Clean Up the Environment (and yourself!)

When diseases (such as swine flu) are spreading rapidly, it’s always a good idea to wash your hands frequently and protect yourself. Here are some great soaps that protect the environment too!

Kiss my Face
This moisturizing soap combines olive oil, for its penetrating emollience and aloe vera, for its hydrating properties, with vitamins a & e and herbs and flowers, each selected for their healing, nourishing and softening properties. Bonus: it comes in eight great scenes or fragrance free.
More info here!


Just Soap
These soaps are made from vegetable oils, essential oils, and organic herbs and spices and are biodegrabable. They are also not tested on animals and use recycled boxes, and minimal packaging, all of it recyclable. The coolest thing about them? They are blended by bicycle!
More info here!

Or, if you have a little bit of time on your hands, you can do it the DIY way. Not only are you sure to be using natural ingredients, you also can reuse the container to prevent extra plastic in landfills!

Recipes:

Honey Bee CP Soap
Olive Oil 32 oz.

Palm Oil 16 oz. 

Tallow 24 oz.
Totals 72 oz. 

5% Superfatted Lye Amount 9.477 oz.

Ounces of water recommended 23.760 oz.


At trace, add fragrance and 1 Tablespoon of Honey.
Do not insulate your soap as the Honey may cause your soap to superheat.


Easy Shea Butter CP Soap
Coconut Oil 16 oz.

Olive Oil 18 oz.

Palm Oil 16 oz.
Shea Butter 4 oz.

Tallow 16 oz.

Totals 70 oz. 

5% Superfatted Lye Amount 9.815 oz.

Ounces of water recommended 23.100 oz.

Go here for more info!

Thanks for reading everyone! Stay green and beautiful.

Boar Bristle Brushes

A lot of magazines and websites have been hyping up boar bristle hairbrushes lately, leading to a lot of people wondering if there really is a big difference and they need a new hairbrush.

Actually, there is a difference. Boar bristles are easier on hair than cheap plastic brushes and they redistribute oils throughout hair, boosting shine. However, before you rush out and buy one I suggest you read on.

The major thing to consider when looking for a good brush is what you need it for most. Round brushes are great for blowouts (although it is best to avoid hairdryers and their damaging effects on hair) while paddle brushes are better at detangling.

When looking at the selection of boar bristle brushes in the store, also keep in mind the thickness of your hair. Natural bristles are best for fine to normal hair because, when alone, they can be too weak for tangles. I have relatively thick hair and was disappointed to find that my brush made with only boar bristles doesn’t do much in the way of detangling or even go all the way through my hair (it just brushes the surface). So, if you have medium to thick hair I strongly suggest you get a mix of nylon and natural bristles. If you have really coarse, thick hair, you may want to consider a stronger all-nylon hairbrush.

Thanks for reading!

Egg Mask Facial

For healthy glowing skin, an awesome trick to try is an egg facial mask! The egg white acts more like it draws the oils out, while the egg yolk acts as a type of moisturizer. This is wonderful for making skin firmer as well.

Recipe:
• Get two small bowls.
• Crack one egg into one bowl.
• Separate the yolk and put it into the other bowl. Optional: Add a few drops of lemon juice if you have oily skin. It will help eliminate oil. Don't try it if you have dry skin, however, as it will irritate the skin.
• Spread the egg white around your face in circular upward motions while avoiding the eyes.
• Wait 15-30 minutes. You want it to harden on your face.
• Wash the egg white off of your face.
• Spread yolk around face in the same manner as the egg white.
• Wait 15-30 minutes.
• Wash the egg yolk off with warm water and pat dry.

Additional Tips:
Keep hair pulled back away from the face when doing this (obviously hair + raw egg = mess). I find it is easiest to do this right before taking a shower, it ensures that I get all the egg stuff after I am done.

Here’s a great video on this type of facial:



Don’t forget to use organic eggs, they are healthier and better for the environment!

Thanks for reading and staying beautiful the green way!

P.S. I am sorry for the long delay in doing a new post, I was on vacation and didn’t have internet access. I will make it up by doing a ton of posts this month though!

Pucker Up

Of course everyone wants kissable lips, so here are some great natural lip balms you might want to give a try to keep your lips soft and beautiful.

Sally Hansen Natural Butter Lip Shimmer ($6 in drugstores):Made from 94% natural ingredients, including real mango and cocoa. One thing to note: this product is a “shimmer” and should not be used if you want a lot of color, it is sheer and just gives you a little bit of tint/shine.



Jess’ Bee Natural Lip Balm ($3 here):
This lip balm is natural (as the name implies) and is made with raw shea butter, sweet almond oil, beeswax, soybean oil, and vitamin E. It comes in peppermint, cinnamon, tangerine, grapefruit, lime and unscented.



The Merry Hempsters’ Organic Hemp Lip Balm ($39.60 for a case of 24 here or about $2.50 for 1 at a store near you):
This lip balm is made from organic canadian cannabis sativa (hemp) seed oil, and organic beeswax and comes in a variety of flavors including spearmint, lemon-lime, mandarin-orange, and vanilla. They also make varieties that are SPF 18 and vegan.



BeesWork ($5.95 here):
This natural lip balm is made from jojoba oil, beeswax, vitamin E, and other essential oils. Comes in mandarin peel, eucalyptus, lavender, vanilla mint, and red roses.



Eco Lips ($1.99 here)
The Eco Lips Pure and Simple balms offer delicious fruit flavors in a simple compilation of ingredients: Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax), Organic Flavor, D-Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E). Cruelty Free. Gluten free. No Hydrogenated Oils. Petrolatum Free. Flavors include kiwi-strawberry, coconut, and grape.



Thanks for reading and keeping your beauty products green!

Take It Off!

Since we just talked about nail polish, I guess we have to talk about what to use to remove it when you get tired of it or it starts chipping.

Suncoat, one of the nail polish brands I mentioned last post, also makes soy and corn based nail polish remover. This stuff is Non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, readily biodegradable, Paraben free, GMO free, non-flammable and not tested on animals.
More info here.



Priti Organic Spa also created a soy and corn based nail polish remover that is biodegradable, non-carcinogenic, free of any petroleum ingredients, derived from farm crops (supporting American farming), packaged in 100% recyclable glass bottles, and non-carcinogenic. More info here.



Provida makes a “Living Nails” organic nail polish remover. More info here.

Honey Bee Gardens has an acetone-free, fragrance-free formula. This is a totally odorless blend of alcohols. (Although I’m sure it’s good, this would not be my top choice due to the presence of alcohols in this one.) More info here.

Thanks for reading!

Pretty Nails Without the Fumes

Doing your nails can be a great way to relax, de-stress, and look pretty, but the fumes found in nail polish can do a number on your health. The formaldehyde, DPB, and toluene in nail polish can cause some people severe headaches, dizziness, fatigue, skin irritations, sore throat, and even breathing problems if you are close to the nail polish for a long period of time (15 – 20 minutes). So, to rectify this problem, some manufacturers have begun to make organic nail polish.



Provida makes an organic top coat, more info about which can be found here.

Suncoat products makes water based nail polish in thirty-three great colors: suncoat products.

Zoya also makes organic nail polish, more info here.

Karma Organics also produces natural, non-toxic, chemical-free (no Toluene, Formaldehyde, or DBP) nail polish in more than 80 colors, including glow-in-the-dark shades: karma organics.

Priti Nails makes soy based nail polishes in 104 awesome colors: priti nails.

Want some great tips for doing your nails?
Check out julieg713’s channel on youtube! She has some awesome tutorials on doing many great styles from Christmas lights, to French-tip manicures, to Lady Gaga poker face themed. Here is one of my favorites, leopard print:

Leopard Print Nails Tutorial!
(Unfortunately she disabled embedding, so I can’t put it up here, but still check it out. I promise it will be worth your time!)

Stay green & beautiful, and thanks for reading!

A CASE for the Environment

Everyone knows the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but in this case I might make an exception. Here are some beauty products that work hard to make their containers as ecologically friendly as possible:

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Face Powder ($14 in drugstores):
This product’s paper compact has 93% less plastic than other compacts. The face powder is also made from organic ingredients and comes with a natural goat hair brush.

Cargo PlantLove Lipstick ($20 in Sephora stores):
This lipstick’s compostable case is made from corn, a renewable resource whose production has a carbon neutral footprint, and flower seeds are embedded in the box so you can plant it!

Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo ($9 at Aveda.com):
This shampoo’s bottle is made from recycled plastic.

Thanks for reading and staying beautiful the green way!