Natural products have long been touted as being the optimal choice for your skin, hair, nails, and overall health because they're free of the chemicals and preservatives that can cause toxins to build up in the body. What isn't talked about quite as often is how using natural health products benefits the environment as well.

Environmentally Friendly

When you use health products that require chemicals to prolong their shelf lives, you contribute to the problem these chemicals cause for the environment. Manufacturing and disposing of products with chemicals or metals allows them to release into the air or leech into the land and water sources. Over time, they can damage plant and animal life and even cause some organisms to become locally or globally extinct. Products like CBD flower do not pose this threat. They do not require preservatives to remain useful so growing, harvesting, using, and disposing of them are not dangerous for the environment.

Natural Products Don't Use Triclosan

Triclosan is a common ingredient found in health products like hand washes and toothpastes. While it isn't dangerous to use in the products, it could become an environmental problem once it's washed down the drain. This is because if it reacts to sunlight, it can form dioxins. Dioxins are chemically-related compounds that can cause reproductive and developmental problems over time. Once in the environment, triclosan-created dioxins have been known to last 30 years or more in the environment. Products made with natural antimicrobial and antiseptic properties are better for the environment.  

Natural Products Are Made Without the Need for Petrochemicals

Beauty products created with petroleum-based ingredients are bad for your skin and for the environment. The products create a filmy barrier that makes it harder for your pores to breathe properly and release toxins like they're supposed to. Environmentally, petroleum and their petrochemicals are made from oil, which is a nonrenewable resource. Reducing use whenever possible is essential for protecting the environment. 

Avoid Phthalates

Many beauty product packaging relies on phthalates and may leach into the product itself. Studies show that phthalates are endocrine disruptors, which means they can cause male fish to begin showing the physical characteristics as a female, making it harder for them to mate and continue the life cycle. There is also concern that using baby bottles, pacifiers, and other plastic products that go in the mouth can lead to ingestion of phthalates. 

Better For Agriculture

Whether raising animals for food or growing crops to create organic health products, all-natural agriculture is better for the industry and the planet as a whole. Organic farming doesn't rely on pesticides, which ensures they don't remain in the ground and make their way to water supplies. All-natural agriculture also creates healthier animals and plants, leading to better nutrients for the body. Organic farming creates healthier soil, fights erosion, and encourages biodiversity that has proven to reduce carbon dioxide levels and slow climate change. 

Preserve Overall Public Health

When the products you use aren't releasing chemicals into the environment, you're helping to create a healthier living space for your entire community. Going green in any capacity creates healthier individuals, which can lead to a happier community.  Over time, you'll be helping to leave a better planet for the children in your community, as well as passing on healthy habits that they can maintain into adulthood. 

Conclusion 

When it comes to finding the right all-natural health products, look for certified organic items when possible. You can also ask questions about how items are made, where they are grown, and more to determine whether you feel that the product you'd like to use is healthy for you and for the environment. Remember, switching to all-natural products can feel overwhelming if you try to do it all at once. By making the switch a little bit at a time, you help the environment while ensuring the change is one you can sustain for life.