We all know the environment is at stake, yet we continue to create our own levels of micro pollution day by day. It is a hard issue deal with because the easy route is to blame the government for not regulating industry. The capitalist market controlling politics for their profit is the main struggle is in our political world, but it is an age-old scenario, all the way back to Rome, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The Human folly that when we get money and power, we want to keep it at any cost -ANY cost (Like world destruction is not a problem). Rome fell, and Egypt is a dessert - we can see the effects of holding on for too long.

So waiting for the government to regulate industry is not going to happen. And even if it did there would be a black market for crap because people don’t like to be told what to do, especially Americans. The real solution is a personal revolution, a revolution of ideals. Each of us has to say ‘no’ to pollution in our own lives. Where to start? Here is one issue that I take issue with – hair dye.

The hair dye industry, one micro pollutant that could be easily stopped if people could let go of vanity. Do we all have to put toxic chemicals on our heads to look fabulous? The hip paradigm of natural is beautiful has been overtaken by the most colorful is beautiful. We need to get back to our roots – wood beads, cotton clothing, simple sandals, and natural hair. We need models of this in the world of the cool - rock stars wearing organic cotton cloths and no make-up. Jim Cary?

On average 70% of women dye their hair and they get their hair dyed 4 to 5 times a year with permanent color. In 2016 over 64 million people used hair coloring. The worlds annual growth rate for hair coloring is 8%. The majority of hair dye manufacturing being New Jersey (why does this not surprise me?)

The manufacturing of hair dye is not only toxic but with all the little plastic containers it is a double whammy. With a rinse of dyed hair, clean water is polluted and goes down the drain to our waterways. P-phenylenediamine (PPD) is used in almost all permeant dyes. It is a neurotoxin, causes cancer, and is an endocrine disruptor leading to reproductive toxicity, not to mention can cause convulsions and coma. It is something that waist water cannot be treated for. We drink this water. But beyond thinking of ourselves (as if lathering this on our skulls is maybe not a good idea) think of fish and frogs and delicate aquatic life that swims, breaths, and drinks the water we dump. We should be having a change of heart. Perhaps our hair is just fine the way it is. If someone doesn’t love us because our hair, maybe they aren’t worth having a relationship with or we need learn to love ourselves in all our gray drab glory.

As a side note, we spend 6.1 billion dollars on cancer research. We might as well flush all that money down the toilet with some hair dye. What I would like to know is how many people working on the research for a cure for cancer, dye their hair, wear synthetic clothing, and eat crappy food. -hum? The blind leading the blind.

The revolution is in ourselves. We are the ones who must stop buying products and find a wholistic life. If no one bought hair dye, it would not exist. Waiting for the government to save this Earth is like trying to convince 70% of the population to stop dying their hair – futile. But never-the-less an environmental revolution means a revolution in our daily lifestyles.  And their ain’t nobody but you can do it.