I just finished watching Annie Leonard’s new video, The Story of Cosmetics. It is well worth the few minutes it takes to watch it, and the message it contains needs to be heard by all of us.
I’ve been on a mission to get rid of toxic crud in our home for several years now, which I’ve blogged about several times. Some of the changes we’ve made include:
- I no longer use bleached, synthetic tampons.
- Our son never wears flame resistant pajamas.
- He’s been in home-made cloth diapers since he was about three days old (almost all disposable diapers contain super absorbent gel beads (sodium polyacrylate) that soak up moisture, but their chemical content is suspect. In addition, most disposables are bleached, which creates a highly toxic by-product called dioxin).
- I went through our bathroom a few years ago and got rid of everything with suspect ingredients. All my nail polishes, make up, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, sunscreens…. I tossed all of it, because I knew that I was never again going to feel comfortable putting that junk on my body.
- I started using soap nuts to wash our laundry about a year ago, and am completely satisfied with them.
- We don’t have a dryer (by choice), so no need for dryer sheets – everything is line dried.
- I clean with baking soda, vinegar, and water.
- We don’t buy anything labeled “anti-microbial” or “anti-bacterial”.
- I use baking soda as toothpaste, and food grade hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash.
- We use Dr. Bronner’s soap all the time. It’s at our sinks as hand soap, and in our shower. It’s all our son has ever been bathed with. The food co-op where we shop allows us to bring in our own empty bottle and refill it from their huge jug, which is less expensive than buying a new bottle, and also cuts down on packaging waste.
- In the evenings, when mosquitoes are all over the place, I wear jeans, long socks, and a long sleeved shirt (so does our son). No need for mosquito repellent. I would much rather be a little warm than be covered in some sort of chemical spray.
- I stopped wearing sunscreen about three years ago. I have a big wide-brimmed hat that I wear pretty much anytime I’m outside (we live in a very sunny climate). I also have a light weight linen zip-up jacket that I keep by the door, and throw on if I’m heading outside in a tank top or short-sleeved shirt. It’s a lot faster than putting on sunscreen.
In case you’re wondering… I still manage to look pretty well put-together most days :) My grooming tools include a dry skin brush, a pair of tweezers (I will admit that I am never without them… even when I was in Africa in the middle of nowhere with a 6 inch square mirror, I still had shaped eyebrows), a razor, a hair brush with wooden “bristles”, a comb, a jar of coconut oil that I use as wonderful-smelling lotion, a solid exercise routine, a great thrifted wardrobe, and a smile :)
In my attempts at de-toxifying our home, I have tried hard to avoid replacing products I used to use with high-priced “green” substitutes. Instead of switching to safer make-up, for example, I just stopped wearing any. I opted to have bare nails all the time, and just keep them clean and trimmed (and in all honesty, my nail painting days had ended long before I finally tossed my nail polishes). I started buying big jugs of vinegar and big bags of baking soda at Costco rather than purchasing high-priced cleaning products at the health food store. Don’t get me wrong… I’m glad that there are responsible companies who are trying to make safer products for us to use. But I have found that I often don’t need the products in the first place, and it saves us a lot of money to realize that.
I wasn’t always this way. A decade ago, I used things like self tanners (actually only tried that once and turned orange), lotions with sparkles in them, all sorts of make up and nail polish, perfume, hair spray, cleaners with bleach, etc. But the more I’ve learned about toxic chemicals, the more I want to avoid them as much as humanly possible. I hope that the ideas I’m sharing, and the Story of Cosmetics video, will help some of my readers to lessen their own exposure to toxins and reduce their personal care products budget.
Becky says
I like the information in this video, but I wish she’d at least *say* that we as consumers have a responsibility as well. I’m not a big fan of the “woe is me, government needs to fix this” mentality.
I love the website http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com and have been using that to adjust the products that I buy. If we as consumers stop buying the products full of chemicals and start buying the truly natural products instead, the big companies will be forced to change their ways, without needing to create more laws and a bigger government.
Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the link to the video! :)
Benjamin Bankruptcy says
I wish more women approached beauty from this angle. I find fit healthy woman WAY more attractive than some plastic pancake. I’ve assumed the same is true of women as well so I never got caught up in the whole metro sexual thing. Just be fit muscular and not stinky is my secret.
Emma says
thank you so much for writing this!
i’m currently going through the whole house-detox process and it’s realy scary what is in everything.
i’ve stopped using most cosmetics, moved to a nicer shampoo (have super oily hair, would love to go ‘no-poo’ but am scared!) and given daycare special wipes to use for my son (we use cloth here). we still have a way to go but we’re getting there, this gives me a bit more of a push, so thank you :)
Sarah says
Just a quick comment about mosquitoes. I don’t know what your stance in on vitamin supplements, but I have discovered that if I take Vitamin E during the spring and summer, they don’t touch me.
Traci says
I’ve recently begun a home detox process myself, it’s amazing at how society has become so dependent on chemicals for convenience and vanity. As a result, I’ve been experimenting with natural recipes for everyday toiletries which actually I find to be rather fun, although have yet to find a hairspray alternative or hairstyle to support this effort. One thing that I’ve read to be helpful is that rosemary acts as a natural bug repellent for mosquitoes and gnats. I keep some containers of it on my deck and will rub it on my hat or skin before going for a walk in a wooded area.
Sam says
I add a cap full of apple cider vinegar to my morning orange juice to make me not taste good to mosquitoes. Supposedly it also helps my kidneys.
I don’t worry about the sun since more & more research is showing illness is caused by lack of sun exposure (which triggers Vit D generation). I do keep an eye on my skin but haven’t noticed anything concerning.
Our dryer broke in February and we’ve been doing a lot of line drying. The only thing is we can’t seem to get our socks or towels dry before they get musty. So we do end up taking them to the laundromat to dry. Maybe it’s the humidity in this region – we’re not far from the Missouri.
Since going chem free 5+ years ago my asthma went away and I rarely have to use lotion to moisturize my skin.
I find I now have problems interacting with the rest of the world though. I react to perfumes and for example, I can’t use the dish soap at work because it’s this bleach alternative made to smell like fruit that makes any part of me it touches break out in a rash. The “air freshener” and insecticide they spray makes it hard to breathe to the point i have to leave the office for three hours when the exterminator comes & hoses the place down. And I’m not sure how to handle it because they all think it’s fine & that I’m weird – they don’t realize they are slowly poisoning themselves.
Molly On Money says
I have delicate skin and have spent years trying to get the ‘right’ product. Currently I make my skin cleanser. It is 1/4 cup of honey with a bit of jojoba oil and rose oil. My face has never looked better. One of my biggest issues was redness in my face- it’s no longer a problem.
Apple Cider Vinegar is great for many things- I take a tablespoon every morning in a glass of water with some honey.
Here’s a site full of honey recipes for your beauty regiment (Can you tell I raise bees?).
http://www.honey.com/nhb/recipes/category-results?category_number=3
My other remedy for my delicate skin was my attitude. I found the more stressed I became the more my skin reacted.
FrugalBabe says
Becky – I agree that we as consumers need to take a part in creating demand for safe products, but I absolutely feel that the government needs to play a large role in this. Most people are simply unaware of the dangers posed by unregulated toxic chemicals. We’re bombarded with advertising from the big companies that make personal care and cleaning products, and yet finding out information about the safety of those products requires a lot of digging… it doesn’t get much TV advertising time. In addition, the toxin-free products that are currently available tend to be pretty expensive, and are out of reach for lower income people. Solutions like my own (baking soda, vinegar, doing without, etc.) aren’t all that common either. Most people simply go to the store and buy what they need (or what they have been told they need). They trust that companies that are making baby shampoo wouldn’t put unsafe products in the shampoo. This is far from the truth, but it’s what people believe. By not stepping in, the government has been protecting the big companies that are making huge bucks by selling toxic products. It’s time for that to stop, and for the government to protect consumers instead. The only way people are going to switch to safer products is if the cheap, toxic products are no longer on the shelves.
Sarah, Sam, and Traci – thanks for the tips about mosquitoes. I have vitamin E in the cupboard (left over from using the capsules to soften a scar), and I love the smell of rosemary! I also have a gallon jug of apple cider vinegar that I use in all sorts of recipes, so I can try using more of it and see if the mosquitoes avoid me.
Sam – Shortly after I purged our home of most personal care products, cleaning products, candles, etc. (about 3 year ago), the library where I worked installed an air freshener in the bathroom that was located about 20 feet from our work station. It was nauseatingly strong, and bothered everyone, but I was pregnant at the time and found it particularly bad. I had to complain numerous times before it was taken down. I do find that I’m quite sensitive to perfumes and strong cleaners now that we keep our home smell-free.
Julie says
Wow I love all these suggestions. I’m going to try the apple cider vinegar in juice idea and Molly’s skin cleanser. I try to be as “natural” as possible with my products. I do still use products- I can barely cook simple food and concocting cleaning and cosmetic products would probably lead to disaster.
My favorite chapstick is from W.S. Badger company and its made with cocoa butter and olive oil (flavors like mocha are actually made with coffee extract!). Petro-chapsticks also have versions of alcohol which will dry out lips after the initial relief rather than moisturizing them and helping them heal. This is to sell more product!
Badger costs a little more (my thick chapstick costs about $3.99) but it lasts me 3-5 months. Just try not to lose it (aka don’t pay the lazy tax- paying more because you didn’t take the time to pay attention to wear you put the chapstick).
To me, it’s a great value being non-toxic, moisturizing, lasts long, made in New Hampshire AND fair trade when sourcing ingredients.
Meg says
Wow.
So much information in here!
Just 3 weeks ago, my husband found out that deoderant is linked with breast cancer. He did some research and that day, we bought a deoderant rock (that I love!! I use it every day!).
2 weeks ago, I started to eat mainly a raw diet (I would say 60-70% raw). In 2 weeks, I’ve lost 9 lbs, I dont feel tired in the middle of the day, dont require as much sleep, and I’m not hungry or craving any sweets!
These TWO things alone made a HUGE impact for me in the past 3 weeks. This has definitely given me something more to think about. I am interested in the soap nuts. I am looking into that online as we speak.
Thank you for all of the information!
~M
Sam says
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one :) Thanks.
On the apple cider vinegar in juice – be warned it will curl your toes! Straight vodka was more palatable to me in the beginning then that stuff. And also I guess it can be hard on tooth enamel so if you do a straight shot drink some water after.
I tried to find the recipe or ratio since “cap full” can vary among brands and only found this:
http://www.squidoo.com/benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar
And this sight has the instructions to make it in to a spray repellent:
http://www.naturesnaturalhealing.com/AppleCiderVinegar.shtml
Cortney says
I saw this video last week, and while I knew there were toxins in our beauty products, I had no idea that they are flat out not regulated. If it’s going on my lips, if it’s getting slathered on my skin- which absorbs everything- how is it ethical or responsible that the ingredients are not tested? As you said, most people have experience with the FDA monitoring things, so they would *assume* that things like baby shampoo or tampons are monitored as well. And the fact that they are not is really a huge oversight.
We’re switching to baking soda for toothpaste once our current tube runs dry. I’ve switched to a “crystal stick” for deodorant- just a mineral salt stick, it’s awesome!- and the only makeup I usually ever wear is a swipe of eyeshadow. I’m excited to try the “no-poo” method, because my hair is very thick and wavy, and almost down to my waist, so I already only wash it about twice a week or else it will dry out. The one thing I simply cannot give up, however, is my Retin-A. I had terrible acne starting at 15 or 16 that just got continually worse, to the point of strangers pulling me aside often in public to offer suggestions and pity. After over a decade of trying everything under the sun, from natural to medical to lasers to changes in diet, this is the only thing that works. I wish I could be a fresh faced all natural girl that did a wash ‘n’ go with some Dr. Bronner’s, but it’s not in the cards for me, so I just try and make it up in other ways :)
Phyllis says
Thanks for the article. Since I have major chemical sensitivites my family has been going natural too. Thanks for the tips and reminders about more ways to save money and be good to ourselves.
One of my favorite products is rose water. I put it in a spray bottle and spritz a cotton pad with it when I wish to freshen and de-grease my face. I’m very fair skinned and prone to redness, so this calms my skin as well. I learned about this from someone from Egypt. My other favs are coconut oil (use on skin and for cooking) and shea butter (wonderful on dry chapped winter skin). Both are initially expensive but last a crazy long time as you only need a teeny-tiny amount each time you use them. I buy a shea butter that supports a women’s collaborative in Africa, but don’t recall the name. Anyway, I feel that helps in a small way to justify buying such an expensive product. Plus my whole family uses it, so we aren’t all buying different things and the labels are simple – one item, one source.
One a side note: I do upholstery and find it very discouraging that most furniture is very toxic. It looks so comfy and is so ubiquitous that it is most deceptive. Polyurethane foam found in almost all furniture emits VOCs their entire life, not to mention that they don’t decompose. There is no way to recycle them once they are replaced. Almost all of the fabrics are treated with pesticides, flame retardants, and formaldehyde. Have you ever noticed the smell when you walk into a fabric store? In fact, I smell it when I enter clothing stores too, but I digress. (One more reason to buy at thrift stores!) The problem is that natural latex foam is much more expensive than polyurethane foam so it replaced latex as the standard foam in the 1930’s. Government regulations are in place, but in favor of toxic materials in that laws were enacted to require flame retardants in bedding and seating. Synthetic materials burn at a scary fast pace (flash burn) plus they give off deadly fumes when they burn. Rather than ban the fibers, the solution was to require chemical treatments on fabrics. That isn’t the whole story though. The way natural fibers like cotton are grown, processed, and dyed is also an issue. Thankfully there are alternatives emerging. Companies are now making truly organically grown and processed fabrics printed with non-toxic dyes, organic wools and cotton battings, and natural latex foam (which is sustainable and supports communities where the trees grow). It isn’t cheap (yet) but if consumers buy and press for these alternatives, then hopefully the market standards will change. In the meantime, I take small steps – one chair at a time, looking at it as an investment in the kind of world I wish to live in and in my family’s health, both now and in the future.
Thanks to everyone with the mosquito solutions. We’ll give them a try.
Frugal Babe says
Phyllis,
Excellent points about furniture. Furniture and carpet are both a concern for me, although I’m trying to weigh my desire to completely detoxify our home with my desire to balance our budget! We bought an organic crib mattress for our son, and we’re planning to have him sleep on it for as long as possible. We got a used, plain wood toddler bed that will fit the mattress, and I think he’ll be able to sleep on it for at least a few more years. After that, we’ll see… larger organic mattresses are very expensive. We’ve considered them for our own bed, but the cost has been prohibitive so far. I’m aware that our couch and carpet are both releasing toxic chemicals, but at this point it doesn’t seem feasible to replace them all with non-toxic alternatives. When we finish our basement, the flooring will definitely be non-toxic, and eventually when our carpet on the main floor needs to be replaced, we’ll go with eco-friendly flooring. Baby steps…
Phyllis says
I agree – baby steps. I’m glad to hear that your son has an organic mattress. I wish I had known about these alternatives when my daughter was a baby.
Yes, it it very hard on the budget. Even though I can do my own upholstery work, I totally get that. My hope is the prices will come down as materials become more readily available. As it is they are considered luxury items and priced accordingly. Materials based on the petrochemical industry are so much more readily available and essentially subsidized by governments – therefore cheaper to buy. Imho, we don’t pay the true cost (for oil spill clean ups, etc.) of an item when making an original purchase of foam, carpet, fabrics, or anything made from or packaged in a petroleum based product. If we did, people would scream to high heaven about taxes, lost jobs, and government intervention. In the meantime we are polluting our planet and creating toxic environments for our children. It’s criminal.
I don’t believe in throwing out something until it NEEDS to be replaced. It isn’t eco-wise to throw something in a landfill that is usable and already in place. That is wasteful. Frugality, to me, is a mentality of creativity, inventiveness, and resourcefulness. While carpet may not be the best choice, if it is already in place, kept clean, and in good condition, use it until it is worn out. Then replace it with a sustainable & healthy choice in flooring.
Tiffany says
I go back and forth on the make-up issue. I come from a HIGHLY made-up family. I don’t wear heels anymore, and I always get comments about it. I do think make-up is ridiculous, and that society’s concept of beauty and feminine power is still defined by men. When I don’t wear makeup, I feel so ugly! Thank you life-long advertising :)
I did just start using coconut oil on my face, and it is glowing like never before. I highly recommend!
Nonnie says
Bug repellent has never worked for me–no matter how much I put on, I get eaten alive by the mosquitoes :p I definitely did not want to slather my kids with chemicals, especially if they were still getting bit. We have potted citronella plants around our deck and they keep most of our yard mosquito free :0) If we are going hiking or to the park and need some protection, we have an all-natural repellent we buy at our local health food store which is made from several plant oils (mostly citronella). Its a little hard on the pocketbook but it works so well it is worth it! Between our plants at home and our natural repellent, we don’t have to worry about mosquitoes anymore :)
Jessica says
Thanks! I really enjoyed this post! I spent an hour last night looking up info about soap nuts. I have never heard of them but would like to give them a try. Where do you get yours from? I read that you do need to use oxygenated bleach with the whites and wondered if you did? They really look fascinating. I am curious if you have a dishwasher and if so what you use as well?
I keep going back and forth with cosmetics and other things and this post really helped me. I went on the cosmetic database last night and looked for specific makeup with the lowest chemicals.I was disappointed to see my Mrs. Meyer hand soap that I thought was pretty healthy is indeed not so.
Thanks again. I really enjoyed this post and am going to attempt to work on becoming less toxic in the home and what I put on my body.
Frugal Babe says
Jessica,
Glad you liked the post! I get my soap nuts here: http://stores.buysoapnuts.com/StoreFront.bok I bought a 1kg bag last year in August, and I still have about a quarter of the bag left (maybe a third? somewhere in that range). Including diapers, I wash a load of laundry at least every two days, sometimes every day, and a bag will last me well over a year. I don’t use any other laundry products at all, and have been completely satisfied with the soap nuts. I line dry all of our clothes, and we live in a sunny climate, so maybe they get some sun beaching, which makes up for not using oxygenated bleach. Sometimes our son’s diapers have stains on them when I hang them up, but they’re always gone by the time I put them away.
We do have a dishwasher, although at the moment, I’m filling in for it, as it was recalled recently because of a fire hazard. So we’re waiting for a new one to be delivered. I have tried a range of dishwasher soaps, and haven’t been impressed so far, but that may be because we have hard water here… we’re considering a water softener, but haven’t decided on anything yet.
Cortney says
RE: Dishwasher soaps-
We got Ecover from our local coop and we really love it. It’s a powder, zero phosphates, and environmentally friendly. It comes in a cardboard box, and even the pour spout is totally cardboard, so it’s completely recyclable. No gritty weird residue, and everything is super clean. We’re in CO, so differences in water softness/hardness may also play a part in its efficacy.
Sam says
I was searching for something in my inbox & stumbled upon the comments from this….
Since this article was posted, I’ve discovered that my complexion gets better when I have apple cider twice a week.
Also, on flooring…. I found out that some polyurethanes contain toxic chems that can leech.
I have oak floors in 2/3 of my house and am seriously dreading getting the floors done this year… if anyone knows or hears of good alternatives let me know. I honestly don’t know if I have it in me to go the old paste wax route – I’ve have really tones arms when all was said & done though :) But I could pay someone to sand it & then seal it myself with something other then poly…
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