BY MARSHALL MORALES

In print | October 25, 2007

Ha-ha-ha-hygiene! Though some still strut it, the dirty hippie look is out (and has been for a while). All that means is that you can keep clean while protecting your health and ethics over animal rights and the environment.

From soaps and shampoo to laundry detergent and deodorant, sustainable hygiene is a big chance to live clean and green. It’s important to consider whether or not hygiene products are sustainably produced (e.g. not from oil or animals), non-toxic to humans (the FDA does not always test the carcinogens in hygiene products) and produced with ethical animal treatment. I’ll also note some favorite hygiene products for our mouths, skin, hair, odor and clothes.

Hygiene products continue to depend heavily on petroleum derivatives and animal products, both of which are not sustainable in this country. Petroleum products are everywhere; propylene glycol is a common product known to be toxic found in deodorants and lotions. Gelatin is a common product in cosmetics made from pig or bovine bone or skin (do you really want that on your face?). Also key to look for are organic oils and plant ingredients, since many of these come from developing nations where conventional production of plants for cosmetics pollutes both growers’ bodies and rivers. Make sure to go for items in recyclable or biodegradable packaging and in concentrated form as it wastes less packaging for more space.

The epidermis is our biggest organ, absorbing many surface liquids (soaps, deodorant, perfume) directly into the body. One of the best rules for skin care is if you can’t eat it, don’t slather it on your skin. Many conventional soaps and shampoos (hair dyes especially) have contained or still contain chemicals known by the National Academy of Sciences, FDA or EPA to be carcinogenic or toxic. Be sure that that your deodorant/antiperspirant contains no aluminum or parabens (estrogen mimics).

If you can stand for animal suffering to test hygiene products, you need to find a new set of ethics. Animals should not be subjected to encaged suffering in laboratories only for toxic testing of negative impacts from bath products when plenty of products are available without it. You can find a list of companies that do/do not test on animals at www.caringconsumer.org.

Now some specific producers that are in the right mode of production. Look out for Kiss My Face and their amazing soaps/shampoos/moisturizers from their “Obsessively Organics” line. Also, check out non-toxic tooth care and more from Tom’s of Maine (although the company was bought out by Colgate-Palmolive, it maintains a quality line of alternative bath products). Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps are by far the greatest cleaner out there. It’s a high quality, concentrated organic soap for body, dishes, laundry and anything else. It can be diluted to serve almost any means and uses recyclable packaging.

Try out some different brands in the alternative section (these brands are always clumped together). While the price may be a bit higher, environmental economics teaches us that the health and environmental problems associated with unethical bath products will be dealt with in health/clean-up costs in the future. Or go beyond consumerism and make your own damn soap! Plenty of guides are available for soap, shampoo and beyond. By taking care of our body ethically and sustainably, we avoid health risks and environmental degradation for years to come while looking organically fabulous.

Marshall is a senior. You can reach him at mmorale1@swarthmore.edu.

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