Green Options

Neroli Rose products are made with hydrating shea butter from Southern Sudan. Sudanese Shea Butter is thought to be the finest natural moisturizer in the world.

“In Sudan, shea butter is called Lulu, meaning ‘treasured pearl’. Sudanese women process their Lulu by hand, using an ancient, cold-pressed technique that retains the highest concentrations of Vitamins A and E. The butter is produced from the nuts of shea trees that grow wild, deep within the Sudanese forests, untouched by chemicals or fertilizers. This rare shea butter from the Nile Basin is so nutritious, it serves as a food staple for the Sudanese people during the dry season.”

The Dazzle Dry Nail Polish System is made for the “on the go lifestyle”. The really great thing about the quick drying Dazzle Dry Nail System is that it contains no harmful chemicals. It is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, and camphor and is also nitrocellulose free (this is the stuff that turns your nails yellow).

The Dazzle Dry formula is also Vegan and Non-Toxic.

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, reviews Sweet Riot, a mission-focused, women-owned company dedicated to providing the most delicious chocolate in the world through environmentally-responsible and ethical business practices.

Miserable winter weather, harsh winds, bitter cold…all that can do a number on sensitive lips.

That’s why lip balms make great gifts.

Stick some eco-friendly lip balms in some one’s stocking this year.

Several companies offer delightful organic lip balms in numerous lip smacking flavors that will leave lips soft, smooth, and totally kissable.

Today is National Sandwich Day, supposedly because November 3rd marks the birthday of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Legend has it that Montagu ordered his servant to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread so Montagu could eat one-handed while gambling.

While I’ve yet to be convinced that National Sandwich Day wasn’t created to sell more sliced bread, the holiday is still a good excuse to make [...]

The holidays are creeping up faster than any of us would probably like. Before Halloween is even over the stores are already putting up winter holiday displays. As always I try to start early though I hardly ever do. Time just flies by so fast.

But I have been keeping an eye out for great eco-friendly products that are reasonably priced (like $25 and under) that would make great gifts and stocking stuffers.

I can’t keep this stuff on my lips! It is so delicious I keep licking it right off. Thank goodness it is natural, safe and full of organic ingredients and not any petroleum by-products.

The Dark Chocolate Orange lip balm by Kokokahn has to be one of the best tasting lip balms I have ever used. At one time I never would have believed that orange and chocolate was a tasty flavor combination but since trying it, it’s almost up there with chocolate and raspberry which is my most favorite flavor combo.

With Memorial Day signalling the official start to Summer, it’s time to start thinking SPF. If you’re still housing old tubes from last year or god forbid, the year before, now’s the time to throw it out and get yourself a fresh batch. Before you hit the stores for a new stash though, know this… Out of more than a thousand sunscreens analyzed by EWG (Environmental Working Group) for safety & effectiveness, stability in sunlight, broad-spectrum protection against UVB + UVA radiation, and containing few if any ingredients with significant or known health hazards – only a measly 15% measured up. Further, many sunscreen ingredients break down in the sun, in a matter of minutes or hours, then let UV radiation through to the skin.

I’m a bad daughter, as I haven’t gotten anything for my mother this year for Mother’s Day. The truth is I hate buying gifts, and I don’t have time to make anything. Of course, I have turned the responsibility over to my children to honor grandmother, but I did send her this video, which of course I had to watch first making myself Mother of the Year (on the same evening my daughter told me I was “extremely mean” for asking her to do her homework).

Mother’s Day originally began as a day of peace; it is not a Hallmark holiday.  MomsRising, an organization devoted “working to bring together millions of people who share a common concern about the need to build a more family-friendly America”, has created personal videos for Mother’s Day.  According to MomsRising, Americans will spend $16 billion this year on Mother’s Day celebrations!  That’s a lot of money to show Mom we care, and even though I have sent my mom her special video, I will probably still buy her some Dr. Hauschka.

Are you looking for wonderful green gifts for your eco-mama? Here are some little eco-luxuries that will make great green gifts for the woman on your Mother’s Day list this year.

Green Candlelight

Many women adore candles yet most traditional candles are made with petroleum by products, toxic fragrances and lead laden wicks.

Good news! There are now many eco-candles available so you can feed her candle addiction with candles made from soy wax, beeswax or even vegetable based paraffins, those are all green options. So give your green mama an eco candle this year.

There are three advantages to making your own cosmetics: the cost is often a fraction of the shop price, the ingredients tend to be simpler and you know exactly what they are, and you can tailor the product to meet the needs of your own skin.