The Truth Behind Microbeads

If you walk over to your bathroom and look at all the products you use, what will you see? Do any products you use contain microbeads? You know, those tiny plastic pearls found in many exfoliating scrubs. Great for getting into your pores and giving you a fresh feeling face. Right? Wrong. (But we’ll leave a DIY recipe at the bottom of the post to keep your face feeling fly)

Aside from the fact that many products on the market can be too abrasive and damage your skin (they can cause tears in your pores, which can lead to acne, oh the horror!) products with microbeads in them have been proven to be harmful to the environment too.

Microbeads can be found in a variety of products, from face and body washes, to toothpaste. You know what else they can be found in? Your water supply, and if you’re really unlucky, maybe your supper.

Studies have shown that products with tiny microbeads have been damaging water supplies, ecosystems and marine life for years. Because these plastic beads are so small, they are not filtered out during wastewater treatment. Instead they go down the drain, through the treatment plant and back out into the waterways. So when it’s dinner time for the fishies they are often unable to distinguish between these beads and food.

Illinois is actually the first state to ban these tiny microbeads and we’re hoping other states will follow suit. A recent report (http://bit.ly/1ivwfUl) stated that plastic waste is currently causing $13 billion in damage every year to marine life (that is a ridiculous amount of money!).

If that wasn’t enough to change your mind here are some more facts:

• A 2008 study showed that the plastics remained inside mussels for 48 days,
• Researches have found that there were 1,500 to 1.7 million plastic particles per square mile in the Great Lakes,
• And since the beads are so tiny, most fish swallow them, which causes DNA damage and death.

Knowing these things, could you change your beauty regimen to help save the environment? We’ll give you a head start. Here’s a simple yet effective DIY facial scrub!

All you need to do is mix ½ cup of sugar (I use raw but you can use white or brown) with ¼ cup coconut oil, and 1 tsp of honey! Mix it and seal it in an airtight jar and use it all week. This is a basic recipe with room for variations. From essential oils, to vanilla extract to a couple drops of fresh lemon juice, the possibilities are endless.

– TSL