Foreword

Have you ever wondered what's with all those long, mysterious-sounding chemicals in small print on the back of our products' packaging? Me, too.

Have you ever questioned how things are made? I was born with an ever-curious mind myself.

Have you ever inexplicably developed a rash after using the same product for years? I sure have.

Are you on a budget? I don't have a restricted budget per se, but saving money is a huge plus for me.

Have kids? I don't-- but maybe you do, and are concerned about the long-term health and welfare of your children.

This isn't yet another generic blog created by an offshore team putting up vague, ambiguous content, for the sake of generating network traffic to increase ad revenue. I'm personally embarking on a journey to try demystifying the hocus-pocus behind the products I've previously used, and begin embracing those who aren't hell-bent on dumping our planet with more chemicals with non-pronounceable names.

Over the years, I've been subjected to more and more information about the harm and danger which we've surrounded ourselves with going through the motions of our daily lives. Being alarmed by the amount of exposure to chemicals and toxicity around us, I decided to make drastic changes in my life in order to reduce such exposure.

This isn't a decision I just made last night. It's a process that's years in the making. Here's a general progression of what I've been doing to reduce toxic, and increase natural, exposure in my life:

1. Eliminate plastic items with BPA. I totally remember the day when I read the early scientific reports came out about how harmful BPA is. Despite hydration equipment being a necessity while trying to lead an active, healthy lifestyle with an exercise regimen, I remember clotheslining all of my free and expensive BPA bottles, including an old Nalgene one, into the trash with one fell swoop. I risked dehydration while awaiting the arrival of my 2 40-oz stainless steel bottles from Klean Kanteen.

2. HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) awareness.

3. Toxic chemicals in seafood.

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The first few articles of this journal will be personal extensions of the exhaustive effort that the Environment Working Group (www.ewg.org) spent to assemble their Skin Deep Database. They'll come in the form of personal reviews of natural or organic products I've ordered after reviewing EWG's Skin Deep database to substitute cosmetics I've previously owned.