DIY Non-toxic Eco-friendly Wet Wipes
Wave goodbye to nature-killing wipes that are also clogging up your pipes.
Wipes sold in stores are for the most part poorly degradable, no matter the fancy logo used on the front of the product. It is believed that wipes can take anywhere from 2 to 15 years to disintegrate, all the while they can accumulate in the sewage system and block your pipes.
Also, those are known to contain toxic chemicals. The same as toilet paper, the whiter, fluffier and more scented your wipes are, the more chemicals they're likely to contain.
Common additives or toxic substances found in wipes include:
Plastic and BPA, a hormone-disrupting chemical that is shown to negatively impact reproductive, neurological, immune and cardiovascular systems (recycled toilet paper contains higher levels of BPA because recycled thermal paper from shop and credit card receipts is coated with BPA, which is not removed and ends up on your skin as you wipe yourself).
Chlorine (bleach) can cause skin irritation and could increase a female’s risk of infection. Women with recurrent yeast infections may be at a greater risk. Crisp white colour is also often achieved by adding titanium dioxide (even in food and paint!)
Parabens (powerful endocrine disrupters, they disturb the production of hormones and disrupt the normal function of hormone systems affecting reproductive systems (in both men and women), reproductive development, fertility and birth outcomes).
Furans and Dioxins (highly toxic by-products of the chlorine bleaching process)
Formaldehyde: used to make the paper/wipes stronger, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and has also been shown to cause skin irritation/rashes
Antibacterial agents such as triclosan
Petroleum-based mineral oils and paraffin: added to make toilet paper and wipes softer and smell nice. Scented toilet paper and wipes (or packaging that claims to be “infused with lotion”) which contain aloe vera or vitamin E are made with mineral oils. Petroleum-based mineral oils are carcinogenic and can cause skin irritation, acne, rashes or a burning feeling
Fragrances and, therefore, phthalates, including a thousand various chemicals
Preservatives such as phenoxyl Ethanol, Benzoyl Peroxide, parabens, MIT (Methylisothiazolinone — so toxic the approved concentration (% weight) is 0.0015%)[1], Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, and Chlorhexidine Gluconate Solution, many of which are known to cause skin irritation and to be allergens.
Unintentionally-added substances leaching from machinery, processes and packaging (e.g., heavy metals, plastic/BPA, phthalates, solvents, pesticides, etc.)
Many of the ingredients listed above have the potential to change the pH of your skin and, therefore, lead to dysbiosis and immune hyper-reactivity due to opportunistic and pathogenic microbes taking hold in a space where they shouldn’t be found in high enough numbers (e.g., candidiasis), and can also be irritants past a certain threshold.[1]
To reduce your exposure to those nasty, health-damaging chemicals use pure bamboo toilet paper (untreated) or organic toilet paper (to also reduce your exposure to endocrine-disruptive pesticides), which you can spray with our DIY non-toxic and eco-friendly toilet wipes.
Formaldehyde might be difficult to spot on a label. That is because it can cleverly be listed under a long list of other names, such as:
Diazolidinyl Urea
DMDM Hydantoin
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Quaternium-15
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol (Bronopol)
Polyoxymethylene Urea
5-Bromo-5-Nitro-1,3 Dioxane
Methenamine
Glyoxal
Many of the ingredients listed above are also found in baby wet wipes!!!
The majority of baby wipes manufacturers employ harsh petrochemicals as raw materials. To make these chemicals less irritating to the skin, they add Ethylene Oxide to create a byproduct called 1,4-dioxane. Both substances, if exposed repeatedly on the skin, may lead to skin problems such as irritation, and redness.
Ethylene Oxide (C2H4O) is a colourless, highly flammable gas which can easily penetrate through materials such as paper and plastic. The main property of ethylene oxide is to prevent almost all viruses, bacteria or fungi from replicating. This harmful ingredient is also widely used as an agent for sterilising supplies in the medical, healthcare, pharmaceutical and veterinary sectors.
Phthalates are also a major concern because they are so widely used and ubiquitous in major household products, cosmetics and personal care products, and just about everything. Phthalates are used as a fragrance ingredient in wet wipes (they also make any fragrance more tenacious and last longer). However, this chemical may cause skin irritation, redness, and more significant problems when used on the skin. Phthalates may also not be listed and instead be featured as “perfume” or “fragrance” even though they can make up to 20% of the final product.
Synthetic fragrance, or perfume, is a mixture of chemicals that has a complex structure made of approximately 3000 chemicals. “Fragrance” is added to many consumer products, including perfumes, deodorants, and skin care products but also a wide range of other household products (laundry products, wipes, etc.).
As mentioned, synthetic fragrances are typically associated with phthalates, linking fragrances to a staggering number of health risks. Across multiple research studies, chemicals used to make synthetic fragrances are classified as allergens and hormone disruptors, among other things.
Fragrances are regarded as “trade secrets,” and manufacturers are not required to list their fragrance ingredients on product labels. When you see the word “fragrance” or “perfume” on a label, you may not be able to determine whether they are synthetic fragrances or not. If the packaging of wet wipes displays general words such as fragrance, perfume, Linalool, Citronellol, Cinnamal, Limonene, etc. you should switch on other ones.
Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) are common preservatives that display antibacterial and antifungal properties. They are widely found in cosmetics and makeup removers, especially water-based products (hand sanitiser, antiseptic water, baby wipes, etc.). These are known to be allergens (FDA statement). Because they are toxic at extremely low levels, over-exposure can cause skin irritation and burns.
Other side effects include scaly, peeling skin, redness, itchiness, acne, and severe swelling.
MIT/MCI can also be found on labels under the following names:
5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one
5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one hydrochloride 5-chloro-2-methylisothiazolin-3-one
5-chloro-N-methylisothiazolone
Kathon CG 5243
methylchloro-isothiazolinone
methylchloroisothiazolinone
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS) is another common ingredient (extracted from coconut) used in many cleansing and moisturising cosmetics or wet wipes.
When SLS is mixed with triethanolamine, it forms NDELA (N-nitrosodiethanolamine), a chemical known to be carcinogenic in humans and cause organ toxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, and irritation of the skin and eyes. In addition to causing dermatitis, SLS can be extremely harmful to your skin if you have eczema or acne, as SLS disrupts the skin’s barrier function, causing itching, flaking, dryness, and redness.
SLS can also be featured on labels under the following names:
Sodium salt sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid.
Monododecyl ester.
Sodium salt.
Monododecyl ester sodium salt sulfuric acid.
Sodium dodecyl sulfate
Aquarex me or aquarex methyl.
Making your own wipes and wet toilet paper.
You would agree that reducing your exposure starts by using products that you can trust. Since it is mostly impossible to trust manufacturers, thanks to their lobbying and corrupt politicians allowing them to get away with murder (literally).
Recipe
100 ml spray bottle
60 ml filtered boiled water (or distilled water)
1 Tbsp organic witch hazel water
1 Tbsp organic fractioned coconut
10 drops lavender essential oil (or tea tree oil)
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Boil the water for at least 3-5 minutes. Leave to cool and decant into the bottle using a small funnel.
Add the remaining ingredients and replace the lid.
Shake well before use.
Spray onto organic or 100% non-bleached/non-treated bamboo toilet paper. Use wet toilet paper like you would wipes.
References
1. Rodriguez, KJ. et al. (2020). The science behind wet wipes for infant skin: Ingredient review, safety, and efficacy. Pediatric Dermatology. 37(3), pp. 447-454. doi:10.1111/pde.14112