Here are the biggest reasons why our lives are full of toxins:
1. It takes a lot of time and devotion to research products, companies, ingredients, and options.
2. It is expensive.
3. We live blindly with the belief that if a doctor recommends it or if it's sold at Target, it must be fine for us.
Part 1 will address the first reason and my suggestions.
1. It takes a lot of time and devotion to research products, companies, ingredients, and options.
Believe it or not, companies know that the appeal of green or organic can help sell their products and they take advantage of that by adding leaves to their packaging and throwing around terms like "all natural", "simple", "pure", "clean and clear" and on and on.
Do those words mean a thing? No, not really. Some words are regulated like "low fat" when used on food packaging but for the most part, it's all marketing. Luckily, the internet is on our side. The Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) is a good place to start. They have shopping guides, eating recommendations, and a product database with a rating system. (ewg.org/skindeep) Please visit the database and take it for a spin. All you need to do is type in the brand name of a product you use or know about and see what the EWG has to say. One shampoo I recently looked at, for example, rates as a 2 which means that overall, it's a fairly safe product. A perfectly safe product rates ZERO.
 |
| Sample of a shampoo that claims to be VERY safe and non-toxic on the EWG database. Note the score of 2 in the upper left corner. This means that it is actually a relatively safe product, but has some issues. |
Please also note something very important about EWG ratings: the EWG often doesn't have very much information to go off of when rating a product. They are very clear about this and display it right below the safety score. This particular product has a RED "limited" rating which means the EWG is scoring this product based on incomplete or changing data. Basically, they're encouraging you to take it with a grain of salt. Scroll down for more information on the product or to see why they gave it the rating that they did.
 |
| In this case, this shampoo has one ingredient of concern. |
You can see that this shampoo has one ingredient of concern, potassium sorbate. Again, the EWG lists beneath the rating of "2" that their data is limited which means there isn't a lot of information about the particular ingredient. It is known to be an allergen/immunotoxin.
Full disclosure, I actually use this product right now. Once it's gone, I will not be replacing it, but that's a whole different post. Overall, I think that it's a safe product. I like how it smells and how it performs, but I'm phasing shampoo out of my life completely so I will have no need for it.
If you have a smart phone and need to buy a product ASAP, it can be worth a few minutes of your time to step into a quiet aisle and look up what you are thinking about buying. Alternatively, you can do you research once you get home if you are OK with returning the item. Most of us don't have the time for this.
Besides the EWG, dozens of great websites exist for researching your options. I personally love this site http://ecofriendlyusa.wordpress.com/ because it is run by a mama who doesn't have any agenda other than to find great, safe products for her family that are made in the USA. She also has a facebook page and is amazing about offering up suggestions if you can't find an answer on her site.
I often find myself just flat-out googing a product, brand, company, or ingredient to see what arises. Case in point? California Baby....they make mostly safe stuff but as a company have done some things that are ethically questionable. Will I be buying their products? Sadly no. It really does make me sad because their products are some of the few available locally at box stores like Target. I learned this by googling one of their products which led directly to a blog.
Slanted Information: Above all else, always, always keep in mind where your information is coming from because anyone can publish anything on the internet. Don't believe something until you can find it in multiple sources that are reputable AND backed by legitimate science. Generally legitimate science comes in the form of a peer-reviewed, published journal article that is older than a year but no older than 10. Oh, and while I'm on this soapbox, screw Dr. Oz and any other celebrity doctors who make claims. Unless they provide you with sources and science publications to back what they spew, FORGET them and forget what they have to say.
I always check out consumer reviews on amazon.com for any product I'm considering. I worry less about the "star rating" and more about what people are actually listing as pros and cons for a product. As a general rule, ignore the worst and the best and focus on the average. Keep in mind that honest reviews should play a role in your decision making but should also be taken lightly.
I still don't have time for this! OK, now that I've given you some good leads on where to start your product search, you're realizing that they're worthless because you still don't have time to look up every product in your house. Well, don't. My solution is for you to keep an eye on products you use frequently. As they hit about the halfway point, start your research. Grab a notebook and take notes so you don't confuse yourself and have to repeat research. You'll find some products are harder to flesh out than others. They joy of starting research early is that you get to quit and come back to it the next time you have a few minutes. Keep track of products you have ruled out, products you are considering, and their prices. Keep track of ingredients you've looked up and whether you've determined them safe for your home or not. I got tired of having tiny pieces of paper everywhere that said things like "sodium cocyl isethionate is a coconut oil-based salt that is used as a surfactant. probably ok" and have finally started just using one notebook!
Remind yourself that it's worth it. Really, it is. There are great products out there that are safe and effective. If you're pregnant like me, you'll be comforted knowing you're keeping your baby safe from things that will hurt it down the road. The benefits are not immediately apparent but can mean the difference between your child developing asthma or some other disease years from now.
I'll touch more on this when I get to part three, but be open minded when it comes to alternatives. You don't need to buy a product off of the shelf for all of your needs. 99% of my cleaning issues are handled by one or a combination of the following:
-white vinegar
-apple cider vinegar
-citrus vinegar (white vinegar with citrus rinds in it)
-blue dawn dish soap
-baking soda
-bleach
-ammonia
-rubbing alcohol
And I only use the last three in dire situations!
No comments:
Post a Comment