In the bathroom, we often find large amounts of harmful chemicals. Mainly in all the products many use daily, such as shampoo, conditioner, skin creams, shower gels, soaps, styling products, fragrances, and deodorants.
Skincare & Beauty Products
Many people feel uncertain and perhaps a bit lost when trying to decipher the ingredients on the shampoo bottle or face cream. There are quite a few harmful chemicals hidden in conventional skincare and haircare. Here are some to watch out for and avoid: Parabens, silicones, PEG, SLS, phthalates (fragrance), and mineral oil (paraffin).
Fragrance
Many products are fragranced. Besides fragrance being highly allergenic, fragranced products often contain the same plasticizers found in plastics, called phthalates, which have been shown to affect our hormonal system. Other problematic substances commonly found in these types of products include parabens, surfactants/sulfates, microplastics (yes, plastic is used here too), antibacterial agents, and mineral oil.
Feel free to check the ingredient list on the products you use, and you will quickly become aware of the enormous amounts of foreign substances you wash with, apply to your skin, and so on. What we apply to our skin is absorbed by the body and eventually enters our bloodstream. Foreign substances not made for our bodies can cause problems.
A good rule of thumb for skincare is that what you use on your skin and body should be so pure that it could just as well be eaten. Choose primarily organic and fragrance-free products. The shorter the ingredient list, the better.
Bathroom Items
Prefer toothbrushes that are not made of plastic. The same goes for hairbrushes; choose one made of wood and natural rubber instead of a plastic hairbrush. Buy organic GOTS-certified towels or, as an alternative, second-hand to reduce all the harmful chemicals found in new textiles.
Detergents & Fabric Softeners
Avoid conventional detergents and fabric softeners as they are highly allergenic and contain large amounts of hormone-disrupting substances. Wash your laundry with an organic/environmentally friendly detergent, preferably fragrance-free, and use an organic/environmentally friendly fabric softener if needed. A tip is to use a few tablespoons of regular vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. It makes the laundry softer and less static. It also helps remove bad odors and keeps your washing machine sparkling clean.
At Glimja, we offer good alternatives to the conventional products available on the market. We have done and continue to do our best to find the purest options so you can use safe and toxin-free products in your bathroom.
Original post written by Sara Mårtensson, founder of Lapland Eco Store, which has been part of Glimja since 2021.
