Did you know that cotton has been deemed as the “dirtiest” crop in the world? Yeah, cotton, you know the stuff you wear all the time. Or, even better, the stuff that your kids wear all the time. So, what’s the deal here?

Well, cotton is known to be sprayed with some of the world’s worst pesticides. Some of the types that are used are banned in other parts of the world because they’re so toxic. And one of them, Bayer’s aldicarb, was actually banned in the U.S. but then re-approved five years later. Crazy, huh?

It is, but there is something you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from the harmful chemicals that are being used in the growing of the world’s cotton. Let’s talk about what that is.

Only Use or Purchase Products Made with Organic Cotton

If you make sure only to use things that are made from certified organic cotton, you’ll be doing not only yourself a favor, but the whole planet. Cotton is grown worldwide, and in most of the regions where it is cultivated, farmers are dousing this crop in very heavy doses of toxic chemicals to control issues with insects. Those chemicals end up polluting the world’s waterways.

Your use of organic cotton helps to support the farmers who are turning to more natural methods of growing cotton. If we continue to buy cotton products that are not certified organic, we are only making the problem with this “dirty” crop worse. More people turning to organically grown cotton products would put pressure on farmers around the world who are farming through methods that are unsafe for people and dangerous for the planet.

How Does Organic Cotton Help Your Skin?

Cotton clothing that is made of cotton that isn’t organic can cause skin irritations due to the chemicals that were used in the growing process. For those who suffer from allergies, the cotton will cause extra sensitivities to environmental allergens sometimes.

Organic cotton helps people with sensitive skin and allergies to feel more comfortable because there is nothing present in the material to cause outbreaks and other symptoms. And it’s not just the clothing you wear that you should think about. What about other household items, like bed sheets or towels. Regularly-grown cotton touches our skin in more ways than just the clothes we wear; we just don’t always think about that. Replacing these things in our homes will help our skin to be more healthy.

How Does Organic Cotton Help Your Sinuses?

Just as it helps your skin, it also helps your sinuses. We don’t just touch cotton; we also ingest it. There are many products that have cottonseed oil or crop waste from cotton plants in them. It’s used in the processing of a lot of the foods we eat.

The chemicals in cotton products exacerbate sinus problems because of reactions that are caused in the body. From wearing it to sleeping on it and eating it, cotton that is grown in the normal manner could be wreaking havoc on your allergies and sinuses. Switching to organic cotton will help you find some relief.

There are quite some brands in the market that offer products made with organic cotton eg. Cam Cam Copenhagen with extensive nursery and bedding products made with organic cotton and Anne Claire Petit with crochet made with organic cotton.

How Does Organic Cotton Help the Planet?

Growing cotton organically will help save our waterways from becoming polluted. It will also help to sustain other types of agriculture that have taken a hit due to the way cotton is grown over most of the world. Conventional cotton is also responsible for causing damage to the coral reefs of the world. We’d all be better off making the switch to organic cotton.