Why you should download the Think Dirty app

Hey there my American or US resident friends, this post is just for you!  I mean, it's for anyone who wants to read it, but Americans and US residents should really pay attention.  My reasoning is because most of us are confused about which products we should use that have less harmful ingredients.  Well, what if I told you there is an unbiased app that could tell us how good or bad our products are based on a scale of 1-10?  Sounds pretty awesome right!  

Well, there is one, and it's called the Think Dirty app!  You basically scan or enter in a product into the app, and it gives you the clean or dirty rating.  Pretty cool, right!  You're probably wondering, why should I care about the dirty rating of my shampoo or my baby's lotion?  I hate to break the news to you, but not all products in the US are created equal and it's a sad, sad shame.  Some of our products contain carcinogens (cancer causing toxins) along with developmental, allergenic and reproductive toxicities.   Carcinogens and developmental toxins in my baby's personal products?  In my shampoo?  In my toothpaste?  It sounds ridiculous, but if this is the app that The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is suggesting we use to screen our products, than I'm scanning everything.

So, why am I recommending this app to Americans and US residents?  This is where you should pay attention. Basically, the US is really behind when it comes to regulating all the ingredients in our products.  We are so behind when it comes to personal care regulations, that we have only updated it once in 79 years.  Yes, that's right people.  The last time a law was put in place before 2015 to regulate our products was updated in the 1930's.  Not only that, the Personal Care Products Safety Act of 2015 has very weak restrictions.  This law is still in its infancy, and the FDA is only required to review 5 chemicals a year.  It's better than no chemicals a year, but it still has a long ways to go.

Our friendly Canadian neighbors of course have much stricter regulations as well as the EU, which has banned over a 1000 chemicals.  Do you know how many chemicals the US has banned from our products? 11.  Yes, that's right.  I didn't forget to add a zero.  The US has only banned 11 harmful ingredients while the EU has banned over 1000.

This makes things really complicated for all of us living in the US who are concerned about the products we use on ourselves, our children and our furry children as well.  If you think you're okay because all the products you use read "all natural" on the label, well think again. I thought my brand of natural makeup and eco-friendly laundry detergent were safe, but after I scanned these products, I learned that they were in fact a 10 on the dirty meter.  

The downside of screening for safe products is that these safer products are expensive in the US!  Consumers use big brand products that they trust because they've been around for over 100 years and because the products are more affordable.  When I was in Europe at the end of last year I noticed that all the products were cheaper.  This means that their products are cheaper, and safer.  It's BS for sure that I have to pay four times the amount for healthy shampoo for myself and my family.  And it's BS that I should have to scan my products for levels of toxicities.  If the personal care industry wasn't a $71 billion industry in the US, this probably wouldn't be an issue.

If you have time to make your own personal care products, go ahead!  If you don't, think about making room on your phone for the Think Dirty app.  By the way, all opinions are my own and unbiased.  The Think Dirty app has not sponsored this post and I have no affiliation with them. I'm telling you about all these laws and the app because I want to educate you and I hope you'll buy products from companies who have ethical business practices.  That's all.  :)

Alright everyone!  I would love it if you left a comment.  I know this topic is a little controversial, but that's kind of my middle name so feel free to comment away.  Also, I would love it if you subscribed to my blog if you're not subscribing already or gave me a follow on my Facebook page!  Love ya! 

Ciao, Shelbi