Has anyone noticed that only the generic sodas use Splenda? And that the difference between Splenda and Aspartame is huge?
I say this as I drink a diet soda flavored with Splenda.
But diet soda creeps me out in some way. It's got flavor, but no calories. How is that POSSIBLE? Is there a negate-effect somewhere, so that every Diet Pepsi we drink, a star winks out of existence?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Wait. What's the difference?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Splenda tasts a lot like sugar flavored soda...it has the sweetness and not the bitterness that aspartame has.
Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
Drink regular. Problem solved.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
But what's it made out of?
Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
Death to diet sodas!
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
Aspartame sounds like an amino acid. Why would anyone drink an amino acid? Splenda sounds better, but it's more something a metrosexual would drink...
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
That's part of why I gained so much weight! Switching to diet started my downward trend.
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
I hate how people have been calling Splenda "the healthy alternative" or crap like that. It's not healthy; we just don't know what it does yet.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Splenda is sucralose -- "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar!"
Aspartame is the generic name for Nutrasweet. Nasty aftertaste.
Hansen's uses Splenda in its diet drinks. Hansen's good. Mmmm.
--Pop
Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
I love pH.
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
Is Splenda in Fresca?
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
It's simple, pH, Splenda is packaged in yellow and Aspartame is packaged in blue.
*grin*
I think that Splenda's supposed to be made from natural ingredients. It tastes nasty to me, but to each her own. I like aspartame (equal, natrasweet) because it dissolves better than sugar in iced tea and doesn't have an aftertaste (to me--qualifier alert!) like sugar does.
I prefer using generic/offbrand aspartame because it is cheaper than Equal(tm) and tastes the same.
(edited to mutter about people who reply faster than I *mutter*mutter*)
[ December 28, 2003, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: jexx ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
That's what creeps me out...we don't know what any of the artificial sweeteners DO to us.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I'm telling you. For every aspartame flavored diet soda we consume, there's a star winking out somewhere in the universe and the people warmed by that star are cursing our aspartame drinking ways.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I am loved! Hooray!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
*tackle hugs pH*
I meant to do that when I saw you were back on the board. Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
Well, we have a pretty good idea that nutrasweet does something bad to us. I know I, for one, get headaches from it.
[ December 28, 2003, 12:28 AM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Doesn't it cause cancer in lab animals?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I think that's, uh...what's it called.....
Saccarine.
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
I think all the cigarettes those lab technicians smoke give the lab animals cancer...
Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
Look at my post count!
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Aspartame apparently also has the added side-benefit (sarcasm) that it slows one's metabolism down. Thus, if one drinks Nutrasweetened diet drinks at one's meals, it can result in weight gain rather than loss. Cool, eh?
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
I wouldn't doubt it. That's why I only have the fattening sodas. I figure dying of a high cholesterol is probably about as bad as dying of cancer, and normal sugar tastes better, anyway.
I will use honey on things like my cereal, though.
[ December 28, 2003, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Holy Hell, Batman! Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
what if artificial sweetener is really made out of little tiny sugar people and the cancer is their way of getting back at us?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
*stares at Moose, terrified. Swears off soda*
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I thought weight loss was a caloric math game?
If anyone would know this, it's you, Moose Man. Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
quote:what if artificial sweetener is really made out of little tiny sugar people and the cancer is their way of getting back at us?
Or what if cancer is actually the sugar people's fountain of youth and they think they're helping us by giving it to us?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
We could be winking out the tiny little sugar people's STARS! Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
I had a friend whose mother went crazy because she had too much Nutrasweet (aspartame) in her system.
Of course, she drank 24 diet pepsis a day.
Moderation, my friends, moderation in all things.
My friend's mother had to switch to *shudder* Tab. I think that is sweetened with saccharine. I use the word 'sweetened' to mean 'not sweetened in any way conceivable', of course.
She is still crazy.
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
mack: What does this have to do with stars? Please elaborate. Take a couple of posts if you have to.
[ December 28, 2003, 12:35 AM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
I have heard that aspartame is fairly addictive, but this is hearsay and I have not read any reputable documents confirming such. All the same, I would not use it.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Oh, if that scares you, you should know soy protein isolate also slows the metabolism. It depresses the thyroid. So all those energy bars...
Splenda is sugar bound with chlorine, so it can't be absorbed.
Aspartame is a synthetic amino.
All sweet things make you want more sweets, even if they don't raise insulin. They can make you hungrier. Unless you are one of those people who easily transmutes sweet stimulus into fantasies about Viggo Mortenson.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Moose man done gained back over half of the weight he lost when he was on a strict Atkins diet, so maybe Moose don't know so much.
I used to say that saccharine caused cancer, aspartame caused brain damage, and sugar caused fat, and I choose fat. But so far, sucralose doesn't seem to cause anything except sweetness, so I'm ok with Diet Hansen's, because fat ain't all that pleasant, either. And once I'm out of stocking candy, I'm gonna Atkins it again. Exactly what I'm not supposed to do, I realize, but until I get a job, I can't afford to buy larger size pants.
Oaxaca, but that got off-topic....
--Pop
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Goat, mack is just suffering from motion sickness.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Just remember to keep chocolate in your diet (the real stuff, as lightly sweetened as you can tolerate with enjoyment).
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Honey is NO heathier than sugar, btw. It's a popular myth, but it just ain't so.
i drink water milk ice tea and sometimes egg nog
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
quote: Honey is NO heathier than sugar, btw. It's a popular myth, but it just ain't so.
I know, but it's more natural. I get my honey from a special honey dealer place, not from the store. And, besides, I think honey tastes better; it's just not as...what's the word...as sugar.
[ December 28, 2003, 01:44 AM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Sorry, it's the "former science teacher" thing striking again.
I prefer the taste of honey too. I'm just used to students who are convinced that honey (or fructose, or some other alternative for white sugar that still IS sugar) is significantly more healthy.
But I'm with you on the taste! I use honey in my tea, in whole wheat bread, and lots of other stuff.
Posted by MoonRabbit (Member # 3652) on :
Swish a berry in your mouth, and anything sour you eat for about a half an hour tastes sweet. It's a long-chain protein that attaches to taste buds and activates the sweet sensors when something acidic touches it. I've given people straight lemon juice and they thought it was lemonade.
Not used in the U.S., but popular in Japan. Non nutritive and no funny taste.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Splenda is a structural isomer of regular sugar (three hydrogen/carbon groups are switched) that cannot be metabolized by the human body. Our enzymes don't fit it, so it passes through unmetabolized.
FDA-approved since 1999. Long-term studies still pending.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Oh, it's an L-sugar? I didn't realize that! Cool.
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
Sorry I got here late. CT is exactly correct, and I would be surprised that Splenda could have many long-term health concerns considering its chemistry.
Nutrasweet on the other hand frightens me. I lecture my wife about intake and will not let my children drink Nutrasweet containing products.
Interesting facts:
Coca-Cola petitioned the FDA to not let aspartame become approved because its own in-house data was alarming. This was done very quietly, but some references can be found on the web if you search.
Aspartame is metabolized with methanol or "wood alcohol" as a by-product. This in itself is not dangerous in lower amounts. Certain fruits have the same catabolism pathway. But for the aunties that drink a case of Diet Pepsi a day, the consequences can be very debilitating.
I recommend that no one drink Nutrasweet products, and if you feel compelled to anyway, to limit your intake to one serving per day.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Wait, what were the results? What does it cause?
*eyes her sugarfree Redbull* Traitor!
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
One of my favorite conspiracy posts about aspartame:
This is another HIGHLY INFORMATIVE conspiracy posts on an artificial sweetener called Stevia. It is not FDA approved, and for good reason. It would cause the Nutrasweet market to end up like the saccharin market, and we as Americans are SUPPOSED to worship the dollar.
Most toxic levels of aspartame mimic the broad-rangings symptoms of Lupus. Often, initial diagnoses of Lupus are ruled out by lab testing and analysis, and later the problem is found out to be excessive aspartame consumption.
Lupus is a disease that affects the immune system. We can think of the immune system as an army within the body with hundreds of defenders (known as antibodies). They defend the body from attack by germs and viruses. In lupus, however, the immune system becomes overactive and creates antibodies that attack healthy tissues in the body, such as: the skin, kidneys, lungs, heart and brain. This attack induces inflammation, causing redness, pain, and swelling.
More people have lupus than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia and cystic fibrosis combined. The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that between 1,400,000 and 2,000,000 people reported to have been diagnosed with lupus. For most people lupus is a mild disease. For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems.
Definition taken from The Lupus Foundation of Greater Washington
[ December 28, 2003, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: Alucard... ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*pouts* I already linked that article. It was the "really worry" one. Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
Sorry Rivka, I read your post but skipped the links. You can have the credit on that one! Aside from the entire art. sweetener debate, I just LOVE the nexusmagazine website. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Yeah, it does look pretty cool. I bookmarked it. Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Alucard, rivka, CT, or anyone else, is there any evidence to support the claim I have heard that aspartame is addictive?
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
There is no evidence to support either physical or psychological addiction to aspartame. Keep in mind that there is a HUGE difference between the 2 types of addictions, and given the chemistry of aspartame, psychological addiction could be ruled out with relative certainty.
Physical addiction is another matter. Sadly, the proponents of apartame marketability will never stand for such a study to implicate their product as harmful. I'm afraid we are stuck with it for now.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
*scratches head*
I drink 2-3 12 oz diet sodas a day. Is that really bad? Or am I okay? o_O
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Thanks. I was really more concerned with physical addiction, but even knowing that we do not know is better than my previous state of knowledge.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Looks vaguely possible, but current research is insufficient to prove the case. Notice the anecdotal nature of almost all the claims. Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Thanks a lot. I asked because I have an acquaintance who says that he drinks Diet Coke because he is addicted to aspartame, and while my mother would deny such an accusation, she uses enough to make me wonder. At this point, even anecdotal evidence is better than nothing for me.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Could he be addicted to the caffeine?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Habit is a powerful motivator. And being USED TO (or habituated to, if you prefer) drinking or eating something can resemble addiction.
In either case, one of the best ways to break the habit (or addiction, if it actually is one) is to replace it with something else.
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
mackillian - Possibly, but I have heard that he takes some form of amphetamine, so there is no particular reason not to just take more amphetamine (or regular Coca-Cola, which incidentally I asked him why he did not use that).
rivka - I wish I could, but she does not particularly like alcohol, and to my knowledge does not consciously (sp?) use drugs anymore, if indeed she ever has. Otherwise I would make my best effort to have her use cannabis, but I believe she thinks it is wrong. As far as non-(directly)chemical means, she is (and we are) already strong Christians, so religion is out. As for hobbies, if I find one, I will certainly try it, but I doubt it. The only method that I believe has a chance of working is telling her that it is wrong to use aspartame, but that is the least reliable method in my experience.
If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate being informed.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
O_O
I was suggesting some other type of drink -- perhaps some type of fruit juice, or bottled water (flavored, maybe?) or even sugar-sweetened soda -- NOT alcohol (which, while I do occasionally imbibe, I suspect is far more dangerous than aspartame) and certainly not drugs!
Sheesh! Substituting drugs for aspartame strikes me as a particularly poor idea! Aspartame MAY cause some problems, but (with the exception of for phenylketonurics) there is no proven link. But illegal drugs are PROVEN to be harmful. Yes, even cannabis.
Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Cannabis, harmful? Please tell me where. While I certainly am willing to believe that cannabis is harmful, I have not found an unbiased study saying so, because to my knowledge there are no unbiased studies. (An unbiased study would not be funded by any government (or government funded) organization, nor would it be funded by a pro-cannabis organization, such as (although not limited to) NORML). I am certainly willing to believe that an equivalent amount of alcohol is more harmful ::EDIT:: than aspartame, not cannabis/THC ::/EDIT::, but I honestly have not seen any respectable studies claiming the same for cannabis. This is not to say that I am claiming that cannabis is harmless. It is just that I have not seen any study that I can respect that proves/suggests such. Also, while I cannot recall of the top of my head any studies that suggest cannabis is more harmful than aspartame, I cannot recall any to the contrary either. Any supporting either assertation would be greatly appreciated.
That said, to my knowledge alcohol is far less harmful than marijuana and most hallucinogens, but that point is not to be taken as an endorsement of those. I mean it as a condemnation of alcohol. To make the same point but in a more specific manner, caffeine is at least as addictive as cocaine, and has similar effects in high enough dosages, but I believe that caffeine is worse than most people think, and that cocaine is in general about as bad as the government portrays it.
More to the point of this thread, are there any ways that reliably convince people who use aspartame to cease (or at least cut back) usage?
[ December 28, 2003, 05:37 PM: Message edited by: Danzig ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Caffeine is a stimulant, but requires great amounts to really have a stimulant effect like an amphetamine.
Danzig, is it a LEGAL amphetamine or illegal?
And cannabis impairs judgement just as alcohol does. Both kill brain cells. The judgement piece can kill both the user and other people. I witness a car accident yesterday morning cause by a male driving under the influence of cannabis.
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
OK, First of all, Rivka:
The link you have of David Icke that he believes aspartame is addictive: He also believes that the Bush family and most of the powerful elite of planet Earth are shape-shifting reptilian aliens that feast on babies. I have read David Icke and I own some books of his, I am ashamed to say. He is one of the most entertaining readers I have read because he can find conspiriacy in everything, and I believe he can offend anyone. He is definitely on the fringe of belief for the casual reader of conspiracy theory literature. Interestingly though, I had a fellow colleuge spend actual hard-earned cash and found over a long series of inquiries and research that David Icke may be right on a lot of his theories. If so, God help us all!
Mack, if you limit your diet pop intake to 2-3 cans and you feel fine, you should be fine. I am worried what 5,10 or even 20 years of aspartame intake may do though. It would be better and prudent to drink less. But this is like the pot calling the kettle black. I drink 2-3 cans of Mt Dew per day (not diet though).
Danzig, please do not turn this thread into a question of illicit drugs and their ability to do harm. The FIRST rule of pharmacology is:
Every drug is a poison. Too much kills. Not enough is sub-therapeutic. The optimal range of a drug to produce its DESIRED effect is called the therapeutic window.
Cannabis in a therapeutic sense can stimulate appetite in patients whose appetite is diminished. However, if you are smoking pot to obtain your cannabis, pot has 6 times the tar of tobacco. Cannabis may not kill you, but lung cancer just might.
Period. Tag youre it. No tap backs.
As was stated earlier, moderation is the prudent thing to consider with aspartame, as it is with almost any substance.
[ December 28, 2003, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Alucard... ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I've noticed that all the Splenda flavored drinks are caffeine free. If someone can find a splenda soda with caffeine, I will switch. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*laughs*
Drat, I thought I omitted all the obvious lunatic-fringe anti-aspartame sites. I skipped a few that were more blatantly "out there." I'll remember his name next time, I expect.
Although that Nexus magazine you recommended seems to be convinced aliens visit Earth on a regular basis, too.
*jumps at noise behind her*
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Make sure to wear your tinfoil hat. Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I loves me my pharmacist.
Alucard rocks.
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
Hi, I want to be educated! I just got into O-Chem and I have some chemistry questions.
quote:Alucard wrote: Sorry I got here late. CT is exactly correct, and I would be surprised that Splenda could have many long-term health concerns considering its chemistry.
I don't understand this. Didn't Thalidomide cause birth defects because half of the product was one enantiomer, and the other half was another enantiomer(i.e. it was a racemic mixture)? They had the same chemical formula, with atoms in the same sequence, but only one enantiomer caused the birth defect. Without experimental data concerning aspartame's reaction with chemicals in the body, I think it would be tough to determine long-term health care effects given the number of chemicals a person ingests and produces over a long time. So how can you determine the probability of long-term health concerns just from the chemistry of the molecule itself?
quote:Alucard wrote: There is no evidence to support either physical or psychological addiction to aspartame. Keep in mind that there is a HUGE difference between the 2 types of addictions, and given the chemistry of aspartame, psychological addiction could be ruled out with relative certainty.
I don't really understand what the chemistry of the substance has to do with psychological addiction. I thought you could be psychologically addicted to gambling or other habits without any chemical interaction other than what's already in the brain. Can't someone be psychologically addicted to the taste of aspartame without there being a chemistry related (and thus I assume physical) addiction?
quote:Danzig wrote: That said, to my knowledge alcohol is far less harmful than marijuana and most hallucinogens, but that point is not to be taken as an endorsement of those. I mean it as a condemnation of alcohol.
I don't know if you meant just chemically to the body or in general. In general, more US deaths are related to alcohol than either marijuana or any other drug. More than all other drug related deaths combined. This is probably mostly due to drunk driving, liver failure and accidents. You prolly meant that if you locked a person in a room after giving them a substance, then alcohol would be a less dangerous substance, per weight, than either marijuana or most hallucinogens.
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Uhh, first of all this really is an acquaintance, not me.
mack - I do not really know, but I doubt it. I never said I thought he was making a wise choice. It was probably silly for me to mention this guy at all, but I was looking for anything that makes aspartame seem bad and thought it might be so.
JNSB - I just made a mistake in the part you quoted. Even managed to miss it in my edit. Change the "less" into a "more", because that is what I meant.
I guess I was hoping to find something that would convince my mother to stop drinking so much Diet Coke, but unfortunately nothing here seems scary enough. That bit of hearsay I hoped might pan out, but it looks like everything on that is inconclusive.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Just do something to scare the cr*p out of her every time she starts to drink one. Pretty soon she'll associate having a diet coke with the scary stimulus, and won't like the drink *nearly* as much.
Worked for...who, Little Albert? It's been too long since I've read about that horrifically cruel study for me to remember the kid's name. You know, the one in whom they were able to instill a nearly paralyzing fear of fluffy white rabbits? Who was that?
I wonder how his life turned out?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
He's a zookeeper.
But he never goes near the petting zoo area.
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
Another low-cal sweetener worth considering is Stevia extract. The pure white powder is an extract from the Stevia plant. It has been used as the artificial sweetener in diet drinks in Japan for over a decade.
In the U.S. Stevia is readily available in health food stores, at a price comparable to other artificial sweeteners--except that the FDA does not allow it to be marketed as a "sweetener." It has to be marketed as a "food additive." Go figure. (Actually, I think this came about because Monsanto leaned on the FDA to protect its Nutrasweet marketshare.)
What I have found is that Splenda and Stevia complement each other when used together, and actually produce a much more pleasant and satisfying sweet taste than either one separately. When I get a diet pop that is sweetened with Splenda, I add a dash of Stevia and slowly stir it in (slowly to avoid too much fizzing up). That greatly improves the taste.
Of course, Splenda or Stevia alone are much better than Aspartame (Nutrasweet), and anything is better than saccharine, which has a bitter after taste.
Someone mentioned honey. The reason why some people consider honey as a reduced calorie sweetener, is that it tastes about 50% sweeter than sucrose (regular table sugar), so you don't need as much of it to get the same sweetening value.
But for my money, I will go (and have been going for several years) with a combination of Splenda and Stevia.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
rivka!
He wouldn't, would he?
Posted by bCurt (Member # 5476) on :
Okay, lets include some other information on Aspartame:
There are counters and links to counters for information provided in the Aspartame is bad links provided previously. They also cite studies that do not agree with the bad stuff already linked.
Of course, there will be those that say - it is just big corporations feeding us false information and that government is supporting those big corporations. Yes, the Aspartame Information Center is put together by the Calorie Control Counsel which represents manufacturers of low-calarie and low-fat foods. However, I don't believe in a one-sided story so I am giving a link to another side. They do link and cite sources independent of themselves and what I have read makes sense.
Now, what do I think? Well, we put a lot of crap in our bodies. I prefer to put the real stuff in my body and do not use nutrasweet, splenda and all that. Sugar is not bad for you as long you don't consume it excessively. I don't ignore concerns about artificial sweeteners and do not encourage others not to but I do recommend getting all sides of the story.
Posted by bCurt (Member # 5476) on :
I agree with Alucard - moderation, moderation. Shoot, if you are going to moderate you might as well moderate the real thing.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
Aspartame gives my dad bad migranes, and that tendency has been passed to a few of my siblings. Splenda doesn't bother him, but the only drink that seems to carry it is a certain kind of OceanSpray. But if you're doing a Protien Power/Atkins kinda diet, OceanSpray, even with Splenda, has way too many carbs to be of any use as a diet drink.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
As Pop pointed out, Hansen's diet sodas are sweetened with Splenda (sucralose).
Posted by Lime (Member # 1707) on :
I personally don't know anything much about this chemical stuff, but a good friend of mine is a chemist.
"Aspartame degenerates into asbestos."
I don't know if he was joking with me or not.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Oy.
Chemical formulae of asbestos: Amosite: (Fe2+Mg)5Si8O22(OH)2 Anthophyllite: (MgFe2+)7Si8O22(OH)2 Chrysotile: Mg3Si2O5(OH)4 etc. Notice presence of iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O). No carbon or hydrogen; inorganic compound.
Chemical formula of aspartame: C14H18N2O5 Note large amount of carbon and oxygen in this organic compound. Note absence of heavy metals.
Posted by bCurt (Member # 5476) on :
I think your friend or you mean formaldehyde.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Bah. There's formaldehyde in toothpaste, too, as well as 'abrasive agents' (little tiny rocks? dunno). I'm not overly worried.
I also smoke cigarettes, though, so I am not a good example of healthy behavior.
Do as I say, not as I do. Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Very small rocks.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Ah, that's where that diatomaceous earth went. Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Do you check your email?! *cries*
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Aw, mack, sorry ... just did a 28h shift, got out this am, and back again tonight. Hopefully home by 10pm.
I try to check, but the crushing weight of my hair has squeezed out the last drip of responsibility from my head.
I will look now. And -- we all can hope -- I will wash my hair when I get home tonight.
(something's tweeting up there, and I'm afraid of squirrels going to mate in the recesses)
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I'm sooo happy for you, mack.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I'd give you a noogie, but I think I'll wait for you to shower. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
But CT, I thought you wanted your hair to dred up? Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Actually, rivka, I think that if I could dread it under controlled circumstances -- i.e., nice, even, small skinny dreads -- that it could make the crappy hell-days bearable. And washing it would be so freaking easy, because you just, well, wash them. It tightens them. And there are nifty products and stuff to keep dread hair smelling all herby and sweet.
As it is, if I want to wash my hair and not end up with a few big knots hanging out from the sides, I have to comb it all out both before and after I wash it. And it usually won't dry overnight, so I end up with ice particles on my way into work. Dread hair can be head-banged shaken dry.
(Don't even mention short hair. I've seen myself with short hair. Egads. )
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
It's sure a good thing I don't rely on my face for my fortune.
*whew!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
*ruffles own short hair*
Have you ever noticed that people LOVE to ruffle short hair, especially on women?
...or maybe it's just me. My landlord sees me like one of his kids (have I mentioned that my Greek landlord's Greek sons are hot?) and does it ALL THE TIME. But that's okay, he's a barber. Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Well, mack, you're cute.
It's different. I look like Mr PotatoHead. Not even Mrs Potatohead.
As I said, I've seen myself with short hair. I don't care to ever again.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
CT said I'm CUTE! Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Well, duh.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
o_O
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
*bump*
MSN has this informative article listing all the different artificial sweetners and their known effects on the body. After reading this, I think I'm going to be trying Splenda.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
She ain't that worried.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
rivka!![[No No]](graemlins/nono.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Dread hair can be head-banged shaken dry.![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)