Thanks ... and sorry for the inconvenience!
There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:
Our last challenge was very interesting. We started the week off with a lively discussion about chemicals ... about how everything, including water, is a chemical. Of course, the intention of the challenge was to eliminate harmful, toxic chemicals from our body care products. That lead to discussions about what constitutes toxicity and how even water is toxic in some situations. Meanwhile, we saw some wonderful posts about substances to avoid and ingredients that are more Eco-friendly and healthy. Some people started reading labels and felt overwhelmed ... and even downright scared. To say that the challenge raised our awareness is an understatement. It wasn't an easy week but it certainly made us think!
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing an article about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Here's what they had to say:
Rachel had this to say "Wow, no chemicals at all, that's a tough one! Better watch out for all that dihydrogen monoxide ;-) Sorry for being snarky, but I get irritated by the use of "chemical" to mean "bad stuff" because everything is chemicals. If we're about raising awareness this week, perhaps we could start with: Natural products are also made of chemicals (yes, natural chemicals) and just because something is natural that doesn't necessarily mean that it's safe. I'm sure Alicia's products are made with great care and concern for what is good for us, but that's because she takes care to research the properties of her ingredients, not just because they're "natural". Personally, I wash with home made soap, made from animal fat (kitchen waste - I don't like to ship exotic oils across the world) and sodium hydroxide. That is nasty stuff. I don't know whether it's mined (naturally occurring) or synthesized, but either way, you wouldn't want to get it on your skin. Like all soap makers, I take care with the quantities to make sure it's all reacted out, so there's none left in the finished soap. I don't use shampoo (water only washing) and very rarely wear make-up. I tried home-made toothpaste but it was vile, so I'm back with the ordinary commercial kind. For deodorant I use an alum stone like this one. The one I've linked to is naturally occurring, but I think the one I use is probably synthesized. It makes little difference as it's the same stuff in the end. This is a pure chemical, and an aluminium salt at that. I've read the research on links between aluminium-based deodorants and breast cancer: there is no link. I'm quite happy to apply aluminium salt to my armpits and I choose the solid salt because it dramatically cuts down on packaging - I don't throw away a plastic container every month or so - and there's no need for all the other "filler" ingredients. Sorry to get a bit ranty, especially after being away for so long, but this one pushed my buttons."
Jennifer agreed with Rachel: " I'm with Rachel on this one. I believe there's actually an ongoing million dollar challenge to produce a substance with no chemicals. It can't be done for the simple fact that everything is made out of molecules and compounds. The line between chemicals that have no harmful effect and the ones that do is more often about dosage than origin (synthetic / natural). The number of natural chemicals (many of which we haven't really tested and may not even know about) greatly outnumbers our whole collection of synthetics. Many of our pesticides come from the natural world as adaptations that plants have made to keep predators from eating them. That's not to say that natural is necessarily dangerous; it's just not necessarily safer than synthetic. I choose cosmetics with relatively few ingredients and use few of them. I like plant-based ones because I have a deep and abiding love for plants and their smells, but it also doesn't bother me if they have small amounts of synthetic preservative or surfactant." Jennifer also had this to say on Twitter:
- I hate to seem pedantic, but there is no such thing as chemical free anything. We're made of chemicals. Water is a chemical.
- Toxicity is det. by dosage & exposure. Wet clay = safe, dry clay = silicosis. Water in mouth = good, water in lungs = deadly.
- Deborah Blum wrote about this very issue today! http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/chemical-free-dirt/
- I don't overexpose to cos chem, either. But I do drive, go out w/o sunblock, and breathe oxygen, which are all far riskier.
- That could also be true of, say, tea tree essential oil. We found out sassafrass was carcinogenic fairly recently.
- Grimly enough, cats and dogs have died from being dosed w/ tea trea oil, presumed 'safe' by their owners.
Her twitter comments prompted me to ask how she'd change the challenge and that resulted in our "Up the Ante" challenge to do some real investigation.
In response to Jennifer's comments, The Accessory Lady added this: " I have to agree with Jennifer. Less is more in the ingredient department. It also means there's a substantial amount of each good ingredient in the product. I've been making the transition to mostly natural and organic personal care for ten years. Recently I've been making my own castile soap based shampoo and body wash. I use jojoba oil, essential oils and aloe vera gel. For my recipes I consult the following books as guidelines and then modify according to what I have available: Drop Dead Gorgeous by Kim Erickson, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood. I have a vast library of aromatherapy books that I use. I absolutely love it. What's not to love. The tiny bottles of concentrated authentic oils make me feel like I'm performing fragrant magic. At home, the oils I use the most are lavender, tea tree and lemon for everything from personal care, first aid to cleaning. Always make sure to read about each oil carefully to make sure it's right/safe for you and your household. As for deodorants, I like Alba Botanica's because it has no aluminum or Propylene glycol. I also like the deodorant powder by Honeybee Gardens. Worn together they work as well as any of the shelf anti-perspirant. I also want to add that there's not need to buy books to work with essential oils. There are endless recipes and resources online to get you started if you've never done it before. :) "
Alan (Alicia's husband and co-owner of Eco Natural Soap) responded to Rachel with his thoughts: "I agree 1000% about the chemical(s) remark, everything is composed of chemicals of some sort. Alicia took it for granted that everyone would realize she meant the challenge would be to try and avoid the harmful, toxic chemicals found in sooo many commercial products nowadays! The comment about dihydrogen monoxide, a hoaxed name for water is a good one! I tell people the terms "natural" and "organic" have been so mis-used to sell people chemical cocktails, but I think most people are catching on to this stinkin-thinkin label hype advertising! Arsenic is a natural ingredient, but I do not want to inhale any! There are many knowledgeable soapers out there, making great products with natural plant based ingredients, compared to the "Bad Chemical" commercial products made with dead animal fats sourced from slaughter houses and chemicals from the waste by-products of oil refineries. I personally could not begin to formulate the type of products we produce with dead animal fats. I require the "Chemicals" like vitamins, minerals, amino acids and trace elements derived from exotic nuts, fruits, oils, seeds, butters and herbals to achieve the specific properties of our varied soaps and balms. Sodium Hydroxide is also called "Caustic Soda". It is typically made from wood ash. It is 13-14 pH, the most alkaline on the scale and yes it can produce a serious burn on contact with skin! It is not a naturally occurring mined mineral ore. We have a "Natural" aluminum free deodorant, tested and ready to be marketed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the concerns about aluminum are more related to Alzheimer's symptoms, but I do know your body continues to store aluminum, rather than eliminating it and claims have been made pertaining to stunted infant growth because it competes with calcium absorption in the body. At any rate, it is one heavy metal I will stay away from, but that just shows opinions vary! Thanks for allowing me to comment about Alicia's challenge and voicing some opinions about ENS."
Rachel replied back to Alan: "Alan, thanks for engaging in the discussion. To reply to some of your points: Of course I realized that Alicia meant toxic chemicals, but it is precisely this usage of "chemical" to mean "bad chemical" that I object to. It implies that all chemicals are bad, which is of course nonsense, and generally leads to confusion. "Dihydrogen monoxide" is not a hoax, it's a way of showing that even the most natural and beneficial substance (water) is a chemical and can be described with a chemical name of the kind that tends to scare people. It's a way of making the point that everything is chemical. Some of us find it amusing, too ;-) You contrast natural plant based soap with "Bad Chemical" commercial products made with animal fat and oil refinery by-products. That's four characteristics that may or may not go together. My soap is made with animal fat. I appreciate that this is offensive to vegetarians, but animal fats are no less natural than vegetable oils. You could not make your soap with animal fat because plant-based ingredients produce different results from animal-based ingredients. Nonetheless, lard does make a high quality soap. When you said that Sodium Hydroxide is typically made from wood ash, I thought, "Surely you mean Potassium Hydroxide," and then I had to go and look up how Sodium Hydroxide is actually made. Wikipedia tells me that it's produced by passing electricity through Sodium Chloride - that's common table salt - and water. All pretty natural, apart from the electricity! You're quite right to say that the concerns about Aluminium are more related to Alzheimers. There have been concerns (internet scares) about breast cancer, but these are based on very little research and can be ignored. The concerns about Alzheimers are more to do with Aluminium consumed in food (and this is why I don't use Aluminium cookware) and have been extensively researched. I was interested to learn that the results of all this investigation are that Aluminium is NOT a risk factor for Alzheimers. On the other hand, the issue of it affecting calcium absorption seems well supported. I also learnt some other interesting things along the way, such as that while aluminium does bioaccumulate (the body continues to store it) in fish, it doesn't in humans: "Aluminium that is absorbed is readily excreted by the normal human kidney," our main exposure comes from food and water, and also that it is the third most abundant element on the planet! Anyone who's really interested can check out where I got this from: INCHEM."
CelloMom weighed in on the topic: "CelloDad has a persistently dry spot along his eyebrows that he used to slather with some paraben-laced lotion, until I convinced him to try a lick of coconut oil. He hasn't looked back since. When we eat avocado I give him the peels to wipe over his dry hands, that works very well. I suggested a mask of wheat bran in water with a bit of honey, but that was too much work. There is a rumour that parabens are banned in Europe (and that companies like L'Oreal have separate formulations for the US and the EU for their cosmetics lines), but I've seen plenty of products containing it: anybody know the scoop on that?"
Everyman Zero Waste responded to both CelloMom and Alan: "The comments on this topic have been so interesting. I have really enjoyed all your views and info. Re CelloMom's query on parabens, I am in the Uk and we do still have products with parabens. It is a legal requirement in the EU that parabens in cosmetic products are limited to a certain amount however. You have the same limits in the US apparantly but these are recommended guidelines rather than a legal restriction. Picking up on Alan's comments, parabens are another interesting one. Highly controversial in their manufactured form and yet foods such as blueberries contain a type of paraben. Like several others my approach is to keep the number of ingredients simple and few, and to at least know what is in that which I slather on myself!"
CelloMom came back with: "Thanks everyman zero waste for the pointers on parabens: it seems we'll have to read labels wherever we are, then! For Jennifer's up the ante challenge: I know of two databases on chemical compounds commonly used for personal care products. Both summarise the known and suspected risks, and lists research both from the open scientific literature and from government bodies. I can't afford access to the journals, but trust that articles appearing in them have been peer-reviewed (a process not without flaws but still the best we have). The databases are at TEDX (endocrinedisruption.com) and the Skin Deep Database (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/). Both tend to over-state the risk, sort of like OHSA's Materials Safety Data Sheets that lists a risk of death for our friend H2O (and correctly so: one could drown in it). Many of the experiments cited do use a larger dose than you would find in a tube of make-up, but many tubes together do add up. Our endocrine systems are finely tuned marvels: e.g. birth control pills contain estrogen on a scale of micrograms per day: we're talking powerful! There remains unanswered questions about cumulative effects, and cross-chemical interactions. Bottom line: I tend to use the databases with a grain of salt, but not too large."
Cat offered us two posts on subject ... one is about Chemicals and the other is about Cosmetics.
Hannah shared three links with us: 1) A Natural Acne Treatment that Really Worked for Me!, 2) Natural Body Care & Organic Body Care and 3) Pangea ~ Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom Body Lotion.
Argentum Vulgaris said that he has been shaken from his comfort zone. Find out what happened when he read the labels on his deodorant: Change the World Wednesday – 22nd Aug.
Clare shared many wonderful articles this week. Take a look:
- 7 Home Health Products You Don’t Need
- Skin Toxins
- Skin Toxins – Deodorant, Soap
- Eco-friendly Eye Care Routines for Great Skin
- Eco Shampoo
- Eco Shampoo Part II – Natural Alternatives
- Eco Shampoo Part III – Product Recommendations
When Tina and her family decided to meet this challenge, she thought it would be very hard. Instead, she found it to be easy. Here are her tips and ideas: Take the Challenge to Choose Safer Body Care Products.
Alicia shared this with us: "Thanks so much for using my challenge this week. We have been working for the past several years to get rid of the bad chemicals that had been lurking about in the products we had been using. That included what we put on our bodies. I am so happy to say that my shampoo, deodorant,soap, makeup and moisturizers are all free of any bad chemicals. I can truthfully say that my skin looks better now than it has in years and I know it is from eliminating the terrible cosmetics I was using before. As most of you know all the products I use are from Eco Natural Soap but there are so many great companies with good for your skin products! I so encourage you to check out the ingredients on your perfumes and colognes because they have some of the worst ingredients in them. I think you will be really surprised what terrible things are allowed in those sweet smelling bottles. Don't forget that there are a lot of good things that you can use right in your kitchen. Bananas and yogurt make a great mask as well as avocados mashed and mixed with honey."
Ann talks about natural and safe body care products HERE. Can you guess what her body lotion of choice is? She also includes our banner in two posts ... one about Durians and the other about Chocolate.
In this POST Josefin says "I feel more confused and insecure than before.." I think she voices what a lot of us are thinking. She also talks a bit about what she uses and some of the things she's recently learned about safe products.
Mrs. Green evaluated some of the products in her cabinet. In Are there toxins on your skin? you find out what her final verdict is.
What do you use for sunburn? Kris, who's very conscientious about what she puts on her skin, found a terrific remedy which also acts as a fabulous skin moisturizer. Curious? Read about that in CCTW - Chemical-free and loving it.
Our Twitter friends joined the conversation this week:
From @givetreegifts
- Eco Friendly Vitamin E ointment is made from Vitamin E oil & bees wax is wonderful for scrapes, rough skin, chapped lips
- Grape seed oil is a wonderful way to moisturize without the chemicals
- Cornstarch is a great way to help hot tired feet. Sprinkle some in your athletic socks before dawning your runners
- Use Food to Naturally Replicate Your “Must-Have” Beauty Products https://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/get-beauti-food-using-food-to-naturally-replicate-your-must-have-beauty-products/
- Tips to help teach kids about 'going green' http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/consumer&id=8758970
From @themac533
- Toxins enter your body via lungs, mouth, skin. As the largest organ in your body, protecting your skin eliminates a large pathway in.
- Working at a landfill, there are many things I don't want contacting my skin. Very cautious in the workplace as well as at home.
- We're getting to be too clean w/ antibacterials leading to + allergies. Suggest scraping the mouthwash & antimicrob/bacterial products
From @gwened02
- I've been trying to do this for the whole family. Can be expensive though!
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts: This challenge was, indeed, an eye-opener. In many ways, it seemed to leave us feeling confused and even afraid of the products we have in our homes. One truth which emerged is that we need to know more ... more about the meaning of words on labels ... more about what is and isn't regulated ... more about substances and their affects on our bodies. It's not an easy task but with each step we become informed consumers. As we ask more questions, read more studies, and let manufacturers know that their products are being scrutinized, safer products will emerge.
Thanks, everyone!
This Week's Challenge:
This week's activity comes from CelloMom who says "It's relatively easy to eat locally in the summertime, but my CSA shuts down in November: then what? Ideally, one eats locally year-round." Here's the challenge:
This week share ideas on eating locally during the winter months. While "eating locally" may include meats, dairy, etc., for the purposes of this challenge we're primarily talking about plant-based foods.
And then ...
Come up with a plan, for your household, to eat locally throughout the year. This might include preserving produce which is currently available in your area, talking to farmers to see if they offer (or would be willing to offer) items during the winter, or growing a winter garden of your own.
Come up with a plan, for your household, to eat locally throughout the year. This might include preserving produce which is currently available in your area, talking to farmers to see if they offer (or would be willing to offer) items during the winter, or growing a winter garden of your own.
Are you up for it? I know that you are!!
Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
