Anyway, in the spirit of the new year, I wanted to come up with a few resolutions that we could all use on our way to cleaning up the toxins from our daily lives. Remember, these aren't rules or strict directions, but ideas meant to inspire with all their potential. If they work for you, great. If they don't, find some iteration that does work and run with it. That's great, too.
1) Be more informed. By that I don't mean just reading labels (but that's a great start). Use the Internet to find credible sources for information on chemicals and their effects on the human body. Get acquainted with the FDA and EPA. Watch a documentary. Be a smarter consumer.
2) Use your voice. It's more than complaint letters to corporations, which feel like they go nowhere. Talk to the managers of your favorite local stores, even the big box chains, and let them know you want to see safer, healthier products on their shelves. Did you know that most grocery stores will order nearly any product in the categories they stock? So if you want something specific, ask for it. Sure, we can all order things from Amazon, but we lose that key connection with retailers who really, really want our money. Tell them what you want to buy and let them earn your business.
3) Use products that meet YOUR needs (instead of what their marketing says you need). According to all the major cosmetics lines, women of my age group should be aggressively utilizing a whole battery of products to combat the signs of aging. Do some folks legitimately need a good exfoliant or a really moisturizing eye cream or a boost of retinol? Absolutely. But please, don't tell me what I need. I can decide that very well for myself, thank you. Marketing is used really effectively to tap into our fears and anxieties and insecurities. Most of it's bunk.
That's a good start for the new year. I'll revisit this post from time to time. In the meantime, any small thing you can do to reduce the toxic chemicals in your life is GREAT. Keep up the good work!
-- Jazzy
2) Use your voice. It's more than complaint letters to corporations, which feel like they go nowhere. Talk to the managers of your favorite local stores, even the big box chains, and let them know you want to see safer, healthier products on their shelves. Did you know that most grocery stores will order nearly any product in the categories they stock? So if you want something specific, ask for it. Sure, we can all order things from Amazon, but we lose that key connection with retailers who really, really want our money. Tell them what you want to buy and let them earn your business.
3) Use products that meet YOUR needs (instead of what their marketing says you need). According to all the major cosmetics lines, women of my age group should be aggressively utilizing a whole battery of products to combat the signs of aging. Do some folks legitimately need a good exfoliant or a really moisturizing eye cream or a boost of retinol? Absolutely. But please, don't tell me what I need. I can decide that very well for myself, thank you. Marketing is used really effectively to tap into our fears and anxieties and insecurities. Most of it's bunk.
That's a good start for the new year. I'll revisit this post from time to time. In the meantime, any small thing you can do to reduce the toxic chemicals in your life is GREAT. Keep up the good work!
-- Jazzy
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