Hey everyone,
Today we will be discussing scents. I was reading the following article in the Life section of the Globe and Mail and it inspired me to do a post on fragrances.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/work/wacky-workplace-rules-no-beards-no-gossip-no-deodorant/article1638154/
The article is fun but the comments are hilarious. Most of the comments had to do with people venting about smelly co-workers. I don't believe that wearing deodorant prevents bad odor - but rather regular showers, clean clothing and a healthy lifestyle will keep you from offending your neighbours.
Here are some of the problems with fragrances in many beauty/cleaning products:
1) Perfume/ Cologne:
Most perfumes and colognes do not list all of the ingredients on their labels. The excuse: to protect the brand's "secret recipe". This recipe is often a concoction of hormone disrupting petrochemicals. Please find below a link to a great report entitled Not so sexy, by the Environmental Working Group, which tested commonly used brand name scents such as Chanel, Armani, Britney Spears and many more.
http://www.ewg.org/notsosexy
I would recommend forgoing perfume an cologne and just eating well and exercising instead.
2) Laundry detergent / Dryer sheets:
Do not dry clean - apparently the dry cleaners use a chemical called perchloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene which can cause central nervous system damage and is toxic for the environment. My boyfriend wears suits frequently and gets his jackets and pants dry cleaned. I think I am going to invest in a clothes steamer for him because this information makes me a little nervous.
I am currently using a fragrance free President's Choice laundry detergent and I hang dry all of my clothing so I don't use dryer sheets. I have never paid much attention to the ingredients in my detergent - but tonight I am going to take a look to make sure there is no phosphates or chlorine. I have read some posts on making your own laundry detergent - but they seem extremely time consuming and don't appear to be that effective. Smelly shirts cause bad odor so make sure to wash your shirts after 1 or 2 uses. Many pants on the other hand do not need to be washed so frequently. I have a friend who used to work in the fashion industry and she said jeans are "cooler" if they are not washed with soap (I think because they get almost a duller -vintage look). She suggested spot cleaning jeans if they get stained and putting them on a clothes line to air them out.
Want more tips on non toxic cleaning around the house:
I stumbled upon this great site which offers more natural solutions to most household cleaning products - from wood varnish to air fresheners.
http://www.oregontoxics.org/kitchen_laundry.html
3) Deodorant / Antiperspirants:
Check out my earlier post on this topic. Use baking soda instead!!
4) Air fresheners:
Use baking soda in the fridge, in the bathroom and open all the windows to get some fresh air in your house.
5) Take a look at your diet:
Here is a great article from Psychology today on eliminating red meat consumption to smell nicer.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/201002/you-want-smell-better-don-t-eat-red-meat
I hope you consider alternate ways to keep the air around you smelling pleasant. It doesn't need to cost much, and I don't think we should obsess over it either. Free yourself!
No comments:
Post a Comment