Eco Friendly
Personal Care Tips
Below are some eco
friendly personal care tips to help you live a
greener, more earth friendly lifestyle:
Soap
Buy your soap in
bars rather than bottles and save leftover
scraps - they can be put in a jar with boiling
water to create a soapy liquid for use elsewhere
or can be stuck onto the next bar. You really do
not have to buy conventional chemical-laden
soaps these days; natural, handmade,
vegetable-oil soaps are widely available. Look
for those that use essential oils and herbs for
fragrance and therapeutic value or bran and
seeds for a good scrub. Alternatively, you could
give ground soapnut a try. Derived from a tree
grown in India and used there for thousands of
years, soapnut can be used for washing more than
just your body - it can be used for cleaning
clothes and even the car!
Bath-time
A plethora of
products claim to offer relaxation or
invigoration with the addition of essential
oils, but most of them have too few oils of too
low a standard to offer any real therapeutic
benefits. In addition, their main ingredients
will undoubtedly be detergents, foaming agents
and preservatives. Go for bath oils instead by
either mixing your own or buying them from a
reputable source, such as a health food store.
(Remember that vegetables, nuts and essential
oils can be certified as organic, so pick these
if available.) The bonus of using essential oils
is that many are natural preservatives -just
remember to keep them stored away from sunlight,
preferably in dark glass bottles. Bath salts are
another green alternative - try Epsom salts for
swollen ankles and volcanic mineral salts for
muscular aches and pains.
Powder
Don't use talcum
powder after your bath - in recent years it has
been linked with female reproductive cancers and
it could be contaminated with asbestos fiber. If
you need to use powder choose corn flour
(cornstarch) products instead.
Hair Care
Shampoos,
conditioners, dyes and other treatments are
packed full of synthetic chemicals that place a
heavy burden on our sewage system and our
health. Don't be tempted by offers of gleaming,
shiny locks; instead cut back on your hair
products consumption. You do not need much
shampoo to clean your hair and you do not need
to wash your hair every day. Try making your own
products using organic herbs and essential oils
or look for natural products from health food
stores.
Toothpaste
Avoid pump-action
toothpaste tubes first of all - these contain
even more plastic than regular tubes. Next take
a look at the ingredients. Do you really want to
put petrochemicals, artificial sweeteners and
flavors in your mouth? And just how important
are those green stripes, because they are
achieved only by the addition of artificial
colors (some of which should be avoided if you
are concerned about hyperactivity in your
children).
Natural
vegetable-based alternatives abound and there is
even an organic standard for toothpaste in the
US - the first non-food product in the world to
be accorded legal organic status. Some natural
products contain fluoride and the detergent and
foaming agent sodium lauryl sulphate, so check
the ingredients panel if you want to avoid
these.
For the ultimate
green toothpaste, go back to the good old days,
when canned bicarbonate of soda was routinely
used.
Facial care
Cleanse, tone and
moisturize - the three magic steps to fabulous
skin are drummed into most women from an early
age, but try to keep it simple. Use home-made
products as much as possible; otherwise choose
the least packaged, and least complex product
you can find. Shop in health food stores or the
increasing number of specialist natural body
care stores for natural products that make
minimal use of petrochemicals and other toxic
chemicals.
Don't be fooled
into thinking that the latest chemical
ingredient is going to wipe your face free of
wrinkles - nothing can do that, other than
cosmetic surgery! Instead the chemical could
agitate sensitive skin and will have wasted
energy and possibly created pollution in its
manufacture.
Shaving
Aerosols are still
prevalent in this area, but these should be
avoided at all costs due to their use of
propellants. The best option is to do away with
shaving foam or gel altogether and just use soap
and water, but if you feel you need more, choose
a plant-based product, preferably as a cream in
a bowl, which you lather yourself with a brush
(made of sustainable wood and natural bristles).
Look out for refillable bowls to save even more
on packaging.
Antiperspirants
and deodorants
Again these are
still commonly sold in aerosol form - a real
environmental baddie. There are also health
concerns about the impact of using
antiperspirants which prevent your body sweating
on a regular basis, especially those with
aluminum as an ingredient. There are natural
alternatives, like mineral rock crystal
deodorants. If you do buy a conventional
product, look for plant-based ingredients and
choose a roll-on to save packaging.
Eyes
Contact lens
solutions clutter up many people's bathrooms,
with a huge cost in terms of waste packaging. If
you wear lenses choose the simplest possible
lens-care system available and buy in bulk. Best
of all, go back to glasses!
Sanitary
protection
With most sanitary
protection the main environmental issue is how
it is disposed of. Flushing a tampon or sanitary
towel down the toilet is the worst thing you can
do, since it may well end up bobbing up and down
next to you when you next take a dip in the sea.
The other environmental concerns come from the
materials used - cotton and plastic mostly -so
do your best to avoid non-organic, bleached
cotton products and choose the brand with the
least amount of plastic packaging; in particular
avoid individually wrapped towels. Green options
include rubber cups and natural sponges for
non-disposable solutions.
Related Articles:
|
