Progress Over Perfection: My Why

The day before a friend’s wedding I started to feel very flushed on my cheeks. It wasn’t because I was feeling hot or because I was laughing. It was a familiar feeling. A horrible one. My husband and I were hours away from home, traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when I said, ” You have to stop by the next gas station I’m having an allergic reaction.”

I cried, “Not again.”

I was afraid I was going to have an anaphylactic reaction where my throat would close and I couldn’t breathe. I took 50mg of Benadryl and prayed it would go away, but my anxiety took over. Alone, I spent the night before the wedding in the hotel room, crying and icing my ears. At that point my ears were burning so bad I wanted to RIP THEM OFF. I was alone and afraid, and I couldn’t believe it was happening again. Everyone was celebrating the upcoming wedding and I was suffering, praying to God, “Please, take this away from me.”

I went to the Emergency Room the next morning, because my face so swollen I could see my cheeks. {Health care providers are the worst patients, because we know what you are doing, or should be doing. We question before you act then we criticize after the act.} But I didn’t tell them I was a nurse. I told them “I think I’m allergic to the makeup I had on the day before. I need a steroid shot.” The last time I had the shot, the nurse administered it through an IV line in my arm. This time, it was either pills or an Intramuscular Injection. I‘ve tapered down prednisone pills before and I will never do that again unless I HAVE TO. The shot burned and I remember asking the nurse, “The burning will eventually stop, right?” I felt like a complete idiot asking that, because I’m a nurse I should know it. But my own health condition rid me of any medical knowledge I have ever acquired. She nodded and left my room. Again I was alone. I couldn’t blame myself. I couldn’t blame anyone, because allergic reactions happen with out warning. I hated the situation and I had to miss the wedding because of this. It was at this moment in my life, I never felt so out of control of my own health.

I’ve seen both a dermatologist and an allergist. My dermatologist jokingly said, “You’re probably allergic to nursing” and my allergist said, “Avoid anything you think will give you a reaction.” That’s when I thought, so I’m letting allergens win and I take the hit. He told me that recently he’s seen more hives cases and it’s difficult to say what causes them. I didn’t like that answer. I didn’t like how he told me to avoid hugging people because their perfume/cologne may cause a reaction. I needed to take control. I don’t want this to happen to me again. I would never want anyone to go through this. That’s when Beautycounter entered my life and I fell in love with their mission. My mission.

There are so many ingredients in the cosmetic industry that are not screened or tested for safety. Why? Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows companies to make their own judgements on safety. The last time a law was passed to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care was in 1938. That was 80 years ago. There are thousands of chemicals in the market. To give you some insight, Europe has banned over 1,300 chemicals. The United States has only PARTIALLY banned 30. Chemicals that are linked to allergies, asthma, cancer, and infertility. Beautycounter is taking a stand, because it is time to change. We deserve better and we are doing something about it. What I love about Beautycounter is that we are committed to health and safety, so we formulated The Never List. It is made up of 1,500 questionable or harmful chemicals, more than the U.S. standard, that we would never put in our products.

[line] Progress over Perfection[line]

I joined Beautycounter because I want to be a part of something that is bigger than myself. To be part of a movement that will change the way we see beauty products. To advocate for everyone because everyone deserves better. I can’t wait to look back into my life and say “I played a part in the Beauty Movement.” It is not just a women’s health issue, it’s an everybody issue because it affects everyone. It’s not about sales, it’s about spreading the word. I want everyone to know what’s going on. I don’t want anyone to go through the discomfort of hives, the THOUSANDS of dollars in medical visits only to tell me “I don’t know” or “avoid this” or “there’s not much to do but control with medication.” That’s not enough.

In a society where we use on average 10 products a day, we are introducing harmful chemicals in to our bodies everyday. We can change that, by becoming informed and taking charge of our own health.

Here’s the kicker: Trademark secrets are ludicrous. They should be transparent because we deserve to know what we put on our body. Fragrance is a “trademark secret” term that companies use to market their product which may contain dozens of undisclosed ingredients linked to dermatitis even reproductive disruption. Companies are not legally required to list the chemicals that compose their scents. It’s not surprising that “fragrance” is a top known allergen.

 

If I can educate someone on something they didn’t know and relay that information to someone else, then I’ve done my job. This isn’t easy, especially for me being an introvert, but it is well worth it.

We didn’t set out to sell shampoo, we set out to change the world – Gregg Renfew, Founder

[line] How Can You Become Involved?[line]

• Shop our collection: Protect you and your family from harmful ingredients.
• Host a Social : Gather your family and friends to try some products. Educate them on cleaner, better beauty.
• Become a Band of Beauty Member : Our Membership program, where you hear the news first and get product credit.
• Become a Consultant : Lead the change.

 

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I love being a part of this company. The best part is the community of women I met. We all encourage each other and celebrate each other’s wins. You can never lose. I’m happy every day I get to share my business with someone.

In the mean time, check our my personal website here and see if you would like to replace any of your skincare or beauty products. AND text “BetterBeauty” to 52886 to urge Congress to pass more health-protective personal care laws.