Microbeads are becoming an increasing concern for environmentalists and conservationists around the world.Why? They account for nearly 20% of plastic pollution in some of our water systems such as the Great Lakes. Yikes! This means our oceans and waterways are become a plastic soup which affects wildlife and their habitat. That fish you are eating, well they may have swallowed lots of plastic microbeads before being caught. yuck, right?!

So, what are they and how are they getting into our water? They are tiny balls of plastic added to many cosmetic and personal care products marketed as exfolliators. They can be found in facial and body scrubs, toothpaste, and more!  Problem is once, you are finished with the product, it washes down the drain and into our water systems because they are often too tiny to filter out! We all love to exfolliate. It's healthy for the skin, helping to improve our circulation, slough off the dry skin we shed naturally, and it just feels good!

A few weeks ago, the CBC did an excellent interview on the topic. Pressure is mounting to have them banned as a toxic substance in Canada. Some cities in the USA have already banned the use of microbeads in products.

So what can YOU do about it?

• Don't buy products with microbeads in them.
• If you already have products at home, consider mailing them back to the company explaining you no longer want to use them and why. Here is a link to a non-profit organization called Beat the Microbead that is helping people do just that!
• Look for products made with natural exfolliators! Eg. sugars, salts, cornmeal, seeds, ground oats, flowers, and more make excellent biodegradable exfolliators, that actually help nourish your skin at the same time AND won't harm the waterways, or animals in them.
• Make your own at home using DIY recipes!

What are WE doing about microbeads?

• Creating products with natural, biodegradable exfolliators! We have never ever used microbeads and NEVER will! We build ALL our products with downsteam in mind. We want to ensure it's both healthy for your skin and won't harm the environment either! Mother nature provides so many choices that are both nourishing and gentle on the skin as well as biodegradable ensuring the won't harm the habitat of other animals downstream.
• Helping raise awareness about the issue and give voice to those working hard to inform and educate the public about issues such as this.
• Teaching DIY skincare workshops to help people learn to make their own skincare products including at home with ingredients often found in the home and garden!