Perhaps no other topic bugs this side of the Beauty Brains more than the subject of psychics and psychic readings. That’s why I was outraged when I saw the Heritage Store selling products that were supposedly recommended by Edgar Cayce. If you don’t know (one can only hope) Cayce was a pretty famous psychic in his day and he still has followers.
Psychic approved
What is most maddening is the fact that the company doesn’t even make a good attempt at providing the consumer something special. They clearly just took whatever formula the contract manufacturer gave to them, put it in a standard plastic bottle, slapped a “psychic reader approved” label on it and charged 10 times what it is worth.
They’ve got Aura glow creams & lotions, colloidal silver soap bars, and even psychic reading directed shampoos!
Look at the ingredient list of this Olive Oil shampoo for example.
Water, Cocamide DEA, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Potassium Dodecyl Benzene Sulfonate, Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, and Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Olivate (Olive Oil Glutinate)
It’s all just standard stuff. Nothing special at all. SLS? Sarcosinate? Wheat Protein? Everyone uses those ingredients. Geez, it even has Cocamide DEA in it! No self-respecting shampoo maker would be using anything with DEA in it. Couldn’t they at least have gotten the water blessed by a Shaman or something? Unoriginal formulas are one thing, but a lack of creativity? Inexcusable.
The ironic part is that most of these ingredients weren’t even invented until after Edgar Cayce died. How can a psychic reading recommend ingredients that haven’t been invented yet? I suppose it’s just a mystery that a rational, scientific type like this Left Brain will never understand.
Now, if I could only get the Right Brain to stop consulting a psychic. Ya know, even a broken clock is right two times a day.
Loading ...
{ 1 trackback }
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, I’m always hearing about businesses needing to diversify. But you’d think a psychic would choose ingredients based on herbs used to “cleanse auras.”
Don’t get me wrong, I think there’ll always be things science simply cannot explain. “There’s more in Heaven and Earth” yada yada yada. And there might actually be an aura of sorts. Though something beyond what humans could ever understand.
But this stuff, yeah, I agree it’s a scam.
“How can a psychic reading recommend ingredients that haven’t been invented yet?”
He was a shampoo prophet, apparently!
All joking aside, this is a despicable way of earning money. And, for the record, I do not believe there are any actual, real phenomena that science cannot (or won’t) ultimately explain.
This product is ridiculous!
I love reading takedowns like this…thanks Left Brain
[Can I just say you're my favorite Beauty Brain?]
@Vreify: What do you mean that LEFT is your favorite Beauty Brain? Must I remind you who wrote the fascinating post about using licorice for hair removal? (http://thebeautybrains.com/2010/05/10/unwanted-hair-try-licorice/)
See, Ink, I’m different. I think there will always be things science can never really explain. Maybe having a father who is a scientist is was gives me a healthy amount of skepticism in science. It’s a human creation and therefore flawed. And while I do believe science in most things, I don’t believe in it in ALL things. Because I’ve seen first hand the mistakes scientists often make.
I think we all need a balance to maintain a healthy mental state. You can’t go to one extreme or another without upsetting yourself. One needs to embrace the fact that science can’t explain everything as well as the fact that spiritual things can’t explain every thing.
But I defiantly don’t believe in psychic shampoo! LOL Unless that stuff can give me the winning Lotto numbers I ain’t buying it!
@Jami – I agree that there will be things that science may never be able to explain (e.g. whether different universes exist or not). Although, I won’t ever count science out. Finding and correcting mistakes is how science works and why it is so effective in improving over time.
What I don’t understand is why spiritual things are given any credence at all. How is belief in spiritualism and different than belief in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, or elves and fairies?
It’s fair to say that science doesn’t (and maybe can’t) explain everything. It doesn’t seem fair to say that things that can’t be explained by science can be explained by spiritualism when there is no evidence.
Why can’t there exist things that just can’t be explained?
Jami,
scientists may make mistakes, but the very point of science is getting them corrected. And the statement that we need balance (between science and spirituality) to maintain a healthy mental state is unfounded.
Beauty Brains,
the parallel universes example is tricky, because if they do not exist then science’s failure to prove they do is no different that its failure to prove invisible pink unicorns exist (i. e., not a failure at all). If they do, theoretical physics might have something to say on the subject.
Still, I did primarily mean phenomena that are pseudoscience, such as psychic powers, telepathy, magnet therapy, homeopathy etc.
@Ink – agreed. I just think it’s possible that there are some subjects for which science may be inadequate to provide an explanation. However, that doesn’t mean there will be any other system that could provide an explanation.
Can I ask what’s so bad about Cocamide DEA? As a faithful reader I immediately went through my shower rack and found it in, um, a feminine wash aimed at maintaining a suitable pH value. Any thoughts on whether that could be harmful?
Hahha what a ridiculous product. If its perfect organic cleansing that a person desires then it has to be Shiffa’s beauty products.
@Rosa – there is nothing wrong with Cocamide DEA but a dozen years ago there was a study showing the nitrosamines at high levels could cause cancer in rats. Nitrosamines are a by-product of the reaction that produces Cocamide DEA, so shampoo manufacturers scrambled to remove any raw material that had DEA in it. Now, there is no proof that Cocamide DEA caused cancer but the bad press & media generated fear was enough to convince big cosmetic product makers to take action.
Based on scientific evidence, there is no problem using products that have it.
Thanks a lot for your reply! It’s a store brand so maybe that’s why it’s still in there. But I see there’s no reason to worry! Thanks!