My family and I recently went on a quick trip to Missouri. When I was a kid my family lived in Missouri for four years for my Dads job and during that time we became close with a family that we still visit today. While we lived in Missouri they took us in, gave us a community and they've come to feel like our own family now. They have a farm where they've raised chickens, grow grapes, raise cattle and everything in between over the years. They currently have two cattle, a vineyard of grapes and a big pear tree. We fed the cows, picked grapes off the vine and pears off their tree. Throughout they kept re-iterating their hate of chemicals either when it came to pesticides, or in raising their cattle. This is something I already knew I really appreciated and loved.
One day we came onto the topic of makeup and talked about all the chemicals in something as simple as the baby wipes I said I use to take my makeup off. My first reaction was "you should see the makeup I put on my face, the baby wipes are the least of my worries." Later, I reflected on the discussion and thought "why don't I care about that?" I know I don't want chemicals in my food but why am I okay with slathering chemicals into my pores?
The first reason I know I've been reluctant to delve into the world of chemical free makeup is the price. Most clean makeups are double the price. I've also found them to often be less effective and harder to find.
I stumbled upon an app called ThinkDirty. You can search for any makeup or household product and see where it rates on a scale of 0-10, 10 being the worst for you.
I typed a few of my commonly used products in and wasn't necessarily surprised that they were made of chemicals but the word carcinogen was not very welcome to my eyes.
I decided I would try replacing items as I go and see how that works for me. Instead of spending tons of money at once I could work to find clean products and switch them out with my old ones as I needed them.
As it happened I was in need of some new lotion and some new deodorant. I went to the drug store and spent some time searching some brands in my ThinkDirty App. I liked Honest Brand and Burts Bees the best and will be trying more of their products in the future but for the day I picked up the Honest Brand lotion.
The next thing I needed was deodorant and I had no idea where to start with that. All I could see were the common chemical-filled brands I'd become accustomed to. I went to the grocery store next and ventured into their health beauty section and found the Green Beaver Company deodorant.
So far I'm enjoying the Honest body lotion. It's definitely not oily and seems to offer good coverage for a small amount of lotion. I also like how it's for my face and body so I'm not buying multiple different lotions. The Green Beaver deodorant was a good first purchase but I'll probably consider trying some other brands in the future. I love the scent and maybe I'm just used to the protection of the chemical-laden deodorants from the drug store but it's definitely not great for all day protection. I may just need to change my routine and bring the deodorant with me in my purse instead of expecting it to work all day like my old deodorant. I'm liking it so far though and enjoy knowing I'm not leaching aluminum into my body through my arm pits.
My next buys that I'm interested in are going to be the Physicians Formula makeup. I'm excited to try their mascara and they have great scores on the ThinkDirty app. One thing to remember though is that just because one product has good scores on ThinkDirty does not mean that all products from that brand will. Look up each product to get the most accurate information.
I also wanted to give you a quick update on my attempts at living plastic-free. My favourite purchase by far has been my re-usable produce bags!
I bring them to the market and to the grocery store. It's nice not having to search for the produce bag dispensers and I don't have a huge pile of plastic bags to get rid of once I unload my groceries.
Second runner up: my reusable produce tote
I just love the look of it and love bringing it to the market or loading my groceries in it.
I haven't used my bamboo silverware or stainless steel straws much but I also don't do a ton of eating out where I don't have access to a set of silverware. I know I want to bring them on my trip to Hawaii next year when we'll be driving the road to Hana and eating from stands on the way. One thing I REALLY want to get into the habit of is bringing my re-usable coffee cup with me and actually using it.
Other things on my sustainable Wishlist:
<< Reusable Ziploc Bags >>
We have Tupperware but I'm a big sucker for Ziploc bags. They're just so much more compact.
<< Beeswax Wrap >>
Beeswax wrap is an alternative to plastic wrap. The wrap applies itself to whatever you need to wrap with just the heat of your hands. It's washable and re-usable. I'd love to give it a try.
So far I'm enjoying my attempt at living a cleaner, less wasteful existence. I'm still learning and going through a lot of trial and error but it's been fun so far!
From the desk of:
Taylor Brown
Sustainable Student
