The damaging health and environmental impact of cleaning and beauty products. What can we do?
This post was inspired by new research I just discovered about the damaging long-term health effects cleaning products. Unfortunately, I think this is just the beginning to research linking harsh chemical use with health conditions and environmental issues. PS. Finally, I don’t feel like the far out hippy young Viliuso suggested 4 years ago, when I mentioned this and suddenly changed to chemical free everything. I have made a wee list of the products I use at the end if anyone is interested. We use chemicals every day in almost every area of society. We lather on chemicals for cleaning, washing, preventing odour and to smell good. But what are the long-term effects of daily chemical use? Impact on our health Our skin is the largest organ in our body. It absorbs everything we put on it, carrying it into our blood stream, impacting how our body functions, how we think and how we feel. When first realised this, it blew my mind. I couldn’t believe for years, I thought we have control of what gets put into our bodies through the foods we eat and the air we breathe. Most of us have been taught from a young age to lather on to our skin chemicals. Shampoo, body wash, perfume, fairy liquid, hand soap, face cream, sun screen and more. Daily use of all these products have just become a norm in society. We become accustomed to choosing products based on smell, cost, advertising, popularity and branding. We also buy them from our supermarkets which only tend to stock products fully loaded in chemicals. Even if we wear gloves using household cleaning products, we still breath them into our lungs. This has been studied, and proven to be toxic. Some scientist suggest that these chemicals are as bad a smoking 20 cigarettes per day. Why is this information not over publicised? Profit It sounds overly hippy, but one of the reasons we don’t already know this publicly is money. Businesses who supply these products make a huge amount of profit. I can’t even imagine the money made in the cosmetic industry. Lack of research and awareness Another reason is we just didn’t really know the dangers of these products. When scientist discovered bacteria was linked to diseases. Products high in chemicals, killing all germs were mass-produced. Killing all the ‘bad’ bacteria made sense. When disease was spreading washing hands in hospitals and keeping everything sanatized reduced the spread of many diseases. However, we now don't have those issues and research is stating that these chemicals are actually harmful for our health. The study that inspired this post and other research on the gut microbiome show that our body is full of bacteria and we need a 'good balance' of this to flourish. We have yet to discover what the exact balance is. However, we know there are certain things that can take us way off balance including harsh chemicals. Environmental impact Residue of chemicals are constantly flushed into the water supply. When we shower or wash our hands the excess soap goes straight down the plug. Chemicals from cleaning products add to this. There are now studies showing the that antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs are getting into the sea; having serious harmful effect on wildlife and the full eco-system. The example that made it real in my head was imagine putting one drop of black in a bottle of water, the water becomes cloudy and unclear. Imagine then, the effect in the ocean when vast amounts of oil and other chemicals are released daily. The accumulation over time is too much to think about. We can’t change what’s happened, but we can change what we do from now on if we do it together. What changes you can make today? Swap out products as the bottle runs out. Small changes are way less stress and more sustainable long term. Products I tend to use Skin care Sukin -All the Sukin products I have used are amazing. The brand only uses natural ingredients and cruelty free/vegan. I use the super greens range of moisturiser, face scrub and body wash. I buy it in massive bottles and it lasts me for months. You can usually get great discounts and offers online. https://sukinnaturals.com/ Natural body spray For the last year I have been making my own body spray. I just add lots of random essential oils to water, shake it up and use. Right now I am using a mix of lavender, geranium and neroli oil. The oils smell amazing and having stress/anxiety relieving effects. Dr Organic Hemp Oil Deodorant I have used this deodorant for years and it’s great. It lasts forever and smells lovely. The brand has a range of smells including pomegranate and rose. There are a range of benefits to switching from the normal aerosol spray deodorants. Especially women, research has shown a link between breast cancer and spray-can deodorant use. When we continual spray chemicals onto our breast tissue daily it builds up, blocking pours and can cause significant damage. When I read this I couldn’t believe for years I had been spraying like crazy thinking I needed to. https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/natural-beauty/washing-bathing/deodorant/ Dental care Dr Organics Charcoal Toothpaste It black which looks kind of strange, but it is peppermint flavor and amazing. After using it for a few years, I wouldn’t go back to normal toothpaste. Vilius have even converted, buying it for himself whilst I have been in Orkney! You can always find great deals at Holland and Barrett, I usually buy it when its buy one get one free. https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dr-organic -charcoal-toothpaste-60015707?skuid=015707 Bamboo toothbrush Anything but plastic is an amazing Scottish based company aiming to reduce plastic pollution. The packaging is amazing, its all compostable and they even give you a postcard to hand into your local Scottish supermarket to raise awareness and stop everyday plastic use. This is one of the best bamboo toothbrushes I have found. When I first started using bamboo toothbrushes a few years ago the wood us to go strange after a few uses. This one is sturdy and just feels the same as a plastic one, but way better for the environment! https://www.anythingbutplastic.co.uk/product-page/bamboo-toothbrush Environmentally friendly dental floss https://www.anythingbutplastic.co.uk/product-page/dental-lace Mouth wash I have recently started making my own mouthwash. It is really easy just mix backing soda with a few drops of peppermint oil. Takes the exact same without all the chemicals. Household cleaning Ecover washing powder; this brand can be bought it any supermarket and online. Ecover Fairy liquid; great product and the bottle can be refilled in many health food shops. The product can also be bought it any supermarket and online. https://www.ecoverdirect.com/products/washing-up-liquid-1-litre/ewash1l.aspx?productid=ewash1l Air freshener Make my own in by mixing water, lavender and lemon oil. Smells incredible. Lemon oil has anti-microbial properties which also be used to clean all surfaces. Chemically cautious brands also tend to use more environmentally friendly packaging If you made it this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog, I would love to hear what you think and any feedback would mean so much.
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