Moral Choice: Giving Away Old Products

[that_1_grrrl]

Okay, so I have a bunch of old products laying around the house. Some of them are my leftover's from the many years of my Granny's pjism. Some of them things I tried when I was relaxed/first going natural and are of no use to me.

So, I feel I could give them away to family members. The problem is to me, these products are bad. They contain parabens and mineral oil, and I am just against them.

Would it be right for me to give them to my family members? I feel bad about giving them unhealthy products, but I also feel bad for wasting barely used products.

 

[MizzBrown]

I can't do it.

I'd throw them down the drain.

I tried to pass of some bad products to my sis and she was like "nah, YOU don't use this stuff on YOUR hair so why you trying to give me the bad stuff?...you want my hair to grow right?"

She's right..

 

[LivingDoll]

While I certainly understand your position, chances are your family members already use many products that contain those ingredients. You are conscious and that's good but everyone doesn't feel the same way. Most people don't care about parabens, mineral oil, or petroleum. Other people know of the risks and still use the products. People who aren't concerned with the potential risk of the products will be greatly appreciative. It beats throwing them away.

 

[LongiLox]

Trash it! Unless you know people that specifically use those products and will like to have them.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

I don't ever throw anything away unless it's just totally unusable.

There is always someone who is going to buy those type of products anyway...why not at least save them the money and not waste them by throwing them away?

 

[soulie]

Find a women's shelter in your community and donate the products. Frequently the women at those shelters have left home with nothing but the clothes on their backs; while those may not be their preferred products, they may be glad to get anything. (And some of them probably use mineral oil, so they won't mind at all.)

 

[songbyrd517]

I would say take 2 steps:

1. As to not be wasteful, consult the ladies that you plan on possibly giving them to. Tell them you have some leftover hair products that you don't want to waste. Explain to them that they did not work/you did not like them for your hair. Tell them why, e.g., did not work; don't like using sulfates, mineral oil, etc. on your hair/scalp because its bad for it and xyx.... give them the reasons why it is bad. THEN say to her, "that's why I don't use them, but I don't know if they work for your hair or not/ if you fell the same. If you use them or would like to try them anyway, you are welcome to them," or something to that effect. That way, you are doing your part by trying not to waste, and your friend/relative can make an informed decision. In addition, these products, while not necessarily my choice either, work just fine for some women. People are different, and have different hair.

2. If the friends/relatives that you ask turn them down after you've done #1, then you can toss them out. You don't have to feel so bad, because at least you attempted to pass them along. You also showed that you care, by making sure you loved one have the facts as you understand them.

Alternative: Another option is to donate them to your place of worship, a woman's shelter, etc. While you probably won't be able to share your knowledge, at least you are helping people by giving them things they need for hygiene and to feel good about themselves. Remember, this is not stuff that would kill someone! It's just your personal choice not to use the products. They may work fine for the recipients, and even with your knowledge, they may still elect to use them.

Hope this helps, and sorry for the length!

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Find a women's shelter in your community and donate the products. Frequently the women at those shelters have left home with nothing but the clothes on their backs; while those may not be their preferred products, they may be glad to get anything. (And some of them probably use mineral oil, so they won't mind at all.)

I have tried to do this, but they (or at least the one that I called) will not take products that have been opened or used already.

Just food for thought.

 

[MizzBrown]

I have tried to do this, but they (or at least the one that I called) will not take products that have been opened or used already.

Just food for thought.

This STILL aggravates the HELL out of me.

To be in need and yet will not accept opened or gently used products.

I understand the health and safety concerns but when you aint in a position to be choosy, I'd take that used bottle of shampoo and body wash because i can't afford to get a new bottle myself.

 

[p381]

I'm probably gonna get cussed for this......but i've sold stuff on Ebay before that have been used maybe once or just opened & tested.
But the buyers were grateful for getting them cheap & left good feedback though!

 

[gissellr78]

Okay, so I have a bunch of old products laying around the house. Some of them are my leftover's from the many years of my Granny's pjism. Some of them things I tried when I was relaxed/first going natural and are of no use to me.

So, I feel I could give them away to family members. The problem is to me, these products are bad. They contain parabens and mineral oil, and I am just against them.

Would it be right for me to give them to my family members? I feel bad about giving them unhealthy products, but I also feel bad for wasting barely used products.

Give it to them and let them know why you dont like them....I dont think you should waste products times are tough and what doesnt work on you might work on someone else.!

 

[HoneyDew]

I would not if I thought they were bad.

If they were things that I just don't like, but someone loves, I would let her have them if she wanted.

I normally toss used products though, unless I used a tiny tiny bit and it is otherwise a good product. In those cases, I freecycle them or give them to family/friends.

But bad products? they deserve to be in the trash.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

I'm probably gonna get cussed for this......but i've sold stuff on Ebay before that have been used maybe once or just opened & tested.
But the buyers were grateful for getting them cheap & left good feedback though!

I've seen used products on ebay, especially Miss Jessie's. People like to buy them, I dont see anything wrong with that.

 

[manter26]

don't throw things like that away. u probably spent good money on them and it might work for someone else's hair. put them in a box with old clothes and other things that u don't need and when the box is full take it to goodwill or salvation army.

 

[msa]

This STILL aggravates the HELL out of me.

To be in need and yet will not accept opened or gently used products.

I understand the health and safety concerns but when you aint in a position to be choosy, I'd take that used bottle of shampoo and body wash because i can't afford to get a new bottle myself.

It's not the clients that won't accept them, the law says that shelters/charities can't accept opened hygiene or food products because they could be contaminated.

 

[MizzBrown]

It's not the clients that won't accept them, the law says that shelters/charities can't accept opened hygiene or food products because they could be contaminated.

I know, but you can still pick up a bottle in Walmart and eat a sandwhich at a restaurant and risk contamination.

Those folks who picked up a NEW jar of peanut butter got sick and died. Remember the disaster at that plant?

People complain that we are so wasteful yet we don't want to be sued for getting someone sick.

It just seems MORE wasteful to have to throw away products AND invest more money to buy a new bottle for local shelters/charities.

 

[SmartyPants]

This STILL aggravates the HELL out of me.

To be in need and yet will not accept opened or gently used products.

I understand the health and safety concerns but when you aint in a position to be choosy, I'd take that used bottle of shampoo and body wash because i can't afford to get a new bottle myself.

It's more of a safety issue than a "too proud to take something used issue." There are a lot of lunatics out there. And often the poor and homeless are some of the most vulnerable populations to loons with an ax to grind. The shelters/charities are right to be cautious about accepting anything that could contain chemicals. An ounce of prevention and all that!

I also have and issue with the "aint in a position to be choosy" attitude. My family lived through Katrina. And while some folks were helpful and had good intentions, some of the donations some folks gave were fit for the trash. Yet these folks turned their noses up if the Katrina evacuees passed on their trash!erplexed

 

[Faith]

It depends...I don't use them but my sister likes things with petrolatum and mineral oil so she is ok with getting those products. Just tell them what the products are about and they may not care so...

 

[HoneyDew]

Sorry, even if I was poor and in need, I would still have pride. Gotta have something.

Besides, I know that the shelters themselves don't takes used products. I totally understand that. Just because you are having a hard time does not mean you need to lower standards of sanitation and cleanliness, especially when you don't know where this stuff is coming from.

 

[LaidBak]

Its not right to waste. When I have stuff that I've used and don't like I take it to the Ladies room at my job and leave it out on the counter. I've done this with lotion, perfume, body spray, hair moisturizer, etc. It usually disappears in a day or two. Just last month I had so much stuff (from my PJ experimentation days) that a coworker found a little woven basket and we made it look all pretty and placed it in the bathroom. All but 2 items were gone by day's end. Just because you don't want it doesn't mean someone else doesn't.

 

[MizzBrown]

Its not right to waste. When I have stuff that I've used and don't like I take it to the Ladies room at my job and leave it out on the counter. I've done this with lotion, perfume, body spray, hair moisturizer, etc. It usually disappears in a day or two. Just last month I had so much stuff (from my PJ experimentation days) that a coworker found a little woven basket and we made it look all pretty and placed it in the bathroom. All but 2 items were gone by day's end. Just because you don't want it doesn't mean someone else doesn't.

Hey that is a GOOD idea! Just stick it in the ladies room for pubic use...we used to do that at my old job..

Random Bath & Body Works, Avon lotion would be there for community use and we sure used it up too.

 

[PGirl]

Give them to whomever would like them. It's not like handing someone mineral oil or petroleum would be like handing them poison. I use those ingredients and I'm still alive with hair on my head. And it's growing!