I Try to Live Chemical-free
I've been trying to get healthier in recent years. I figure every small step I take counts for something. Since last September, I've really been trying to consume less chemicals. I've reduced how much processed food I eat, and I've been trying to buy organic more often, but I'm cheap, so that doesn't always happen. Some things I always get organic. Like aggregate fruits. I swear I can taste the chemicals in non-organic raspberries and blackberries. I've also started drinking filtered water.
Even though I've cleaned up my diet, I'm realizing I still have all kinds of chemicals in my home that may be having a negative impact on my health. Soaps, lotions, hair care, deodorant, cleaning supplies, air fresheners, cosmetics, plastic containers for leftovers. I'm really wanting to reduce how many chemicals I am exposed to and switch to more natural products.
I don't think it's something I can really do all at once and it's kind of daunting. I am the type of person who gets the same thing for years and years and years so switching all these products all at once would just be too much for me. The hard part is finding alternatives. Reading a ton of labels, and sometimes ordering stuff online or making stuff myself in some cases. Lots of research.
I figured the best place to start would be stuff I put in my mouth or on my skin. I already switched to a homemade face wash and more natural shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and mouthwash. I want to find or make a more natural soap or body wash. I am worried finding sunblock and deodorant without dangerous chemicals will be tricky but I'll need to do more research. It's tricky because a lot of products call themselves natural and then you look at the labels and it's the exact ingredients I'm trying to avoid.
I've recently watched a couple documentaries on Netflix regarding chemicals in common products. A few weeks ago I watched The Devil We Know. It was focused on Teflon but it made me think more about the chemicals used in household products than I had in the past and how companies obscure facts and manipulate the public. Like I didn't realize that even dental floss can contain chemicals that can be dangerous to unborn babies.
Tonight I watched another documentary called Stink. It got into a lot of things but was mainly focused on how products can list "Fragrance" on the label and not list the chemical components of the fragrance, which can include known carcinogens and hormone disruptors. The thing that really sold me, though, was when he went around talking to politicians, chemical lobbyists, and business owners. Seeing how they responded to questions was really eye-opening. Vague responses that don't really answer the questions being asked. Repeating the same canned response over and over again. Sometimes even a reluctance to talk or answer at all. Talking fast, sweating, skin turning pale. Clear verbal and physiological signs of deception. These are people who KNOW they are deceiving people. But their paycheck matters more than the safety of the public, I guess.
It's scary what's out there and how little regulation there actually is here in the United States for this kind of stuff. Even if I didn't care about my health, I don't want my money to go to these assholes.
My current goal is just to replace all my personal hygiene products with less chemical-laden alternatives. I'll tackle everything else at a later date. I figure there's a whole rabbit hole I could go down researching all this stuff and I need to take it one product at a time.
Even though I've cleaned up my diet, I'm realizing I still have all kinds of chemicals in my home that may be having a negative impact on my health. Soaps, lotions, hair care, deodorant, cleaning supplies, air fresheners, cosmetics, plastic containers for leftovers. I'm really wanting to reduce how many chemicals I am exposed to and switch to more natural products.
I don't think it's something I can really do all at once and it's kind of daunting. I am the type of person who gets the same thing for years and years and years so switching all these products all at once would just be too much for me. The hard part is finding alternatives. Reading a ton of labels, and sometimes ordering stuff online or making stuff myself in some cases. Lots of research.
I figured the best place to start would be stuff I put in my mouth or on my skin. I already switched to a homemade face wash and more natural shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and mouthwash. I want to find or make a more natural soap or body wash. I am worried finding sunblock and deodorant without dangerous chemicals will be tricky but I'll need to do more research. It's tricky because a lot of products call themselves natural and then you look at the labels and it's the exact ingredients I'm trying to avoid.
I've recently watched a couple documentaries on Netflix regarding chemicals in common products. A few weeks ago I watched The Devil We Know. It was focused on Teflon but it made me think more about the chemicals used in household products than I had in the past and how companies obscure facts and manipulate the public. Like I didn't realize that even dental floss can contain chemicals that can be dangerous to unborn babies.
Tonight I watched another documentary called Stink. It got into a lot of things but was mainly focused on how products can list "Fragrance" on the label and not list the chemical components of the fragrance, which can include known carcinogens and hormone disruptors. The thing that really sold me, though, was when he went around talking to politicians, chemical lobbyists, and business owners. Seeing how they responded to questions was really eye-opening. Vague responses that don't really answer the questions being asked. Repeating the same canned response over and over again. Sometimes even a reluctance to talk or answer at all. Talking fast, sweating, skin turning pale. Clear verbal and physiological signs of deception. These are people who KNOW they are deceiving people. But their paycheck matters more than the safety of the public, I guess.
It's scary what's out there and how little regulation there actually is here in the United States for this kind of stuff. Even if I didn't care about my health, I don't want my money to go to these assholes.
My current goal is just to replace all my personal hygiene products with less chemical-laden alternatives. I'll tackle everything else at a later date. I figure there's a whole rabbit hole I could go down researching all this stuff and I need to take it one product at a time.
