Protect Your Family: Check Out EWG Before You Shop for Household Products

​If you watched The Human Experiment you know just how dangerous many of our typical household products can be to our health. It’s up to us to learn more about those dangers and to find products that are safer for us and our environment. Unfortunately, many manufacturers of these products are focused on profit and speed to market. We have to help those companies recognize the importance of using safe, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly ingredients. Our health and the health of our planet depend on us. We can help these companies change their focus by buying products that are better for us and the planet.
 
It’s not easy to find safer products. Should we trust the labels like “non-toxic,” “all natural,” and “eco-friendly?” Where do we begin to do the research? These questions are what we at Health Empowered You struggled with until we found the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and their Skin Deep site. To learn how EWG can help you click “Read More” below.

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Thanks to EWG, I recently discovered Ecover dishwasher rinse aid. It is rated A by EWG and I can feel safe using it on our dishes. - CC @ Health Empowered You

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“The Environmental Working Group is an American activist group that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants, and corporate accountability. EWG is a nonprofit organization.” EWG is funded in part by donations.
 
EWG makes it easy to find safer products. Best of all the information is free! The team at EWG does extensive research and testing. They also have a safety rating system that is easy to understand. The information shared by EWG allows each of us to help hold corporations to higher standards by voting with our purchases. 

The main EWG site offers consumer guides such as: 

• Clean Fifteen™ and Dirty Dozen™ lists to help you reduce exposures to toxic pesticides
• EWG’s Water Filter Guide
• EWG's Guide to Safer Sunscreens!
• EWG's Healthy Home Guides

 
EWG rating system includes a “EWG Verified” mark for personal care, baby care, and cleaning products that avoid EWG's ingredients of concern, provide full transparency, and use good manufacturing practices. To make things even easier, EWG provides links to where you can purchase these EWG products. 

EWG Rating System Example:

Finally, EWG has a site called Skin Deep® for personal care products such as cosmetics, oral care, hair, skin, and they even have a men’s section! EWG has also recently added a “Black-Owned Brands” filter.
 
We at Health Empowered You recommend that you use the desktop version of EWG sites as they seem to work better.
 
The next time need to replenish your stock of household and personal care products, search the products you use on EWG. You might be surprised what you find. Happy shopping!

Have you used EWG? If so, please tell us about your favorite product that you found using EWG in the comments area below.