Better for you and better for the planet. Be eco friendly.
What does that mean?
Wikipedia says:
- Environmentally friendly or environment-friendly, (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green) are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that claim reduced, minimal, or no harm upon ecosystems or the environment.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary says:
* Definition of eco-friendly: not environmentally harmful.
Being eco–friendly or environmentally friendly is becoming more and more important. … Eproducts green living that help to conserve energy and also prevent air, water and noise pollution. They prove to be boon for the environment and also prevent human health from deterioration.
So basically they are saying that eco products are better for us and the planet. Win, win.
What does it mean for me?
It’s back to the question of, why use eco friendly products?
It means that using eco friendly products is better for your overall health and well being. The less chemicals that go into or on your body, the better you will feel.
A poor environment not only leads to poor physical health but it affects our mental health too.
There is a greater emphasis on mental health now as more people are affected by mental health problems. What concerns me is that no one seems too concerned about discovering why so many people are affected by a wide variety of health and mental health issues in greater numbers than ever before.
What is causing it?
It seems to me that the more chemicals we ingest the worse we are health wise.
Nowadays it appears that more and more chemicals are used.
The food…
we grow is sprayed with chemicals, so it’s not only in the growing plants it’s in the soil by the time more crops are sown.
The amount of chemicals seem to be increasing over the years. Chemicals for bugs that eat the plants, for mould that damages it and to make it grow faster and in greater quantities.
Then there are animals.
They are given growth hormones and antibiotics on a regular basis. Why? Very often because they are kept confined in close quarters so illness becomes more prevalent.I watched a programme a while back where they were injecting a cocktail of antibiotics into chickens eggs.
it had become so much the ’norm’ that it was done automatically and no one questioned it. Chemical companies come along and say add this in its better and stronger, include this they will grow faster etc. In some quarters though there had been growing concern over the amount of chemicals and antibiotics being used, especially as humans in general are becoming more resistant to antibiotics. I wonder why that is.
Too many animals are factory farmed to increase food production. Chickens are a prime example of this. The trouble is that we buy eggs that are labelled as free range but the reality is many are still confined.
From the Guardian newspaper.
- According to the RSPCA, legal requirements for free-range eggs ensure a minimum amount of space and litter for the hens: no more than nine hens a square metre, 10 cm of feeder a bird and one drinker for 10 birds.*
Not exactly running around free in the open air.
Yes we do need food more than ever as populations increase, but we need food that doesn’t harm the animals and damage us in the process.
Household
So much of what we use is disposable. Plastic bottles, packaging, cling film etc, all adding to the landfill problem.
Then there are detergents, washing up liquid, laundry liquid/tablets etc. The house cleaning products we use for the kitchen, the bathroom, washing floors, polishing furniture.
Even many candles are considered carcinogenic.
Personal products
Lets see…. All the products we use on our bodies. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face creams, body scrubs and. body creams. 
Unless you use natural organic products, they all contain ingredients that aren’t good for us. There has been a lot about this in the news in recent years.
Those that work with chemicals wear protective gear to protect them but we put them on our skin daily and breath them in with aerosols.
From the Healthline website
with more in depth descriptions on what they are used in and for and the possible problems they can cause and are associated with them.
1. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
2. Diethanolamine (DEA)
3. Phthalates dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP)
4. Formaldehyde (formaldehyde releasers: bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, and quaternium-15)
5. Fragrance (perfume, parfum, essential oil blend, and aroma)
6. PEGs (polyethylene glycol or ceteareth)
7. Parabens (specifically propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl-, and isobutyl- parabens)
8. Sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate
9. Synthetic colors
11. Triclosan
What can we do
There is a growing amount of people who buy organic as much as possible or have turned to growing their own produce. For them and their families it is a great bonus for their health.
Becoming vegetarian or Vegan are also growing alternatives but of course unless you eat organic there are still chemicals in the food and many are washed in them too.
That is often done, apparently, to give them a longer shelf life.
There was an outcry about it when this came to light. You may remember it. The companies said thy would no longer do it. So how does it have a longer shelf life now? Makes you wonder.
Try to buy products in recyclable containers to reduce waste and avoid plastic whenever you can.
For the body
there are more natural products you can buy. There are many you can make yourself too. Body scrubs are very easy and leave your skin in beautiful condition. I have often made these myself.
I buy wholesale pure ingredients to make my face and body creams and just add a few drops of pure essential oils. In the summer, for my body, I tend to add citrus oils, like lemon especially as it keeps the biting insects away, In the winter I will add different oils depending on the smell of the oil that appeals the most at the time. I only make a pot of each at a time, so they are fresh.
For the face I add oils that are good for older skin and make it rich and thick, to sink in quickly.
For body and face I mix different creams together and will often add a body butter base to the body cream.
The initial outlay can be more expensive if you are also buying essential oils, but as they last a long time that is only the first time. I often get 500g tubs of the various cream bases and they usually last a good part of the year. I am also very lavish with my usage as I have always had dry skin.
The best way is to do a bit of research and decide what you want and need for your creams.
I use the Soap Kitchen as they have a good variety of products. I am not affiliated with them, I just like their products. There are of course others, so again do your research and ask around.
If time is in short supply there are of course ready to buy options that use organic ingredients.
Other options for hair and body
Burt’s Bees have organic products for babies and adults.
I discovered them after being a bought a lip balm they make.
I loved it and discovered they did a wide range for lips. Plain, coloured, tinted and flavoured. They also do a lip scrub.
They have hair and body wash combinations for babies and moisturiser for baby too. There is also a set of products for ladies too. Well worth having a look at the website.
Conclusion.
Why use Eco friendly products? Because they are better for you and your health, with many being organic too, you are reducing the chemicals you come into contact with.
There are very many such products on the market now as more companies are realising the need for them. Consumers are in general becoming so much more knowledgeable and interested in such things as ingredients and what harm they can do and this drives the market in the right direction.
Its easy enough to start swapping just a few products or even one at a time. When something runs out look for an eco friendly alternative.
As a plus, when we help ourselves we help our planet too.
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Comments and questions are welcome.