So yeah. We’ve been doing PRETTY well on our green kick around here. The last big greeny project were my household cleaners, which I actually do really like. More recently we’ve begun a foray into the exciting world of soaps and detergents. And sigh. Oh my goodness. What a pain this is. Because of one thing.
Parabens. First of all, what IS a paraben? And why are people so scared of them? From what I hear they are bad for…er…ok. I’m just going to say it.
Testicles.
Which I mean, I don’t have any to be damaged. But I am kind of responsible for the health of my son in GENERAL. And so I’m worried.
Also, the soaps I have without them seem to lack a little something. Like fragrance. I mean, they wash us, and even smell good WHILE washing us, but then our skin just smells like…skin. Maybe this is the point. Maybe that magical smell that Johnson and Johnson leave in my little boy’s hair, the one that makes my eyes roll into the back of my head with happiness, maybe that is the smell of chemicals NOT washed away. And that skin smell is actually more healthy. I mean, I could get into that. It might just take some getting used to, kind of like the perma-smell of vinegar in the rinse container of the dishwasher took some getting used to. (Totally don’t notice it anymore. I do notice, however, when my Dad “starts” the dishwasher, and in emptying it I find that he hasn’t removed the Ecover Ecological Tablet from its plastic wrapper before throwing it in. Cleanest steamy plastic wrapped ecological tablet I’ve ever seen. Good thing I had only put HALF the dishes away before I found out they only got a steam clean.)
My conversion to greenier products has actually been kind of slow, as I refuse to just throw away products that I’ve been using for years to make room for their healthier counterparts. I mean, we’re not MADE of money here. I’m wondering if that’s the issue. I’m wondering if I sprang for some California Babies soaps instead of washing my kid down with some unscented, diluted Dr. Bronner’s, maybe he’d smell just as yummy.
*TIME OUT. JOHN JUST GOT HOME FROM WORK AND BROUGHT ME A BAG OF M&Ms. BEST HUSBAND EVER. AND YES I’M SHOUTING.*
Where was I? Are there parabens in M&Ms? I’m not looking.
Anyway. So YES. I read in a magazine that parents today worry about all kinds of stuff that parents didn’t before. Things like parabens and BPA and all kind of other things. The pediatrician turned SAHM said that she believed that opulence was to blame. As families became more wealthy, they had less to worry about, so they found things. New things. Extra things that may or may not actually be dangerous. She said if she were to worry about one thing, it’d be cell phone use for infants. Yeah.
I can kind of see how that could be true. If you’re worried about keeping your kid out of the fire that you’re cooking on or using to keep your house warm, you’re probably not worried about what’s in his plastic. But HEY. OH YEAH. Back in the day when they cooked exclusively over FIRES, I don’t think they had plastic. Or cell phones. Maybe these things are dangerous after all. Or maybe we’re just bored and looking for more ways to treat our children better than our neighbors treat their children. I ate off of BPA-ridden cafeteria trays for years, and apparently I’ve been covered in yummy-smelling parabens for years, too. And I’m ok.
Probably.
Your thoughts?
Erin,
I love DR. BRONNER’s. Not sure if you noticed yet, but they have a great baby “unscented” soap that i use on my body. We also use it on Chaca. It’s the first thing that claims to be unscented, that actually has no scent! Love it.
*Sigh* Such a loaded topic. Seems like, these days, if you’re NOT worrying about things like the dangers of toys from China or BPA or organic clothing, something might be wrong with you. Maybe all moms are just suckers for watching out for things they think might harm their kids–I am now religious about not sending plastics through the dishwasher or microwave unless I’m certain they’re BPA free. Did my mom think to worry about that? No. But I’m sure that, back in the early 80′s, there were plenty of OTHER things to worry about. Like how she was going to score me that sweet Cabbage Patch Kid for Christmas. (Word on the street is that she scored it by stepping on some lady’s hand in a most-pit-type-scene at Toys R Us. You rock, Mom!) Anyway. The point is, mothers worry. We all do. It’s in our blood.
So, in my view, there are two reasons to avoid buying “non-green” products. The first is that you are not responsible for the waste they produce. The second is to create an economic need for green products (so they are more affordable and prevalent) and less of a demand for non-green ones (vice-versa).
If you still have old product, you’ve already bought them, so the economic transaction is already done – no harm in finishing them out because you’re not continuing to spend money on them. Also, it’s already produced, and whether you use it on your home or throw it away, its waste is going to find its way into the ecosystem regardless.
So, yeah, might as well finish out your old products without too much guilt :)