Why We Should use Natural, Eco-friendly Skin and Personal Care Products

There are several reasons why using products such as natural skin care products, which utilise organically grown ingredients is good for our health and the environment.

Firstly, farmers growing organic produce do not generally utilise any pesticides or herbicides on their crops. They also do not use synthetic or artificial fertilisers to nourish and reconstitute their soil. That means, that the produce grown has not had the opportunity to absorb any of these potentially harmful chemicals into its makeup. In turn, that means, you the consumer of the end product, are not absorbing or ingesting these chemicals. Considering the information becoming available on the potential harm of some of the chemicals currently contained in many of our skin and personal care products, that’s good news for our overall health.

In addition, the environment benefits from these organic and eco-friendly farming methods, in that rain, which can leach fertilisers from the soil as well as wash off pesticides and herbicides deposited on plant material, does not end up in our rivers, where it can potentially pollute our water ways and promote the growth of blue-green algae.

Secondly, organic produce, grown in an eco-friendly, environmentally sustainable manner, utilise less natural resources and provide more long-term viability of the product. Not having to use crop dusters, for example, saves petrol, oil, and other natural resources that would otherwise be required. I’m sure we could think of many more such examples, however, the key message here is that organic produce, grown in an eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable manner is a safe, effective way to grow produce, which does not make the same high demands on natural resources as other farming methods.

Does it therefore not stand to reason that using natural skin care products, or other products for that matter, that contain organically grown ingredients pose less of a health risk? Does it not make sense to use products that utilise produce from farmers who are concerned about our environment and actively reduce their demand on natural resources?

I’m sure the concerned reader will agree that we, the consumers, need to look at these issues and make our own, considered choices. We need to do this not just for our own health’s sake, but also for the sake of our natural environment.

Why organic, eco-friendly farming methods are good for our environment?

Well, we covered much of the reasons farmers should consider moving to organic, environmentally friendly methods above, however, it’s not just because our health benefits from using products which contain organically grown ingredients, but the strain that conventional agro-chemical farming practices place on our environment is increasingly becoming unsustainable. That means, the result of not properly managing our natural resources is starting to become very obvious. Lack of water, in Australia, and the world over, is beginning to take its toll.

According to Reuters News Service, a contingency plan prepared for the Australian government said unless water catchments across the country received heavy and widespread rainfalls before mid-May '07, allocations for irrigators and environmental river flows would be stopped. The basin covers an area the size of France and Spain and accounts for 41 percent of Australia's agriculture.

Not only does this spell disaster for many Australian farmers, this will result in low quality, high priced fruits and vegetables on the supermarket shelves in the coming months.

This is not an exercise in attributing blame and there are daily segments on TV on how we can all adopt more sustainable methods of using water and other natural resources to reduce the pressures on our natural environment. If all of us implement just some of these hints and tips, we will conserve our natural environment, which ultimately will benefit our general health.

Switching to natural skin and personal care products, which contain at least some organically grown ingredients, is an eco-friendly step in helping our envSwitching to natural skin and personal care products, which contain at least some organically grown ingredients, is an eco-friendly step in helping our environment, which will also help our own health.