You've likely heard of greenwashing – when a company claims to be eco-friendly but actually isn't.
Unfortunately, a similar phenomenon is becoming common in the wellness and beauty industries. I don't know that there is a separate term for this, so I'm going to call it "cleanwashing."
What is "Cleanwashing"?
Like greenwashing, cleanwashing is when a company makes false claims in an attempt to appeal to customers who hold a certain value – in this case, being ingredient-conscious and interested in non-toxic products.
There are no regulations stopping companies from claiming to be "non-toxic," "natural," or "clean." They can put any of those words on their labels in an effort to get health-conscious buyers to select their product.
All too often, these companies don't have any concern with being truly clean or natural, and their products reflect that. The front label makes them sound great, but the ingredients tell a different story.
Why Should You Worry About Cleanwashing?
Using non-toxic ingredients is so important. If you're here reading this, you probably already know that, but if you want to learn more, feel free to look around this blog a bit more or join my Facebook community.
Once you're aware of how some of these common ingredients affect your body, you choose to avoid them. However, that can be difficult when all the labels on the products at the store claim to be "clean." It's completely natural to see that label and believe you are getting a non-toxic, safe product. In reality, it may not be at all. And that disturbs me so much!
How Do You Avoid Cleanwashing?
There's really only two ways to avoid cleanwashing.
1 - Become ingredient savvy and always read the labels. This can be very difficult since some common-looking words are toxic ingredients, and some chemical-looking words are safe. The simplest recommendation I can make is to avoid fragrance/parfum. Usually (not always), companies that make the effort to avoid fragrance will also avoid other toxins. It's not foolproof, but it's better than nothing.
2 - Find companies you trust implicitly to only use pure, safe ingredients. This can take a little time and effort and research, but it's so comforting once you know you've found one.
What are Some Examples of Cleanwashing Companies?
I generally avoid mentioning specific companies and prefer that people do their own research. However, this is what people always ask for, so I'm mentioning a few to help you out. These are some of the most common companies I see people claiming are "clean":
1 - Melaleuca – uses fragrance (and tries to pass it off as somehow safer than other fragrances) and fluoride. Honestly, the shady marketing of this company creeps me out – you never hear its name mentioned, only "wellness boxes."
2 - Seventh Generation – uses sodium lauryl sulfate (another recognizable one I look for) and is owned by Unilever, which produces highly toxic products, indicating they don't value clean products beyond the profit
3 - Method – uses fragrance and artificial colors and is owned by S.C. Johnson
4 - Mrs. Meyers – uses sodium lauryl sulfate and polysorbate 80 (a third recognizable one I look for) and is also owned by S.C. Johnson
Choosing Safe Products
I mostly had cleaning products in mind when I wrote this, but there are other companies specializing in personal care or nutrition products that are also cleanwashing. Maybe I'll talk about them another day.
In the meantime, you can read how to not get overwhelmed learning ingredients. Hopefully, it will make the process a little less daunting.
I got a sun lamp last month, and I noticed a couple changes.
Sun Lamps and SAD
A sun lamp mimics natural light from the sun. Unlike the typical indoor lighting, which is heavy on blue light, a sun lamp incorporates more of the entire spectrum of sunlight. These lamps are also called SAD lamps because they have become pretty commonly recommended in dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
SAD typically occurs in the winter months in colder climates. The days are shorter, the sun is less powerful, and people are outside less to catch what sunlight there is. The result is a chemical imbalance in the brain, specifically affecting two hormones:
- Melatonin, a sleep-related hormone
- Serotonin, a mood-related hormone
The symptoms can include depression, anxiety, apathy, mood swings, irritability, social isolation, excessive sleepiness, or sleep deprivation.
Using a Sun Lamp
I'm still learning about sun lamps myself, but since I got it in early January, I've committed to sitting in front of it for 15 minutes each morning.
You should sit within 24 inches of it and allow the light to hit your eyes without looking straight into it. I found this a bit awkward at first. Where can I sit within 2 feet of a light for 15 minutes? I ended up setting it next to the music on my piano, and I just commit to playing piano for 15 minutes each morning. Combining sun lamp and music therapy!
Benefits I Experienced
But anyway, you want to know what I experienced, right?
The main thing I noticed is that my sleep is much better since I started using the sun lamp. I had been having trouble sleeping since we moved last September because our bedroom is so much brighter than I'm used to (still need to make some good curtains!). I would wake up a lot during the night and sometimes not be able to fall back asleep.
However, in the last several weeks, I have noticed that I wake up less most nights. And even though I have been staying up too late a lot of nights, I feel as rested on seven hours of sleep as I usually do on eight hours. That is proof that my sleep quality is better.
The other effect I hadn't even realized until I sat down to write this. I usually do experience SAD during the winter. Not all winter usually and not too severe, but it pokes its ugly head up for a check in now and then.
This winter, so far, no SAD.
At first, I thought that meant I couldn't speak about how I benefited from the sun lamp with SAD. And then, I realized, I got it shortly after Christmas, and usually, I don't experience SAD around Christmastime.
So I can't say for sure, but I could argue that the daily sun lamp use kept the SAD symptoms at bay this winter. I have not had any sadness, my mood has been good, and I've had very little anxiety (which is, for me, generally a year-round on-and-off thing, not necessarily related to SAD).
So that's it – my experience after about a month of daily sun lamp use. I will definitely continue and consider it well worth the small price. And I would recommend it to people with sleep difficulties or SAD.
My Sun Lamp
If you'd like to try a sun lamp for yourself, I got this one because I thought it was prettier than most. But do your own research and choose the best one for you.
(That link is an affiliate link, which just means part of the purchase goes to me, rather than Amazon. You don't pay any extra, but you support my small business.)
Do you have difficulty sleeping or experience SAD? Have you tried a sun lamp?
Are you going to try one now? I'd love to hear your experiences!
Several years ago, I became aware of what the products I was using on my body were doing to my health, and I didn’t like it.
I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know where to begin.
There were just so many ingredients in products, and I didn’t know what 90% of the items on the ingredient labels were.
Did I really need to research every single one? Spend hours standing in the aisle at the store, looking up ingredients on my phone?
It had to be easier than that!
Then, I realized there was one ingredient that was common in almost all products which contained other toxic ingredients.
And I knew that if I eliminated that one ingredient, I would also avoid a lot of other toxins.
Read more...
Do you take vitamins or supplements but don't really notice any difference?
It's an extremely common scenario, and unfortunately, people don't notice a difference because there isn't one.
Have you ever heard the statistic that up to 80% of your supplements just pass through your body and get literally flushed away without doing you any good? It's true.
Read more...
When you first realize that you need to be aware of the ingredients in your foods and products, it's overwhelming, isn't it?
There are just SO MANY! How will you ever learn them all?
Trust me, I've been there, and I've felt it!
And I am by no means claiming that I'm now an ingredient expert, but I have learned one very helpful trick along the way.
Read more...
