Stop Reading This and Go To The Bathroom

I usually don't say this but stop reading this and go into your bathroom. Grab a bag and empty all your cosmetics, toiletries, personal care products inside and then come back to your computer with the bag and read on.

I say this because I went to a talk on safety and personal care products and the information so was so surprising; I have to share it with you. Even those already treading lighter have more to learn.

The same ingredients that are strongly suspected of causing illnesses are sickening Mother Nature. So what can we do? Buy less of them and use them more sparingly.

As always, you don't want to be greenwashed so don't trust the claims on the packaging, read the ingredients! Believe it or not they find lead in lipsticks, cancer causing chemicals in baby products, and a host of toxic chemicals in nail polish, polish removers and artificial nail products. Plus, cleaners with bleach create dioxin, a known carcinogen.

It is flu season and hand "cleansers" are being sold everywhere. Be aware that these contain Triclosan and Triclocarban, which are EPA registered pesticides. This cant be good for you or the earth.

Since fragrance is considered a trade secret, and companies don't have to list the often dozens or even hundreds of synthetic chemical compounds it contains, you may want to reconsider products with fragrance as well.

The good news is that there are two valuable websites that can help you determine what products in your bathroom are safer than others. One is all about safe cosmetics. Then there is the cosmetic database where you can search for a product, ingredient, or company in your quest to find safe cosmetics and personal care products

Since 60% of the products you put on your body get absorbed, you can only imagine what it is doing to our water systems and the nature around us. Protect yourselves, your family and Mother Nature.

Tread Lighter,
-Phyllis, Green Expert

Comments

[Dayna]

Phyllis--excellent reminder to get rid of all that stuff! The Nature of Beauty (natureofbeauty.com) is an excellent site for natural and organic face and body products. I only use stuff from there, and it is truly fantastic! There are good green replacements out there that don't contain all the harsh and dangerous chemicals--we just need to keep pushing them so that a broader audience begins to understand what they are ingesting and makes the change to a healthier substitute! Good article!

[phyllis]

thanks for the tip Dayna.