This post is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby and Green Sisterhood.
Picture this. You are trying to finish your grocery shopping. You are hungry, but more importantly, so are your kids. The window for getting what you need with children in relatively good spirits is quickly closing. You need to grab organic shampoo and body wash for the family. What do you look for?
The choices are overwhelming. Words like “natural!” “gentle for baby” “no tears” float before your eyes. So many choices! All showing happy babies, telling us they are good for the environment and our children. While appealing, these words mean nothing if the shampoo or body wash contains the above listed chemicals.
You might think that our government regulates nasty chemicals with harmful health consequences— but you’d be wrong. We’ve got a broken chemical system here in the U.S. It’s from 1973 and it grandfathered over 80,000 tested chemicals to be allowed in products. Yep, over 80,000 chemicals that have never been tested for safety, are in products on store shelves. Chemicals like the ones you see listed above, and a slew of new ones that have been added to products because there is no system to ensure a chemical is safe before it is added to products.
So, mama, you are on your own. Thankfully we have some tools, such as the Skin Deep Database, where you can learn about chemicals in products, their health risks, and how to avoid them. The Environmental Working Group created an extensive online database of products and chemicals. You can search by brand, by chemical, or just search the ones with the least risk.
The infographic above gives you good idea about some of the toxins to avoid in the health and beauty aisle. I’ve written here many times about the dangers of “fragrance”, triclosan, and other chemicals.
You’d be surprised by all the “natural” companies that sell products containing the above toxins! A tired parent has to be on the ball about these issues– and it is too much. That is why we desperately need a reform of the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA.
Until then, take this list with you to the store. Pin it. Share it. Save it. And avoid these ingredients. Have a favorite product? Check it out in the EWG database to be sure it is safe for your family.
And then there are our friends at Earth Mama Angel Baby, who make safe, non-toxic products for the whole family. I’ve written about them before. I have deep love for their products (like this balm), which helped my youngest with her severe eczema.
Their mission is to provide safe, herbal alternatives for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and babies of all ages, and to help educate people about traditional plant medicine and safe personal care. Earth Mama Angel Baby manufactures natural and organic products that work, combining generations of women’s wisdom and traditional plant medicine with the safety and assurances of contemporary evidence based research.
Thanks to Earth Mama Angel Baby for this important and helpful infographic and for creating safer, non-toxic products for families!
Interview with Alicia of Earth Mama Angel Baby. So many great reasons why we should choose safe products for our little ones!
image: monettenriquez on Flickr under CC
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