Microplastics,why should I care?

Hi again!

Today I wanted to do an educational post (que the collective groan) but I promise it won't be boring! We're going to talk about those little 'microbeads' in your facewash and why you should give them up.

Have you heard the world 'microplastic' pop up a lot more in the news and in social media lately? That probably because it's becoming a real concern for many people. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that can be ingested by animals and humans alike. One of the main sources of micrplastics is those microbeads that many cosmetics are adding to their formulas in order to add an exfoliant.

These plastics are not biodegradable and once taken up by an ecosystem become impossible to remove! When you wash your face with these products, those tiny plastic beads go right down the drain and into wastewater treatment. Most wastewater treatment plants aren't equipped to filter these beads out and they go straight into oceans and lakes. The beads and fibers are then taken up by filter feeders and embedded in their tissue. You see, plastic isn't something that these animals can simply pass, once it's in their system it more often than not stays there. In turn, when a fish eats the filter feeders it then takes up the microplastic (fish can also take up microplastic through their gills) and has it embedded in it's tissue. Finally, we then eat the fish, eat the plastic, and have it stuck in our bodies for an indefinite amount of time. Scary huh!  Illinois has already banned the sale of cosmetics containing microbeads.

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Don't fret though! You can still exfoliate without the use of these crazy tiny plastics. Rice, bamboo shells, apricot and walnut shells, bark, sugar, and even salt work as effective (maybe even better) exfoliants when compared to microbeads. With all these alternatives out there, there's really no excuse to continue using these products that are harming fish, and humans alike.

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Here's a list of products containing microbeads if you want to start the transition today! Or, if you're feeling extra brave why not try making your own exfoliating scrub? A basic recipe to follow is 1 part exfoliant (coffee grounds, sugar, salt, rice, etc.) to 1 part oil (olive, avocado, shea, coconut, etc.) and then mix together as much as you need. When you're done, try adding some essential oils to make it smell nice!


Thanks for reading!

-Megan