I’m Going Gray. Here’s What I’m Going To Do.
May 6, 2008 | 4 Comments
At 32, I have quite a bit of gray hair. And I seem to get more with each passing month. My Dad was totally gray by my age, which is totally foxy on him (he still gets the ladies looking twice) - but on me? Not so much. Plus, my hair is so dark that the white hairs show up like white pet hair on your black pants.
I’ve been thinking of coloring over it but I’m not about to put some nasty cancer causing chemicals on my scalp. Even the temporary colors contain ammonia. If I wouldn’t even clean my house with it, I’m surely not going to let it soak into my skin. According to to this article,
“Most concerns surround dark-coloured, permanent dyes used every four to six weeks. Scientists are particularly worried about two chemical ingredients, para-phenylenediamine and tetrahydro-6-nitroquinoxaline.
These chemicals have been shown to damage the body’s genetic material, and to cause cancer in animals.”
Yummy!
When I’m mostly gray, I’ll let it go natural, like Jamie Lee Curtis and that supermodel Carmen. But, I’m not ready for that yet. It might be the better part of two decades before I’m that gray.
So I went hunting for some non-toxic, natural hair color alternatives. I knew about henna, but the trouble with henna is that it’s going to give you a reddish tint even if you pick a brown color … and I don’t want that. I don’t think it would be flattering to my skin tone.
I did some searching around and found several products that fit the bill. Good gray coverage, no nasty chemicals. While they’re priced a bit higher than what I could find at the local drug store, that’s ok with me. Cancer is pretty expensive. 
Herbatint contains no ammonia and is free from “aggressive chemical ingredients”. It gets great customer reviews at Amazon, and users say it makes their hair really shiny too, which would be a plus. It’s very hard to make hair as coarse and curly as mine shine.
This produ
ct gets a safety rating of 6 on SkinDeep’s database.
Another one that looks promising is Light Mountain Natural Color. It’s recommended by The Safe Shoppers Bible and is non-carcinogenic. It’s priced a bit lower than Herbatint.
And this product gets a safety rating of 1 at SkinDeep - excellent! This is probably the one I’ll go with.
A third product I found is Naturtint Permanent Hair Color
After I color my hair I’ll come back here and post my own review. Stay tuned.
Be An Earthy Beauty
April 22, 2008 | 13 Comments
I mean earthy in a good way. 
I have a little freebie to share for Earth Week. (On another site I heard it referred to as Earth Century, which is very appropriate!)
This ebook is all about natural beauty . How to make the most of what you’ve got without a lot of products, without spending a ton of money, without using harmful chemicals on your face and body and without tons of packaging and waste.
It has lots of recipes so you can make your own personal care products like sugar scrubs, facial cleanser and other pampering stuff.
All you have to do is right click here and download it!
Enjoy and you can pass it around if you like.
Frugal Friday: Natural Product Discount Alerts
April 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Amazon is offering some nice discounts on natural and organic products in April, including:
Save $2 on Neti Pots (and if you don’t know what in the heck a Neti Pot is, find out cause they come in real handy during allergy season. Read about this Neti Pot system.)
$10 off Natural and Organic personal care products
Save $20 on Eco Friendly Cleaning products
Save $10 on Rechargeable batteries (this is nice because rechargeables require a bigger up front investment, but boy I love them! You know how kids go through batteries!)
Save $20 on NatureMade supplements
AND Cute Baby Shoes has a special 50% off coupon code! It is: secretsale
Just go here to shop (before April 12!) and get half off your order. Cute Baby Shoes offer soft soled leather shoes for babies and toddlers - and they are true to their name.
ONE MORE:
GAIAM is offering $10 - $20 off your order. This one expires April 17th.
You’re welcome.
Another Natural Mommy Ponders Her Personal Care Product Choices
March 29, 2008 | 12 Comments
Beth over at NaturalMommy posted on her blog that she’s rethinking some of her makeup and skin care shopping as of late. I left a few lengthy comments over there but also wanted to discuss this on my blog. I’ve already expressed what I see as some of the problems of working the CVS system - the tempation to obtain products that really aren’t good for you or for the environment, just because they’re free.
Basically Beth was asking for other natural mommas to share their tips for getting pretty on a budget - and using natural and safer products all the while. This can be a challenge. Personally I hate spending money on beauty stuff, so I do a combination of things to get cute on a budget including:
1) Just plain using less stuff to begin with (a lot of skin care stuff is unnecessary and overkill). Most beauty experts agree that noone needs toner, for example. You need a gentle cleanser (only once a day, at night. Splashing your face with water in the morning is sufficient) and a moisturizer, preferably with sunscreen.
Washing your hair less (or skipping the shampoo altogether) works too. I have very thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair and only shampoo once every 4 days. Any more than that and I resemble a brunette Brillo pad. Or Simba with his finger stuck in a socket. And the styling product I use is a little bit of moisturizer in my hands mixed with a tiny bit of styling gel. I learned this trick years ago and it works great for my hair texture.
When it comes to the kids, I never used soap on their skin at all when they were babies. Ever. Water is sufficient to clean a baby’s skin. As they got older, Dr. Bronner’s was my friend. The stuff goes a LONG way. I dilute! dilute! mine just like it says on the bottle.
I never needed diaper rash cream because my kids didn’t get rashes because if they even looked rashy I just took the diaper off or loosely pinned on a prefold and it cleared up the same day.
2) Making my own or using really simple ingredients for skin care. For instance olive oil for a makeup remover and moisturizer. And sugar or salt scrubs to scrub my body, and baking soda to exfoliate my face. Oh and making my own homemade tooth powder. (which my Dentist approves, sans the cinnamon!) Here are some more of my cheap green beauty tips and natural skin care recipes.
One thing that surprised me was the Pollyanna attitude of some of the other commenters. Perhaps they don’t realize that cosmetics and personal care products aren’t regulated the way that the food supply is. Manufacturers can put pretty much whatever they want in makeup and skin care products without anyone looking over their shoulder. They don’t have to prove the safety of their products.
Putting our head in the sand about stuff we slather on our bodies isn’t smart. We take care to eat well - why would we pay less attention to what we rub in and on our skin, the body’s largest organ and the immune system’s first line of defense? To pretend that everything in the marketplace is safe is not smart. As an example, women in my mother’s generation thought they were doing the right thing by applying talc to their baby’s tushies. Now we know that talc can cause cancer. If we can easily make a safer choice, why wouldn’t we?
One good place to search for safer products is the Safe Cosmetics Database. Searching through the website, I’ve found that some of the data needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For example, some of the Burt’s Bees products get poor ratings, but upon closer inspection, it appears that the ingredients in question (like sodium borate or castor oil) are only harmful or toxic in very large amounts. Still, it’s a good place to start.
How do you get pretty on a tight budget - while still using natural ingredients?
Are You Reading These Reviews?
March 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Do you ever read the reviews on the Natural Mom Product Reviews site?
We’ve gotten some really great reviews lately. Thanks to those of you who submitted well written reviews! (And the Paypal cash was nice, no?)
It helps to get someone else’s opinion before you spend your hard earned money on stuff. Go read some of these:
- Gripe water reviews
- Balance ball workout DVD
- Raising Baby Green book review
- Jason Naturals Kids Shampoo
- Earth Mama Angel Baby New Mama Bottom Spray
- Kissaluvs Fitted Cloth Diapers
- Kiss My Face Swy Flotter Insect Repellent
- Burt’s Bees Head to Toe Starter Kit
If you’re a mom in business you can send your products to me and I will review them personally. Contact me at carrie at naturalmomstalkradio dot com if you’re interested.
Mom Time and Vanity
February 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Moms Morning Show this morning was about taking care of momma. Aurelia, Kelly, Chele and Cara talked about taking the time and spending money on YOU.
I realized years ago that I was a better mom if I took the time in the morning to put on a little lip color, curl my eyelashes and put on jeans and a cute top. When I feel better about my appearance, I’m more effective with my kids. It’s almost like I respect myself more when I’ve taken that 5-10 minutes in the morning to spruce up, and that makes me a better Mom.
But, I have one issue I need to work on.
My nails are atrocious! I have never HAD nails in my life, mostly because I pick at my cuticles until they bleed. Bad, I know. So I never wanted to spend the money on manicures or anything. I don’t want fake nails, but I am realizing that my hands are looking old and I don’t like it.
First I need to stop picking at my cuticles, so I’m going to work on that with EFT. Secondly I need to make it a daily habit to moisturize my cuticles and hands.
I have gottten a LOT of grey hair in the last couple of years, but I don’t want to color it. I want to be a foxy grey haired woman. I think grey hair is cool. My Dad has been prematurely grey since I was born. It’s his signature look. Of course, I might change my mind in the future. I might not want to look as old as my hair makes me look.
If I did decide to dye my hair, I would use something that doesn’t have 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine (4MMPD) or 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine sulfate (4MMPD sulfate), two ingredients that are linked to cancer. So I would have to research the natural hair dye options available.
What do you think? Are you going to go grey? Or fight aging every step of the way?
Beauty Secrets of the Bible - Transcript
January 9, 2008 | 4 Comments
A transcript of this week’s show is below. Also don’t miss my review of the book here: Beauty Secrets of the Bible book review and the free sample recipe courtesy of Ginger.
Carrie: We are joined by Ginger Garrett, author of Beauty Secrets of the Bible: The Ancient Arts of Beauty and Fragrance. I really enjoyed your book. I’ve got a million pages dog eared with all these great beauty tips I want to try.
Ginger: It was so much fun writing it!
C: Yeah I bet. You don’t ordinarily think of the Bible as being a book of health or beauty.
G: It’s interesting though, the ancient women were just as concerned about beauty as we are, they had wrinkle treatments and they had blemish treatments. Really anything we do, they did too.
C: You know that make sense. It really does. It’s perfectly natural. If you have a toddler they’re interested in getting into your makeup and putting on your high heels and that kind of thing, so it seems like it’s just a natural thing!
G: Absolutely. We’re born to be creative.
C: I thought it was interesting that the first half of your book actually doesn’t delve into specific recipes or beauty treatments, but it’s more of focusing on what true beauty is, and I enjoyed reading that section.
G: Good. You know especially for moms, we’re so responsible for bringing up our daughters in a healthy way and to have a healthy view of their appearance. Because certainly they go out into the world and it tells us that the only thing that matters is what’s on the outside. But the ancient women in particular had a very holistic view of beauty, they didn’t separate appearance from body. They felt like whatever they did to their body would affect their spirit, and they were very careful about how they presented themselves.
C: That’s right. Absolutely. And that does mean a lot. Your book also talks about diet, and specific foods that were very popular in Bible days, and among ancient peoples.
First of all I wanted to ask you, what made you want to sit down and write this book? Why was that an interest of yours?
G: I had written a novel that was based on a Queen from history. And her story was that she spent one entire year doing nothing but getting beauty treatments, so as I researched her story I would try to uncover what she would have been using and at first I thought, it was 3,000 years ago, they weren’t sophisticated.
That’s what I thought! I got into it and realized that the ancient women were really more sophisticated than we are about beauty. And about health and their approach to it. And I had so many reader requests. They wanted to know more. How can I try the things that she was using back then? I ended up putting this book together.
C: Right. I’ve always thought that story of Queen Esther was so fascinating, the way that she presented herself. She was a powerful woman and she was loyal, and courageous but the way that she went about getting the job done, it’s such a great example. How you can be strong and a powerful woman without – some of the negative connotations around that. You can still be feminine and you can still me respectful and dignified and do amazing things.
G: That’s right. And I also love her story because she was taken out of her home at a young age and forced to live in a harem where she was nothing but a pretty face. Yet she rose above it, she didn’t rebel in a way that made her a coarse or angry person. She just acknowledged the reality of the culture she was living in, and yet she became this incredibly strong vibrant woman.
I think, as I raise my girls, that’s how I want to raise them. If we can acknowledge that the world around them wants them to be beautiful and places way too much emphasis on that. I just want to encourage them it’s ok to want to be beautiful. It’s ok to be affected by that culture. But let’s talk about how we can rise above it. Let’s talk about what true beauty is.
C: Right. So let’s talk about some of the healthy foods that are talked about in the Bible. Like almonds and flax and even vinegar, do you want o bring up some specific things that you found in your research about some of those – we call them super foods nowadays.
G: That’s right. What was interesting to me was that, what the ancient women did naturally, what they reached for, they believed worked. But science today is telling us that it works very well. Like let’s take vinegar for example.
Vinegar was a household staple in the ancient world. Today there’s a lot of research going into vinegar because the acetic acid, which is present in any vinegar…. Red raspberry or apple cider, actually science tells us can slow the absorption of carbohydrates. And it works as well as some diabetes drugs. So if you are pre diabetic, if you struggle with blood sugar or excess weight, you might consider adding a couple of tablespoons of vinegar, to a glass of water right before a meal, and it will stabilize your blood sugar and slow the absorption of carbohydrates.
Another great one is almonds. That was just a natural food group back them. And today we re getting to understand how many phyto nutrients and antioxidants the almonds have. And I always say to buy them raw. Because the white part that’s inside the meat has about 20 different antioxidants and then the brown papery covering, that has antioxidants. But when you combine them by crunching them up, those antioxidants are multiplied, they’re hundreds of times more powerful. They’re great for inflammations, they’re great because they’re rich in vitamins and minerals, and they help prevent wrinkles. Science tells us that the more antioxidants we eat now, the fewer wrinkles we’re going to have later.
Carrie: Wow. I have a couple of neat stories about vinegar. I had a friend who was an elderly gentleman. And he was very vibrant, very healthy. He lived a nice long life, and he died peacefully in his sleep with no health issues at all. And just very physically active, worked until the day he died. And his health tip was: every morning on an empty stomach, he swore by drinking a little apple cider vinegar in a cup of water. That was his cure all.
Ginger: There are so many people who really do swear by vinegar. And if you can’t stomach the taste of apple cider, you can try any variety . A lot of people like red raspberry vinegar, it’s a little sweeter. The active ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid, which is present in all varieties. So you can experiment with the different flavors. But you’re right – people swear by vinegar.
C: I was thinking too that my sister is a big proponent of kombucha, which is basically vinegar. They call it a tea, but it’s not a tea, it’s really a vinegar. She swears that she got rid of her arthritis and her son’s arthritis with kombucha. It makes sense that that would work.
G: Absolutely. And it’s so rich in enzymes. I interviewed a Ph.D. in nutritional science for the book. One of the things he told me was that half of everything we know about antioxidants and phytonutrients has only been discovered in the last couple of years. So we are just now beginning to understand how incredibly powerful these natural foods are. Particularly at fighting inflammation such as arthritis.
C: Women in Bible times had one advantage over us, and that is that they had to eat a whole foods diet because there was no such thing as fast food, there was no white flour. The whole grains that they did eat were very coarsely ground like the Ezekiel bread that you can buy in the health food store. So it was a whole different kind of a grain. People nowadays really vilify carbohydrates and bread. But bread has always been a mainstay of life, they call it the staff of life. But it was the kind of grains they were eating that made a lot of difference. That’s mentioned in your book.
G: That’s right. It does make a big difference. I also like that the ancient women had a very different approach to food. To them, food was a sign of blessing and abundance. They believed in eating until they were full. They celebrated food. Whereas today, we’re very afraid of it, we’re afraid of bad carbs versus good carbs. People will tell us you can’t eat bananas or you have to eat them but only eat them after 3 and if they’re paired with apples… there’s so much craziness around food. I think we’ve almost forgotten how to celebrate that we have enough. And what an incredible blessing that is.
C: I really like what you have to say on page 56 where you talk about the history of “weak versus the strong woman”. You’re encouraging women to engage in strength training which is so important for prevention of osteoporosis and preventing bone loss in later life. And I’ve noticed that since I’ve turned 30 that there has been a change – I have to work harder to maintain my weight, it’s never been an issue before. You talk about how the real hyperfeminine kind of weak woman who has to keep smelling salts handy – how that came into vogue. Do you want to talk more about that for a minute?
G: That to me was so fascinating, both the history of the weak woman and the history of the diet were compelling! Prior to the industrial revolution, women had to be strong because we ground our own wheat, we got our own water. A lot of us lived very close to the land, so when men were looking for wives they wanted a healthy, strong woman because they needed a partner in their life.
When the industrial revolution hit, suddenly we could buy bread and we could go to the store and purchase anything that we used to make. And women were displaced. By and large the industrial revolution was a man’s movement. So women were displaced and suddenly, being very very weak became fashionable. It was a status symbol for a man – he knew he was wealthy when he could afford a woman who wasn’t a partner, who was too weak to help him in anything. So we became trophy wives at that point.
So I try to pick apart how we got to where we are today, that weakness isn’t an inherently feminine quality. And we should never be afraid to be strong, because my strength only accents my husband’s strength, it never diminishes it.
C: And a good man sees that! I like how you quote Proverbs 31 because that’s a beautiful chapter. That woman was in no way weak or unintelligent. She engaged in business, she bought and sold property, she was looked upon with respect in the community…. That’s such a good one to put in there.
Let’s talk about some of the specific beauty treatments and recipes that you mention in the book. For instance, honey. A lot of times people think of honey as “ooh, gross and sticky and I wouldn’t want to put that on my face”. Tell us about that.
G: I interviewed a man named Christopher Watt. He is facialist to the stars, his most famous client is Jennifer Lopez. He told me that the biggest celebrity secret for glowing skin is honey. I thought oh, here we go! He said no there is a secret to it and he’s right.
While your skin is still wet after your shower or after you wash your face just take ONE drop of honey, maybe two but go light on it. Rub it between your palms and pat it in gently and remember, your face and your hands should be damp or wet. On a wet face, just one drop of honey gently patted in.
Honey is rich in amino acids and proteins and enzymes and minerals. It’s also a very powerful humectant and anti-inflammatory. So when you put it on your skin, it’s going to plump up those little fine lines and wrinkles and it’s going to fight blemishes and give you this gorgeous glow. The first time I tried it I got out of the shower and used my one drop of honey. And I remember when my husband came into the bathroom and he said, “Wow, what did you do to your face - you’re glowing!” That is my favorite beauty tip.
C: Speaking of olive oil, I was looking at some beauty product the other day and I saw that it had squalane in it, and I learned years ago that squalane is just a fancy word for olive oil. So it’s very, very expensive to buy products with squalane in them. Isn’t it funny that you can buy organic olive oil for less than $10 and get a huge bottle of it that will last you for years in your bathroom…I use it to remove mascara and as a moisturizer sometimes. And I cannot see a dent in the bottle that I’ve purchased a year ago!
G: The interesting thing about cosmetics is, it’s actually legal for them to lie to you on the label. You can go to the FDA’s website and they will say that in black and white. Really any claim, even the ones that they know are bogus, are allowed on the label. The only claim they can’t put on there is that it’s a drug or has an affect like a drug. So you’re right, they don’t have to tell you that you’re paying $50 for a half ounce of olive oil.
Olive oil again is one of those natural products that’s packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients. It’s great for your skin. There’s also some evidence coming out now that they don’t know what it is in olive oil, but there’s something in olive oil that may give you an extra layer of protection against skin damage from the sun.
Any time you can choose a natural beauty treatment or a natural food, you’re going to be multitasking because you’ll be moisturizing your skin but you’ll be getting all these additional benefits.
C: Well this has been so interesting Ginger, and I encourage anyone who likes to use natural beauty products and who wants to save money to get a copy of your book and keep it on hand. You have a lot of really great ideas in the book and recipes for healthy eating and also for your skin.
G: Almost all of the recipes and a lot of tips are available as a free download on my site, www.gingergarrett.com
C: Thanks so much!
G: Thanks for having me.
Free Skin Care Recipe: Rich Milk Wash
January 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Ginger was kind enough to let me share a recipe from her site. Here is one I picked. Let us know how you like it!
Rich Milk Wash
- 1 cup powdered goat’s milk
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
Process the oats in a blender until extremely fine and mix well with the dry milk. Store in an airtight container. To use as a face wash, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons into your palm and work into a paste with warm water. Scrub the face gently and wash. Can also be used as a body scrub and in the bath as a luxurious soak.
The lactic acids in the milk are a natural source of alpha hydroxy acids that help fight the signs of aging, and the oats soothe and manually exfoliate the skin. Together, these ingredients will leave your skin unbelievably soft and supple.
Ginger Garrett is the author of Beauty Secrets of the Bible
Birthy is Beautiful! (To the woman in the long Black Cloak)
December 5, 2007 | 3 Comments
I passed you in the store today. You were wrapped in your winter coat, but you couldn’t close it all the way, thanks to your lovely round belly. I was noticing how your blouse was pulled tight and your weight had shifted down. I was thinking to myself that you look like you’ll probably be holding your newborn babe sometime in the next 3 days….and then I was thinking how arrogant it was of me to think I could predict what is so obviously a miracle-a secret just for you and your little one. I smiled to myself at my own chiding, and I suppose all this was happening while I was looking at your belly, because when I came back to reality, I realized my gaze was still in your direction. You saw me and acted embarrassed, and turned away.
I felt so bad!
So I’m writing to apologize.
You see, I really do find expectant women stunning. It’s like being in the presence of Diety in tangible form. I’m amazed at the miracle of pregnancy and birth each and every time I am privileged to be touched by it. Even if just to pass it in in the dairy aisle. ;) I get almost giddy-I want to talk about their experiences with the joys of pregnancy and share a cup of Red Rasperry Leaf tea over Birth plans, fears and dreams.
Of course, it’s not my place to do this with perfect strangers, and while I am not one of those annoying women who will touch your belly without invitation, I can’t HELP but look-peek-dream….imagine.
It’s my passion. It’s my life’s calling to help women claim what is rightfully theirs in Birth, and to honor their passage through, and help them heal following. And my passion sometimes gets the best of me, and I look when I should avert my eyes. I smile stupidly at nothing-(dreaming of Birth and new babes) when I should be reading package labels….
So please excuse me if I pass you again, looking at you like we belong to a secret club….We do you know. You may not realize it, but we are both working to change the world-you through your meeting an opportunity for transformative Birth, and birthing an amazing new being ripe with potential…and I, by serving and encouraging women just like you….having walked that path-having met that transformation for myself. I know that you have no idea who I am or what I do, or that just your creating life has moved me-inspired me to action in my work-and I understand if you protect yourself or act shy. Our society sooo doesn’t get being amazed at the process. It’s so broken down into little pieces of physiological and scientific “evidence”, and the Mystery-the Miracle is lost.
So it’s not your belly I see when I pass you. It’s life coming through you.
It’s the miracle that makes me gawk. Really.
You are powerful-beautiful-amazing.
Thank you Beautiful Birthy Woman.
With Awe,
Marcie Macari
1-888-432-7171
Bloomin’ Belly Soaps - Luscious Lather
December 3, 2007 | 2 Comments
When our guest blogger Marcie Macari told me she was sending me a sample of her Bloomin’ Belly Soaps, I thought, “cool, I’ll have a little sliver for my travel bag.”
WRONG.
She sent a huge package with full size samples of her gorgeous soaps and skin care products! Thanks so much Marcie, I’ve been in lather heaven ever since.
I’m a big soap fanatic. I used to make my own natural soaps and so I really appreciate a good soap. Of course, I never made anatomically correct pregnant torso soaps. These “Mamas in Bloom” soaps are so adorable and I have one that will be on its way to a pregnant friend in a few days. These would be so cute as a gift for a baby shower!
I LOVE the Grapefruit Ginger Silken Mama Body Butter. I can actually see the ginger in there and t’s so thick that it’s like rubbing pure butter on your skin. It’s wonderful for my really dry heels and I’ve also used it on chapped baby cheeks (you know how they sometimes get in the winter).
The body butter smells heavenly and I have a very difficult time keeping my 2 year old out of it. She loves when I slather it on her legs (they get super ashy and dry just like mine do). And it’s preservative free and made with wonderful stuff like shea and cocoa, so I don’t have to worry about her using it.
I’ve also enjoyed using the bar soaps - they’re so moisturizing due to the shea butter that I can even use them on my face and as a shaving cream without them drying out my skin. One note about natural soaps like Marcie’s: they don’t lather as much as you might be accustomed to due to the fact that they’re made without sodium lauryl sulfate like commercially available soaps.
The kids are enjoying the little jigsaw piece soaps too. Check out Bloomin’ Belly Soaps and see what all natural pampering delights await you!