Chemical Vs. Organic Personal Products

Use organic personal care products if you have sensitive skin.

You use personal hygiene products to feel fresh and keep your body clean, but some of your favorite products may contain less-than-beneficial chemicals. These chemicals make their way down your drains and into local water systems, and you absorb them into your own system through your skin. When you decide which products to buy, read labels so you can identify the chemicals you want to avoid; compare the overall ingredients with those of an organic product with a similar purpose.

Chemical Vs. Organic Deodorants

Commercial deodorants contain chemicals such as aluminum, parabens and sodium laureth sulfates. Fears surrounding these chemicals include skin irritation from the sodium laureth sulfates, while aluminium and paraben-containing deodorants may carry the risk of breast cancer. The U.S. National Cancer Institutes has concluded that research on a breast cancer link is inconclusive and conflicting as of 2011; if you are concerned, however, you can easily avoid these chemicals by using organic deodorants. These products, which often do not act as antiperspirants, use organic grain alcohol, essential oils and baking soda to minimize the smell of your underarm sweat.

Chemical Vs. Organic Shampoos

Chemical-containing shampoos include some surprising ingredients. Most shampoos contain skin- and respiratory-irritating formaldehyde and eye-irritating sodium laurel sulfates; some baby shampoos even use anesthetizing agents to keep babies from crying when the shampoo gets in their eyes. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to avoid shampoos containing these chemicals. Organic shampoos use less-irritating ingredients such as jojoba oil, citric acid and soy proteins but may give you a less "satisfying" lather. For a DIY organic option, eschew using shampoos and conditioners altogether by joining the "no-poo" movement. Proponents claim hair washing is unnecessary, instead only occasionally using homemade alternatives such as baking soda and water washes followed by organic apple cider vinegar rinses.

Chemical Vs. Organic Toothpastes

Some concerning chemicals found in toothpastes include triclosan, an antibacterial agent that may eliminate healthy bacteria, and abrasive whitening agents that may irritate your gums or wear away at your tooth enamel. Tartar-control pastes often contain pyrophosphate, which can cause your gums to slough or irritate the skin around your mouth. Organic toothpastes avoid these chemical ingredients in favor of peppermint or wintergreen essential oils and baking soda; other ingredients include kosher vegetable oil glycerin, witch hazel and aloe vera. Ingesting too much fluoride, which local water systems often add to area drinking water, may cause dental fluorosis in children. Dental fluorosis fears cause some to switch to fluoride-free toothpastes, which you can find in both organic and non-organic forms. You can probably avoid the condition by never swallowing your fluoride toothpaste, which is extremely effective at helping you avoid cavities.

Considerations

Organic alternatives to chemical-containing personal care products may be inappropriately labeled as "organic," certification in the USDA National Organic Program is voluntary for non-food products that use the word "organic" on their labels since as of 2011. If your main motivation for switching to organic personal products is environmental, the packaging and transportation of the organic products should factor into your product choices. Even if your organic shampoo, conditioner, skin-care product, deodorant or toothpaste is free of environmentally hazardous chemicals, its packaging may contain the petrochemicals you want to avoid, and the trucks transporting these products likely run on fossil fuels. Find local vendors for your organic personal products, or make DIY hygiene products made from natural ingredients such as baking soda and vinegar.

References

• "Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal-Care Products Endanger Your Health..."; Samuel S. Epstein, Randall Fitzgerald; 2009
• "A Holistic Living Guide"; Richard DeAndrea & John Wood, Richard DeAndrea, John Wood; 2010
• U.S. National Cancer Institute: Antiperspirants/Deodorants and Breast Cancer: Questions and Answers
• University of Vermont: Pollutants and Toxins in Shampoo
• UT Health Science Center: The Toothpaste Trance
• CDC: Recommendations for Using Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries in the United State

Resources

• USDA: Cosmetics, Body Care Products and Personal Care Products
• Organic Consumers Association: Directory of USDA Certified Organic Body Care Products
• Cosmetics Database