Green Beauty Basics
Over the next nine months, every inch of your body will change in one way or another. As your body expands to accommodate your growing baby, you may notice differences in your skin, your hair, and even your fingernails. And at a time when you may be feeling most self-conscious about your body, it can be easy to fall prey to the constant bombardment from the global cosmetics industry as it aims to sell you products that claim to make you look younger, thinner, and more gorgeous.
Unfortunately, many conventional beauty products contain ingredients that are known to be harmful to human and environmental health. You might think that if they are on the store shelves, they must be safe, but there is actually minimal oversight over the safety of products that come from the personal care industry.
More than 1,110 personal-product ingredients have been banned for use in cosmetics in the European Union because of concerns that they may cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive disorders. By contrast only ten are banned in the United States.
According to the Environmental Working Group: 89 percent of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the FDA (the agency that regulates the personal care product industry), the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (an in-house panel appointed by the cosmetics industry), or by anyone else.
Also remember that every personal care product you use in your beauty regimen, whether it is soap or mascara, will eventually wash off of your body and into the environment, where its presence may affect plants, birds, fish, and other wildlife.
Does this mean that you have to go without washing your hair or applying cosmetics in order to be green? Certainly not! Fortunately it is easy to green your beauty regimen, as long as you know what to look for. Here's how to enjoy a green and gorgeous pregnancy.
Use a Little Less
Now that you have a baby on board, it may be time to reevaluate just how many beauty products you use each day. Sure, cosmetic companies want you to think that you need every lotion and potion on the store shelves in order to look beautiful, but you will find that when you use clean, all-natural beauty products, you only need the basics to look and feel your best. All the rest is a waste of money for you and a waste of energy and resources for the planet.
Also, be conscious of the amount of each product that you use each day. Do you consistently squeeze a huge dollop of styling products into your hand only to wash most of it away? Make an effort to use a little less of each of your beauty products to make them go further. It will save you money and minimize the amount of chemicals that eventually wash down the drain.
Be Kind to Animals
You don't have to be a vegetarian to realize that animal testing is unnecessary, unethical, and just plain cruel. Look for products labeled with the Leaping Bunny. This symbol, created by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (www.leapingbunny.org) is the only international standard label for personal care products indicating that they are cruelty-free and they have not been tested on animals.
In the past, manufacturers had to choose between minimal safety testing of their products and safety testing that used animals. But now, scientists can now use cultures of human skin cells and tissues to test the reaction and absorption rate of chemicals, or combination of chemicals, on the skin.
Go Oil-Free
You probably already know that the consumption of fossil fuels is not so great for the planet. But you may not realize that petroleum is also used for a number of products in your bathroom vanity. Petroleum derivates may be found in personal care products such as lip balm, lotions, and lubricants, as well as the plastics used in sanitary products. Pass on products that use petroleum or its derivatives (paraffin oil, propylene glycol, and ethylene) and look for alternatives such as beeswax, cocoa butter, and vegetable oils instead.
Skip Disposables
According the environmental news website Grist.org (www.grist.org), 2 billion disposable razors end up in U.S. landfills each year. Add this to the 50 million pounds of used toothbrushes that are tossed annually into the dump and you end up with quite a heap of personal care garbage. Invest in a reusable and refillable razor to save money and take a knick out the waste stream. For your teeth, try a Preserve toothbrush from Recycline (www.recycline.com) that's made from recycled yogurt cups and can be sent back to the company when you are through with it.
Avoid Aerosols
The chemicals used in aerosols are no longer a hazard to the ozone layer, but these chemicals have been replaced with petroleum propellants whose production creates the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. Choose nonaerosol or pump-style products for your personal care routine.
