS.

    I would appreciate if you know anything about this company and/or reactions and a comment on the best way to get transparency (which they swear to you on the website) of course!

    Many thanks

    Moragh Lippert
    Reg. Holistic Nutritionist (CSSN)
    International Health Coach (IFM)

    1. Hello Moragh,

      Thank you for reaching out to I Read Labels For You and your kind feedback! We haven’t looked into Canadian companies. As for the best question to ask, we have asked manufacturers direct questions, such as “what are the ingredients of your fragrance?” It’s a good idea to ask for the SDS, too! Thank you for contacting the companies – the more of us do that, the sooner the market will become more transparent.

    2. I am a retired teacher and candle maker. I highly recommend asking for or researching the SDS for the fragrances in question. There are a few fragrance oil suppliers working with fragrance manufacturers to create synthethic fragrances that appear safer than essential oils according to the SDS. Reading the SDS of natural essential oils, one can find cautionary statements like cancer causing, reproductive toxicity, marine toxicity, fatal if inhaled or swallowed, etc. I believe this refers to the concentrated components. If they list the fragrances or essential oils used, you can look up the SDS on supplier websites.

  2. So much information Irina which we are grateful for especially on ‘shampoo bars’ which I am interested in. I am a senior and after so many years of colouring and perming etc. ruined my scalp and ultimately my hair that was thick and plenty.
    You start off by not wanting to show a few greys while working, (not wise) then the dry scalp which results in ‘dandruff’ then you search for a shampoo to combat that itchiness, which makes things worse. I have since tried ‘bar shampoo’ and had less dry scalp but to much built up as other ladies have mentioned on your site and would like to find one that would give us less built up if that is possible, I also used many shampoos not knowing which was good, better, best,
    I also believe that the quality of water has to do with ‘hair problems’. I live in Stratford ON and we have very bad water that comes from 200 yr old pipes they even produce some rust; we are entitled to quality water because we pay for it.
    All that said I believe a scalp that produces oil usually has a healthy head of hair and do agree that brushing helps. I have used the ‘vinegar’ rinse and I will add lemon to it this time but it seems that once my hair dries after 2-3 days its back to the dryness. A good bar shampoo would be helpful. Irina, S.O.S. (:

    I also used bad shampoos not knowing which was good, better, best,

    1. Hi, Tula! Thank you for sharing your hair journey with us! Before trying a soap-based shampoo bar, know that they do not work for everyone and be prepared that your hair may need to go through a period of adjustment. That said, here are some options that we consider safe: J.R. Liggett’s Original Formula Shampoo Bar (Body and Hair Products Section), Apple Valley Natural Soap Simply Shea Shampoo Bar, Apple Valley Natural Soap White China Silk Shampoo Bar, Ethique solid shampoo (Body and Hair section). We hope this helps!

  3. I am super sensitive to scents, even naturally derived ones. I just make my own now… you can pick out essential oils that you find pleasing and non-irritating from a health food store. Add a few drops to a carrier oil like argan oil, then rub it on your skin. (I’ve been using rose with argan oil). It’s such a relief for me to have found a way to customize the scent according my own sensitivities.

  4. I first noticed that certain oils gave me a burning sensation an there were in a person’s bag selling them . Since then I never fancied fragrance oils .
    As years passed my skin has become more sensitive to a lot of products containing fragrance, like detergents , body wash , hair also dish wash products .im still doing research to find a product that will not affect my skin

  5. Like Cindy above I’ve been wondering what I can use in place of perfume. I haven’t worn it in 4years, since I got pregnant with my 1st. I’ve tried making DIY essential oil perfume from Pinterest but never seem to get them right. Any tips or do you know of any company that makes only essential oil perfumes??

  6. This is so true. I bought some lotion from a local shop where everything is homemade with “natural” ingredients, but this was fragranced with fragrance oils rather than essential oils. This lotion was so potent as opposed to the essential oil fragranced products I usually use. Burned mine and my daughter’s noses and made our eyes water! Definitely not ok! I will only use product “fragranced” with pure EO’s.

  7. My boyfriend and I love fragrance, but being a naturalist, I know that colognes and parfumes usually are very toxic. Have you written on parfumes or other personal fragrance that is natural? I am interested in knowing where to purchase this, that I can trust as being natural product.