Organic Experiments – a review

According to my blog stats I get a fair amount people viewing my blog (particularly the organic experiments post) because they have been referred by search engines after asking questions along the lines of “do organic toiletries work”, “are organic shampoos worth it?” or “no aluminium deodorant”. 

Well, as people are obviously wondering about these things I thought I would give you an update on my organic toiletries as it’s coming up to a year since I first started using them. Here goes…

 

Organic Hair Care

I use Greenpeople’s Organic Base No Scent shampoo and conditioner. It has a SLS and preservative free formula and contains no parabens or perfumes. I started off using the Aloe Vera shampoo but changed to this type because (a) it was 50p cheaper and (b) I figured fewer additives couldn’t be a bad thing.

I don’t really think that these products leave your hair feeling any better than conventional shampoos in the short term, but I’m almost sure that the build up of residue on your hair is reduced – meaning that in the long run your hair ends up feeling softer and lighter. They certainly don’t have a negative effect, so the fact that you’re not rubbing lots of harmful chemicals onto your scalp and down the plug has to be a huge plus point.

Yes, it is expensive at £8 a bottle, but it also is more concentrated and lasts for a lot longer. I think I have bought 3 new bottles of shampoo in 9 months and I’m still on my first bottle of conditioner (that’s between two people, and I shampoo my hair everyday and condition once a week). I would recommend these products.

 

Organic Deodrant

I use Ice Guard Crystal Deodrant. It is a mineral stick which you wet and rub on and it works by suppressing the growth of skin bacteria.

I would recommend this to anyone, and already have to most people I know! Although it is not an antiperspirant (so doesn’t stop you sweating) I have not found it a problem at all. I have used it nearly everyday for 8 months and have never felt embarrassed or let down by it. In fact it means that we have to wash our clothes less because there is no stale smell left on our clothes from deodorant at the end of the day.

It is completely natural and doesn’t contain aluminium or other additives known to be linked with Alzheimer’s and breast cancer.

 

We also use…

Greenpeople’s Organic Toothpaste and Olivia Soap

 

The main thing I have found is that all the products that the ‘industry’ sells as necessary really aren’t. Perhaps that’s just me being slow and most people know it already but I used to spend so much on junk to make my skin amazing and my hair shiny and now I only use these few products and if anything, my skin and hair are in better condition! Funny that, considering I’m not smothering them in chemicals anymore…hmm…

 

Anyway, if you are interested in living a more ethical/organic lifestyle but are not too keen on trawling your way through scientific based books I would recommend ‘A life stripped bare’ by Leo Hickman. It’s an entertaining but informative read on pretty much everything you need to start off living a greener life.

Organic experiments

Did you know that the many products we use on our bodies every day are actually full of harmful chemicals? I have been researching them and have been freaked out by what I have found so have decided to try and cut many of the brand name products I use and opt for more natural, often organic products. 

Why?
One of the main ‘badies’ is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) which are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to “foam up”. These can actually be highly irritating and dissolves the grease on your skin and is absorbed into the body. It’s used because it’s cheap, The sodium lauryl sulfate found in our soaps is exactly the same as you would find in a car wash or even a garage, where it is used to degrease car engines = YUCK! 

Anyway, why don’t you check out some of the stuff yourself, there are loads of sites around. here’s some:

http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.html

http://www.safe2use.com/data/sls-sles.htm

http://livingtoxinfree.org/Articles/SLS-SLES-ALS.htm 

The problem is healthy alternatives are so expensive! The only way I have been able to use organic products is to cut out the amount of products I use in the first place.  I tried to work out the things I actually needed and the things that I only bought because the adverts told me I needed them to be beautiful/healthy blah blah!
As a result I cut the number of bottles and pots on my dressing table dramatically, and the money I save by not buying them can be spent on the more expensive natural products

Now, I buy (Green People’s)

Organic toothpaste (normal toothpaste has SLS in it among other things, including aluminium which may cause Alzheimer’s)

Organic Mouthwash,

Organic Shampoo, conditioner

Natural Soap

Mineral Deodorant (normal deodorants/ antiperspirant also have aluminium in them which is especially absorbed into recently shaved skin and antiperspirant may also be a cause of breast cancer due to the fact that you’re not letting any of the toxins out of your skin). 

Is it worth it?
The products named above have all worked for me.The tooth paste takes a bit of getting used to as it doesn’t have the foaming agents that normal toothpastes do, and you don’t get so much of the ‘minty freshness’, but doubled with some mouthwash it works okay.

The shampoo and conditioner also take a bit of getting used too. They don’t smell as lovely as normal shampoos because they don’t have the perfumes in it, but then again they don’t smell horrid either. My hair doesn’t really smell of anything now.When I first started using them my hair didn’t feel as nice either, a bit dry and strawy, but, seriously, I’ve been using it for about 2 months now without any other product and my hair has never felt this nice before. It feels soft and without residue, and I don’t even use the conditioner all the time. It lasts for MUCH longer as well (about 3 times as longer as conventional shampoos).

The deodorant was one of the things that took the longest to get used to. The stuff I have is called Ice Guard and is a lump of mineral salts that you wet and then rub on – so none of the nice smells you normally associate with deodorants.However, I find it actually works better than regular deodorants because it leaves absolutely no smell on my tops what-so-ever, because the salts suppresses the growth of skin bacteria and it doesn’t have any perfume smell which goes stale by the end of the day (and it lasts for  at least 24 hours). Unless I have been doing strenuous exercise I don’t need to really wash my tops every time I wear them. It only costs about a fiver but can last for about a year!

However, you have to remember that this is NOT an antiperspirant. In my job I’m okay and I don’t find it a problem even when I’m just doing normal day to day exercise but it probably wouldn’t be the best thing if you were running around getting hot and sweaty all day.

Anyway, here’s my ramblings on the subject. The whole experience has really opened my eyes to how much manufactures manipulate us into thinking we need all this stuff to make us beautiful. I have cut about 70% of the products I use but I don’t think that it has made any difference to how I look or feel. It’s just an extra reminder of 1 Peter 3 v 3-4. It’s liberating, and I love it!