Going Natural

Enough writing about the toxic people out there. Now onto the actual toxins. I've been on a three year quest of trying to rid my household of as many toxins as possible, and, well, it's impossible. It's one thing to replace the Windex with a spray bottle of vinegar (and a splash of lavendar oil to make it smell pretty!), or to change out the Tide laundry detergent with 7th Generation, but that's just the first step. It gets harder!

Let's take cosmetics, ladies. It is scary and disgusting how many chemicals the makeup companies are able to cram into our SPF moisturizers and blush. I cruise the aisles at Longs (woops--'CVS' now) and feel like I'm making an informed decision when I choose the more expensive but 'natural' Aveeno or Neutrogena product. WRONG. Both brands are owned by Johnson & Johnson, who like all the other big company names use synthetic petrochemicals like formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, and phthalates. I mean, when was the last time you read the tiny print on the back of your foundation or (the worst offenders) SPF moisturizers? It is truly scary, and with a history of cancer in my family, I ain't takin no chances.

Let's face it--there are a ton of carcinogens in our daily lives that we have little control over--our home's carpet, our mattress, that 'new car smell' we so love to inhale, plastics that are everywhere from ziploc food storage bags to drinking cups--those are some of the things that we can only control so much. They're just there, and it takes a lot to replace them completely (Have you seen how expensive chemical-free mattresses are? Egads!) But what we can control is what we spray on our windows, whether or not we use Round-Up weed killer instead of pouring boiling saltwater on those weeds, and what we put on our faces. I like to take the time to find out if some big company like Proctor Gamble or Johnson & Johnson produces my favorite 'natural' cleanser/moisturizer/hair gel, and make a switch to a smaller, truly natural company. (Burt's Bees and Desert Essence are two of my faves.)

So I challenge you to take a look at the backs of those bottles--and then google those ingredients. While the occasional use of these chemicals probably won't hurt, a lifetime of exposure to them via various products will.

FYI: I check my cosmetics against the lists on these sites:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/index.php
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Comments

Anonymous said…
You know that Clorox bought Burt's Bees in 2007, yes?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/business/06bees.html
mamireads said…
whaaa??? See what I mean? ;p
GZ said…
Huh, that's news.