Natural Personal Care Products

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Personal care products are something we all use daily. Many people use several everyday. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, make up, hair gel, etc. Unfortunately, a lot of personal care products are not very safe for use. They have many chemical detergents and surfactants, which make them toxic to our health. The FDA does NOT regulate the personal care industry, so unless a chemical is on the prohibited list, it can be used with no restrictions. The prohibited list is very small, and many chemicals that are commonly used in the U.S.'s personal care products are actually banned in Europe. This is a huge problem because our skin is our largest organ and we absorb these chemicals very readily through our skin. So what are we to do?

There ARE safe options out there! First, you need to know which chemicals are unsafe, so you know which to avoid.

Dangerous Personal Care Chemicals

Read that list, then go look at your shampoo bottles. I guarantee you'll find those chemicals in your shampoo, and probably a lot more. Just an FYI, propylene glycol, on this list as something that should be avoided, is a primary ingredient in food coloring.

Unfortunately, replacing your personal care products with something safe isn't as simple as going to the store and picking out something labeled "natural" or even "organic." These products, since they aren't regulated, can still contain the ingredients listed above. On my trips to the health food stores, I typically find only a couple of brands that are actually acceptable, and many that aren't. If a product contains several organic plant oils, but also sodium laureth sulfate, it can still label itself as organic.

Here are a few products I do like:
Burt's Bees (especially the baby products)
Dr. Bronner's
South of France
Desert Essence

There are other companies whose names I honestly can't remember at this point. I will say that most all-purpose soaps (like Dr. Bronner's or any castile soaps) or bar soaps are safe. The hardest category is deodorant. Almost all contain parabens and/or aluminum. I may have found ONE type that works, but I really think you're better off using plain baking soda or even nothing...just take a shower.

You can also make your own personal care products. Here are some really great recipes:

Hair Gel
Shampoo
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Coconut oil (for lotion, make up remover, etc.)
Raw shea butter

Now, here is a really novel suggestion: for the most part, don't use personal care products. It isn't necessary to wash your hair EVERYDAY, or put deodorant on all the time. We only bathe our babies about once a week, and use soap weekly or less often and then only on hair (as both have long/thick hair) and diaper area. For myself, I bathe only 2 - 3 times per week and rarely use soap, or only on specific regions, plus I wash my hair. But I don't feel the need to use, say, conditioner on a regular basis, I don't wear make up, I don't use hair products. This may sound a little weird or even gross at first, but you know, our society tells us we should be super clean and take daily showers. But why?

If you slowly start to shower less...say, skip a day then shower two days, then eventually skip every other day, etc., you will find you do not need to shower so often. Every time you shower, you strip your bodies of natural oils. Most people then add synethetic oils by using hair conditioner, leave-in conditioner, body creams and lotions, etc. If you suddenly start skipping a bunch of showers, your body will over-produce natural oil because it is still used to you washing it away daily. But if you slowly cut down on your showering, your oil production will match and you won't look oily or gross at all. By the way, if you suffer from eczema or severely dry skin, showering less often is a GREAT treatment (and so is raw shea butter or coconut oil, if you need a boost).

Making sure your personal care products are safe (and that those you use on your baby and kids are safe) is one step towards real personal responsibility! The FDA and other government agencies cannot and should not protect you. You must be aware of what's going on and protect yourself. Hopefully this blog entry will help along that path!

Resources:
Environmental Working Group (chemicals in baby products and more)

What's your take on personal care products? Which ones do you use? Does anything here surprise you? Are you willing to take a no-shower challenge?!

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