My resolution for 2012 to have more fun has meant going out more though… to places that require something other than a ripped Guns N Rose tee and perhaps a smidgen of makeup. When I went to Detroit for the Ford NAIAS a few weeks ago I had to dress business casual and I opted to wear a bit of makeup. Also this past Halloween my daughter dressed as Cleopatra and wanted to wear some makeup. For both occasions I decided to use Emani Minerals Makeup, which was sent to me to review last year.

Overall, I have been pleased with Emani makeup. It took awhile to get used to seeing myself wear makeup but other family members seemed to like it. I got tons of kisses from my 6 year old son when I wore it! LOL. My daughter told me I looked like Lady Gaga which almost made me turn tail and wash it off the after my first test run but I had to remember she may not remember me ever wearing makeup before. She was the real tester though since all other kinds of makeup make her break out in a rash. The poor child looks miserable if she she dares to play in her friend’s or grandmother’s makeup. When she wore Emani Minerals on Halloween (blush and gloss) her skin did not react at all. Awesome!

Their products use certified organic ingredients from plant or flower extracts in their formulations and they combine these extracts with key ingredients such as mica, titanium dioxide and iron oxides. They are paraben free, vegan, and gluten friendly too. Compared to mainstream makeup you will find at the drug store these are much, much better. The majority of the Emani products I saw on the the Skin Deep database rated at a 1 or 2 so they rank pretty safe there.

Now I just have to get used to the site of myself wearing makeup!

Many thanks to Emani Minerals for sending me some of their products to review.

Threading is actually an ancient method of hair removal that originated in the east (Arab, Indian, and Persian countries). The last couple years or so it has really gained popularity here in the west. Not sure where in the heck I was all this time but I am on the boat now! Basically hair is removed at the follicle level with a thin, twisted piece of cotton thread. The practitioner holds the thread in a cat’s cradle position (anyone remember that string game from when they were kids?), settles it over a section of hair and then twists until hair is pulled out by the root.

While perusing the lovely Easton mall near my home I saw a salon called Exquisite Threading and I decided to check this out for myself. They have locations nationwide. Up until now I have been mostly been waxing. Tweezing is just not enjoyable for me because I have big black caterpillars above my eyes… they are quite thick and bushy. So about 3 or 4 times a year I get them waxed in a salon and “try” to tweeze in between sessions to keep them maintained. The drawback to this is that the wax has chemicals in it and I have yet to find a place that does sugaring or a more natural eyebrow waxing. It also creates a lot of waste I am sure with leftover wax and all the muslin strips that need to be tossed away. Threading seems to be a much healthier and greener way to go. No chemicals, no waste beyond a bit of compostable cotton string.

For my first appointment I settled in the chair and the gorgeous Indian practitioner asked if I wanted my eyebrows on the thin or thick side. I opted to play it safe and go for thick. The last time I had them waxed the practitioner made them so thin it looked like I drew them on with a pencil. I really should have looked at her own eyebrows and asked for another practitioner but I didn’t want to be rude and my eyebrows paid the price. I was VERY satisfied with my threading experience though. It was lightning fast, which surprised me, and my eyebrows look very satisfactory. It did not tickle by any means so I would say it hurts a bit more than waxing but my eyes were not red and puffy for more than 30 minutes though. Waxing usually makes my eyebrow area inflamed for hours and most times I bleed as well. Threading seemed to make for quick and easy healing. Perhaps it was the optional witch hazel they apply afterwards that helped. The only drawback was that I was rubbing my eyes for a good 30 minutes to get stray hairs out of them but that little annoyance will not keep me from future threading sessions. I am sold.

Have you tried threading?

Photo credited to Skampy on Flickr.

Came across this awesome nail polish set today and had to share. Nail polish is IMO one of the nastiest products you can buy but several companies are now marketing non toxic nail polish and this is good news for moms of little girls who love to wear nail polish. This particular nail polish is made by one of those companies (Keeki Pure and Simple) and I LOVE that they have bundled Halloween sets, the Franken-Keeki Gift Pack. I want one for myself! The green is awesome although they call it Sour Apple Slushie and the black is Midnight Snack. My daughter can testify to the fact that the name is just as important as the color. ;) Although not in the Halloween pack, the Sugar Plum Nail Polish is an awesome purple color that would be great for Halloween too.

The Candy Corn Gift Pack has Lemonade, Marshmallow, and Orange Sorbet.

These nail colors have no parabens, phthalates and other nasty ingredients. They are also gluten-free, toluene-free, vegan, made here in the US, and never tested on animals.

Anxious for Halloween yet?

Related: Ditch the Nail Polish Nasties

We had some good discussion on my safe sunscreens page recently. Much of it has to do with some recent studies regarding Titanium Dioxide which along with another mineral Zinc Oxide, has long thought to be one of the better ingredients in sunscreens. Much of this data is in regards to inhalation or nano particles though, which either doesn’t apply to sunscreens or is inadvisable anyway (nano particles). Still, there are options for those seeking to use a sunscreen without this mineral. Many brands offer Zinc Oxide based sunscreens. Here are a few of the better options. Some of them are repeats from the other list and some are new. None of them use nano particles.

All Natural Badger Sunscreen – This sunscreen has 20.5 Zinc Oxide amidst many other safe and natural ingredients like Jojoba, Cacao butter, Shea butter, ect. It  also is rated SPF 30. It is supposed to last for 40 minutes in the water so with frequent applications this should a family well for days at the beach or pool. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1, which mean low hazard.

Loving Naturals Sunscreen SPF 30 – This product blocks UVA and UVB rays and has natural ingredients with the active one being Zinc Oxide (24.8%). Other ingredients include Grape Seed Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, and Macadamia Nut Oil. It is certified organic and vegan as well. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1.

Soleo Organics Sunscreen, SPF 30 – The active ingredient is Zinc Oxide (22.3%) and other ingredients are natural… beeswax, sunflower oil, etc. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1.

Think Baby & ThinkSport – For a company that is already child friendly it is no surprise that they have great sunscreens. The Baby version uses 20% Zinc Oxide and the Sport version uses 25%. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1.

Enjoy! And for non-sun methods of sunscreen check out this older post.

The beauty industry is mammoth in size. They make billions each year selling to women the idea that beauty comes in a bottle. They tell us we need anti-aging miracle creams, moisturizers that will return our skin to the youthful state of our childhood, and numerous products that hide all our imperfections. And yet if they really worked why would women be so desperate to try the newest, greatest product on the market? Most of these products have us chasing after an illusion and worse yet they are usually harmful to our health. I am not dying to look good. Are you?

What the beauty industry does not want us to know is that the junk from their products may actually be a big contributor to why we are unhappy with the way we look. For one, they spend millions telling us we don’t look good UNLESS we use X, Y, or Z. Second, their products can make us sick with their cancer causing ingredients or the harsh  chemicals can aggravate our skin and make it look worse than it did before. I know that I did terrible things to my skin as a teen by wearing so much make-up and using so many different “beauty” products. Friends used to call me Barbie when I was a teen. It wasn’t so much because I had bleached blond hair and blue eyes, it was because I wore waterproof theater make-up. I could walk through a monsoon and my make-up would still be flawless. But after years of wearing that heavy make-up my skin looked so terrible I HAD to keep wearing it… or so I thought. I also wore contact lenses because I didn’t like the way glasses looked. I wore them so much that that the whites of my eyes turned red. An eye doctor told me I needed to stop wearing contacts immediately, possibly forever, or risk permanent damage to my eyes.

It was only when I had kids that I finally put things into perspective. I knew I didn’t want my babies to be harmed by industry’s that put profit above health and yet for years I did not care if I poisoned myself. Now though I had to be an example. I wanted my kids to see someone who made healthy choices. My big basket of beauty products left the building and they never returned. I haven’t worn any make-up more than a handful of times in over 10 years. I also don’t use hair sprays, gels, lotions, or antioxidant elixirs. And yet I love my skin. I think it has not looked as good or felt as good as it does since I was very young. Oh I still have visual imperfections and scars left over from abuse as a teen. I have surgical scars on my face, neck, stomach, and abdomen thanks to numerous surgeries. But despite all that, I see healthy skin again. Here is what my beauty regimen consists of now.

Green Smoothies – Hands down the biggest secret weapon in the natural beauty enthusiast’s arsenal is going to be a healthy diet. Green smoothies makes that as easy as pie. When I first started drinking them I noticed immediately that my digestion improved and my bowels moved more regularly. Frankly you don’t realize how irregular you are until you get regular… as in a visit to the bathroom almost after every meal regular. This is really important because this is how your body gets rid of waste and toxins. Shouldn’t you be helping your body take out the garbage? The second thing I noticed is that the cells of my skin seemed to plump up. They sucked in all that nourishment and water like they were botox injections. The skin LOVES green smoothies and all the antioxidants in them that protect against further damage. I also add greens powders to my smoothies so I can get a big boost of vitamins and nutrients. If you haven’t checked out my green smoothies recipe book, you should! I market it to parents who want to help their kids eat more greens but I drink the same stuff but perhaps with a higher greens to fruit ratio.

Dry Brushing - Ever heard of it? I had wanted to try it for years but never got around to it. Then after one of my personal inspirations, Kris Carr, mentioned it in her book Crazy, Sexy, Diet … I decided to try it. I went out and got a natural bristle brush meant for dry brushing and tried it that very day I started reading the book. Unfortunately it felt as though I was rubbing my skin off with low grit sandpaper. I went back to the book in a huff to see if I had missed something or if I was just a big baby. If I had continued reading I would have seen that Kris recommended using exfoliating showers gloves. That was MUCH better. It doesn’t exactly tickle but I wouldn’t say it hurts either. Anyway I have been using the gloves for 2 months now and WOW!!! As I sit writing this post I have been continually rubbing my arms.. smooth like a babies behind. My skin hasn’t looked or felt this good in forever.

Your skin is the biggest organ you have and it constantly regenerates itself by eliminating toxic and dead skin cells, as much as two pounds of this waste material each day. When your skin is clogged with dead skin cells and toxins that cannot be eliminated by perspiration, then your skin suffers. It needs air and sunlight so getting rid of excess waste through exfoliation is vital. In addition to exfoliating your dead skin cells and removing barriers to toxin excretion, dry brushing is also wonderful for lymph vessels and capillaries. This is why dry brushing should be done using strokes that go towards the heart, aiding in the body’s blood circulation. When you get out of the shower after dry brushing you feel amazing because your circulation has improved and then in a couple hours your skin looks and feels amazing. Dry brushing also massages the lymph nodes and gets them functioning better as well and they are a big part of our immune system.

Natural Products – I don’t use much by way of beauty products but I do have some solid lotion bars, a big tub of coconut oil, and magnesium oil. In general I find that I don’t need moisturizers and lotions with the exception of on my legs after I shave them but any of the three products I just mentioned help with that. I like to use coconut oil in my hair too but really only started to need that recently… after I start swimming in a gym pool.

Drinking Water – This is important for hydration and helping your body remove waste and toxins. Most of my water comes in the form of my 2 daily quarts of green smoothie but I also have a reusable water bottle on hand each day with pH drops and a lemon slice added to help alkalinize the water.

So there it is… pretty easy and minimal and yet the most effective I have ever come across.

What is YOUR preferred way to stay green and beautiful? Any tips to share?

Being in good health comes down to MANY things. One of those obviously is what fuel or food we put into our body. Another aspect is what we expose ourselves to… cleaners, home furnishings that off-gas, chemical air fresheners, etc. Yet another aspect that many often overlook is the beauty products that we may use on our bodies. What we choose in this regard is just as important as what food we choose to eat. It’s not enough to simply use an organic shampoo or homemade soap only to turn around and use hairspray or moisturizer filled with chemicals that can harm our skin or damage our health.

Sadly many of the products you find in the beauty department of your local WalMart or drug store are created with chemical ingredients that are linked to various cancers. Unlike food items, beauty products have no stamp of approval or disapproval from the FDA. Even if they did have a stamp of approval we see how well our government overseas junk food… NOT. Since we don’t truly know if the products we want to use are safe or effective, we have to do our own research. Always remember that whatever you put on (bath products, cosmetics, shampoo, soap) your body does absorb. So whatever materials are in that product could end up inside your body.

A Juice Beauty Product Profile

A good place to start when researching products is the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. By perusing this list you quickly see who is making products worth your time and money. One company that consistently rates very well is Juice Beauty. I was actually surprised by how well their organic beauty products score (low is good) because they are such a well known brand. For some reason I always figure the good stuff is some well kept secret due to low marketing budgets but Juice Beauty is highly visible (at least to me) and one of the safer choices we can make. Skin Deep tells that that most of their products score 1 or 2 which means low hazard.

They use certified organic ingredients so when you buy their Green Apple Peel for instance, you know the organic apple, lemon, grape, raw cane sugar and willow bark (sounds lovely doesn’t it?) in it, do not have harmful pesticides and agri chemicals. Same with the Cleansing Milk with raspberry and white grape juices, aloe vera, and nutrient-rich grapeseed oil. I love that they use ingredients that sound as though they could be a meal instead of a beauty product too. Their products do not have parabens, propylene or butylene glycols, petroleum, sulphates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, phthalates, GMO, silicones, artificial dyes or fragrances. You might pay a little more for organic, but isn’t your health and the health of your loved ones worth a few extra dollars? Of course it is.

Not only does switching to organic-based products help keep your skin and body toxin free, but it also can give your body some extra boosts. Did you know that many of the natural products contain vitamins and nutrients that help your body’s overall health? Just think about it… many of the ingredients are food/plant based and we know how rich they are in vitamins and nutrients and an estimated 64% of what you place on the skin is absorbed by it. It is fitting that truly conscious companies take us back to the roots of ancient beauty products. They were sourced from plant materials. From nature. Our ancestors knew that the best organic beauty products for your body were made from natural resources offered by the earth. Things really haven’t changed in that regard.

Another A+ for this particular company… they use recycled packaging, soy ink, and manufacture over 80% of their products with solar power.

For your best health, always buy organic. Look for the products that don’t contain preservatives, dyes or any other types of chemicals and preservatives. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your and feel your best, but your health should be non negotiable.

* This is sponsored post. All opinions and content are my own.

I recently got to test out some Squid Balm products that were graciously sent to me. Most times I refuse any sort of product in the beauty and/or skincare realm. I get dozens of requests each week and I always have to politely explain that I can’t test them if I won’t use them. ;) Soap and shampoo bars are just my thing though. I was also very interested in trying a lotion bar since I have heard good things about them. Plus my skin has been drier since I started spending so much time in the pool. I wanted to try a moisturizer.

Anyway, I have been washing my hair 2-3 times a week using the shampoo bar. It foams up nice and it does the job well. After washing I have also been using the Squid Silk Solid Conditioner Bar in Wild Blueberry. I LOVE it!

Anyone who uses shampoo bars knows that they leave your hair drier and less shiny than chemical laden shampoos. This conditioner helps to remedy that. You rub it between wet hands and then rub it on the surface of your hair or your skin if you want. The smell is divine as well. Shampoo and conditioner using natural ingredients and they come in bar form. What else could I ask for?

The lotion bar has a really heavenly, albeit not overpowering scent called coconut peach. I am not a fan of scents in general but both scented products I got were a-okay for my delicate olfactory system. Anyway when you rub the lotion bar on initially it feels kind of sticky and that bothers me a bit. After 2-3 minutes or so the stickiness is gone and it feels nice and refreshing. The small tin it comes in is nice for throwing in your purse or gym bag too. Few people could carry around a bottle of lotion but this little tin would be no issue at all and it will last quite awhile.

In addition to being vegan, Squid Balm products are also nut-free, paraben-free, preservative-free, and phthalate-free. Handcrafted by moms as well.

In the end I would happily keep ordering all these products but especially the shampoo bar and conditioner bar because those are two things I cannot find locally.  The only real criticism I have is that their web site was a bit hard to navigate with all the product descriptions sort of running together and the order buttons being nowhere near the photos of the item. Plus I didn’t see any “coconut peach” scented shampoo bars. ;)

Squid Balm get a big thumbs up from me.

One of the easiest ways to “go green” with your beauty supplies is to adopt a minimalist approach. Less is more. Going minimal in the make-up and beauty products department is a good way to de-clutter your bathroom and daily routines. Saving money is another side effect worth considering too. The best benefits though would be to your body and our planet. Here are some things to consider when perusing the beauty department at the the local store.

Make-up Is Toxic - Make-up and beauty products are loaded with chemical nasties that are bad for your body and bad for our planet. Reading a book like Toxic Beauty or Dying to Look Good can help you sort through the numerous reasons why it may be time to change the way you think about beauty and make-up. Are YOU dying to look good?

Our skin is our largest organ and when we slather it with carcinogens and other harmful chemicals, those compounds are being absorbed into our bloodstream. With that in mind should we really be putting things on our skin that we couldn’t also eat? Probably not. So instead of reaching for that conventional make-up or that tube of designer lipstick try safer products like those from Miessence. They are very natural and safe and are probably the only make-up I would use… if I wore any.

Loving Yourself Is Beautiful - Loving and caring for your body means not polluting it. Instead of spending $50 a month on make-up, start going without and use that money on nice haircuts, massages, or a gym membership. There are others ways to improve yourself without donning a toxic mask. One of the best beauty tricks I have found for the skin is to drink Green Smoothies. It plumps up your skin and makes it look younger and hydrated. It’s better than Botox!

Natural Works Just As Well – Why buy moisturizer when you can use coconut oil? Why buy shampoo when you can use baking soda and apple cider vinegar? Natural products are safe, cheap, and they work. They may not make you smell like a sugar cookie or a tea rose but this is a small price to pay.

Make-up is Clutter – Many women have a tendency to over do it on make-up and beauty products and then not even use them. If you have lotion or lipstick from 10 years ago in your make-up drawer you are probably one of these women. Decide that you will only own the basics (if you must)… good make-up brushes, mascara, blush, powder, lipstick. Select a set number and buy a small make-up bag. You can’t have more than what you can put in your bag. Eventually you will see that you never needed all that extra stuff anyway and your bathroom will be clean! I remember the days when I wore make-up and there was always loose powder or mascara smears on the bathroom counter. I cannot tell you how much I don’t miss the clutter and mess.

Be a Good Example For Your Children – By being that person who cannot leave the house without 20 minutes of beautification and a mask of make-up we are perpetuating the stereotype that beauty comes in a bottle. Our kids will get enough warped messages from ads and media that they are not good enough the way they are. The last thing they need is to receive that message at home too. Set a good example for them.

What is your secret minimalist beauty trick?

No doubt you are catching on to the fact that the “beauty industry” is actually code for “toxic crap you don’t need”. Never in a million years would you think women would willingly line up to slather noxious chemicals all over their face but guess what? They do! But we can green up our beauty routines and make them more natural and safe too. Here are some tips for greening up your beauty regime.

1. Read the ingredients. Look closely at the ingredients in your cleanser, shampoo, hair gel, make-up, and so forth. Look them up in the cosmetics database and read first hand about what you are actually putting on your skin. If you find a lot of suspicious chemical names, look for alternatives. All sorts of toxic substances have been identified in conventional makeup and other beauty aids but there are companies making alternative products. The more people that purchase better products the louder our collective voice becomes against toxics.

2. Keep it simple. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with just lemon juice, for example. You don’t need an abundance of elaborate, complicated beauty aids.

3. Use natural products, such as lemons, honey, oatmeal, avocado, and yogurt on your hair or skin. The beauty tricks of long ago still work! For more info on that check out Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Its not a religious book is just gives us insight into Biblical women and what they used for beauty. They were just as concerned about it as modern women can be.

4. Use baking soda instead of shampoo. It makes a wonderful cleanser for your hair. Mix about a teaspoon of baking soda per cup of warm water, and pour over your head while in the shower. Work it in to your scalp and rinse.

5. Use an apple cider vinegar (ACV) solution as a rinse following the baking soda wash. Mix a tablespoon of ACV into 2 cups of warm water and pour over your head and hair. Rinse with as cool a water temperature as you can handle.

6. Look for natural make-up. Many top cosmetic manufacturers specialize in more natural formulations. Avoid make-up that has aluminum, phthalates, formaldehyde, fragrance, and parabens.

7. Combine cooked oatmeal with mashed bananas and spread on damp hair to treat dry scalp and dandruff.

8. Cut out beauty products with petroleum-based ingredients. Some ingredients to look for include parraffin, Propylene Glycol, and Isopropyl Alcohol.

9. Look for the “not tested on animals” label to assure you are not supporting the harmful and cruel practice of animal cosmetic testing. Human beauty is NOT worth animal suffering.

10. Use reusable products rather than disposable ones in your beauty routine. Examples of common disposable beauty items are: razors, pre-packaged, single-use hair treatments, and cotton balls.

The two BEST books on this subject happen to be written by the same person, Julie Gabriel. The first is the Green Beauty Guide. That link takes you to my review. The second is fairly new, Green Beauty Recipes, and I have LOVED puring over the recipes. My daughter is ecstatic to make some of these and I feel good about letting her go wild with it because they are safe and natural. Carrot Cake Cleansing Cream, Milk and Olive Facial Toner, Breakfast Yogurt Scrub, Pumpkin Mask, Natural Clay Deodorant… its fun, practical, and informational.

Enjoy!

I am very opinionated about what goes on my skin or in my hair. It has to have simple and clean ingredients, preferably with no fragrance or smell. Yeah, occasionally I might like to wash my hair with a peppermint shampoo bar but for the most part, fragrance makes me nauseous. Add to that the fact that I am totally a bar of soap gal. I don’t like lotions, creams, oils, perfumes, body washes, and all that fancy, smelly stuff that the beauty industry cranks out each year. If I were to go into a Bath and Body Works and buy something (not likely) I would bet that product I bought, whatever it is, would sit in my bathroom untouched until I felt it was so old I had to throw it out. Why bother?

So this means I automatically nix quite a few of the requests that come to me via this blog to review bath and/or body stuff. It doesn’t mean their products are bad or that they shouldn’t be commended for making natural, organic products… it just means I don’t use them so I am not the right person to review them. But low and behold I actually have two bath products to highlight today. One I accepted because it was… a bar of soap. Wahoo! I knew that soap and I would get along well. The other was a surprise sent to me by a clever store who looked up my address. Both had happy endings so imagine my surprise.

The first is called True Body Soap. It is clean and simple with no smell. and it was love at first site. Unlike some bar soaps which can have tons of ingredients this soap has five. Yep, only five… coconut oil, palm oil, water, vegetable glycerin, and Sodium Citrate. It is one of the first bar soaps on the market that is vegetable-based and entirely free of EDTA, chelates or any other type of synthetic preservative. Even organic soaps usually have some type of preservative.

It lathers nice, it has no smell to make me sick, and it does what it is supposed to do.. it cleans. Plus the price is right. If this soap makes an appearance at my local grocery or Whole Foods I will definitely buy again.

The surprise package made me wary at first. It came with a bottle of shampoo, a tub of diaper rash cream, and a lotion. Well, I can’t say much about the latter two items because I immediately gave them away to a gal who will use them. Although I felt comfortable giving them away after looking at their ingredients and the site where they are sold, Poof’s Closet. The shampoo and I became fast friends though.

I normally use shampoo bars but I have been wanting to switch it up a bit since my hair is getting long. I am not sure what possessed me to let it grow out in the summer but it is now touching my shoulders and shampoo bars are great but not as great for long hair IMO. Not sure why that is. Perhaps it is because the natural oils aren’t reaching the bottom of the hair but it just feels drier when my hair is longer. So I switched things up and used Baby Poof Body Wash & Shampoo on my own hair and my daughter’s waist length hair. It lasted us quite awhile because we only wash our hair 2-3 times a week.

It uses organic ingredients and has only 5 ingredients total. It has absolutely no smell and it lathers quite nicely. I can see using this shampoo again and again. Although, I did have to email the owner and ask if I can send my used bottle in to be refilled so I don’t have to keep purchasing new bottles. That will influence further purchasing decisions but not my glowing opinion of the actual shampoo.

I feel like the beauty industry is starting to speak my beauty language.. clean, simple, minimal, and unscented.

There have been numerous stories covering sunscreens this week as the Environmental Working Group released its 2010 Sunscreen Guide. According to their report, only 8% of the beach and sport sunscreens (39 out of 500) offer sufficient protection and healthier ingredients to earn the EWG’s “green” rating. In my safer sunscreens post I have highlighted some of the ones that received top honors on their list.

It is becoming clearer to more and more people that the sunscreen industry is actually less about protecting our skin and more about marketing. How else can they continue to peddle the insuffucient and chemical laden products that they do? Especially when studies have been conducted in recent years that indicate we may be more likely to get cancer from our sunscreen than to avoid it.

My own personal practice in regards to sunscreen for me and my family is to not use it if at all possible and to utilize other protection methods instead. If I need to be out in the sun for an extended period of time I will use some of the safer sunscreens I mentioned above but again.. only if I feel I will not be able to avoid a burn without it. I grew up in sunny Phoenix, Arizona and my brother and I hardly ever burned and rarely did we use sunscreen… so it can be done.

Here are some of the ways:

Sun Hats

Yes,  the easiest way to avoid a burn on face, scalp, neck, and shoulders is a nice hat. Women are lucky in that we can get away with a really wide brim hat and some big sunglasses and be considered fashionable instead of weird. Here are a couple of my favorite hats for moms:

Large Straw Stripe Sun Hat

FABULOUS CAMEL WIDE BRIM DIVA STYLE FLOPPY HAT

It is usually best to go for light colored hats that have wide brims. They keep you cool and offer the best protection. Don’t forget the sun hats for the kids too…

Summer Scarf/Wrap

A scarf isn’t just for winter. You get get lightweight cotton or silk scarves for summer to protect your neck and chest. If it is a wrap as well as a scarf then you can wear it across your back or fold it across your front, even put it over your head. If you get hot… do what I often did in Phoenix… dip in a water fountain and then drape it on yourself… it is a built in air conditioner!

Olive N Figs Crinkled Solid Colored 100% Cotton Summer Stole/Scarf/Wrap

A Sun Shade or Umbrella

I find that it is easy to get kids to stay shaded by letting them carry and umbrella. Or maybe my kids just love umbrellas more than most but they are always happy to stroll around with one. My nearly ten year old son carries one in his backpack so he will have it for walking home in the hot sun. Let them pick their own “cool” umbrella or buy a parasol for girls. I like this Gerbera Daisy or Sunflower Umbrella myself! Who wouldn’t want an excuse to carry these around?

How do you protect yourself from the sun without slathering on the sunscreen?

Whole Foods Market is running a 3-part podcast series promoting the “Premium Body Care” standard they have created, and the importance of know what is in your Body Care products.

Podcasts:

1. Premium Body Care® – A Worthy Challenge- discusses how their standard helps define What “Natural” really means in body care products.

2. In, Holding the Bar High in Natural Body Care – you’ll hear about why these strict natural guidelines are important. You’ll also learn about Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of health and environmental groups that are working to eliminate harmful chemicals from personal care products.

3. Positive Changes for the Industry, for Everyone – looks at how these standards raise the bar for the natural body care industry as a whole.

You can check these podcasts out here.

Winter time is famous for dry skin. Even though I am venting my dryer indoors and the windows are usually all steamy my youngest and I are still having dry skin issues. If you have dry skin, you know that it’s not just annoying and kinda gross looking, it can also be incredibly very uncomfortable. Your face feels tight and your lips may get chapped and your body itches. Moisturizers are a waste of time usually, in my experience at least. The reason may be that the moisturizers simply makes your skin oily or irritates the problem even further and they are loaded with unsavory ingredients as well.

The best way to avoid this is by going natural. 

Drink plenty of water. This is the area where my son and I are lacking I think. When it is cold we don't drink as much and we don't eat as much raw, hydrating food. This remedy is totally simple, and often overlooked.  Your skin needs water to stay soft and smooth.  While putting water on your skin will dry it out, putting it in your body is essential for keeping it hydrated. Plus, drinking enough water just makes you feel better too!

A really good way to get itchy dry skin quickly is to use soap.  Over cleaning your skin is often unnecessary and can really dry it out. In the winter we tend to take long baths and showers, particularly with very hot water and this is extremely drying to the skin. I know I like to do this too, I need to stop. Quick showers are the better option, for our skin and the environment. Use a natural mild soap like Dr. Bronners, sparingly. And follow up with all natural coconut oil to seal in the moisture. You can get 100% natural organic coconut oil which is used both for cooking and moisturizing at most health food stores and online of course.

If you have especially dry skin on your face, the best treatment is also probably the simplest and least expensive one around: honey.  Honey has been used for centuries to moisturize, and you really don’t need anything else.  Just apply honey to your face like a masque, let dry for 30 minutes, then rinse off.  Your face will feel fresh, hydrated, clean and healthy.

Good old fashioned oil does the trick to. Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are great for moisturizing and treating a variety of skin conditions.  You can even mix in some honey and heat it to soften it and make it easier to go on.

We have to remember though that natural remedies are about fixing the cause as much as they are about treating the problem.  It’s best to protect your skin in the first place.  Be sure to protect your skin from dry, cold winter conditions by using scarves, gloves, and avoid long exposures to severe cold when possible. Drink lots of water, humidify your home if you can, and remember that forced air heating systems will only dry skin more so if you can put on a sweater instead of turn on the heat, do it!

I am doing a honey mask myself  tonight and I will do a mini-one on my son as he sleeps. I am also going to make sure we drink more water and green smoothies… even if the cold makes me shy away from them. And even though I might look ridiculous picking up my kids in a ski mask… I am seriously considering THAT to!

Also a really cool book that shares time tested beauty practices from days loooong ago is Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Its a very interesting read. Women a long time ago were concerned about this stuff to and they used natural ingredients with great success. 

It is a sad reality that for many adults acne is not something that went away along with those awkward teen years. It can plague skin for years after puberty and those hormonal years. Many adults find that acne returns when the hormones do, as with pregnancy. Others find that it may be less dramatic than when they were younger but it never went completely away. This condition can make you feel awful and can put a real dent in yourself esteem and social life. This is made even worse when you’re let down over and over again by yet another “miracle” product that you discovered on an infomercial or from a well meaning friend.

The “miracle” is usually all in the marketing… as in “its a miracle if they don’t fall for this!” The sad fact is that most mainstream acne treatments make the problem worse and can even be harmful to your overall health because they are packed with nasty chemicals.

Why not try something different and use natural options to help alleviate and even get rid of your acne once and for all?

Natural Solutions for Acne

A Healthy Diet: A healthy diet is the very best thing you can do for your acne. The skin is an organ so if an organ is unhealthy you need to consider what is making it unhealthy in the first place. Our skin is used to eliminate toxins from the body. What are those toxins doing to our skin and how are they getting there?

Sugar is catastrophic for acne sufferers. It has been proven to cause an inflammatory reaction in the skin which makes acne worse (or even helps it develop in the first instance). Reduce or better yet remove all sugar from your diet and you will see a HUGE difference in your skin.

In addition to getting rid of sugar, eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Opt for an array of colors so that you can get the most antioxidant power in these foods into your system. Raw foods, green juices, and green smoothies do wonders for healthy skin. Uh… just look at Sarma. Whenever I stop drinking green smoothies I notice it in my skin… it gets dull and dry. When I start drinking green smoothies again… my skin plumps like I got Botox or something.

Reducing dairy or even eliminating it can also make a  huge difference in regards to acne. Many experts believe that a vegan diet is the best way to keep the skin clear from acne. Many vegans swear this is true and have healthy skin to prove it.

Eating less meat and avoiding red meat, no dairy, and no caffeine are great first steps. And although chocolate on its own may not cause acne, it contains caffeine which can make acne worse.

Whole grains will give your body much needed fiber which will help flush out toxins and keep your system running smoothly. Drinking water does the same.

Natural Remedies for Acne

Green tea: You can drink green tea to help relieve your symptoms, but you can also apply the tea directly to you skin.  There are green tea creams available over the counter, but if you’re looking for a cheaper, easier way, just brew tea bags, then apply them directly to your acne.

Egg Whites:  Applying egg whites to the face as a masque is a great way to treat your acne and immediately close your pores.  In addition, it also gets rid of redness caused by your acne and can reduce the appearance of scars from previous breakouts.

Tea Tree Oil:  While many people disagree about the causes of acne, or how to treat it, pretty much everyone agrees that it’s an infection or inflammation.  And tea tree oil has long been used as a natural way to kill bacteria and treat skin infections.

Zinc helps strengthen your immune system so you’re better able to heal and even prevent your acne. Good sources for vegetarians include dairy products, beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals. Pumpkin seeds provide one of the most concentrated vegetarian food sources of zinc. Vegans can just ignore the dairy sources.

The absolute best part about natural acne treatments is that they also improve the general quality of your skin without damaging it or drying it out like traditional products can and do.  Many of them have few or no side effects and they are safe.

Avoiding makeup is another important step. Your skin needs to eliminate toxins as it was designed to do. When we clog our pores up with makeup and oils it can’t do its job and it will protest with flare-ups.

Lastly, stress can cause big acne flare ups. Why else does a bride breakout before her big day? Try meditation or yoga to keep your stress levels low. This will not only help your acne symptoms but your overall health as well. I like to listen to meditation CDs or natural sounds CDs like waterfalls and birds singing when i am stressed.

Acne can be devastating but by using the tips above and starting a plan of attack you can start to see improvement. Use diet as your first weapon, reduce stress and apply a few natural treatments as necessary and you’ll see a difference in the overall health of your skin very soon.

Recommended: The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances

I have liked Badger products for a couple years now. We have used their sunscreen often and it made my list of safe, natural sunscreens. I had never tried any of their balms beyond their baby balm and lip balm, so trying a few of their other ”powerfully pure” products these past few weeks has been a treat.

Their products are certified organic and very natural so what is not to love? I already really like their lip balm so of course I loved the Creamy Cocoa Butter Lip Balm. In addition to it being creamy soft and delightful to wear, it is natural, organic, and fair trade. I also like how big it is. Most lip balms are kinda small.

I also liked their Clear Mind Balm with essentials oils of lemon, Cardamom, and Rosemary Verbenone. The idea is that you rub it on your temples, forehead, and hands to invigorate you and help you focus and concentrate. It is a nice mood booster in the late afternoon.

My kids also really like the Sleep Balm and the Night-Night Balm which basically do the same thing but with different ingredients. I am not sure if they sleep better with the balm rubbed on their temples and neck but they certainly like the process and the ritual.

And of course the Baby Balm is excellent for diaper rash and cradle cap. Adults with sensitive skin can use it too.

Badger has TONS of other fun stuff too… Healing Balm, Anti-Bug Balm, sore muscle balm, foot balm, etc. Check out what they have on Amazon.

As far as good, natural companies go… Badger is a winner. It is also family run! It was founded on the banks of the Ashuelot River in rural Gilsum, New Hampshire, USA. Bill, Katie and daughters Mia, Emily and Rebecca started the business back in 1995, in the kitchen of their home.

Some of you already know this about me…but I am NOT a girly girl. I don’t wear dresses and skirts, I don’t wear makeup, and I my hair is cropped so short I don’t even have to brush it…ever. Even as a child I was the tom boy. I spent all day outside and I don’t even think I had any play makeup.

My mom though was/is very much that girly girl. She dressed to the nines, she wore makeup whenever she went out, she like to put makeup on me, even though I insisted I looked like a clown. She curled her hair all the time and loved to put me in curlers you wore all night. I would wake up and promptly brush out all the curls. Just about the only thing I liked her to do to my hair was french braid it..that way it was out of my face and out of my way.

Well, now I have a daughter of my own and she is just like my mom. They spend a lot of time together primping and beautifying. In the picture above you will see that my mom has already started her on the hair curling…which mystifies me because she inherited my naturally wavy hair. The other day though I was hugging her after one of her beauty marathons with nana and I noticed she had rashes on both sides of her face. Her skin was reacting to blush my mom had let her put on. Make-up in general has TONS of nasty chemical ingredients and carcinogens as outlined in the book Dying to Look Good. Last year my daughter got a pack of children’s play makeup from a family friend and the ingredient list made my skin crawl. It baffles me that looking a little better could be THAT important to anyone.

I do not want to be down on wearing makeup though. I am very glad that my daughter has someone to share this passion with because this is just one area that elludes my understanding and I want her to be herself…whomever that is. It lead me to the realization that I need to buy her some natural and safe play makeup for little girls but I am really having a hard time finding any!! So far she has non toxic nail polishes from Piggy Paints and lip balms from Jess Be Natural and Badger. I think I will pick up some Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers for her too.

So that just leaves color for her cheeks and eyes. I have my eye on the Mineral Blush Powder in Apricot Dew and the Peach Shimmer for eyes, lips, and cheeks at Ely Organics. The stuff at Ely Organics is no natural you could probably eat them.

If a company were to create and market a very natural , organic line of children’s makeup I would be all over it. What about you? Do you have little girls that loves to play with makeup? How do you handle it?

In general I am a believer in supplementation. While I do believe that we should always aim to get everything we need from food I think this is not always possible. Soil pollution, food processing, cooking, chemical exposure, and various other external factors certainly effect what we “get” out of our diet. Deficiencies are a part of life and I believe in being proactive about identifying them and supplementing when needed.

There is one mineral though, Magnesium, that is absorbed rather poorly when administered orally and it is the Magnesium that keeps up young, supple, and vital. Without sufficient magnesium, we accumulate toxins and acid residues in the body, our cells degenerate, and we visibly age. Magnesium is the mineral of rejuvenation. It prevents the calcification of our organs and tissues that makes us look and feel older.

For the past few weeks I have been using topical magnesium products called Ancient Minerals. and I am delighted to find that I really like them. They are in fact, just my thing, because I am not one for lotions, body butters, and fancy smelling oils. These mineral products, specifically the oil does what it claims to do and it has no funny smell or greasy feel. It actually feels good to use it. ;) And they are good for you since they are a source of Magnesium.

According to the web site, benefits of the Ancient Minerals magnesium products include:

In particular I found them helpful in relief of aches of pains, elevating mood, boosting energy levels, calming nerves, and improving sleep quality. I used the Ultra Pure Magnesium Oil in the evenings many times, while showering. I would spray it on my lower back which has been kinked out ever since I bought new pillows and it would be feeling much better the next morning.

The oil and the magnesium bath flakes were wonderful for elevating mood and making me feel energized. When I first started using them I was initially kind of alarmed because it burned a little, especially if I had a scratch or freshly shaved legs. But after a few seconds it just turned into a rather delicious tingling sensation. Ooo-la-la! My skin felt alive and refreshed and I couldn’t help but feel smiley and refreshed. My skin also felt so smooth I couldn’t quit touching it. I had no problem getting to sleep but that is not usually an issue for me. I do think it helped me STAY asleep as I do have trouble in that department some nights. All in all I was very pleased with the results.

Daniel Reid, a bestselling author and expert on eastern medicine has claimed that “Of all the sources we’ve tried, Ancient Minerals is the one that delivers the fastest, most potent therapeutic benefits.” I too am now a big fan and they have many other rave reviews as well. I have now convinced my husband to start using it. He often has aches and pains after a tough day of physical labor at work and he has very dry skin at times.

The Ancient Minerals brand is:

They use only raw, highly concentrated, ultra pure magnesium chloride and other trace minerals drawn from the Ancient Zechstein Seabed in Northern Europe. There are no added ingredients. They are now a part of my routine and I would recommend them to others who want to try Magnesium therapy. :)

A couple weeks ago I read The Green Beauty Guide. It is the ultimate guide to organic and natural skin care, hair care, makeup, and fragrances. Not only is the book HUGE, it is jammed packed with great information. It is the Bible of green and natural beauty. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The beauty industry is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. We are bombarded with ads in magazines on the television that tell us these companies have succeeded in creating beauty in a bottle.  They make money hand over fist selling products to us that are “supposed” to make us look more youthful, give us softer looking skin, hide our imperfections, and make us look like a supermodel. But they are not so forthright in telling us that their products are full of chemical ingredients that can do more harm to us than good. Your skin is your biggest organ and it needs to be treated with care. This book is a must read for every woman.

I am really impressed with the author Julie Gabriel and what she accomplished with this book. I asked Julie to answer a few questions so enjoy the interview below and make sure to find out what beauty struggle she overcame with green, organic, natural ingredients.

Q: Why are natural and green beauty products and practices getting so popular?

Julie:We are becoming more and more aware of the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients used in conventional beauty products and spa procedures, no wonder green beauty industry is evolving so quickly. And it’s becoming more appealing, too. Five years ago green beauty products were less attractive and far less effective than conventional versions, but today green beauty is often more luxurious than synthetic beauty, or junk beauty, as I call it, similar to junk food. It’s a common sense to go green today, since you can replace every single jar and tube in your bathroom with green, non-toxic products that cost pretty much the same money but aren’t harmful for your health.

Q: What are some of the dangers associated with conventional products?

Julie:Most synthetic chemicals used in conventional products have never been tested on humans for safety. Science is only beginning to reveal the long-term damage linked to the continuous use of such chemicals as toluene, phthalates, liquid paraffin, paraben and formaldehyde preservatives. Sadly, list of potentially toxic, carcinogenic chemicals can go on and on.

A few days ago an angry reader complained: so you mean, I cannot wear perfume? Chanel is too toxic? It’s impossible to get away from all chemicals all the time, that is completely unrealistic, she said. Well, it is realistic to abstain from toxic beauty. All it takes is a shift in your consumer habits. Instead of being a slave to a flashy logo or wasting money on a chemical cream that costs pennies to make but sells for hundreds of dollars simply because it bears a famous logo, you’d better become a slave to organic ingredients, plant extracts, and essential oils. Your skin and your wallet will only thank you. And to think of perfumes, there are hundreds of wonderful all-natural perfumes that are just as exquisite as the department store bestsellers, but these botanical wonders contain no phthalates or preservatives.

Basically, the lack of solid safety record based on human studies is the main thing that bothers me about conventional beauty. Humans have been using beeswax, olive oil, aloe vera, or, say, calendula for centuries. However, most of the chemicals used in conventional beauty have been introduced only a few decades ago, and our bodies simply have no mechanisms of coping with these chemicals. Instead of eliminating them, we store these toxins in our fatty tissue making them tiny time bombs that may explode later in our lives infesting us some of the most horrible diseases.

Q: What are your tips for finding the safest and most natural products?

Julie:Always begin with the ingredients list. Many online stores now offer complete ingredients lists along with customers’ reviews. I recommend Drugstore.com, SaffronRouge.com and Lovelula.com for their integrity and great selection of organic and natural lines. I used to like Sephora, but their recent move to eliminate ingredients lists from their product descriptions made me think that this company is not willing to educate consumers by offering unbiased, comprehensive product information.   

Health food stores used to be the trusted source of green beauty products, but today many greenwashed products appear on store shelves along with pure and natural oils and butters. Just because a shampoo is sold in a health food store, it doesn’t mean it’s all-natural and safe. Always scrutinize the ingredients list, even if you have to use magnifying glass to make sense of it.

For the biggest bang for my organic buck I go online. Most companies who sell essential oils, flower waters, plant extracts, waxes, and juices, have a selection of ready-made cleansers, creams and lotions. They may sell them in larger quantities, for example, by a gallon, but to think, you are getting quite a lot of a base product to play with for the price of one bottle of a department store brand cleanser. You can spruce it up with some active ingredients like copper peptide, kinetin, or hyaluronic acid, or you can spice things up with essential oils. If you have sensitive skin, you can keep the lotion as it is, and it would be just water, olive oil and waxes. What can be gentler? In any case, the resulting product will be much cheaper than a conventional, store-bought version, and you will know for sure what goes into it. Plus, online shopping is rather green because you are not burning gasoline to get to the store. Of course, online retailers are guilty of burning jet fuels to deliver the goods to you, but overall, the environmental impact is much smaller, especially if you don’t shop overseas.

Q: Do the organic, natural beauty products work just as well as conventional ones?

Julie:Product by product, all green beauty products work better than conventional ones. I am a very discerning beauty junkie. After all, I made my living by evaluating beauty products and writing about them. I used quite a lot of non-green products in my life, and I was happy to spend lots of money on them. I am guilty for promoting some of the worst, most toxic beauty products out there, so maybe this book will help mend the damage…. Anyway, my conversion to green was complete when I got rid of my persistent adult acne by switching to organic, completely natural products. As far as I remember, these were organic baby products, a cleanser and a baby lotion. Today I use only homemade products made with certified organic ingredients, and my skin looks better than it did five years ago. I never suffered dry flaky skin, or brittle nails, or dry scalp, or split ends when I switched to organic body products and hair care. Everything I use today is very, very basic and inexpensive. I only add expensive active ingredients to my face and eye creams. Still, an ounce of my homemade cream with peptide blend costs up to five times less than a retail version, and my cream contains no preservatives, mineral oils, silicones, or any sort of synthetic fillers. Maybe that’s why my skin doesn’t break out any more?

Q: Can you share some of your favorite tips from the book?

Julie: I practice what I preach, and every single tip and recipe from my book I tried on myself, on my baby daughter, and even on my husband. I always have a jar of my manicure scrub: it’s a jar filled with fine sugar and jojoba oil, scented with vanilla and lilac essence (for the fun of it). When I need my cuticles to look great, I rub the oily sugar goo into my fingertips and slowly massage the sugar into the skin while rinsing under warm water. I save tons of money on salon appointments this way! Olive oil is my number one body moisturizer, and I use plain jojoba oil to remove makeup. I am a fan of oils! I also use plain flower distillates, also known as flower waters, as toners and hair conditioners, but make sure you buy them organic, for conventionally grown medicinal plants can be heavily sprayed with pesticides. I make my own perfumes from essential oils and flower waters, and of course, I make my own baby products to pamper my baby daughter. Believe it or not, it hardly takes a half-hour to whip up a three-month supply of a cleanser, a toner, and a face cream, and you get triple reward: you save money, you know exactly what goes into your beauty products, and you simply take pride in cooking something that’s good for you!

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The winner is #17 Sarah!! Congrats!!!

Exederm is made by a company that believes people with sensitive skin need products with less irritants… harsh chemicals, unnecessary additives and unproven herbal ingredients. Their product ingredient list has many highlights:

No Fragrance
No Color or Dyes
No Parabens
No Lanolin
No Sodium Laureth Sulfate
No Propylene Glycol
No Formaldehyde
No Phthalates

Wohoo! Their system revolves around 3 different products… the exederm flare control cream, intensive moisture cream, and the cleansing wash for sensitive skin. If you click on the link above you will see how their product ingredients compare to all the other leading eczema products.

So ready to give exederm a try? Also here is a coupon code for $5.00 off at exederm.com “Naturemoms1″.

Enjoy!
 

As I mentioned yesterday I am a big fan of shampoo bars. They are usually all I use in fact because they have a big green benefit…no waste. There is no plastic shampoo bottle to throw away and that could be quite a bit of plastic over time not entering the waste stream. I have used many different shampoo bars and my favorites are the ones that come wrapped in fabric or a simple strip of paper…then the fabric/paper can be reused in crafts or composted. Shampoo bars also last me a long time too because I find I don’t need to wash my hair as much with most bars. MOST shampoo bars are also made with pretty natural ingredients…and not so much the nasty chemicals they put in liquid shampoo to make it last longer and stay mixed and not clumpy.

Some of my favorite shampoo bars include:

Solay Unscented Green Tea Shampoo and Body Bar – This is a luxurious bar made with fresh brewed green tea, avocado oil, and Himalayan salt. They are 100% vegan and 100% natural. I REALLY like these. They get my hair fresh and clean with natural ingredients and I swear I don’t have to wash it again for 3-4 days.

Burt’s Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar - My kids like this one. It cleanses with the natural lather of yucca and conditioning plant oils and oat protein. The peppermint is invigorating and really wakes you up…great for sleepy kids. You just have to be careful not to get it in the eyes because it will sting a little.

The J.R.LIGGETT Old Fashioned Shampoo Bar- I buy this one from a co-op and it is a nice product. It uses olive oil, coconut oil, Castor oil, spring water, sodium hydroxide (a binder), and earthy smelling essential oils. This one is pretty cheap too.

Knotty Boy All Purpose Shampoo Bars – These are very pretty shampoo bars and a little pricier than many others. They look awesome on the bathroom counter though and are great for travel. My hubby like them too. There are no synthetic chemicals or color or foaming agents, no animal ingredients or testing and they are 100% biodegradable so they are great for mountain-stream-washing. You can take them camping with no worries.

Blue House Soaps – This is a small indie business run by a husband and wife. I met the wife years ago and got hooked on her yummy soaps and shampoo bars. I have used…Sunshine, Coco Cay, Pure Peppermint, Oatmeal Honey Vanilla, Pink Grapefruit, and Tea Tree. The Tea Tree and the Peppermint are so strong you won’t need to drink coffee in the morning, LOL. These burn my kids eyes though and they can get soggy if left to sit in water so you will need a soap dish for these.

Happy Showering!