Essays

What Not To Wear – Part 1

As promised at the end of my Cleaning Up essay, I have been investigating various ways to live more responsibly, in a manner that will do the least damage to my home and to my neighbors (not to mention myself!). I wanted to make sure that anything I buy on a regular basis is as benign as possible, so I collected information on the effects of using various personal care products, and I tried a lot of new things which I’ll detail below. What Not To Wear – Part 2 is about sustainable clothing choices.

WHERE TO BEGIN

At first, I felt overwhelmed by all the ingredients that might be bad for me (and by extension, bad for everyone else as they wash down the drain and enter the water supply). I decided that my main concern was petrochemicals, which have been suspected to cause everything from endocrine disruption to cancer, and because generally I oppose using petroleum-derived products when plant-derived will do. Pretty much everything is made from oil these days (you were in the 30% who knew that, right?), and because it is finite I believe that we should avoid it where we can. That way we might have enough left for those things we can only make from oil (such as plastic medical devices, computers, and solar panels).

I found, however, that petrochemicals were extremely difficult to avoid. Labeling on personal care products is not regulated, and many items are marketed as “natural” or “organic” even though they contain petroleum-derived substances. But you can start by finding out what’s in your current products, shunning the Green Guide’s Dirty Dozen, or just avoiding any ingredients you cannot identify. If you’re not up for reading labels, you generally can’t go wrong with Aubrey Organics or Terressentials. I also usually like Burt’s Bees and Tom’s of Maine, whose dedication to recycled/recyclable packaging makes up for a few questionable ingredients, and whose products are affordable for the average consumer.

I’d like to stress that whatever you try, use it until it is gone (unless you are having some kind of terrible allergic reaction). I tried several products which I didn’t like initially because they were different from my old products, but over time I began to prefer the natural ones.

NEXT STEPS

If this is a lot to think about, you may want to stop reading here. But if you have already forsworn petrochemicals and you want to do more, read on.

Replacing petroleum-derived goods with plant-derived unfortunately does not solve all our problems. There is no guarantee, for example, that a plant-derived substance will not be an endocrine disruptor (lavender and tea tree oils are already suspected). Many “natural” items require enormous amounts of energy to produce, package, and transport, and Americans consume far more energy per capita than is responsible or sustainable. (Here is why consumption must be lowered, and why switching to plant-based fuels won’t help.) I wanted to find ways to not just substitute, but to use less.

I heard about a group of people who had stopped using shampoo and conditioner in favor of baking soda and cider vinegar, and I decided to test that out mainly because my eco-friendly haircare regimen was costing me a fortune. Most baking soda in North America comes from Wyoming trona mines (more info here), so using it is far from ideal, but I thought the single ingredient in cardboard packaging would be an improvement over multiple ingredients in plastic bottles. Additionally, I found I needed to wash my hair less often using this method. But I had very long, thick hair and I could not completely give up conditioner. After a lot of agonizing I cut my hair and donated it, and since then I’ve done well with the soda/vinegar routine and a tiny amount of hair butter for the ends. I think I’ve also reduced my water usage.

I’m performing similar experiments in other areas, with interesting results. Far from feeling deprived, I feel freed and empowered by my options. I’ve challenged a lot of old assumptions, and I’ve found that several things I always considered essential were actually just hindrances; the very products we are told we need in order to be healthy, clean, and attractive often make us less so. Because I am no longer stripping away its natural oils, I am hoping my hair will grow back healthier, and I will be able to keep it long using fewer resources. In the meantime, my short hair is a symbol of the constant process of re-evaluating my lifestyle, and seeing myself in the mirror reminds me of this commitment.

Many people are pushing this envelope and can provide guidance for your own explorations. You can learn to make your own deodorant. Women can look into alternatives for menstrual products. You can join the Riot for Austerity or the Compact or the Freegans, or just find support with like-minded friends and neighbors. But I am straying a bit from the topic of this essay.

My point is: often I’ve heard about someone “going to extremes” for the good of the planet and I’ve said, “That would be such a headache; there’s no way I could do that.” But after I’ve thought about it for awhile I try it, and I usually find it’s not such a big deal. And even if making these small changes does little to reduce greenhouse gases or cancer rates, it sure beats maintaining the status quo.