Green Options

The concept that we must cleanse both inside and out resonates loudly with me. As one who has experienced the benefits of seasonal detoxing and who believes we should be mindful of what we put on our bodies and what we put into them, I was excited to recently discover SoCal Cleanse, a company who advocates the importance of both.

My passion for organics began with food. Not long after becoming more aware of what I consume, I began to wonder why I would be feed my skin with anything else. It simply made no sense to be conscientious about one and not the other.

Let’s get real here… I like to do crafty things. If you don’t roll that way, it’s okay! There are plenty of options out there for purchasing natural, handcrafted soaps (which are better for you, better for the environment and better for small business). I’ve been “going to” make soap for about six months now. Well, it’s a new year and that means its time “to”.

If you want to jump on the handcrafted soap bandwagon… Here’s how!

First, jump on over to Bramble Berry and purchase an Eco-Chic Soap Kit ($15.45). The kit includes: 2 lbs of Organic Melt and Pour Base, 1 ounce spirulina, 1 ounce cranberry seeds and two essential oils. You provide coffee grounds, oats, rubbing alcohol, and recycled containers of choice (think shape/texture- tofu containers, yogurt tubs, the bottom of a 20oz soda bottle, small milk cartons, etc…).

With green living, homeopathy and natural alternatives growing in popularity, soap makers are springing up around the world, concocting magical creations of coconut and lime in gleaming, glycerin-infused goodness that cleanse the body, mind and soul. 

Oh, and your hands too!

Growing up in my house, ‘handmade’ soap consisted of my mother gathering up all the remaining bits of bar soap from the shower and bathtubs, tossing them into a container with some water and shaking it up.  “Voila, hand soap!” she would state proudly.  But her objectives were to save money, not create a luxurious lather to soothe and soften the skin.  And, trust me, an acrid amalgum of Dial and Irish Spring was anything but soothing! 

But today’s handmade soaps are a beneficial blend of nourishing nutrients, rich with essential oils and alleviating aromatherapy that care for the skin and calm the senses.  And because they’re chemical-free, they’re an eco-friendly alternative to their caustic counterparts, making them a great way to indulge yourself and the earth.

Pictured above is a collage I made inspired by the site Saffron Rouge shopping muse and her Luxury Body Bar picks from Living Nature in New Zealand. These beautiful and luxurious handcrafted soaps are blended with natural New Zealand ingredients to leave skin cleansed, refreshed and revitalized. Three unique, lightly scented bars blend organic olive, palm and coconut oils to delicately nurture and replenish skin:

• The Nourishing Body Bar softens skin with Kowhai flowers.
• The Purifying Body Bar refreshes skin with Manuka honey.
• The Invigorating Body Bar energizes skin with Harakeke (New Zealand flax) seeds.