News — alternatives to microbeads
Posted by Amy Beaith on
Microbeads are becoming an increasing concern for environmentalists and conservationists around the world.
They account for nearly 20% of plastic pollution in some of our water systems such as the Great Lakes. Yikes! This means our oceans and waterways are become a plastic soup which affects wildlife and their habitat. That fish you are eating, well they may have swallowed lots of plastic microbeads before being caught. yuck, right?!
So, what are they and how are they getting into our water? They are tiny balls of plastic added to many cosmetic and personal care products marketed as exfolliators. They can be found in facial and body scrubs, toothpaste, and more! Problem is once, you are finished with the product, it washes down the drain and into our water systems because they are often too tiny to filter out! We all love to exfolliate. It's healthy for the skin, helping to improve our circulation, slough off the dry skin we shed naturally, and it just feels good!
So what can YOU do about it?
- Don't buy products with microbeads in them.
- If you already have products at home, consider mailing them back to the company explaining you no longer want to use them and why. Here is a link to a non-profit organization called Beat the Microbead that is helping people do just that!
- Look for products made with natural exfolliators! Eg. sugars, salts, cornmeal, seeds, ground oats, flowers, and more make excellent biodegradable exfolliators, that actually help nourish your skin at the same time AND won't harm the waterways, or animals in them.
- Make your own at home using DIY recipes!