Confused about Chemicals?

Welcome to the April 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids and Personal Care
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles relating to their children's personal care choices.


There are new chemicals being created every day.  Every day, there seems to be a new discovery about a chemical we have been using for a decade or two.  (BPA, anyone?)  Inevitably, that new discovery tends to be bad for us.  In the wake of these new discoveries, a sort of hysteria develops and for damage control, companies often argue that everything we eat and touch is a chemical.  Or they argue that we need chemicals and the good from these chemicals outweighs the bad.  Then there are those chemicals that natural parents deem as "acceptable."  Saponified oils, for example.  Many parents new to this whole perspective might feel like this is hypocritical or at least a little overwhelming.

In my personal philosophy, man-made chemicals are not bad by definition.  There are many chemicals that have been used for thousands of years and do not appear to pose a threat to our bodies.  To me, these have been tested over many generations and have not inhibited fertility, clearly.  These are the kinds of chemicals I am personally okay with.

According to this new video, the cosmetics industry is essentially a dumping ground for new chemicals.  Animal testing is often employed because they don't know whether these chemicals cause drastic, obvious, permanent changes, like blindness or burning.  The industry is largely unregulated and many carcinogenic and hormone-disrupting chemicals do make it into packages.  Additionally, the ingredients names like "sodium lauryl sulfate" and "polysorbate," which does not mean anything to the average parent.

Fear not, however; there is a place where you can search by either ingredient or product and find out what these ingredients mean and if the products you currently use are safe for you and baby.  Environmental Working Group (remember the dirty dozen?) put together a database to terse these things out.  Their data comes from PubMed, the FDA, and many other sources, and lists over 69,000 products and thousands of ingredients.  It gives each ingredient a rating, and then an overall rating for the product.  Users can also input ingredient lists from unlisted products and find out what the site rates it at.

Chemicals to avoid (4 or higher):
Fragrance:  This (yes, recognizable!) word is a catch-all for the smelly stuff that goes into a product.  This is considered a trade secret and the chemicals used here do not need to be disclosed.  The chemicals used here commonly cause biological interference, for example, allergies and neurotoxicity (brain fog... among others).

Parabens:  Typically used as a fragrance or preservative, the concern for this set of chemicals is endocrine disruption and immune disruption.  This is because they often act like estrogen in the body.  They are a set of chemicals, so anything ending in -paraben is included in this group and it is a good idea to avoid all of them.

Aluminum:  This particular link concerns an aluminum compound that is often used in antiperspirants.  Aluminum itself is often loosely linked to Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Chemicals that have withstood the test of time (also 1 or less):
Castile Soap: these soaps were once made by mixing fats and coals from a fire.  They are the original soap.  A favorite brand among parents is Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.  This can be used for everything from washing hair and body to scrubbing the floors.  It does tend to leave a scum, but that can easily be removed by using the following safe chemical.

Vinegar: Its history goes back very far, and has been used for a number of ailments, including an elixir thought to keep away the plague.  You can use it to remove any buildup on your hair, and to clean your bathrooms.

Sodium Bicarbonate (aka baking soda):  This chemical's history is also vast, as far as back as ancient Egypt. Besides using it for baking, it is great as a brightener in laundry (HE- compatible), a mild abrasive for your bathroom, and you can brush your teeth with it!  (Fluoride free!)  Here are some great suggestions for uses of this chemical.


While chemicals are always to be approached with caution, there are some that are safer than others for our bodies, just as there are some foods that are safer for us to eat than others (ie, don't eat poison ivy).  Sound information and a personal decision on that information is what is the most important aspect of making natural decisions.

Jaye Anne



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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon April 10 with all the carnival links.)

• Rub-a-Dub Co-Bathing in Our Tub — Bath time is more than soap and water! That Mama Gretchen shares how co-bathing with her toddler has opened up a world of cleanliness, learning, and bonding.
• This is How We Take a Bath — Shannon at GrowingSlower shares her special formulas for babywash and a happy bath time.
• How to Gently Trim Your Toddler's Nails — Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses some of the gentle suggestions she has received to help Little Man overcome his anxiety of having his nails trimmed, as well as how she copes with her need for his nails to be trimmed.
• Baby bath time and skin care — Ursula Ciller shares some simple and natural tips for bathing and skin care.
• Want Your Child To Love Getting Clean? Have Them Make Their Own Soaps, Shampoos, and Lotions! — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her secret to empowering her daughter to "get clean." Together, Jennifer and her daughter make their own body washes and lotions which makes clean up time fun!
• Encouraging Self-care Through Awareness... and Fun — Amy at Presence Parenting shares some tips on how to transform self-care from a struggle into an opportunity -- for kids and adults.
• Caring for kids' curls — Lauren at Hobo Mama tells you how to clean, condition, comb, and style ringlets and waves on little heads.
• Playing in the Rain — Jorje of Momma Jorje loves how her family has come to make a family event of showering!
• The Cleansing Power of the Football — Rachel at Lautaret Bohemiet talks about her son's favorite bath buddy.
• Coconut Oil: Nature's "Baby Magic" — Megan at The Boho Mama has only one must-have baby care item in her cupboard: Coconut Oil!
• For Sensitive Kids, Less Is More — Kadiera at Our Little Acorn finds less cleaning is better.
• Bathtime: Just Another Chance to Play! — Lyndsay at Our Feminist {Play} School discusses the many reasons bath time is important - getting clean isn't one of them.
• Hygiene? What hygiene? — Sheila at A Gift Universe confesses some of her most embarrassing hygiene secrets.
• Confused About Chemicals? — Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep describes how to find out where the toxic chemicals are in your house and tips on alternatives.
• Clipping Those Talons — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings describes the ways her daughter's tolerance for personal care has changed over time, especially when it comes to nail clipping.
• Sit Back, Relax and Unschool Hygiene — Instead of focusing on tactics of how to 'get' your child to focus on hygiene, Authentic Parenting explains how to help your child internalize hygienic standards.
• Help! My Tot will not let me brush her teeth! — Mudpiemama shares five positive ways to help toddlers brush teeth and sabotage the tooth fairy’s secret conspiracy.
• Self Care and the Spirited Child — Amy at Toddler In Tow shares how a balancing act between independence and connectedness helps her spirited child learn appropriate self-care.
• Hairbrushing is a Safety Issue — Dulce de leche guest posting at Natural Parents Network explains that although tangles are not a safety issue, self-confidence and body boundaries are.
• 15 Ideas to Prepare Toddlers and Preschoolers for Dental Procedures — Dionna at Code Name: Mama is sharing ideas on how to thoughtfully prepare little ones for dental visits (particularly those that require anesthesia).
• Holistic Care of your Toddler's Teeth — Erica at ChildOrganics tells a tale of her children's teeth issues and how she uses homeopathy and good nutrition to keep cavities at bay.
• Bath Time Bliss : Fuss-Free Bath Time for Toddlers — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares how she has made bath time completely fuss free for both her and her toddler.
• Homemade Natural Toothpaste — City Kids Homeschooling hosts a guest post on a homemade natural toothpaste recipe that kids will love!
• Bathing Strike Strategies — Crunchy Con Mommy offers her best tips for keeping your little ones clean when they refuse to bathe.
• Bodily Autonomy and Personal Hygeine — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children discusses the importance of supporting a child's bodily autonomy in the prevention of abuse.
• A Tub Full of Kiddos! — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment has kiddos who love the water, so bathtime is a favorite evening activity!
• The Trials of Tidying My Toddler — Adrienne at Mommying My Way shares the difficulties she has with getting her on-the-go son to be still enough to get clean.
• Wiped Clean — Laura at Pug in the Kitchen shares her recipe for homemade diaper wipe solution to clean those sweet little cloth diapered bottoms in her home!
• Snug in a Towel: Embracing Personal Grooming — Personal care is time consuming,especially with more than one child; but the mama at Our Muddy Boots is learning to embrace this fleeting and needful time.
• EC: All or Nothing? — Elimination Communication. Even the title sounds complicated and time consuming. It doesn't have to, if you adapt it to meet your family's needs, says Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy.
• Routine Battles — In a guest post at Anktangle, Jorje of Momma Jorje outlines a simple incentive to help inspire your little one to follow a routine.
• Redefining Beauty For My Daughter — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger relays her struggle to define her own femininity and how her preschooler unexpectedly taught her a lesson in true beauty.
• Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Girls In The Tub — Chrystal at Happy Mothering shares how she turns bath time into a few minutes of peace and quiet.
• Montessori-Inspired Activities for Care of Self — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has a roundup of Montessori-inspired activities for care of self and ideas for home environments that encourage independence.
• 10 Gentle Tips for Little Ones Who Hate the Bath — Kim at life-is-learning gives 10 tips to get your little one into the bath and maybe even enjoying it.
• The Boy With The Long Hair — Liam at In The Now discusses his son's grooming choices.
• Personal Care in a Montessori Home — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares a summary of the ways she has organized her family's home to make for easy, Montessori-inspired toddler personal care.
• Styling Kids — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is letting her kids decide what to look like.
• Clean Kids: Laundry and Bath Tips — Kimberly at Homeschooling in Nova Scotia shares tips on how to get your children helping with laundry plus recipes for laundry and liquid soap.
• How to Clean Your Children Naturally: A Tutorial — Erika at Cinco de Mommy shows you how to clean your children.
• Cleaniliness is next to... dirt — The lapse-prone eco-mom (Kenna at Million Tiny Things) sometimes forgets to bathe the kids. Except in the mud pit.