ROOM FOR CHANGE: THE BATHROOM
ROOM FOR CHANGE
JAMIE KAGELEIRY
The Bathroom Story by Mollie Doyle Photos by Jamie Kageleiry
The rooms in our homes are ripe for change. The clothes in our closets, the products in our pantries, the bins in our basements. They might be made with less-than-planet-friendly materials, or come in packaging that will clog our landfills, and there just might be too, too, too much of everything. Where to start can feel overwhelming. Follow along as Mollie Doyle explores our shopping, living, and home habits, and leads us toward a healthier home — for both the people in it and the Earth it sits on.
T
his month, I turn 50, which is a landmark. To celebrate, I was going to go to Japan and walk from temple to temple, eating sushi. Obviously, this option is out. So I keep wondering, “What is it that I want to do to mark the occasion?” Meditate for 50 days? Raise $50,000 for a cause? Every day I have another idea. I know I don’t want to celebrate, as some of my dearest friends have, by getting
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injected. As these women have rounded the 50 mark, they have chosen the path of Botox and its partner fillers to honor the moment (and maybe turn back time a bit?). Of course, I see the appeal and the results. Most who have injected and filled do look refreshed and a bit younger. But the lines on my face hold the story of my life — laughter, tears, tension, time in the sun. When I talk to my friend Sarah, who also is choosing to forgo the lure of medical beauty interventions, she laughs and asks, “I guess the real question is, What is the endgame? What are you trying for?” My answer: “Well, I’m never going to look 24 again. Nor do I want to. I just want lovely hair and skin. But as someone who also fights plastic pollution, I want to know what is effective, but not at the cost of the planet. I guess I want sustainable beauty in every sense.” So, how do we support our health and beauty in a way that is not medically assisted, but still effective? The first thing to know is that when people talk about sustainability and beauty products, there are two key terms: “clean” and “zero waste.” Clean beauty is a term used at places like
Sephora, on popular wellness sites such as Goop, and in fashion magazines such as Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar. And, these days, it is pretty easy to find clean products. But note that words like “healthy,” “natural,” “green,” and “eco,” and even “clean,” are meaningless unless there is a respected thirdparty verification. If you want to be “clean,” look out for and avoid parabens, phthalates, PEGs, ethanolamines, chemical sunscreens, synthetic fragrances, BHT, and BHA. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there are many products with harmful PFAS chemicals in them. You can look your products up on Environmental Working Group’s database of cosmetics called Skin Deep: ewg.org/skindeep. While I could find only some of my products here, their guidelines empowered me as a consumer. And then there is the term “zero waste,” which goes a step further. The Zero Waste Alliance defines it this way: “The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and
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