Green Options

“Natural as Mud” is the company logo and while I’m not sure I would lump this into the same category as mud, my girls will be finding this nail polish in their Christmas Stockings.

“Imagine a nail polish that is designed especially for those precious little girls in your life. Piggy Paint was recently founded by Melanie Hurley, a Stay-at-Home Mom with two fancy little girls, who love to have their fingernails painted. This Mom always hated the thought of her children putting their hands in their mouths after she painted their nails with traditional kid polishes. Not only did the ingestion of chemicals worry her, but the smell left her light-headed after painting two sets of fingernails and toenails.” -Piggy Paint Website

The product line is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone. The ingredients are listed as: Water, water-miscible acrylic and polyurethane film formers and thickeners (well below 100 parts per million), glycol ethers. May contain mica, D&C red lake, ultramarine blue and chromium, iron and titanium oxide pigments.

For over 6000 years aromatherapy, also known as the art of blending natural essential oils, has been in use. The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and many other cultures around the globe have used aromatherapy oils and documented their healing properties. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, was known to have used aromatherapy baths and scented massage. In fact, he used aromatic fumigations to help rid Athens of the terrible plague. Perfumes, on the other hand, are synthetic and known to contain toxic chemicals. They were invented less than a century ago and may actually create illness. For example, the acetone found in synthetic fragrance effects the nervous system when inhaled. Research on this topic has shown side effects of possible dizziness, less coordination, nausea, and drowsiness as well as irritating the sinuses, throat, eyes, and skin. Often men’s cologne is strongest and worn with the idea of making women swoon, yet it just may have her falling for the wrong reasons.
While perfumes can alter or mutate our hormones in an unnatural way, the molecules in essential oils act naturally like hormones and form a healthy link with our bodily processes.

The right blend of essential oils will not only strengthen our immune system but also aid in revitalization and regulation of our emotional and physical responses to our changing everyday environment.