I try to eat healthy, get lots of exercise, sleep for eight hours, drink two liters of water, refuse to use plastic bags and shun paper cups. I try to do all of these things for the betterment of both the environment and myself, seriously. Don't even get me started on the chemicals that seep out of tampons and into our bodies, I use a reusable silicone cup each month instead of tampons (too much information?). And maybe sometimes I preach my beliefs, just a little though. Recently, a girlfriend of mine who I was pushing this magical little Diva cup (silicone cup for menstrual flow) on asked me a question that challenged my existence, or at least my shopping purchases. "What skin care products do you use?"
Bi-daily I slather a plethora of cheap, chemical laden products into my youthful skin. Pro Activ cleanses the face, Pantene Pro V for the hair, Dove soap in the shower, Carmex on the lips, Life brand moisturizer on the Calgary dry skin, Muriad specifically hydrates the face, Ban for the BO, Colgate on the sparklies, L'oreal takes off the mascara, and that segways me into an completely new category: make up. I haven't researched this thoroughly, truthfully I would like to remain ignorant a few days longer. But I have heard rumors of massive beautiful fish being slaughtered for the purpose of decorating us gal's faces. That is anything but gorgeous.
Up in Banff for the weekend, I decided to take advantage of this spending haven. It's a bizarre little town set in the pristine rockies yet with no recreational activities located in the town, all a mere driving distance away. The only activities, per se, are drinking, eating fudge or other fine foods and shopping. So I shopped. I wandered into Lush, a well known natural cosmetics store that I had somehow never been in. The sloppy, 'funky' font that they use for absolutely every word in the store (billions since each of the hundreds of products has a lengthy description listed below) was completely illegible to my virgin eyes. I was forced to be that annoying girl who asked the sales associate for absolutely everything. "Which one is soap? What about lotion? What is in it? What does it smell like?" Yes, despite the testers on each shelf I was forced to ask about the scent due to my congestion from this three week cold that refuses to back down. Helpful girls with long winded explanations completely sold me on Coconut conditioner for dry, damaged hair, Helping Hands lotion for health care professionals who seem to do nothing but wash, wash, wash and Dream Cream for my parched body that seems to develop patches of sandpaper skin on a weekly basis. These products were not cheap, but for my binge purchases I was rewarded with Angel Cream, an exfoliating face wash, and these cute little bars of in shower moisturizer that I now swear by. Its been three days since I have kicked my chemical habit and my hair is glossy, my skin is soft and my hands are feminine once again.
I stopped by Community Natural Foods today and took a little stroll down the cosmetics aisle to top up my transition to the new natural me. I picked up an aluminum free deodorant that a friend promised worked in Africa at 40 degrees, toothpaste with no fluoride, bars of soap made from coconut oil and lemon, some natural male face wash for my manly friend and a little tin for my salad dressing that promises to not increase my estrogen post dishwashing. I feel healthier, yet I can't help but dread breaking out into teenage pimples or stinking up the gym like the hippy with locks in the crevice of her armpits. I hope that cavities don't begin to tunnel through my sparklies or that the whiteness doesn't turn to brown. Will my breath expose my natural transition? And will bacteria flourish on my coconuty skin? After 25 years my body may be institutionalized, or rather commercialized to the extent that natural products will not keep superbugs in my bathtub at bay.
This is a risk I am willing to take for the chance to be cleaner. To be free from the chemicals that I can't pronounce and can't even begin to understand. I always wonder if some of them function to create a dependency on the product, if they are the nicotine of shampoo or the heroin of toothpaste. It is likely that I will get pimples, bad breath, stinky pits and itchy skin, but a wistful part of me anticipates that this is all part of the transition. That if i stick to my guns in a few weeks or months I will be free from my Pantene dependence and completely fixed on Lush products for life. My student loans will slowly deteriorate due to the natural prices that range from 50-100% more than the chemical alternatives. But all for a cause that I cannot ignore: my stubborn nature that refuses to be labeled a hypocrite. Diva cup inside, and now aluminum free elm bark outside I am inches closer to achieving Diva Balance.
