Sadly, I had to quit using Pears as well when they changed their formulation to include a different type of fragrance because that also begain causing an allergic reaction on my skin.

So, I switched to Rocky Mountain Soap Company, a local store that makes soap so natural you could eat it in a moment of desperation. Same with all their lip glosses, lotions, body butters and even the shampoo and conditioner would probably not even give you a tummy ache. (Although I wouldn’t try it to find out.) In the two years that I’ve been using their products I haven’t had an allergy-related breakout once, although I haven’t been able to completely eradicate SLS/Fragrance/Parfum from my life due to my roommates using commercial products.

But hey, my back doesn’t look pearl-clutchingly bad anymore!

My brother and his wife are vegan, and all kinds of crunchy. I just worry about their two very small children, and getting enough of the nutrition required to grow healthy without meat, eggs, and dairy. I worry about B vitamins. I look at them, realize just how much trouble it is, and decide I’m much happier just ignoring it all.

But I am glad you included the link to article about flame retardants in your sofa. I have learned something from Arlene Blum about the behind-the-scenes lobbying, big money, etc., used to tilt regulations to favor the industry, not the public safety. It is very similar to what the tobacco companies did/do to promote sales even when research shows cancer risk.