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I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a bath product junkie. I've never really had to face my addiction to gels, soaps, sprays, and lotions?although I was embarrassed by the sheer quantity of them when my mom helped me pack before I moved a few months ago. (My mom has always been a just-Ivory-soap kind of lady.) But since I've been trying to green our house, I've stopped buying anything beyond basic soap and shampoo and?for a while?I even traded plastic bottles of body wash for cardboard-packaged bar soap.
But who am I to ignore Ready, Set, Green when it suggests replacing one daily grooming product with an eco-friendly alternative? Aside from the obvious benefits?like keeping harsh chemicals, skin irritants, fragrances, and even possible carcinogens away from my skin?this means a trip to the body wash aisle (my favorite).
After much debate, I settle on Method's 98%-natural olive leaf wash. It smells delicious (which probably means I haven't totally avoided artificial parfumes), but also promises to use olive oil for moisturizing, natural aloe vera, and coconut oil cleansers instead of those might-cause-cancer parabens. Of course, the plastic bottle isn't ideal?but maybe next time the bar version (which comes in eco-friendly cardboard!) will be in stock.
Blythe Copeland is a freelancer writer living on Long Island. Read more about her foray into the green life in her previous columns as she follows the plan set out in the book Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living.
