Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Truth About “Just a Little” When It Comes to Ocean-Safe Hair Products

Recently, I had a kind conversation with someone online who shared that she uses a certain hair product before going into the ocean. When I mentioned it wasn’t reef-safe, she said something her hairstylist told her:

“Hair absorbs so much product that not much ends up in the ocean anyway.”

She isn’t wrong. One person using a certain hair product isn’t going to single-handedly destroy a reef. 

But this mindset — “it’s only a little” — is part of a much bigger story about how we got where we are today with our oceans, our ecosystems, and even our own health.

And that’s why this conversation matters.

Let’s talk about why small actions from millions of people do add up, and why choosing cleaner products — even when your personal impact seems tiny — is part of a much bigger shift happening on the planet right now.

The “Only a Little” Mindset Is How We Got Into This Mess

Most environmental decline didn’t happen because one bad company dumped toxins into the ocean. It happened because billions of small decisions stacked up over time.

Researchers call this diffusion of responsibility — when a problem feels too big, individuals assume their choices don’t matter.

But they do.
It’s countless micro-choices that shape the health of our oceans and how our kids learn to make their choices.

Our Smallest Choices Shape Our Identity — and the Next Generation’s

Choosing reef-safe products isn’t just about the ocean. It’s about who we’re becoming. Every time you make a choice that aligns with your values, you reinforce:

“I care about the ocean I surf in.”

“I choose products that respect my body.”

“I’m part of something bigger than myself.”

Kids watch this -(My kids absorb all my little choices. They see it and learn from it all)

Small choices aren’t small — they’re contagious. That is something we want to spread.

Yes, Hair Absorbs Product — But Not All of It (And Why This Still Matters)

It’s true that hair absorbs a good amount of oils and conditioners. But not all of it.

Warmer water accelerates product release. And anything applied to the scalp, neck, shoulders, or skin is absorbed into our bloodstream — not just the ocean.

So the impact isn’t only environmental — it’s personal.

And yes, I formulate Surf Balm intentionally using ingredients like beeswax, kokum butter, and mango butter, which help it stay on the hair during a long session- and it does. But that isn’t the point here.

The point is this:

Even if only a tiny amount washes off…
even if your individual product isn’t catastrophic…
even if your impact seems small…

we are biologically and collectively shaped by our small daily choices.

We are no longer in a time where “a little bit of poison is okay.”
Our oceans, our wildlife, and our own bodies are carrying the accumulated weight of decades of “just a little.” This is where the shift begins, it won't be perfect and it must always be without judging others. It's not easy living in a plastic world trying not to use plastic. But our micro changes will begin the shift.

Reef Ecosystems Are Already Fragile — Small Pressures Tip the Balance

Marine biologists often talk about cumulative stress.

Reefs are already dealing with: rising ocean temps, agricultural runoff, bleaching, sunscreen chemicals, microplastics, untreated wastewater and tourist pressure.

When systems are stressed, even small additional exposures matter.
Think of it like your body: one night of bad sleep is fine. Fifteen years of bad sleep is life-altering. Reefs work the same way.

Small Daily Actions Become a Collective Movement

Sustainability experts agree: Individual choices influence cultural norms, cultural norms influence brands and markets and markets reshape entire industries. 

This is how we’ve already created massive change: reef-safe sunscreen laws, microbead bans, clean surf wax innovations, ingredient transparency in beauty, and eco-conscious tourism practices

And Yes — It’s Also About Taking Care of Yourself

Many ingredients in non–reef-safe beauty products are also:hormone-disrupting, irritating to skin, damaging to hair and inflammatory under UV exposure

Your Small Choices Matter More Than You Think

The point isn’t that your hair product will kill a reef.
It won’t.

The point is that our planet needs millions of tiny shifts to create collective change. We influence the next generation. And it’s about remembering that even our smallest choices create ripples in the world. Do your best when you can. We're still driving our gas guzzling cars to the beach but if you can make a small choice in the right direction do it. Without shaming other people but being the change you want to see. Inspiring a shift by actions.

As a Mom I struggle with my choices daily. Just this morning, I put a sandwich in a plastic bag for a school lunch and thought, "I hate that I use plastic bags." I rewash them, and honestly, I think I buy two boxes of sandwich bags per year, but I'm still going to try to phase out of using them. Cloth napkins around sandwiches? Anyway - my point is let's try to make the shift in microdoses and resist the urge to shame your fellow human. Love you guys xxoo

one more thing....out of curiosity, I looked at the ingredient list myself for the product that the online surfer was using. Again - no judging, we are all figuring this out together.

 Here’s what was inside:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Amodimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-37, Dimethiconol, Parfum/Fragrance, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Trideceth-5, Steareth-20, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Limonene, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Trideceth-10, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Sorbitan Oleate, Acetic Acid, Linalool, Citronellol, Citral, Eugenol.

Dimethicone, Amodimethicone & Dimethiconol are non-biodegradable silicones that wash off almost immediately and accumulate (they do not biodegrade) in marine ecosystems.

Polyquaternium-37 is a synthetic polymer (a plastic-like film former)-basically liquid plastic.

Trideceth-5, Trideceth-10 & Steareth-20 are ethoxylated surfactants, not environmentally friendly and not biodegradable for marine life.

Parfum/Fragrance can legally hide dozens of undisclosed chemicals, including hormone disruptors and non-biodegradable fragrance fixatives

Chlorhexidine Digluconate is toxic to aquatic organisms.

Is one person using it going to destroy the ocean? No. But when thousands of surfers, swimmers, and travelers use products like this every day, the impact adds up.

And remember — anything on your hair that doesn’t fully absorb rinses into the ocean. Anything on your scalp absorbs into you. Super fun, right? We need to stop assuming things are safe just because they are sold to us. It's about the money, baby.