Organics - Luxury, Necessity or Something Else Entirely?
As a sure and frightening recession looms in our immediate future (present!), and we tighten our Made in China belts and forego the $4 latte, a nagging thought is getting more nag-time. Are organics a necessity? A luxury? Hmmm. Lots of Nag-Time, because I just opened an all organic day spa - great idea…but now? Arggghhhh! Why does it always have to go back to my mother? I’m digressing, let me explain.
This is how we educate our clients at the salon…it goes something like this, “…this (certified organic shea butter) pomade should last you until your kids are in college!” or “think about what went into this product when you use it….no huge ads in Vogue, no GMOs, no chemical preservatives, no SLS, recycled packaging, soy ink, small batches, bio-dynamic harvesting! Amazingly pure, unadulterated organic herbs and essential oils” That’s what we tell them, because it’s the truth. And yes, organic shampoo (face wash, mascara, deoderant, styling gel, plastic-free hairspray) is worth the extra dollars and is a NECESSITY - provided you use it like my Mom would (back to her!)
Mom grew up during the Depression in Northern Minnesota - one room log cabin, 8 brothers and sisters, skied to school, her dad hunted for supper, the whole nine yards. Yep, she’s a Saver! The original Recycler! food scraps in mulch pile, tin foil washed and stored, never buys paper towels or paper napkins, leftovers kept in old Land o’Lakes butter tubs from god knows when - maddening. Dish soap, shampoo, perfume, cleaning products, salad dressing, lotions, cooking oil, chalk, pencils, everything used sparingly…..sparing….as if it was a luxury…..liquid gold….no matter that it cost $1.99, she used everything (and believe me, she hasn’t changed) economically, sparingly, cautiously and well, respectfully. She would never dream of dumping huge amounts of Tide into the laundry, which reminds me that we were forbidden to put anything in the hamper until it was filthy - because that would be a waste of water, detergent, blah blah nag nagnagnag! And she’s right.
My point: I guess I need more therapy. And, don’t avoid organic foods, beauty products, cleaning products, etc. in this woeful economy. Buy them with confidence and use them respectfully.