Green Living: Organic Panic

As I’ve said before, my interest in environmental protection and conservation began when I was about eight years old. A one-two punch of newspaper and Weekly Reader articles alerted me to the troubling hole in the ozone layer. My first one-woman campaign to protect the environment consisted of lots of sleepless nights worrying about the CFCs in my mom’s hairspray canister. Since the third grade, I’ve replaced some of my worrying with action.

My dedication to green living involves religious recycling, avoiding plastic bags at stores (often refusing them to the utter confusion of store clerks), and providing my cats with pine litter for doing their business. Still, I knew that there was more I should be doing. So with mounting guilt, I read Greg Horn’s book, Living Green, back in January. I learned that I am a sorry sack of shit when it comes to being an environmentalist, especially with regard to my home and my beauty regimen (the “sorry sack of shit” assessment is mine, not Horn’s—he seems like a pretty nice guy). While I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about mysterious and seemingly un-FDA tested chemicals in nearly everything I touch, it induced organic panic, the adult version of my sleepless nights worrying about the ozone layer.

Try to stay calm after reading the following sentences:

“Our typical cosmetic products are formulated from more than 3,000 ingredients based on petrochemicals or natural animal, vegetable, and mineral sources. There is no mandated requirement for safety testing on these products before they go to market, and the FDA has no power to regulate before there is a known problem. The regulators can only get involved after a product or a particular chemical has been proven to be hazardous.”

Later, Horn goes on to explain that phthalates are petrochemicals found in cosmetics and other personal care items; these plastics are estrogenic and “are suspected in a variety of emerging health problems including early puberty, breast cancers, and low sperm counts.” And to keep me awake every night for the rest of my life, he adds, “Researchers found a metabolized form of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in every single one of the 289 people tested, with highest levels in women of childbearing age (20 to 40). Researchers concluded this was most likely because of the prevalence of cosmetic use in that age group.”

As soon as I put down the book, I knew I wouldn’t sleep until I did some eco-friendly shopping at Nashville’s brand new Whole Foods. Being somewhat of a penny-pincher, I decided to only replace products with organic or natural items when I run out of what I’m already using. No sense wasting the packaging or the money! The first three items I purchased were deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner.

The aluminum in antiperspirants is rumored to build up in the body and has been linked to brain disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. So I purchased a stick of Jason brand natural deodorant for women. It is 70% organic and not too expensive. I believe the main deodorizers are cornstarch and vitamin E. I was so proud when making my purchase that I failed to notice that the product (by nature of its naturalness) does not provide any antiperspirant effects. This fact I learned the following day at work as I lifted heavy cartons of milk into volunteers’ waiting vehicles. Not to say that I won’t be sticking it out with the natural deodorant. The pluses outweigh the minuses in my mind. No risk of becoming demented, no white streaks on my shirts, and a nice gamey smell to let my husband know I’m home at the end of the day! (Seriously though, I don’t smell at all. The deodorant really work, though I might get slightly moist pits instead of the bone-dry pits I’m used to having.)

The shampoo and conditioner I selected were from the Avalon Organics line. I bought the Volumizing Rosemary Shampoo and Conditioner. I have used these products three or four times, and there are several problems.

1. My husband thinks I smell like a dude’s aftershave.
2. There is no lather.
3. My hair gets filthy again in 24 hours (I normally wash every other day).

So, organic shampoo and conditioner are out. That’s $15 worth of experimentation that will sit in my shower for months and stare at me, convincing me to guiltily use it on Sunday afternoon when I know I’ll wash my hair again on Monday morning anyway.

This is not to discourage anyone from visiting the natural cosmetics and body care aisle of the Whole Foods. I am a big advocate of certain items (especially cleaning products). I’ll review and reflect upon my experiences with a variety of brands in blogs to come. For now, I’ll try to keep my pits dry, my hair clean, and my organic panic at bay.