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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Natural alternatives to Microbeads



Microbeads are very common house when it comes to exfoliation in health and beauty products, such as body and facial wash. The majority of people probably have used some kind of product at one point that contains it. We may also currently be using products that contain these toxic little beads without even knowing how detrimental they are to the environment. 

Companies may claim to use ‘natural’ exfoliants, but how do we know whether or not that is true? And if we know they are dangerous to the environment and wildlife, why do we continue to use them? One may think “Oh, they are tiny enough to just wash down the drain and dissipate. They won’t really affect the environment” or “One person can’t make that big of a difference.”, however little do we know that microbeads are sponges to various toxic chemicals. We are endangering not only the environment, but ourselves each time we use a product that contains these balls. Each bottle of facial or body wash contains roughly about 350,000 microbeads. An estimated 8 trillion microbeads washes through the US water systems daily. 

“But exfoliation is good for your skin.” Exfoliation has its benefits. They can help detoxify our skin, get rid of dead skin cells, kill bacteria that may clog up your pores, and much more. That doesn’t mean one must rely on products that contain these toxin sponges. Avoid purchasing products that contain the following in the ingredients:
  • Polypropylene
  • Polyethylene 
There are many natural alternatives that can be made using common household products including:
  • Raw honey: a staple found in many recipes for homemade cleansers, as well as containing many health benefits
  • Konjac: sponges created from the fibers of the konjac plant
  • Oatmeal: provides mild exfoliation that is gentle on dry and irritated skin
  • Yogurt: contains skin-smoothing lactic acid, and helps skin retain moisture
Sources:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/john-calvelli-ban-microbeads-save-wildlife-article-1.2450893

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