Enough about dodgy goods from China -- let’s take
a closer look at what our own governments allow products to
contain.
Rare is the bathroom shelf that’s not crowded with bottles,
jars and tubes of personal care products and toiletries. Lotions,
potions, shampoos, conditioners, gels, creams, powders, deodorants,
toothpaste… it’s amazing the amount of stuff we
can’t seem to live without. But in fact we’re
exposing ourselves to an exotic cocktail of cheap chemicals
and preservatives with every use.
Here’s a list of horrors for you. Propylene glycol,
called a humectant in cosmetics, is in fact industrial antifreeze
with the potential to cause liver and kidney damage. It’s
a common ingredient in moisturizers, baby products and deodorants
– even the ‘natural’ health-store deodorants
list it as a major ingredient.
The major component of antiperspirants is aluminum chloroxide,
which many studies link to Alzheimer’s disease. It’s
gradually assimilated through the skin where it builds up
in the system.
Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS) is potentially the most harmful
ingredient used in personal care products. It’s a known
irritant that collects in the eye, brain, heart, liver and
kidney with potentially long-term effects. You’ll find
it in shampoo, shaving foam, cleansers and other products.
Ironically, it can contribute to hair loss due to its corrosive
qualities and also contribute to the development of cataracts
in older adults.
Most shampoos are very harsh and strip the natural oil from
the hair. One study compared the components of a gel-type
shampoo with industrial rug shampoo concentrate, and found
the same ingredients in both products, in similar quantities.
Cheap conditioners coat the hair with oil and wax that is
stripped out with the next shampoo.
Here’s more. DEA (diethanolamine) is a known carcinogen
found in many personal care products. A 7-ounce tube of conventional
fluoride toothpaste contains enough fluoride to kill a small
child. (In Canada, toothpaste tubes carry a warning not to
swallow the contents.) Mineral oil, common in baby products
and moisturizers, is derived from crude oil and is used in
industry as a metal cutting fluid. It strips vitamin D from
the skin, seals pores and prevents skin from breathing and
detoxifying. Talcum powder has been linked to ovarian cancer.
The producers of most common products use the highest possible
level of preservatives in order to give them a long shelf
life and protect themselves from litigation (of course there
is no expiry date on this stuff). I could go on, but I’m
running out of space.
As if this wasn’t enough, consider the pollution caused
by all these unnecessary products and their packaging.
Body Shop founder Anita Roddick says claims for anti-wrinkle
creams are ‘rubbish’ and recommends spending your
money on a good bottle of pinot noir instead.
I talked to Randall Hayward, who has 30 years experience in
aromatherapy and natural cosmetics. “Plenty of cheap,
natural products will do the same job as well or better than
commercial products,” he maintains. “I challenge
your readers to go through their bathrooms and have a look
at the ingredients in their toothpaste, cosmetics, bath products
and cleaning agents. Look at the order of the ingredients
– the first three or four usually have by far the heaviest
concentration. Date the products with a marker when you buy
them and throw them out after a year.
“We’re used to being squeaky clean,” he
explains. “Actually we can be too clean – we’ve
become accustomed to harsh cleansers and soaps with lots of
lather which can burn off the top layer of skin. Facial cleansers
should leave enough natural oil behind to protect the skin.
Many products for dry skin actually make your skin drier.
And don’t even get me started on commercial baby products.”
Early in 2008 Randall will open a spa in Ubud and launch a
line of pure, natural personal care products under the label
TAKSU. Using locally produced ingredients as much as possible,
the products will include soap, skin care, shampoo and conditioner.
He’s setting up a kitchen in Ubud where the products
will be created and packaged in non-plastic containers and
environmentally safe refill packs. His unique TAKSU Spa will
address individual skin care needs with personally blended
products instead of using generic products on everyone. More
news on this unusual approach when the TAKSU Spa opens.
“When you do find a good product, keep it in the fridge,”
Randall advises. “Keep a smaller container of it in
the bathroom -- just enough for a few days, to maintain the
integrity of the product.”
So if we toss out all those bottles and jars on the bathroom
shelf (recycling the empties, of course), what should we be
using instead? Randall suggests the following. I’ve
tried several of them and found them agreeable and effective.
For toothpaste, the traditional Japanese alternative is finely
ground sea salt, baking soda and charred, finely ground eggplant.
Or just old-fashioned baking soda on its own.
Hair conditioner? Try a beaten egg or a little good quality
mayonnaise. Rinse after 10 minutes.
For the face, first wash with a very small amount of good
coconut-oil soap on a cloth, then use a rinse of clear water
with a little cider vinegar. Plain yogurt is an ideal product
to use on the skin, restoring its delicate pH and tightening
the skin. I also tried Randall’s suggested facial scrub
of 1 tsp finely ground rice mixed with 1 tsp plain yogurt
and a few drops of wild forest honey --– a gentle way
to loosen surface dirt, especially for motorcycle riders.
It cost about 2 cents, worked a treat and I gave what was
left over to the dogs. Now, that’s recycling.
For deodorant, he suggests zinc oxide and calendula oil or
a drop of tea tree oil in a little water.
It seems that Ubud is a hotbed of natural care and household
products at the moment. Wash Organics is a new line of phosphate-free
detergents being developed here and due to be launched next
year. More information when it appears.
Another interesting new product is a spray bottle for freshening
the inside of motorcycle helmets, which collect a disagreeable
odour from the bacteria and fungus that build up and thrive
in tropical conditions. FRESHELM is a blend of selected, high
quality essential oils that destroy bacteria and fungus while
conditioning the hair and discouraging head lice and dandruff.
The eco-friendly and attractively packaged product is proving
popular with Bali’s young people. Please Call Ni Wayan
Arianingsih at 08155 8266 108 for more information or distribution
opportunities.
With increasing numbers of toxins in our daily environment,
it makes sense to avoid them whenever we can. Randall’s
credo is, “An educated consumer is the best way to change
society and shift the marketplace.” So here’s
another opportunity to be part of the solution.
