Thursday, March 15, 2007

Smell good AND be plastic-free

A couple months ago, I reported on a Canadian chick who's going "plastic-free in 2007". She's finding ways to shop for groceries and other necessities without feeding our plastic addiction. I got inspired to follow in her footsteps and try to keep myself fresh and dry without the use of plastic.

She offered the tip that Lush peddles deodorant not cased in plastic, so like an addict, I headed to the closest Lush store with much anticipation. I was not disappointed--I had never been inside one of their stores, and was super-psyched to see that most of their products are sold with no packaging! Yes, these are the things that excite me these days, people. The soaps and various "moisturizing bars" are stacked on top of each other, which gives the store an amazing aroma--surprisingly, not in an overwhelming way. The salespeople wrap your purchases in a little paper or small plastic bag, which I tried to refuse, but they convinced me that some of the products would crumble in my bag if left free-floating. (Next time, I'll bring my own). The point is, for the last couple months, I've been using this product, (pictured above), which is not only plastic-free, but also actually works! The added bonus is that it's also a natural deodorant, not a creepy, aluminum-based antiperspirant. But unlike the experience I've had with other natural deodorants (think Toms of Maine) that I have buried deep in my bathroom after failed (smelly) usage attempts, I didn't find myself alarmed halfway through the day. Although, I have found that there has been a week here or there where it seemed to work not quite as well. According to my knowledgeable "skin care coach", Nina Curtis (email me if you're in LA and are want to have the most amazing facial of your life--I'll give you her info), as women, our body chemistry changes throughout our cycles, so it is likely that a natural deodorant will work less well the week before your period. Not sure if guys' chemistry ever changes. So, my plan is to use my Lush bar most of the time, then resort to the old standby antiperspirant at certain times in my cycle. It cost $7.60, but has been going strong for 2 months and looks like it's going to last for several more, so seems to be a good value. Check here to see if there's a Lush store near you. Or, check out your local natural foods store for similiar products that aren't cased in plastic --such as the well-known "Rock" deodorant.

17 comments:

Becky L. said...

OOH! I can't wait to go to Lush and try this! I'm also planning on trying their packaging-free, solid shampoos and conditioners. I've read great reviews online.

Becky L. said...

ACK! Nevermind about those Lush shampoos... they are packed full of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is basically a poisonous carcinogen.

I read about it on Treehugger - http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/how_to_green_womens_personal_care.php

Apparently it is linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities, infertility, endometriosis and suppression of the immune system, and yet it is in the vast majority of beauty products out there. S-C-A-R-Y

Sara said...

Yikes! Thanks for the info, Becky. Ick--I just checked the labels of my Lush shampoos, and sure enough--SLS is in there. And in their soaps...Seems like I totally bought into their "natural, fresh" marketing. Although, I just checked the ingredients of the deodorant and it's fine. Please take a minute to read Treehugger's guide to beauty products--very informative...I know I'll be scrutinizing the ingredients of every product I buy from now on. Gee, with so many products to avoid, I'm starting to see how people end up with that oh-so-natural look...

Becky L. said...

UM, okay... I know I look crazy, but I've been obsessed with this Sodium Lauryl Sulfate issue for the last week. And pretty much all of the products I love have it. I didn't want to give up on Lush's awesome packaging-free stuff without being totally certain there was good reason for it, so I did some further investigation. It turns out that SLS might be OK after all.

Tom's of Maine, the American Cancer Society, The Washington Post and Snopes.com have all written articles citing scientific research debunking the myth of SLS as a carcinogen. Apparently the worst SLS can do is irritate your skin if left on too long, or if used in too high of a concentration. There is no real evidence linking it to cancer or any other disease. And if the American Cancer Society feels confident saying that, I'm inclined to believe them.

Helen said...

Hi! Sorry for being totally random but I recently learned about SLS but have been using Lush for the whole year and it's my absolutely favourite brand in the world so I had to find out about SLS and Lush too. Thanks Becky for doing the research and finding that it's really not that bad. I have so much Lush at home that I don't think I could have given it up! its nice to know that I don't have to =)

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.

Anonymous said...

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I don't mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside... I just hope that as technology further advances, the possibility of transferring our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It's one of the things I really wish I could encounter in my lifetime.


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