I play this game called How Difficult Can I Make My Life. It started with becoming a vegetarian (definitely difficult in a small town where I am the only vegetarian within 60 miles)
Then I decided to oppose child slavery by giving up non-organic chocolate.
About a year ago it dawned on me that cosmetics are the most toxic things on earth, and so –with my usual plunge-into-deep-water approach– I switched to health and beauty items that don’t contain deadly chemicals.
It didn’t take me long to realize that products claiming to be ‘all natural’ are full of … well, full of something other than credibility. In order to be sure I’m not applying poison directly to my skin, I have to read the entire list of ingredients. I’ve also had to memorize certain suffixes (-mine, -glycol) and red flag words (petrolatum), because there are so many clever ways to say ‘this stuff will kill you’ and make it sound like a good thing.
Some of the products I’ve settled on are toothpaste from Tom’s of Maine and Milk and Honey Moisturizer from Burt’s Bees. I can actually find both of those locally. For almost every other organic product, I have to leave town.
I’m always on the lookout for more information, and I’ve just found a new source of easy info. There’s a blog, Presignify, that offers a list of Top Five Health and Beauty Companies Going Green.
Hain and Aubrey Organics both make this list. That’s reassuring, because I’ve used those. The Presignify post gives a little information about all five companies, but there’s not a long list of items those companies produce. Instead, the post gives me links to the company sites so I can browse at leisure.
I don’t want to sound like Chicken Little or anything, but … do you have any idea what’s getting into your body through your skin? I’m not just trying to engage you in my game; I really care. Check into this issue and consider cleaning up your shampoo…..
