The search for healthier, more ethical clothing led me into an area that should have seemed obvious, but getting thoughtful about the products I use on my body and in my home didn’t seem connected to this mission.
Articles I read referenced more than just ethical clothing companies. I learned a lot about new product lines and, just like a branch on a tree, found my reading branching off into sub-interests.
Safe and ethical beauty products and home products were a harder swallow. Not only are they way easier, cheaper and more abundant to go the most chemical filled route, the information about the safeness and effectiveness of different products is not that clear.
Starting with beauty products seemed right for me. My face products were already safe: witch hazel to clean and coconut oil to moisturize. My method was to take out all unnatural products and experiment with products that are rated very safe on the EWG database. If I liked them, they became part of my new collection. This included mascara, toothpaste, sunscreen, sunscreen lip balm, bar soap and deodorant.
Here’s my verdict…Sadly, most of the all natural products weren’t the right fit for me. My teeth hurt after a week of using the all natural toothpaste. The pain stopped after switching back to my normal brand.
One item I really, really wanted to work was all natural sunblock. I tried Badger for both the face and lip block. This is not chemical sunscreen that sinks into the skin. Instead it is a zinc based layer that sits on top of it. My skin itched and it came off if I rubbed my face. It annoyed me enough to switch back.
The all natural lip sunscreen, on the other hand, is still happily with me and I wear it daily. What irritated me on my face is not even noticeable on my lips. Score.
The all natural, mineral mascara works well, except it’s not waterproof. It’s called Pacifica. Semi-score.
The bar soap smells awesome and makes me happy. I’ve been buying “Good” bars with no packaging on sale at Whole Foods.
Deodorant was a battle. I found a recipe and made my own mix, which worked okay, until it started a rash under my armpit. Over two months, I tried a variety of application attempts and it just didn’t heal until I switched to regular deodorant. Although the brand I have now doesn’t have aluminum, it does have a fairly high “toxicity” score on EWG. This is still an unsolved mystery as to what my next step will be.
The only household product replacement I did was a watered down Dr. Bronner’s in a spray bottle, which works great for everything. Another score. But I did find my old hankies and cloth napkins and started those in rotation. I also made new rags which are helping reduce the amount of paper towels I use.
I also did research on each company to see who I was buying from and learning who own what company was eye opening and is a whole series in itself.
Since most of them aren’t a long term fit, I’m going to have to wait until more effective products come out.
Getting educated on all this was the by product and doesn’t feel the least bit like time wasted. At least I’ve been able to reduce my exposure to unneeded chemicals that much more. Until next time!
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