Toxic Seduction

By Special Guest - Hilary Opperman This post originally appeared on The Campaign for Toxic-Free Kids Have you ever masqueraded as something you're not? The truth is that we all have from time to time. Now tell me this: Have you ever worn products that have masqueraded as something they're not? Have you ever bought a fancy shampoo because the bottle was aesthetically pleasing or suggested a sense of comfort? Or a product that reminded you of being younger? Or claimed to remove cellulite? To give your laundry a fresh scent? Or give you an artificially-induced tan? A product to shield you from the sun? To ramp up those wonderful sex pheromones? While those objectives themselves aren't bad, the chemically-based cosmetics, body and cleaning products usually are. Last year, my Swedish roommate bought a cheap shampoo with some lovely botanicals on the bottle. Another roommate from Turkey bought a kit of high-end cosmetics, to bring back to his mother. The kit cost $70 (containing three one-ounce bottles!) Excuse me for being frank here, but both of my roommates were duped. The companies that sold them these products profited. Yet in both cases, the consumers lost. I know plenty of good (and smart) people who eat healthily overall, but unknowingly buy toxic products on a regular basis. In fact, when growing up my family was pretty much oblivious to cancer-causing product ingredients. We too, were duped... It wasn't until my Senior year of high school when an applied kinesiologist practically rescued my mom's life by performing simple but avant-garde muscle testing. We learned from the holistic practitioners that everything we spray or apply physically gets absorbed into our bodies. Our livers are responsible for trying to filter out impurities and toxins... Guess what else we learned? Spraying and rubbing something toxic onto the body IS ultimately as harmful as eating something that's not nutritious. Spraying a toxic air freshener into the air, or wearing strong perfume in a room has a "second-hand smoke-like" effect. It doesn’t just affect you; it affects those around you. Corporations often use catchy name likes “Joy,” “Lavender Fields” or “Parisian Nights.” They often try to evoke a false sense of ecstasy, nostalgia or seductiveness. It also doesn’t always matter if corporations advertise “made by natural ingredients” or “wholesome”. Or if the little animal image on their package appears cute and snugly... If even 1% toxic chemicals are used, these products are never innocuous. The truth is that corporations that market chemically-based ingredients are largely self-regulated. The FDA has allowed large companies to get away with murder. These companies care little about ethics; they care about money. In fact, their hugely-lucrative advertising campaigns promote products that smaller, less-harmful companies cannot afford to. So, what can we do as conscientious and concerned consumers? Just by eliminating one toxic cosmetic or cleaning product and replacing it with something truly natural makes a difference. Ultimately, we can:

1. Promote healthier bodies and mindsets by reducing and boycotting toxic products. Reduce forms of cancer, asthma, ADD, depression, arthritis, migraines, aches and pains, hormonal issues, etc. Please check out www.ewg.org (Environmental Workers Group) for a cosmetics database that ranks product toxicity.
2. Support smaller companies that are trying to detoxify our world with the power of botanicals, herbs and essential oils.
3. Put serious pressure on corporations to eliminate toxins and transform their products completely. Also, make demands to politicians to improve legislation. There are a number of online petitions that circulate that one can sign and share easily.
4. Know that when you buy a truly natural product, you're responsible for less animal testing.
5. Know that when you choose to buy nontoxic soaps and detergents and cosmetics and cleaning products—there’s less contaminated ground-water that ends up in our rivers and oceans.
6. Know that cleaner land is an added benefit. Toxic and/or heavily processed products are more energy-intensive to make and tend to require more pesticide usage.
7. Please stay away from "green-washed" products. Instead, use simple but effective products like apple cider vinegar and/or plain white vinegar and/or borax.
8. Choose to support companies that do not sell products containing ingredients like formaldehyde. If Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo used to contain formaldehyde, why bother purchasing their more "natural" alternative products? Ultimately, if we STILL choose to buy products from corporations, we need to point these companies in the right direction.
9. Keep a conversation going to friends, family members and neighbors about these issues. Also, buy nontoxic products for friends and family as gifts.
10. Reach out to your child's school community and administrators. Inquire about what's being done to follow the Green Schools Initiative, including incorporating more nontoxic products into your local school community.

11. End-of-Use is important too! Make sure to bring toxic-based products to a hazardous waste facility. My deepest thanks for your consideration and support of a greener, less-toxic lifestyle.