Source
A while back, I posted about taking baby steps towards reducing toxins in my life. It was something I wanted to stay focused on, so I included it in my Goals for 2011. The goal itself wasn’t very specific, but it was clear: Continue to take steps toward a more natural, toxin-free way of life. In my action plan for this goal, I committed myself to making one change per month. This way I would know that I was continually working on the goal and improving.
In January, I decided to focus on reducing the toxins in our personal care products. This was the area I was the most behind in and felt needed the most work. I learned of an online database where I could check the safety level of my products: Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Reviews. The site is run by the Environmental Working Group and from what I can tell is the most comprehensive database available to consumers regarding product safety. I started checking out my every day products and was dismayed to find that most of them were rated moderately unsafe.
What is moderately unsafe, anyway? Is that a gray line that I’m willing to cross when it comes to my family’s safety? I don’t think so.
The products are scored on a scale of 0-10, 0 being the safest and 10 being the least safe. The site recommends not using products with a rating of 3 or higher and sticking with products with a 0-2 rating. The best score my products received was a 4 (philosophy’s Purity face wash and Catwalk’s Oatmeal & Honey shampoo) and the worst rating was a 6 (Body Shop’s Brazil Nut Body Butter).
I didn’t immediately throw everything in the trash (I’m not made of money over here!), but as some of my everyday products started running low, I vowed that I would replace them with more natural products. Here’s a look at some of my regular products that I thought I should replace:
Then, I did something stupid. I didn’t plan ahead when it was time to replace my products, and instead of looking up products before going to the store, I just searched for the most natural-looking products I could find when I was at Target. Burt’s Bees ended up being the big winner:
Oh you silly, busy Mommy. You can probably guess what happened next. A few days later, I looked up my new loot in the database (of course after I opened and started using them). I 100% thought these new, natural products would get acceptable scores. Turns out, Burt’s Bees doesn’t score any better than the products I already had. BLEH. Not one product scored better than a 4.
Luckily, the Aveeno Baby Lotion we use on Meghan has a good score of 2. The Aveeno Body Wash and Shampoo got a lower score of 5 mostly because of the fragrance. I decided to use up the remaining soap before changing brands. The ratings are broken down by categories and two major categories (cancer and developmental toxicity) were not checked, but neurotoxicity was, so I will definitely stop using this product once we use it all up.
So, my forward progress was halted a bit. As much as I would love to be able to throw away all these Burt Bee’s products, I just can’t. So we’ll use them up, and next time I need new products, I will be doing my research and most likely ordering the products online. In just a few minutes searching on the database for safe products, it was clear to me that I won’t find the safest products on my regular store’s shelves. What a shame.
Is buying natural, safe personal care products for you and your family important to you? Do you have any great, natural personal care products you know to be safe that you’d like to recommend? I’d love your help in my baby steps towards reducing toxins in my life!
I love the article. I am always reading labels as a comparison for the products we use. I have been a shopper with Melaleuca since 2002…I never have to worry or question that everything is completely safe…that is a definite peace of mind. I would referring the store to others when I would hear their child had eczema, asthma, or other health concerns…not long after that I realized every family deserves to know of our store. So many families are affected with various illnesses and I’m learning more and more how many of these can be linked to toxins in the home. We are a healthy family of 4 and while we do still shop at Walmart, Sam’s, Kroger, etc. for some things…we have made Melaleuca are only stop shop for everything from shampoo, soap, skin care, makeup, healthy snacks, vitamins, to laundry detergent, cleaners, and essential oils.
An added benefit has been the referral bonuses…and residual income…I know Walmart never pays anyone for referrals.
Would have loved to read the article but not even 30 seconds on your website and I was bombarded with 3 pop up ads asking me to subscribe. Pass.
Yet you took the time to leave me a comment. Huh.
What did you use to rank these on the scale of 1 to 10 – I would like to test out the products that I am using
Very great these steps to reduce toxins when natural product are not safe is very helpful and very useful for every Mom’s so i have to say that for the last few of hours i have been hooked by the impressive articles on this website. Keep up the wonderful work .
Thank you for these helpful posts! I did some research on Dr. Bronner’s. It has Tocopherol,
Menthol and Ethanol. These are harmful I think.
Any other products you recommend for children’s bathing and shower time? Thanks!
Good job moms at being proactive with reading those labels! Ava Anderson Non Toxic gets all 0s on the Skin Deep scale! All of the ingredients are organic, but most importantly NON TOXIC! For more info and to shop go to http://www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/mackenzieloughlin
I recently found Radiantly You, an amazing company that sells wonderful, all natural, toxin free personal care and cleaning products. I have loved everything I have tried, i can’t share enough good things about this company 🙂
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EMAG_hrlz30&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEMAG_hrlz30
Thanks for sharing. I will check them out.
I’m a new mom so I started doing my homework a while back. I discovered soapberry nuts which is what I now use to wash clothes. Also anything from Weleda is phenomenal. A rule of thumb I go is if the product requires you call Poison Control then it’s a no go. Natural products will only require you flush it out with water. I cloth diaper and use cloth wipes as well but I realize this isn’t for everyone so as an alternate I’d recommend Seventh Generation. I also use their cleaning products. Whole Foods is a great place to shop for alternate safer products.
I like your rule of thumb about needing to call poison control! Very smart.
I use baking soda to clean out the bathtub and sinks. Use it just like comet (sprinkle on, scrub with a wet cloth, and rinse off), and everything shines. I figure if we eat it it’s got to be ok to clean with!
I check everything on Skin Deep!! We also use Aveeno soap and I am obsessed with the smell and don’t think I can let it go. We also use Dr.Bronners Peppermint as our hand wash at all of our sinks and in the shower for soap (I bought a bunch of foam soaps and replaced the actual soap with Bronners and water). For my face products I use Aubrey Organics and like them. I haven’t made the switch with hair products yet….
Thank you for sharing that oh-so-eye-opening link! I too was very surprised by some of the products I use that I *thought* were better than they are. Who knew Aveda and Burt’s Bees wouldn’t score so great?! I was in the natural section of the grocery store today looking at ingredient lists on personal care products. It is very intimidating–how does one know what is safe? I will have to do more research…in all of my free time. 🙂 It sounds like Trader Joe’s might be a good start anyway.
I would love to do more of this without spending a fortune. I really want to look into homemade recipes..but like you…I’m really busy and lack the time. We have started using a lemon/vinegar spray for cleaning which feels great!
I know there is just so much to learn and I only have so much time I can devote, which is why I’m taking baby steps. I think there are ways you can do it cheaply, but of course it takes more time. At least I am doing something which is better than nothing, right?! 🙂
Maryea…let me know what you end up switching too. We use mostly items from whole foods (which I will have to check) and some Burt’s Bees which is very surprising to hear how it rated. Thanks for letting me know.
I will definitely let you know. I was really surprised Burt’s Bees didn’t rank well, too. I thought for sure getting those would be a safe bet. Guess not. I hate that you can’t get the safest products at mainstream stores.
I’ve been working on replacing my products with toxin free items as well. I love the face wash from Trader Joes but don’t live close to one so I have to stock up. Thanks for the website; I’m going to check out my products on there!
I go to Trader Joe’s at least once a month. I’ll have to look into their face wash. Thanks!
Maryea, You and I have similar goals for 2011! We’ve been doing some of the same things at our house. Honestly, the best shampoo (all purpose soap) that I’ve found for the price is Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile soap @ Trader Joe’s for $9/32 oz. The boys use it, too. I just recenly cleaned out my bathroom drawers of all lotions, body oils from Bath & Body works (that I didn’t like anyway), face cremes, and hair gels and threw them out. Do you know what I’m using? Coconut oil! I bought a gallon of coconut oil (the cosmetic kind, not the cooking kind) and I’m using just a small tablespoon for hair gel (so that my hair doesn’t look greasy) and to moisturize my hands, feet, face and legs in this dry winter weather. It’s working great! Mountainroseherbs.com has a great price for a gallon of coconut oil and that’s where I bought mine. Now, my hair did sort of have to adjust to the castile soap and it was definitely a two-week process before my hair started looking okay again. And, for conditioner I’m using apple cider vinegar that I put in a plain spray bottle that I keep in the shower. I just keep a comb in the shower that I can use to sort of comb through it after using the vinegar. It’s not a perfect option, but, it’s working okay for right now. I don’t even have a Trader Joe’s near me at all, but, my sister does and when we go visit her we stock up. Good Luck!
Thanks for all these great ideas, Lisa! I have been wanting to try coconut oil as a moisturizer, but haven’t gotten any yet. I think I am going to have to check out mountainherbs.com. Thanks!
Doing the same with coconut oil. Love it! — I’ve heard its good as a pre-wash deep conditioner also (leave it in for an hour or two).
— Cider vinegar is great for hardwood floors too, and I use white vinegar and water (50/50) for cleaning spots out of carpets/clothes, as well as for cleaning stainless steel and other things.