I have always had an interest in natural body care products, but I haven't been that strict about it or made much of an effort to really do my research until I became pregnant.
It is scary to me all of the ingredients that are in so many products that we put on our bodies every single day!
Shampoo, body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, lotion, etc and etc.
Unfortunately it is more expensive to buy natural and organic products, but I truly feel like it is well worth the money! And I also think that I use way too much of each product and really could use a lot less and still get the same effect while maybe saving a little money.
There are so many companies out there that offer organic products and do not hide what they put in their products. And of course I am already doing research on baby products. Did you know that Johnson and Johnson Baby Wash contains formaldehyde? Apparently they are removing this from their products, but I just simply do not trust a company that uses chemicals like that. I also learned that Aveeno is owned by Johnson and Johnson so I don't think I will be purchasing any of their products either.
Just a small portion of what I have learned about formaldehyde (courtesy of Wikipedia): A gas at room temperature, formaldehyde is colorless and has a characteristic pungent, irritating odor. It is an important precursor to many other materials and chemical compounds. In 2005, annual world production of formaldehyde was estimated to be 8.7 million tonnes. Commercial solutions of formaldehyde in water, commonly called formol, were formerly used as disinfectants and for preservation of biological specimens.
In view of its widespread use, toxicity and volatility, exposure to formaldehyde is a significant consideration for human health. In 2011, the US National Toxicology Program described formaldehyde as "known to be a human carcinogen".
Nothing about that sounds like anything I want to put on my body and certainly not my baby's body!
Until recently I hadn't even thought about deodorant and what is in it. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum. Here is an interesting article about a possible correlation between aluminum and cancer:
Whether it is true or not, I would rather steer clear of putting aluminum anywhere near my lymph nodes.
I recently purchased Tom's of Maine natural deodorant and once we finish this tube of Colgate toothpaste we have I plan to purchase Tom's of Maine toothpaste as well.
I also started using natural shampoo with lower sulfates as well as body wash from The Honest Co.
My friend has already sold me on some baby care products from Earth Mama Angel Baby.
Certainly expensive, but at the end of the day it is important to me what I am putting my baby's skin as well as mine.
We are planning to cloth diaper as well as use cloth wipes. I will use the organic body wash for the solution for the cloth wipes as well. Once I figure all of that out I will blog about it.
I am not tooting my own horn over here by any means and I have a ways to go, but I hoping maybe I will get someone else thinking about what they are using everyday as far as personal care goes and hope to shed some light about why it is so important to be educated in these things!
I would love to know your thoughts and maybe any natural/organic health care products you use and enjoy...
