NO! The Odds Are That You DON'T Recycle

Note: Today's Blog and stats are only about Canada.  Your country might do a better job recycling plastics than we do. 



I have what is called an Elevator Pitch to describe my sustainable products and Kraft Board Packaging.  It is easy for me to deliver because I am passionate about my work.

I provide products that will get rid of the need for these plastic containers:

- liquid hand soap
- dish soap
- shampoo
- conditioner
- body wash
- deodorant container (which is not recyclable)
- lip balm container (which is not recyclable)

The idea of a 30 second pitch

Usually people are excited and ask more questions about how some items work.  However, once in a while I have a person who shuts me down immediately by saying (usually quite loudly for some reason)  "This doesn't matter, I recycle!".  In public I smile and say "that's good", I get the social cue that you aren't interested in my products and have no interest in trying something new right now.  In private I tell people the truth -  no you don't recycle.    

I'm sorry.  I hate to be the one to break this to you but unless you work in a recycling plant you DO NOT recycle.  You put plastic items into a container and take that to the curb.  That is waste sorting. 

Only 9% of Canada's plastic in general gets recycled. The truth is that only 30% of items put into the blue box in Canada get recycled.   That isn't your fault, and it isn't my fault. I'm not making this up, it has been studied for years and tested in 2019 by  CBC's Marketplace.  It is just the plain old, honest truth.  (see references below)  Why not stop using products in plastic containers to begin with?

This is why what you put into the blue box is probably not actually recycled: 

1) Bottlenecks

Canada only has 37 recycling plants.  They cannot keep up with the supply of plastic. 

https://www.enfrecycling.com/directory/plastic-plant/Canada

2) Poor Sorting

Plastics of different types, plastics that can't be recycled, plastics not required by industry right now ... they all sit in the same unsorted pile waiting for recycling.  70% of the time the pile is sent to landfill or incineration. 

3) Dirty Items

Similar problem as poor sorting, they sit in a pile.  70% of the time just sent to landfill or incineration.

4) Non Recyclable Plastic (deodorant and lip balm tubes for example)

These get put in blue boxes often. You can't recycle every plastic container.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/are-you-recycling-wrong-what-can-and-can-t-go-into-the-blue-box-1.4492841

5) Costs  - The Canadian Plastics Industry makes more money creating and selling first time plastic, called virgin resin. "The virgin resin industry has a very high international trade exposure, with 77 percent of its output exported, and 71 percent of the domestic resin demand fulfilled through imports."

 Bye, Bye,  I'm probably headed to landfill!

References: 

The Canadian plastics economy is mostly linear, with an estimated nine percent of plastic waste recycled, four percent incinerated with energy recovery, 86 percent landfilled

http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/eccc/En4-366-1-2019-eng.pdf

file:///C:/Temp/2017_CanadaPlasticRecyclingReport_190619.pdf

"We asked 3 companies to recycle Canadian plastic and secretly tracked it. Only 1 company recycled the material"

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/marketplace-recycling-trackers-b-c-blue-box-1.5299176

How to Research Ingredients - Tips and Tricks to find out "what the heck is that?"

I want to share the two quick methods I use to research ingredients and I will provide an example.  I am suspicious of  long ingredient lists that make claims of "natural" and "cruelty free".  I want to do some research before I believe that.  An example is shown below.  I won't share what product this is from. This is a randomly chosen ingredient from an ad campaign that I found particularly annoying. We know what Glycerin is.  We know what stearyl alcohol is.  What the heck is Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine?  Let's find out together.

Google Search #1

Step 1:  Copy the name
Step 2: Open google
Step 3: Paste the name,  then type "SDS" after it.  SDS stands for Safety Data Sheet.  It used to be called MSDS.

You will find an enormous amount of information.  I randomly chose one to open. 

There are 16 sections in an SDS.  I like to look at:

SECTION 2 – HAZARDOUS IDENTIFICATION

SECTION 11 - TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION  

SECTION 12 - ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION

In the SDS I opened there was no information for sections 2 or 12.  However section 11 listed "dermal" and "occular" irritancy.  This is a hint that this is probably tested on animals.  Now I opened a few more SDS sheets to see if they list more information.  Then we will do a second google search. 

In the third SDS that I opened I finally found some section 2 information.  This is harmful to aquatic life. Lesson to learn is to open multiple sources. Don't assume that all required information is provided in any document. 

Google Search #2

Copy the name again.  (who wants to type all that out)
Open google.  Paste the name then type the words  "safety assessment" after it.

Here is one of the search results.  I love these reports.  I am a chemical engineer so I love chemistry and the descriptions of how they manufacture these ingredients.
https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/amidoa032014tent.pdf


Don't read on if you get upset over animal cruelty.  There is lots. Rats and Rabbits were used in weeks of testing. 


Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine The effects of stearamidopropyl dimethylamine (100% active ingredient) on reproduction and development were studied in 10 Wistar rats/sex/dose by oral gavage in accordance to OECD guideline 421. 2 Dose levels tested were 0, 20, 70 and 200 mg/kg body weight/day at a dose volume of 5 ml/kg body weight. Parental males were exposed to the test material 2 weeks prior to mating, during mating, and up to study termination. Parental females were exposed 2 weeks prior to mating, during mating, during gestation, and during at least 4 days of lactation. In the 200 mg/kg males, a weight loss of up to 15% of day 1 weight was observed during the first 2 weeks of treatment, but this effect seemed to recover during the treatment period. The mean body weight and body weight gain of the 200 mg/kg males remained statistically significantly lower throughout treatment. Females of the same dose group had statistically significant reduced body weight gain during the first 2 weeks of treatment, as well as during gestation. Food intake was reduced during the entire premating period for males, and during the first week of the premating period for the females. Additionally, the feed consumption of the females remained slightly lower throughout pregnancy and lactation. No other treatment-related changes were observed in the parental animals. The non-statistically significant decrease in the mean number of corpora lutea was observed in the 70 and 200 mg/kg dose groups when compared with the control animal; however, a statistically significant lower number of implantation sites were noted in the 200 mg/kg dose group females. A statistically significant lower number of living pups was noted in the 70 and 200 mg/kg dose groups. No other treatment-related changes were noted in any of the remaining reproductive parameters investigated in this study (i.e. mating, fertility and conception indices and precoital time, testes and epididymides weights, spermatogenic staging profiles). Based on the results of this study on stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, the researchers determined the paternal NOAEL to be 70 mg/kg body weight/day, the maternal NOAEL to be 70 mg/kg body weight/day, and the developmental NOAEL to be 200 mg/kg body weight/day. 2 In the dermal 90-day repeated dose toxicity study in rabbits described above, no treatment-related findings concerning the reproductive organs were observed. 2 The dermal developmental toxicity potential of stearamidopropyl dimethylamine was studied in 80 artificially inseminated New Zealand White rabbits. 2 Groups of 20 rabbits received the test material at 0, 5, 100, or 200 mg/kg body weight/day at a dose volume of 2 ml/kg body weight during days 7 through 18 of gestation. The test material was applied to the clipped backs of the rabbits as a solution in 30% isopropanol and 70% reverse osmosis membrane processed deionized water. The test sites were not occluded and were rinsed with water 2 h after each application. The rabbits were collared to prevent oral ingestion of the test material.The rabbits were observed daily during and after the dosage periods for clinical signs of toxicity, skin irritation, mortality, abortion, delivery, body weight, and feed consumption. All rabbits were killed on day 29 and complete gross necropsy was performed. Reproductive organs that were examined included the prostate, seminal vesicles, testis, epididymis in males and the ovaries, uterus, and vagina in females. The uteri were examined for pregnancy, number of implantations, live and dead fetuses and early and late resorptions. Corpora lutea were counted. Each fetus was weighed and subsequently....

Now all we did was do basic research on ONE ingredient.  If we continue will we find more? Do you think companies should state they are cruelty free if they use ingredients that test on animals?  They may not test their product but there was testing completed on animals in the supply chain.

Would you call something that required all this testing, hours of panel discussion, and is toxic to aquatic life "natural"?  I know many natural things are toxic to aquatic life, however I believe calling a manufactured compound "natural" is very misleading.

What does a natural deodorant need?

When I started researching natural deodorants my first goal was to determine what the purpose was for my product.  It isn't an antiperspirant. The notation below is NOT my goal. I also don't want to create something that is considered a poison if swallowed.

How antiperspirants and deodorants work | Degree

What is antiperspirant deodorant? Antiperspirants help to reduce the production of sweat. Aluminium salts – the active ingredient found in antiperspirants – dissolve into the moisture on the skin's surface. This forms a gel, which temporarily sits on top of the sweat gland, reducing the amount of sweat released.

I knew I did NOT want aluminum, or aluminium.  I wanted to make a deodorant which is meant to allow you to sweat, absorb that sweat, and stop bacteria from growing.  I also wanted to introduce some fragrance to cover body odour if these three levels of defense didn't hold up.

Baking Soda: Baking soda works well.  It does kill bacteria and keep people smelling fresh.  However I read review, after review, after review and kept finding that the deodorants with baking soda were the same ones that gave people rashes.  I decided I would not use baking soda.

Magnesium Hydroxide:  Option 2

"Studies have shown that Magnesium Hydroxide does not absorb into the skin. Instead, its main purpose in a natural deodorant is to counteract any odor-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin without impacting the dermis – the layer of skin where sweat glands, pores and hair follicles are contained."

source: https://www.garrisonminerals.com/

I chose magnesium hydroxide with three absorbents.  After two months my husband and I were satisfied with the texture (not too sticky, not too gooey, not too stiff), fragrance, and performance.  It's pretty awesome!  Everyone who has used our deodorant has loved it.  I can't explain it really but I feel all around healthier.

The Beauty of Natural Fibers

I started to make my dye free - bleach free cloths to help people who have textile dye allergies, also called "textile dye dermatitis". One of my dye free bleach free cloths is shown below. It is 100% cotton.

This made me think about the bigger picture.  Why are we addicted to colour?  Why do we go for the coloured yarn first?  Why was it so hard for me to find a dye free bleach free supplier!?  AND how much energy is used in the process of dying the cotton. 

The plastic free movement is about more than cleaning up the ocean, human health concerns of microplastics and reducing landfill volumes.  It is also about Green House Gases.  How energy intensive is it to dye cotton?


The most common brands on the shelves are  Bernat and Sugar'n Cream. They are dyed by Spinrite Yarns. Luckily they have shared a video on Youtube so we can see what happens in the process of adding colour. It is energy intensive.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPpjP-kRoZk


1) It is HOT.  The yarn is in water >100 °C for hours, and the driers are very hot.

2) It uses a lot of water!

3) If we can accept things that are not coloured we might make a huge difference in our world.

Human Hair does NOT have a pH value

I have read sentences often referring to information in the quote below.  People think hair has a pH and must be protected. Also people think hair is alive in that it can be "healthy".


Myth: ". The typical pH balance of hair is around 4.5-5.0" "There are a number of conditions that can indicate the pH of your hair. It is important to establish a general pH before you can balance it to the healthy level"

Hair DOES NOT HAVE A pH at ALL!  Only Aqueous solutions have a pH and hair is a solid. Hair is a solid material with three distinct layers. 

The center is called the medulla and it is usually an empty space. Next is the cortex that is coils of keratin protein molecules plus melanin which gives our hair the colour.  The outer layer is the cuticle that has overlapping scales and it protects the cortex and center. ("a thick protective cover consisting of six to eight layers of flat overlapping scale-like structures called cuticle or scales which consists of high sulfur KAPs, keratin proteins and structural lipids." Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair, Clarence R. Robbins) None of these things is living, there are no nerves or growth. The follicle that is attached to your scalp is alive with nerves and new growth.   

Below you can read the definition of what pH is, it is a potential for a hydrogen molecule to enter an aqueous solution. It does not have a unit of measure. pH is really a measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water


“pH” is an abbreviation for “potential hydrogen” and is a scale used for ranking the relative acidity or alkalinity of a liquid solution. The precise mathematical definition of pH is the negative logarithmic value of hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in the solution.


pH = - log [H+]  


Hair does have a net charge that we can measure because it contains protein. The building blocks of proteins, peptides, all have a pH value at which they are neither positively nor negatively charged. A protein at its isoelectric point has zero net charge. That point or most hair, on average,  is when it is in a solution with a pH of 3.67.  When in a solution with a pH above 3.67 hair will have a net negative charge.  The surface of hair has a net negative charge at all pH values above its isoelectric point.  This is where the internet determined hair to have a pH.  It does not.  It has an isoelectric point.  After you rinse your hair with water it will dry and return to it's isoelectric point. After you swim in the ocean... your hair will dry and return to it's isoelectric point. 
Source: Springer; 5th ed. 2012 edition (Feb. 24 2012)

Above is the gorgeous hair of a 48 year old customer that has used my saponified shampoo for years. She washes her hair every three days and allows it to air dry.   The hair is not stressed, falling out or broken.  The "mantle" is not destroyed. The scalp is healthy.  It is easy to comb through silky clean hair! How can this be? Detergent manufacturers would like us to be afraid to make and sell natural products.  They would like even more for customers to be afraid to even try them. Personally I believe they feel threatened by the plastic free movement.  They don't know what to do when their plastic bottles are gone!

TRUTH: Every human has an acidic mantle, or microflora, and we create it naturally. I just measured the pH of my moist face and it is 5.0.  (I wash with my own tea tree face soap by the way) 

Wikipedia description: The acid mantle is a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of human skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin.^[1] Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous gland and when mixed with sweat becomes the acid mantle. The pH of the skin is between 4.5 and 6.2, slightly acidic.^[2][3] Since blood is slightly alkaline (7.4), pathogenic bacteria that become adapted to the pH of the skin and are able to reach internal tissues will encounter an environment to which they are less well adapted. This combination of acidic exterior and alkaline interior is one of the body's non-specific host defenses against bacterial pathogens.

A very good reference 

http://www.sebamed.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Studien/Saeuremantelkonzept/1.05.pdf

Now back to the discussion of hair having a critical pH, and whether or not we should all be afraid of saponified shampoo: 

Saponified Shampoo will create a lather that has a pH of around 9.0.  It can't get any lower than that. Since the bar is solid... it doesn't have a pH.  It isn't aqueous.  The lather does though since it is a measurable combination of air bubbles, soap particles and water. 

For comparison the Ocean has a pH of 8.2. Tap water will have a pH of 7, swimming pools will be 7.4 to 7.6. 

The directions on a shampoo bar are not to take that bar and rub it on your dry head.  The directions are :   Hold shampoo bar in one hand and apply it directly to wet hair, starting at your scalp. Work suds through the rest of your hair.  You can also lather up the bar in your hands and then apply lather to your hair instead of the shampoo bar.

1) In a shower or bath wet your hair.  Now your hair, of no pH, is surrounded by water of a pH of 7. 

2) either apply the bar to your wet hair, or create lather in your hands and apply that to your hair.  Now your hair is surrounded by water that has a pH of 8 - 8.5.  You diluted the lather because your hair was already wet.  This step will take about 20 - 30 seconds. 

3) Now rinse well.  We are back to having hair and scalp at a pH of 7.0.  You will only have a scalp with a higher pH if you didn't rinse out the lather. Why wouldn't you rinse? 

The directions on a detergent/syndet bar are exactly the same as the saponified bar.  Your hair and scalp will be covered in water with a pH of 7.  

That is why my family and customers do not have bad results using a saponified bar. My scalp is as healthy as the rest of my skin.  Within 2 hours of bathing my body naturally sweats and "repairs" my mantle and we are back to the acidic layer we had before the bath or shower. That is how God made us. Why would God have given us hair that is so sensitive that I can't even wash it? 

 For scientific proof the article referenced above ( MSchmid MH, Korting HC (1995). "The concept of the acid mantle of the skin: its relevance for the choice of skin cleansers" (PDF). Dermatology. 191 (4): 276–80. ) found that using soap or syndet didn't matter, in 2 hours the pH of everyone's skin was acidic again. 

Note that the soap users in this study had slightly higher propionibacteria counts after two weeks.  Propionibacteria is natural, we all have creatures living on our skin. (don't freak out)  However also note that in that study they asked participants to wash twice a day and they provide no details on the soap they used, rinsing or drying techniques.  Did they coincidentally dry off more with towels than the others? How was any of this controlled?

I don't know anyone who washes twice a day. Maybe if you work out twice a day? Then you're a person sweating up a storm introducing a layer of sweat with a pH of 4.5 - 7.0. 

Note: Demodex hates Tea Tree Oil.  

The Rudest Youtube Comment I have had

I woke up this Saturday morning to read this in my email feed"You Have a Youtube Comment".  Usually they are encouraging and I love my Youtube community.  Some one decided to be a busy bossy #^%!. 

Here is the rudeness award winning comment: 

Lady, i'm gonna be honest. You're making nothing but a regular soap. Shampoo bars never ever ever contain any lye!! If it contains lye it's just a soap, no matter what kind of fats you're using. Liquid shampoo never contains any lye. The REAL shampoo bars mainly contan SCI (Sodium Cocoyl Isethonate) or SLS but it is recommended to make it sulfate free so SCI is the right choice. Besides SCI it contain real things that matter to the hair like stuff that makes hair silky, smooth, condition it, makes the hair keep all the oils and moisture in. You also can not forget the scalp cause it's even more important than the hair. If it works for you it's fine but please don't sell the product that only claims to be shampoo bar but actually is nothing but a regular soap that is made with premium fats.



Dear Rude Youtube User: 

Thank you for your comment.  I enjoyed deleting it and blocking you from my channel.  It is unfortunate that our relationship had to be so short. 

1) The word Shampoo originates from India. 

The word shampoo entered the English language from the Indian subcontinent during the colonial era. It dates to 1762 and is derived from Hindi chāmpo (चाँपो [tʃãːpoː]), itself derived from the Sanskrit root chapati (चपति), which means to press, knead, soothe.

It has nothing to do with SCI, SLS, or any other detergent. 

2) Liquid shampoo originally was made with potassium hydroxide (KOH) which is called lye.  All liquid soaps are made with KOH.  It is a modern idea to replace soap with detergents. 

3) Shampoo is something used to wash hair.  A REAL shampoo bar is something that is formulated for washing hair. 

4) "Real things that matter to the hair"?  I use Sunflower oil and Rosemary Essential oil because they are awesome for hair.  Check, got that. 

5) I didn't forget the scalp, my bar is superfatted at 3% to ensure just enough free oils to treat your scalp like the wonderful thing it is. 

6) yes it works for me, it works for my family, it works for many repeat customers AND my shampoo has great reviews

7) I will sell what I want.  They only entity that can tell me NOT to sell something is  Health Canada. 

8) If you read my ingredients you would see they are pretty simple, NOT premium fats. 

9) Maybe you should get a bite to eat.  You sound Hangry to me. 

10) Although you are rude I wish you many Blessings. 

Why I will NOT use Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI)

I will NOT use SCI in my products.  It is very popular these days, I would say it has a cult following. Most who have jumped on this bandwagon have probably not done thorough research on the product.  I have kept to myself with my awesome saponified solid shampoo bars, and minded my own business.  However, now the cult members are being bullies so I will speak out too. You rudely tell me your opinion (as anonymous) , I will politely tell you mine (as myself not hiding). You make choices for your business, I will make informed choices for mine.

1) Where does it come from?  Well... there is one factory in Germany making this product and 12 factories in China. The odds are yours is from China.  I worked for China once, it was not pleasant. A Vice President tried to motivate me by telling me my mother was ashamed of me.  I called her and she said that wasn't true. Until their human rights conditions improve I don't want to buy Chinese products.

Reference:
https://www.buyersguidechem.com/chemical_supplier/Sodium_cocoyl_isethionate

2) How is it made?  It is made under vacuum pressure for over four hours at temperatures between 200 - 260 ­°C. This is energy intensive, thus GHG producing in China... already GHG producing enough.  Reference US Patent Number: 6,069,262

3) It is toxic to fish.  My sewer ends up in a nearby lake. I'm not putting this down my drain, as it will go with the suds... down the drain to the lake. H412 Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects

Reference:
https://www.carbosynth.com/80257AD2003D1CDB/0/7B81F725652F00C08025817700263550/$file/MSDS+-+FS55424+-+SDS120974.pdf

4) Most importantly to me, it was tested on animals. 😠 My company is a cruelty free company. We don't test on animals and we don't knowingly use products that were tested on animals.  The following is from the SCI  SDS.  "All rats survived until study end".  😠😠😠

Reference:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3109/10915819309141599

PRODUCT SAFETY LABS. (1984b). Submission of unpublished data by CTFA. Primary skin irritation in rabbits of a 5% solution of Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate. (3 pp.)

MICROBIOLOGICAL Associates, INC. (1991a). Submission of unpublished data by CTFA. In vitro chromosomal aberration assay on LB-7818-1 (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Study No. LB-7818. (65 pp.)*