let's all make this...

a dear friend sent me a copy of this body scrub recipe awhile back, and it's been hanging out in my inbox just waiting to be whipped up. i never seem to remember to find the time, but i could certainly use a new scrub in the shower. so it's my goal to get the ingredients for it this weekend and throw some together. (clicking on the photo will make the recipe larger if you're interested in trying it too). i'm thinking of substituting safflower oil for grapeseed oil, depending on the availability (and the expense) of both at the market. i think i've got everything else hanging around in the cupboards--sea salt, oatmeal, honey and essential oil. easy right? look forward to a review soon!

tried it--korres natural eyeliner pencil

i kept intending to buy the honeybee gardens natural eyeliner after i ran out of my clinique, but never actually got around to it--most sites charged a ridiculous shipping amount, which kind of turned me off to making a purchase altogether. i started looking for something i could get locally, and popped into a sephora while shopping one day. the very helpful salesperson recommended korres eyeliner pencil, which, like the honeybee gardens, has jojoba oil as a main ingredient. i've been using the korres for over a month, and am quite happy with the results. it goes on smoothly and blends a bit for a softer look. it is, however, pricey at $16 a pop, though, and i think i'll try the honeybee gardens next despite high shipping costs, as these pencils are only $7 each. the ingredient lists are similar, but honeybee gardens does seem to be a bit more "whole." i'll let you know how it all shakes out--you know your loyal blogger would never let you down!

tried it... baby sunscreen...

after a long day spent out at the alameda antique fair, jeremy is sunburned and i am fairly fried. only lucy managed to escape from all-day sun unscathed--she was wearing a long sleeved shirt, capris and sunbonnet, but i slathered all of her exposed parts with avalon organics natural mineral sunscreen. thankfully she's looking a lot better than us. 

sunscreens are tricky. you use them to protect yourself from harmful sun exposure, but often times they are made up of lots of nasty chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens. it kind of defeats the purpose, in my opinion. last year i bought natural sunscreens, including the avalon organics for lucy, but i don't think i ever got around to writing a review. 

for an spf 18, i think this stuff works really well, though it is a bit slow to rub in and not water resistant. it's hypo-allergenic, paraben-free, and fragrance-free. active ingredient is titanium dioxide, which is thought to be carcinogenic when inhaled. (mental note: do not huff the sunscreen). the skin deep cosmetics safety database rates this product as a 3 out of 10 on its safety scale. certainly not the worst, but they do list 27 alternate sunscreens with lower ratings. we're about halfway through our bottle. i'm thinking that when it's emptied, i'd like to give california baby sunscreen try. it gets a ZERO on the ratings scale, which is obviously the best mark that a product can receive. we've had nothing but good luck with their baby wash, conditioner and bug spray. my only curiosity is as to whether or not it will work! have any of you mommies out there had any hands-on experience with california baby sunscreen?

what we're using...

i thought i'd put together a short list of our "daily" products--the stuff we trust enough to have put in the heavy rotation. i was kind of a product junkie before making some real lifestyle changes since lucy's birth. i can now count on fingers the amount of lotions & potions that get used around these parts. our life is certainly simpler (and more affordable) due to the shift. you may have seen me blog about some of these before, but i thought it'd be handy to have them all together now that i've reached bodycare almost-nirvana. here's a rundown, for those looking for great "green" products in an affordable price range:

shampoo & conditioner: trader joe's tea tree tingle

anti-frizz serum, when needed: extra virgin olive oil

deodorant: the crystal stick

body lotion: aveeno naturals daily moisturizing lotion (i can get this at costco!)

toothpaste: trader joe's peppermint 

liquid body soap: dr. bronner's peppermint castile soap

bar soap: dr. bronner's almond

facewash: local raw honey

for makeup, i use bare minerals foundation and bronzer--this stuff is a little on the pricey side but it lasts forever! i use clinique eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara. when these run out, i will be looking for a line that does not include parabens or other nasties in its ingredient list. if anyone has any suggestions, i would LOVE to hear them. 

lipgloss: alba passionfruit lip gloss. so yummy and gives a nice pretty shine, comparable to the stuff i used to use that was basically liquid plastic with some synthetic flavoring & scent. i also use lansinoh lanolin for healing chappy/dry lips. 

for lucy: 

california baby calming hair & bodywash in the bath. olive oil on rare occasions for dry skin. weleda children's tooth gel for her bitty teethies. we do not use rash cream for diaper rash--primarily because she doesn't get rashy, but also because if she does get rashy, i find that fresh air clears the rash quicker than any cream. 

for regular laundry: 

ecos liquid detergent in magnolia & lily scent. this stuff is 100% biodegradable, smells delicious without synthetic fragrances, and has a soy-based softener. 

for cloth diaper laundry: 7th generation delicate care. gets them clean, every time. 

for wool: ecover delicate wash for fine fabrics & wool

for lanolizing: lansinoh lanolin. SO much better than medela. 

for extra whitening & stain removal: oxyclean. pure magic. swear. 

around the house: 

dr bronners & baking soda for pretty much everything that needs a scrub. 

vinegar for the windows. 

a sprinkle of baking soda for stink in the diaper pail. 

an open window for air freshener. 

in the diswasher: trader joes liquid detergent. to be honest, it's not all that great. sometimes the dishes are squeaky clean, sometimes not so much. i have a box of ecover dishwashing tablets that i am itching to try when the tj's stuff runs out. 

as a rinse aid in the dishwasher: vinegar. 

there you have it. life has gotten pretty simple here. i like it. 

tried it: almost natural polish remover...

dang. why so big?

made by a company called no-miss, almost natural nail polish remover works without the use of acetone or ethyl acetate... harsh chemicals that make regular nail polish so stanky. it didn't blast off my 3-week old polish or anything, but it did get the job done (with a bit of good, old-fashioned rubbing). it's made with only 5 ingredients (all organic, one of which is distilled water). cutex gentle formula, on the other hand, has 18 ingredients (to be fair, water is listed as an ingredient here too). what i like most about this polish remover is that i didn't have to open a window to use it. this is a vegan product. i am not a vegan, but i do support the cause.

recommend it? yep. you can bet i'll be taking it with me to my next pedicure, too. if i ever find the time to paint my toenails, that is.

i found "almost natural" at elephant pharmacy. it's also available at whole foods. i think i paid around $6 for a 4oz. bottle.

crunch confession #05...

my new face wash is pretty sweet.

i'd read good things about using raw honey in place of over-the-counter face wash. one day about 2 weeks back, while cleaning out the cupboard in desperate search for a can of black beans, i came across a half-empty jar of the stuff. decided to give it a go. wow. i am very impressed.

raw honey is unprocessed, meaning it still contains pollen, live enzymes & bits of honeycomb. the super smooth stuff i'm used to has often been pasteurized, strained & filtered, a process which gets rid of all of the good "stuff" that the bees put in. raw honey crystallizes easily, with a nice gritty layer forming on top of the liquidy honey below. this makes raw honey an excellent exfoliant.

i keep the honey in a glass jar in my medicine cabinet. dig a bit out with my fingers, rub it in my palms with a bit of warm water & slather it all over my face. scrub-a-dub-dub. rinse clean. it's not as sticky as you might think. and if some happens to get in my mouth while washing, all the better.

seriously though, i was using clean & clear daily facewash. aside from having, like, 50 ingredients, clean & clear also cleans with "smooth round microsrubbers." you've heard the teenybopper on the commercial, right? anyway, come to find out that those "microscrubbers" are actually teeny tiny plastic beads (cleverly disguised as the ingredient 'polyethelyne' in that hard-to-read text on the back of the bottle). a common ingredient in lots of handsoaps as well, these minuscule particles are showing themselves with increasing frequency in our oceans and in the bellies of marine life. not something i want to be a part of, thanks. for more info on microplastics & our oceans, click here. http://www.slate.com/id/2193693/

so far so good with the honey. my skin feels as smooth as it always has, yet it's not dry after washing. jer commented that the little bit of rosacea i have isn't as noticeable. and i feel all radiant and dewy every time that i use it. i just love the idea of a 1-ingredient scrub... and supporting the california bumblebees too. bzzz.

ooh, what fun...

lucy and i went to an infant massage class today at elephant pharmacy in berkeley, a great shop that, in addition to offering free classes, also sells a lot of natural & organic-type products. lucy and i learned a lot about the benefits of the baby rubdown. well, i learned. lucy slept. we tried it out when we got home and i do think she really liked it. there lots of cooing, kicking and smiling involved. how is this eco-friendly? well, um, it's not. we just had a really good time, so i thought i'd post.

here's the spin though... as a result of taking the class, we got a 10% off coupon good for any and all purchases at elephant. i took the opportunity to buy a few things to replace the personal care products that i 've just gotten rid of...

kiss my face obsessively natural ultra moisturizer (replacing countless bottles and jars of paraben-laden stuff)

kiss my face obsessively organic shampoo in green tea & lime (100% biodegradable... can't say that about garnier fructis)

alba green tea sunscreen spf 30+ (replacing my hawaiian tropic spf 4... (i now hang my head in shame for not using at least spf 15 all these years))

almost natural nail polish remover (replacing cutex... made with fruit acids instead of acetone)

tom's of maine cinnamon clove toothpaste (we ditched the crest awhile back for tom's spearmint but i wanted to try a new flavor)

alba passion fruit nectar lip balm (replacing a slew of lip gloss, most from victoria's secret... upon further inspection of the teeny tiny but oh-so-lengthy ingredient list, i was pretty horrified to learn that i've basically been slathering liquefied plastic on my lips since middle school (and it tastes so yummy, too))

a diva cup (replacing tampons... yikes)

i also got lucy a package of gdiapers for an upcoming camping trip, thinking that might not have enough cloth to see us through 4 nights. gdiapers are a disposable/cloth hybrid diaper, made without the use of plastics. i am in love with our cloth diapers, so this is not my first choice, but there's no washing machine at the river, unfortunately.

i am looking forward to trying out all of these products and reviewing them! i must say, it's an exciting (and empowering) thing to feel that i'm taking a step in the right direction as far as my own health is concerned... and therefore the health of the little girl who likes to snuggle all over me. i was in elephant for over an hour after class let out, studying labels and comparing ingredients. big thank you to the meter maid for not giving me a ticket!



p.s. tomorrow starts a no-dryer july. i have to admit i snuck in 2 loads at the last minute tonight... a load of whites because there's a shirt of mine that needed some serious shrinking and a load of darks because i had a pair of jeans with the same problem. tomorrow is diaper day -- it'll look a lil' something like this!

from left to right... kissaluvs, swaddlebees econappies, bummis whisper wrap, blueberry pockets, blueberry minkys, bg 3.0 & bg organics.

score big...

i picked up a copy of sophie ulianos's "gorgeously green" for $1 today. a steal, no doubt. i had just been thumbing though it at barnes & noble... $17.00. decided i'd get it from the library but none in the area have it. so... i was planning on going back to b&n sometime soon to purchase it, and found it today at a sample sale for a garden company.

lucy takes a break... hey, reading's no small task when the book is half as big as you are!

can't wait to learn more about the toxic substances found in products i use daily. yesterday i rummaged through my closet and bathroom, tossing anything that a) i don't use or plan on using and b) stuff with parabens in the ingredient list. i put them all in a box and sent them over to my sister-in-law. what she doesn't want, i'll post on freecycle. does that sounds mean? i kinda felt like i was saying "here, these aren't good enough for me, but you can have them..." but otherwise i'd just be tossing stuff out, lots of it completely unopened (i'm that girl who stocks up during a sale). i feel so conflicted.

for those of you that don't know, parabens are "chemical preservatives that have been identified as estrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone function. estrogenic chemicals mimic the function of the naturally occurring hormone estrogen, and exposure to external estrogens has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer..." (taken from gorgeously green).

you'll find them in tons of beauty products, from lip gloss to shampoo to lotion. they most often come at the end of the ingredient list, and have -methyl, -ethyl, -propyl, -butyl, etc in front of the suffix 'paraben.' i was pretty much disgusted to see them in lucy's infant tylenol (she had shots done today and ran a small fever) though my understanding is that the body metabolizes parabens when ingested, but cannot do so when products are applied directly to the skin. still, i didn't feel good about giving her the tylenol.

we're so trusting. companies manufacture products and put them on store shelves. we buy without looking. we slather, puff and paint layer upon layer of product onto our skin, never giving our health a second thought. we TRUST that companies (run by PEOPLE, after all) wouldn't knowingly put a harmful product on the shelf in the first place. apparently, we are naive. and our naivety could cost us in the long run.

sigh.

i look forward to reading g.g. and posting more about what i find out!