Antibacterial gels are everywhere!

In our pocketbooks, in our cars, in the bathrooms and in every classroom across the U.S. Why? Because God forbid we have a germ or some flesh-eating bacteria come along and get us! Remember our grandparents? Well, they cut chicken and veggies on the same cutting board, handled thousands of items that were covered in germs and used SOAP! Plain old normal soap.

Now here’s the thing..let’s start with some of the ingredients: Ethyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance and the pesticide, yes, PESTICIDE, Triclosan. Anyone as upset as I am yet?

Alcohol: simple…is inflammable and totally dries out the skin. This is bad as it then causes micro-cracks in the hands which actually allows bacteria in anyway! And the inflammable part…obviously isn’t safe.

Propylene Glycol: Like putting motor oil on your skin? This ingredient is a petroleum derivative that is used in the cosmetic industry as a moisture carrier and barrier. So now you’ve cracked the skin and introduced a nasty chemical into it.

Fragrance: As I personally don’t like chemical perfumes I may go overboard but the fact is this….synthetic fragrances are being proven to cause neurological damage to children. With the overuse of air fresheners, candles and other “air cleaning” products, this is just one more thing that children need to filter in their little bodies.

And lastly Triclosan: I’ll give this one to The National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides:

“ Studies have increasingly linked triclosan to a range of negative health and environmental effects, from skin irritation, allergy susceptibility, bacterial and compounded antibiotic resistance, as well as dioxin contamination causing the destruction of fragile aquatic ecosystems. “

So there we go…people and the environment are being harmed by a product that is in millions of homes, schools and hospitals around our county and the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is the #1 advocate of pushing this “important anti-bacterial” treatment that must be used every time you use the bathroom or before you eat.

O.K. back to our grandparents. They weren’t dying of bacterial infections from not constantly “disinfecting themselves”; we are now. We have managed to create this incredible imbalance where the strains of organisms are mutating to survive. And when the human body cannot keep up it is easy for the bacteria to attack our immune systems. Is anyone getting this?

I don’t do this for my ego or for money. In fact I have spent the last year teaching for free after being a national educator in the natural personal care industry. I don’t do this to shamelessly promote. But because of the above facts my partner and I have created an alternative to chemical hand sanitizers. A product that doesn’t have to have a warning label that reads “Contact Poison Control Immediately…etc” if ingested. A product where the most “dangerous” ingredient is pure essential oil of peppermint as it may slightly sting eyes.

I hope I’ve gotten your attention as it’s only the proactive (and perhaps a little obnoxious) people who make changes and go against the tide. MOMS and DADS! Know your stuff! Know what’s in your childrens’ schools and environment. Preventative illnesses are rising everyday due to chemicals that WE CAN STOP USING! I will do my part to educate if you will start going to school boards and demanding (yes, demanding!) that your children not be exposed to things that are not only “bad” for them but unnecessary.

Now for my silly side…. I remember the little boy down the street who used to pick his nose and eat it, I definitely peed on my hand a time or two when I was little without washing and I have also gotten down with the dog to eat out of her bowl with her when I was six years old. We all have stories like this and you know what???

We’re all still here.