environmental beauty tip: say no to microbeads

I'm not a big fan of exfoliants, but from time to time, I like the way the scrubs feel. I've buying cheap body soap with "microbeads," not paying attention to what this substance is. Microbeads are finely ground of pieces of petroleum-based polyethylene. They are actual plastic beads that I've been sending down the drain.

(pictures are from Awakened Aesthetic)

The plastic beads go out into the ocean, where cute little critters may mistake them for food, or end up in this big pile of floating plastic in the Pacific. Like all plastics, they take a long time to degrade and we should be careful to keep them out of the ocean. So next time, read the label on your exfoliants carefully and steer clear of soaps that contain microbeads. Salt, oats, and other natural particles do just a good and possibly better job exfoliating and are worth the price premium.