My Earth Monday: Switch to Natural Bath Products

Image: Light Showers by jurvetson

Welcome to another My Earth Monday! Yippy!
As you can see from the title of this post, this week's challenge is to switch to natural bath/shower products.

This is strictly stuff in your bathroom. I'll be tackling cosmetics and other grooming products in a future My Earth Monday.

We're running out of shampoo and conditioner in this house, plus I need some bath wash - which I prefer over bar soap - so, if I'm going to go out and get new stuff, I might as well get the good stuff!

It's no secret that many of today's drugstore bath and shower products are loaded with harmful chemicals that are known carcinogens, irritants, hormone disruptors, and poisons. Some examples of those found in personal care products include:

Sodium lauryl sulfate -
This stuff, found in shampoos, conditioners, bath and body washes, and kids' bubble bath, actually cleans by corrosion. It interferes with the skin's ability to self-moisturize, and has been linked to cataracts in adults and eye development in kids under 6.

Propylene Glycol -
This stuff, found in shampoos, lotions and deodorants, is known to cause musculo-skeletal damage, liver damage, and thickening of the skin.

Diethanolamine (DEA) -
Used as an emulsifier in shampoos and conditioners, it is a known carcinogen.

And that's just 3 ingredients! For more, check out the list at Healthy Living International .
Be sure to check out the ingredients in the shampoos, conditioners, and soaps you have at home right now!

Don't forget, the harmful chemicals that don't get absorbed into our bodies get washed down the drain and into our rivers and lakes causing harm to other living things!

So, this week, I'll be shopping around for a natural alternative to shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. If you want to join me, you can:
1) swap these items in your shower too.
2) choose one shower item to change... maybe the one that you're running out of right now.
3) do all that and swap out even more stuff like your body lotion and deodorant too.

Let me know if you're in!

Wanna Try?

  • The natural store at drugstore.com [aff]
  • Bath Petals
  • The House of Aromaticz

    Results of Last Week's My Earth Monday: No More Plastic Water Bottles...

    I went to Aviva St.Vital to get my SIGG bottle, and it's perfect and beautiful. See?

    It's lightweight and has a wonderful leakproof cap. We didn't go out again after that shopping trip, because Lam got sick the rest of the week, so I didn't get to test drive away from home, but I foresee a flood-free bag in my future!

    Hope you did well too. :)
  • 4 comments:

    1. I've been going through my stuff and comparing it to the ewg's skin deep database http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
      I've been entering in the ingredients and looking at their ratings.

      One thing... it only lists Sodium lauryl sulfate as a 2 (low hazard). After reading your link, I'm wondering... if that's a 2, what counts as a 7???

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    2. Hi nennette Great post!! I have been making my own soap for several years now. When I first read up on it , it soundsed like sooo much work. BUT I am so glad I attempted it. It was a huge success and one batch makes enough soap bars for about a year and that counts all that I give away as gifts too. It really is a fun and rewarding (and healthy) project. And you can get pretty creative with making fancy shapes, herbal scents, etc.

      ReplyDelete
    3. @myrtle -
      Oh, yikes, I was going to add that link to the post... rats...

      As much as I like the skin deep database, there are so many things that don't make sense on it - that SLS entry being one of them - plus many of the cosmetics brands I have aren't listed. frustrating. :(
      But I still visit it!

      @gypsy girl -
      I've heard a lot about soap making... it does sound like fun. :)

      ReplyDelete
    4. Some people swear by washing their hair with a solution of baking soda and warm water and rinsing with apple cider vinegar (or just water). If hair gets dry, use a few drops of olive oil as conditioner.

      ReplyDelete