No Artificial Scents Please

Okay, I’m a bit of a stockpiler. I think I got that from my mom; when she drove me across the country to start university, she took me with a year’s supply of soap, toothpaste, etc. She didn’t want me to have to spend my limited money on necessities. She would send me care packages containing a kilogram of peanut butter and a cast iron frying pan (that must have cost a lot to mail!) Anyway, I like to stock up on things when they are on sale or being cleared out. Really, shopping wisely is another skill I learned from my mom; I don’t like to pay full price for anything. Since I suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, my stockpiling has gotten worse as I am not good with new products. I find what I like and am not allergic to and I stick with it.

de~luxe Rosemary Mint is my favourite brand of shampoo and conditioner. It used to be available at Costco in Canada; that’s where I first bought them and when they were clearing out and only the shampoo was left, I bought about 8 bottles of it. They lasted for quite some time but I did run out. Then I came across them at Haggen in Bellingham, Washington and was so happy I found a supply again. I stocked up but not with 8 bottles. I’m down to my last bottle of shampoo and no more conditioner and the last 2 times I went to Haggen, there was no sign of them and no spot for them on the shelf (not a good sign).

I added 2 bottles of the shampoo and 4 bottles of the conditioner to my shopping cart at drugstore.com; of course that would involve my having to go to the U.S. since they probably only ship within the U.S. so I abandoned my shopping cart (I do have a U.S. post office box but I’d rather buy in person or have stuff delivered to my home if possible). Then I left a message on the de~luxe website asking them where in Vancouver, BC or Bellingham, WA I could buy their shampoo and conditioner. I’m anxiously awaiting a reply.

UPDATE 11:15 am May 25, 2007:

No!!!!!! My worst nightmare has come true; the line has been discontinued. Here’s what I received from them:

Hi Stacie,

Thank you for your interest in our products. As of the 1st of the year we have discontinued the De~luxe spa line. We no longer have it in retail stores, it is now available online only. If you order it through our website www.truescents.com you will eventually be re-directed to drugstore.com. Once Drugstore.com sells out of our remaining products, we will not be manufacturing any more. The hair care program with did with Costco was a little over 2 years ago and we haven’t done it since.

Unless your place an order online, there isn’t a way to get the product internationally. Also, I’ve been told that drugstore is a real pain to place an international order with. You can always call them as well at 800-378-4786 and place an order over the phone.

Thank you

Man, did I have trouble finding sunscreen that I won’t react to. After no luck at all the different health food stores I tried near me for the right combination of 30+ SPF, no fragrance and no chemical sunscreens, I placed an order online from this site. It looks like it’s the sunscreen for me as it is fragrance-free and non-toxic. I cannot use chemical sunscreens and I cannot have synthetic fragrances either but just to be safe I do prefer fragrance-free since I have reacted to some natural fragrances (essential oils).

It looks like UV Natural is the safest choice for anyone really as the rest of the sunscreens out there are full of cancer-causing chemicals. It’s pricier than I’d like but this site had it cheaper than another Canadian site I found. Apparently the Washington state Whole Foods Market stores are going to start carrying the sunscreen starting June 7, 2007 so I’ll have to see if it’s cheaper there the next time I go to Seattle. I was using a titanium dioxide based sunscreen but came across some pretty disconcerting information on the potential of titanium dioxide changing your DNA…scary stuff!