I’ve had so much fun making my own skin care and cleaning products lately. Does that make me a big dork? Maybe. But I don’t care! It’s fun to be a kitchen alchemist, and to save money on these items. Not to mention my biggest motivation: healthier, safer products on my skin and in my home.

Here are a few examples of some simple homemade skin care products.

Facial Cleansing Oil

I had used oil based cleansers before a time or two and found they were really effective at removing makeup, but it was reading Simple Mom’s 52 Bites ebook (where she provides recipes) that motivated me to make my own Oil Cleanser. Oh my goodness it was easy.

I love the way this cleanser makes my skin look and feel. You might imagine it leaving a greasy residue, but it doesn’t at all. I washes away cleanly and just leaves your face feeling really clean, not tight. It’s awesome at removing makeup. (How many times do you “wash” your face and find bits of mascara left behind, or foundation still on your nose?) I don’t even need a moisturizer after using it. I use my Oil only once a day, in the evening. I find that in the mornings I simply need to splash my face with warm water.

Recipes vary, but mine is simply one part castor oil (for cleansing) and one part olive oil (for moisturizing).

Baking Soda Deodorant

This one is the simplest of all. Years ago after experimenting with various “natural” brands of deodorant, my Dad told me he had begun using just baking soda, straight up, as a deodorant. He never stinks, and he works very hard outdoors for a living. So I knew it probably worked well, but for some reason never tried it.

I’m so glad I decided to take the plunge. All I do is apply a little baking soda to my underarms after bathing. They’re still damp so the baking soda immediately “sinks” in and doesn’t leave a white residue. It works extremely well, in fact better than the Tom’s of Maine I used for years. The best part? The painful shaving bumps I suffered from for years disappeared. I always assumed that they were caused by shaving… but it turns out they were caused by applying deodorant after shaving! What a nice side effect!

Sugar and Salt Scrubs

I made a big batch of Brown Sugar Vanilla Body Scrub (recipe here) to give away as gifts for my mom and sister, but I had to make some for myself! It leaves my skin feeling so soft and moisturized. One day my dad called me up and asked me if it would work to soften his hands and I said of course! He stole my mom’s supply.

I also made a Lemon Kitchen Hand Scrub (recipe here) for freshening up my hands after cooking. (To remove onion smells and to soften them.) My husband used some and found it removed paint from his hands beautifully so I made him a jar of his very own too.

What kind of simple ingredients do you mix together to create skin care products?

**At the end of this post you can enter to win a body care set from Whole Foods**

Whole Foods Market is running a 3-part podcast series promoting the “Premium Body Care” product line they have created.

It’s important to know what is in your skin care products!

The podcasts are on the following topics:
1. Premium Body Care® – A Worthy Challenge- discusses how their standard helps define what “Natural” really means in body care products.
2. In Holding the Bar High in Natural Body Care you’ll hear about why these strict natural guidelines are important. You’ll also learn about Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of health and environmental groups that are working to eliminate harmful chemicals from personal care products.

3. Positive Changes for the Industry, for Everyone looks at how these standards raise the bar for the natural body care industry as a whole.

You can check these podcasts out here: Whole Body Care podcast

Now for the giveaway!

* First listen to the podcasts.

* Then come back here and leave a comment letting me know what you think.

* In 2 weeks (Wednesday May 12 at NOON Eastern time), I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win this Whole Body, Body Care package. (Be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment.)

I’ve talked about natural hair color on the blog before so I was eager to try this product. It’s from a company called ACT (Advanced Cosmetic Technologies). Their website is http://www.ActNaturals.com.

Unfortunately, I can’t give this product a glowing review.

I was excited about using an all natural, vegetable based dye to (hopefully) cover the grey roots that have been growing since my pregnancy began, but it didn’t do that so well.

To be fair, grey hair is notoriously resistant to color and even conventional semi and demi permanent hair colors often don’t color it sufficiently.  It may just not be possible to color grey without chemicals.

If you search the internet you’ll find some really horrible reviews of this product. My thoughts are far less extreme either way so I’ll do a quick list of pros and cons:

PROS:

• The product is a natural, vegetable based dye and therefore has no PPD (short for paraphenylene-diamine, which I mention here in another article about natural hair dye). It also contains no ammonia or peroxide (so it cannot lighten, only darken your current hair color).
• It has a fresh, pleasant smell. When my oldest son walked in the room he said “something smells like cherries”.

CONS:

• The product was a little more complicated to apply. It’s a two step process and also requires the application of heat (basically you use a blow dryer to apply heat for 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off until you rinse). That wasn’t a super big deal, but the product is a little runny so it’s hard to keep it off your scalp, which leads to the second problem.
• The dye was very difficult to rinse off. I rinsed my hair 3 times but it still felt a little “muddy” with the product. Even now after several shampoos, dye comes off on my hands if I run them through my hair. The included “stain guard” did effectively remove stains from the sink at least.

That last issue is evidently par for the course for vegetable dyes. In fact today I got my hair cut and explained to the hair dresser what was happening. She said that was typical. “We use vegetable dyes here all the time and that’s just what they do, the pigments are just really strong.”

My hair doesn’t feel at all damaged or dried out. It feels soft and looks shiny so I’m pretty confident it wasn’t harmed by the process.

My final take?

I would recommend this product for people who have medium to dark hair (that is more forgiving of color mishaps) and wanted to go a bit darker, but not if I had grey hair I wanted to color.

Did you get choosy about your skin care products when you were pregnant?

I was pleasantly surprised to find a warning against phthalates in a recent magazine I subscribe to (it was Fit Pregnancy which I consider to be pretty mainstream).

The last time I was pregnant that information was hardly on the radar for most mainstream media.

Phthalates are an ingredient found in many skin care products such as lotions, shampoos and nail polish. It may or may not be on the label and may fall under the umbrella “fragrance”.

What I find so interesting is the typical pregnant woman’s response to such “fragrance”.

Personally, the smell of any conventional shampoo and soap make me overwhelmed with nausea and I begin to gag. I wonder if this isn’t a protective response? (Burt’s Bees shampoo I am tolerating just fine. It’s also phtalate free.)

Now that I’m expecting again, I’m getting picky about my skin care. I had let some items with parabens sneak into my bathrooms. These have to go.

What did you use on your skin when you’re pregnant that’s nontoxic and safe?

Skin care is a bit tricky during pregnancy. On the one hand you may have rashes and itching due to increased sensitivity, but also be experiencing breakouts.

My favorite “go to” product is coconut oil. It seems you can’t get much better than coconut oil as a safe skin care product when you’re pregnant.

It’s great as a face and body moisturizer and hair conditioner, as a spot treatment for pimples – you can even use it as an *ahem* personal lubricant. (And since it’s antifungal, that can only be good for the nether regions and those sneaky yeast infections that can crop up when you’re pregnant – thanks to the extra estrogen.)

I’m also liking Belli All Day Moisture Lotion. It does have a mild lemon scent that comes from lemon oil, not synthetic fragrance, and it’s paraben and phtalate free and doesn’t bother my sensitive nose.

photo credit: Vivian Chen [陳培雯]

Your Mother Was Right:
Traditional Beauty Tips that Pass the Test of Time

Everyone hates being told “I told you so”, and most women also hate thinking their mother was right.

However, on stepping upon the threshold of 30, and with my mother now in her early sixties, I can’t help but notice that on a good day, she looks not more than maybe only five or ten years older.

And with each wrinkle, thinned out skin or spot I notice, I hear her quite literally echoing voice telling me “I told you so”. So what was it exactly that she used to always harp on about while growing up?

Quite simply – endless beauty tips that at that time seemed to have been written on stone tablets alongside Moses’ 10 Commandments. But these then thought of as primitive beauty routines now seem charming and simple in an age where we’re constantly fed a barrage of beauty adverts and overly photo-shopped images of perfection.

In my own desperate attempt to look great, I have ventured down every possible winding road that ultimately lead me nowhere, and pick-pocketing my hard earned dollars with daylight robbery rates and empty promises of youth and beauty. I finally decided to throw in the towel and revert to the ‘old ways’ of doing things…

Best Kept Beauty Secrets

Face

* For smooth skin, crush four uncoated aspirins and mix 1 cup distilled water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Use this 2-3 times a day for incredibly smooth skin and as an alternative to washing your face in the morning.

* If you have sensitive skin acne-prone, stay away from rich spicy foods, which only irritate and inflame your system.

* Sleep. Staying up too late or not getting enough sleep wreaks havoc on your skin, causing it to look dull, tired, and likely leading to breakouts.

* Use patchouli oil to quickly get rid of acne. Mix 10 drops of this strong smelling oil with 10 oz of almond oil as a nightly moisturizer and anti-wrinkle treatment. It’s got a potent smell; some people love it, others hate it, but it works like a charm.

Hair

* For soft hair, massage your scalp with coconut oil once a week, working it into your hair. Leave it in there for about 3 hours prior to washing it out with shampoo. Use just a dab of conditioner at the ends.

* For shiny hair, mix one egg (yolk and all) with a mashed up banana and apply it as a thick paste to your hair. Leave it on for 10-30 minutes, depending on your hair texture. Then, wash it out as usual and use conditioner only at the ends.

* For natural hair dye, use henna and add in a bit of lemon to the paste. Leave it in your hair for about 30 minutes to one hair for a natural reddish/auburn tint.

Body

* Use a mixture of pure olive oil with 1/2 parts sea salt as an in-shower body scrub. This combo completely eliminates the need for lotion and is great for winter weather.

* Make sure you get in some sort of physical activity. Our mothers and grandmothers stayed in shape with simple stretches, and not grueling hours at the gym. Try reaping the benefits of yoga as a way to maintain your girlish figure.

* Washing your hair with boiled rice water is also a great alternative for shiny hair.

The results of my little experiment and in following these tips have been absolutely smashing. I never looked better and the extra savings from not having to splurge on beauty products is the fondant on the cake.

Your Mother Was Right is written by freelance writer Shireen Qudosi. Follow her on Twitter @ShireenQ or email her at shireen.qudosi@hotmail.com

Pregnant and nursing moms will especially be interested in this giveaway from Belli skincare.

I got a chance to try out some of the Belli skin care here and published a review.

This time I got my hands (and legs!) on the All Day Moisture Body Lotion.

And as I wrote previously,

“The nice thing about these products is that they are free of synthetic dyes, phthalates and paraben preservatives, and the Belli Motherhood line is LactMed screened to avoid ingredients that may be questionable during breastfeeding.”

The All Day Moisture Lotion has lemon oil and so smells like a slice of lemon cream pie heaven.

The folks at Belli are letting me give away a gift set to a reader!

This one is called the Motherhood Essentials Kit.

It includes: Pure Comfort Nursing Cream, Eye Brightening Cream, Body Firming Serum and Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer.

To win, simply leave your name, a valid email and a comment below.

A winner will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, October 28 at Noon (Eastern).

There are all kinds of products that crowd drugstore shelves claiming to make your hair shiny. Many of them rely on silicones.

While they’re probably not terribly harmful for your hair,  silicone has to go through a lot of chemical processing for use in hair care products which leaves a big eco footprint. Some people also notice build up if they use products containing silicones frequently. They also tend to be expensive.

If you’re looking for a way to have naturally shiny hair, here are a few ideas:

Honey.

Honey not only smells wonderful,  it’s also a powerful humectant (meaning is draws moisture from the air), so it’s a nice moisturizer for your skin and hair.

It will leave your hair shiny and silky. Add a few drops of honey to your hair after washing, allow to soak in, and rinse away.
photo credit: ATKR / Stryker W@SP

Apple Cider Vinegar.

Vinegar is fantastic for putting shine into the hair. Simply pour a little ACV onto your hair after shampooing and rinse away with cool water.

Coffee.

Coffee is also great for shine, especially for brunettes obviously. Add half a cup of cooled strong coffee to your hair after shampooing and rinse away with cold water.

Olive oil.

If your hair is very dry olive oil can really help it. It will nourish the dry hair and also leave it shiny and silky. Add a few drops of warm olive oil to towel dried hair and leave in for 20 minutes to an hour. Then rinse with cold water.

Coconut Oil.

This is one of my favorite hair care tips. I rub a little coconut oil into my damp hair after shampooing and comb it through with a wide tooth comb. My extra dry, curly hair has never been shinier!

Less Shampooing.

Shampooing a little less frequently (you may be able to get away with once a week if your scalp isn’t greasy) can lead to shinier hair. Rinsing your scalp thoroughly every day (such as when you exercise or get sweaty) is usually adequate.

I have a few green beauty secrets of my own. For example, coconut oil is amazing for your skin, hair, face and internals. Here are a few more contributed by a guest author. Enjoy!

^{Best Kept Green Beauty Secrets}

Find out what top three factors wreak havoc on our skin, and what the best kept natural secrets are for looking your best.

With the rat race to keep up with the newest products, we’re not only wasting hard earned dollars, but vacuum through an enormous amount of products that wreak havoc on our skin and environment.  Yet, all the products and spa treatments in the world don’t beat the basic things we can do to keep ourselves looking our best.

photo credit: quinn.anya

Sleep

There’s a reason it’s called beauty sleep.  Not sleeping enough is a sure fire way to wake up looking like you’re ready for Halloween.  But if you can’t catch up on your zzz’s, make sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve.

The most fast-acting cheapest trick is to use a bit of rose water on a cotton ball, and dab it on your eyes.  This is an instant pick me up, smells great, and costs next to nothing! Rose water even works great as a toner, acting as an antibacterial cleaner minus alcohol.

Sun-Exposure

Everyone knows that excessive sun exposure is one of the worst things you can do for your skin, but we all still covet that Hollywood orange (I mean, “golden”) glow. Tanning beds are no better. Neither are chemically saturated self tanning lotions. But turmeric, a dark yellow spice native to India, has been used for centuries by Indian women to provide a natural glow.

Mix half a teaspoon of turmeric with whole milk to get a paste, and leave it on a facial mask for five minutes.  After you wash it away, you’ll notice a soft golden glow without the use of chemicals or plastics – and you’ll have done something great for your skin.

Aside from making skin soft and supple, turmeric has immense healing properties including getting rid of acne and discoloration. This mustard colored spice can also be mixed in larger amounts and used anywhere on your body to reveal your inner golden goddess.  Best of all, you only need to travel as far as your local grocer to pick it up.

But if you want it at pennies on the dollar, and want to support local mom and pop stores, skip large scale commercial grocers and pay a visit to any Middle Eastern or South Asian supermarket. While you’re there, pick up a bottle of rose water too, and save yourself the shipping cost plus the wasted paper and energy of mailing.

Mind and Body

Creating more stress in your life is a fantastic way to invite all kinds of diseases to attack the body. Equally as bad, stress is reflected on you face the minute you experience it.

When you’re chronically stressed, the adrenal glands are forced to work overtime and eventually exhaust themselves, inhibiting the immune system and triggering a number of health complications.

One of the best stress fighters is exercise – but there’s one problem with a routine trip to the gym.  The constant noise of bad gym music and weight stacks falling abruptly is hardly a recipe for de-stressing. Point being, the gym offers an opportunity to train the body, but not the mind.

A great alternative is yoga. These simple stretching exercises have been used by civilizations for over thousands of years and far surpass the manic hustle and bustle of corporate health clubs.

A switch to yoga effectively trains both mind and body and keeps you away from wasting money on health clubs, which only deplete resources but are proven to be breeding grounds for illness.

Oxygen

photo credit: emples

All living things need oxygen, and our skin is no exception. The trick is finding the right way to harness a natural free element that’s already around you.

There are two ways to deliver oxygen to your face. The first is an oxygen facial.  For about $500 a treatment, you can get oxygen blasted directly at your face. This is a favorite of Madonna, who loves it so much that she dropped $7,000 to have her own unit at home. Oxygen calms inflammation, treats acne, kills bacteria, drives antioxidants and vitamins into the skin, and makes your skin younger looking by providing oxygen to the skin cells. ¹

The second way revolves around the hype of beauty products that claim to tote O2 in their product. Oxygen is a gas. There is no way to put that into a cream, keep it there, and then have it released when it hits your skin. Even if creams did provide some extra oxygen to the skin, the effects would last only minutes at best.

But cost conscious beauty whizzes have wisened up to the smart cost-effective way to get a similar treatment for far less.  The buzz has already been hovering around the idea of using high quality air purifiers, such as Blueair Air Purifiers, Austin Air Air Filters, and IQAir Air Cleaners.

The air purifiers filter the air and create an optimal clean air environment rich with pure O2.  For added benefit, regardless of beauty objectives, it’s advised to have one in your room while you sleep.  With the average person sleeping for about 6 hours a night, you’re guaranteed a long fresh O2 session by the time you wake up. Oxygen’s also become the must have for the dressing room of any beauty maven, regardless of whether you’re a natural beauty or a glamazon.

Shireen Qudosi is a consumer awareness writer with http://www.air-purifier-home.com

Follower her on Twitter @AirPurifierHome

Store bought hair shampoo, in addition to being an expense, usually has several questionable chemical ingredients that your hair, eyes and skin don’t need.

Especially if you’re using shampoo on your babies and kids, you want to be careful about the products you choose.
photo credit: flash.pro

Often the best hair products are the simplest ones – for instance, I’ve been using coconut oil on my hair as a pre-wash conditioning treatment, a pre-swim protectant, a styling aid and leave on conditioner (depending on when and how much I apply).

Did you know that you can experiment with homemade shampoo recipes made from stuff that can be found in your own pantry?

Here are a few homemade shampoo recipes to get you started:

Avocado, Honey and Milk Shampoo

(best for dry, damaged or color treated hair)

#1 – Peel the avocado, remove the seed and place in blender

# 2 – Add a tablespoon of honey.

#3 – Add ½ cup of milk to avocado and honey.

#4 – Blend on high until smooth. Use within three days. If you have some left over you can simply cover it and store in the refrigerate.

Honey, Seaweed and Lemon Shampoo

(best for oily hair)

#1 – place ¼ cup of dry seaweed pieces (available at most grocery or health food stores) in a large bowl.

#2 – Add 1 tablespoon of honey to seaweed.

#3 – Add the juice of one lemon to seaweed and honey.

#4- Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes so that ingredients can infuse together. Use on hair as you would any shampoo. Cover any leftovers and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

More:

Natural baby shampoo

Natural hair care treatments (including more simple homemade shampoo recipes)

P.S.  Another benefit to making your own homemade shampoo would be: no plastic bottles to recycle! The waste created from these natural ingredients can be tossed into the compost heap.

Summertime is here and we’ve spent nearly every day outside, often at the pool or just hanging out in the yard.

The kids are getting as brown as nuts but noone has had even the slightest bit of red.

We all hear how important it is to take precautionary measures to ensure the kid’s safety in the sun, but limited sun exposure can actually be beneficial. In fact, some scientists claim that some skin cancers are caused by lack of adequate sun exposure (related to low vitamin D levels).

Everyone needs to soak in a few minutes of sun every day in order to absorb vitamin D into their body.

Newborns, of course, should really limit their sun exposure during the first few weeks of life. This means using shaded stroller covers, a window shade in the car and perhaps using an umbrella if you are holding the baby. If you wear your baby in a ring sling, you can use the “tail” to cover him up, as long as it isn’t too hot.

After a few weeks of age, the baby can be exposed to the sun in limited amounts, but they should be protected in order to do so. It was once thought by the medical community that babies less than 6 months of age should not wear sunscreen at all; for fear that their skin is too sensitive. The American Pediatrics Association now recommends that even smaller babies wear sunscreen. But, it’s important to find one that is safe.

I wrote about this topic last year too: Healthy, safe, effective sunscreen.  The EWG (Environmental Working Group) is coming out with more info shortly on the subject, and you can go to their site to get the report on sun safety free of charge when it’s ready.

According to them:

“An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect skin from the sun’s damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.”

Of course, hats and long clothing can also serve as protection from the sun. But who wants to spend summertime covered up?

Natural Sunscreen

Recently I got a bottle of sunscreen from Oceana Naturals. Instead of the chemicals found in conventional sunscreens, it uses zinc oxide for protection from the sun. It also has antioxidants (which I’ll talk more about in a second) among its ingredients such as green tea, vitamin E, and date extract.

A read of the ingredients listing shows nothing unnatural – I can pronounce all of the words. All of it looks like food in fact! It’s also free of synthetic preservatives and fragrance. The natural oils give it a lovely scent. And unlike many sunscreens, you can apply it and get protection immediately. If you want to purchase a natural sunscreen, this would be a good choice.

Coconut Oil as a Sunscreen

For many generations, native populations living in tropical climates and islands have used coconut oil to protect their skin from the sun. The author of “The Coconut Oil Miracle”, Bruce Fife,  shows how coconut oil is very beneficial for skin and body.

It can be used as a natural sunscreen and can even help absorb nutrients in the body, such as the much needed vitamin D. It also makes your skin incredibly soft and is surprisingly non-greasy. I feed coconut oil (and CLO) to the kids and they spend a couple of hours a day in the sun, and never get burned. I also haven’t used any sunscreen at all on them so I know it must be working.

Another Reason to Take Your CLO

You can also help protect your child’s skin from the sun by the type of food they eat. Free radicals are responsible for sunburn as well as the damage (premature wrinkling, skin cancer) from too much time spent in the sun.

Eating foods rich in antioxidants can help fight free radicals in the air and strengthen body’s resistance to UVA and UVB rays. Antioxidant-rich foods include berries, legumes, vegetables, citrus and green tea.

Cod liver oil may also have a protective effect because of the omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D content. The University of Manchester published results of a study that pointed to a reduced risk of sunburn and skin cancer among people who take cod liver oil supplements.

Interestingly, the other week I got a touch of sunburn on my shoulders, but had been slacking on my CLO. It was a reader who reminded me of the connection. I started taking it again and haven’t had any problem since – even though we’ve been at the pool every day for weeks!

I’m blessed with lots and lots of dark, thick, coarse, wavy, curly hair.

Yeah, and the mane on my head isn’t half bad either.

Seriously though, being a hairy kind of gal can be a mixed bag.

I just signed the kids up for swimming lessons, and bought a pool pass. There will be swimming, maybe a trip to the beach, not to mention the everyday shorts and skirts of summer.

photo credit: Oneras [what about peace?]

I spend the first weeks of summer trying to figure out how to deal with it. If I were blonde and had thinner hair, I would probably just go au naturel.

But I’m not that crunchy.

If I were stranded on some deserted island, I would find a sharp flinty rock to take care of business. Now when it comes to pit hair? I don’t mind that a bit. But unfortunately, I live in the United States.

If a woman as hot as Madonna can disgust an entire nation with a little pit hair, who am I to try to rock the cultural expectations of beauty boat?

When I heard about sugaring, I was immediately intrigued.

Firstly, the ingredients are all natural – sugar, lemon juice, water – you can even make up a batch of the stuff yourself. Google for recipes, there are several on the internet.

Similar to waxing, you are basically applying a sticky substance to your skin, pressing it down with linen cloth strips, and ripping in the other direction. You first apply the sugaring wax with this little plastic thingie Then you apply the cloth strip on top, and rub it 3 or 4 times in the direction of hair growth. Then, holding the skin taut with your other hand, you quickly pull the strip back quickly as close to the skin as possible in the opposite direction of hair growth.

I had also heard that sugaring was less painful than waxing, which was a huge plus in my mind.

Traditional waxing makes you want to slap your mama for being more Italian than native American.

I went to the drug store and bought a NADS Sugaring Kit. It cost me around $19, making it more pricey than other “waxing” products.

It certainly WAS far less painful than traditional waxing.

My complaint with this product is that there are far too few cloth strips. You CAN wash and reuse them, which makes this a pretty eco-friendly hair removal product, as well as recycle the plastic tub the wax comes in.

I also didn’t know until I was nearly done that you can continue using the same strip over and over until it no longer picks up any hair. Even when it’s all gooped up with sugaring wax. This makes it a little tougher to smooth it on your leg, but I found that I could use each one two or three times and it was still effective.

I have washed all the strips and dried them about 3 times now and they still work great.

The thing that’s great about waxing/sugaring is that the hair tends to grow back more sparse and thin.

If you keep it up, you’ll find that you have to do it less and less. So even if you go back to shaving or whatever, you can go longer inbetween hair removal sessions.

Of course, it’s more work and time spent up front. If you’re looking to save time, waxing may or may not actually be a time savings.

Sugaring also doesn’t seem to remove as much of the finer, thinner hairs as waxing.

In fact, I called around to several Atlanta spas to see if any of them offered sugaring. I had to call 5 or 6 before I found one that even offered it. And when I spoke with the aesthetician, she seemed very unenthusiastic about sugaring. She told me that she isn’t that pleased with the results, and often has to use a bit of regular wax after the sugaring process in order to get all of the hair. I asked her if the clients seemed happy with the results, and she reported that they did – so that seemed to be the key thing to me.

I’m not THAT picky. I don’t have to get every single last hair, as long as I don’t look like a hairy beast I’m ok. Nobody is going over my legs with a magnifying glass. And it’s not like there is a man feeling me up. (Besides, the last time I was actually having sex, if memory serves, my ex-husband couldn’t have cared less about a little stray hair or fuzz.)

And since shaving exfoliates your legs, you have to remember to exfoliate on a regular basis when you do sugaring or waxing, otherwise you’ll get ashy.

Overall I like the sugaring kit and intend on buying it again. Amazon’s prices are better than the drug store prices.

I did notice that in addition to less pain, the sugaring didn’t make my legs all red, angry and screaming at me.

Here are a couple of tips to make sugaring work better:

• Wash your legs (or wherever you’ll be sugaring) with soap and water, rinse thoroughly and dry well. Your legs need to be very clean and dry for the sugar to grip the hair properly.
• Warm the wax first by placing the closed tub in a pan of hot water. You don’t want it thin and runny, but it’s much easier to spread and there’s less waste if you melt it a bit.
• Even though sugaring is less painful than waxing, it’s still pulling hair out at the root and hurts a little. Don’t wax or sugar right before your period when your body is more sensitive to pain. If you’re really sensitive, you might want to take a pain reliever half an hour before you start sugaring. Me? I sometimes drink a beer before I do it.
• Make sure the hair is long enough before you start. This is one of the hardest parts! It should be about half a centimeter long, at least.
• After sugaring, rinse the area with cool water to remove the last bits of sugar. Cold water can feel really nice too.

So.

What do YOU do for hair removal?

Even though I exercise, eat right and generally take good care of myself, it’s no joke that motherhood can take its toll on your body.

All the abs work in the world doesn’t always firm up what looks like a deflated ball on your belly. And unfortunately, the problem seems to get worse as you lose weight – at least temporarily.

Short of surgery, which is risky and expensive and… kinda icky, there isn’t a whole lot a mom can do to firm up that extra skin.

Or is there?

The people at Belli Skincare asked me to review some of their products made especially for moms.

It’s only been a few days so I can’t really report anything amazing yet, but I am going to keep up the routine for a month and see what the results are.

Of course I will update you all then.

The nice thing about these products is that they are free of synthetic dyes, phthalates and paraben preservatives, and the Belli Motherhood line is LactMed screened to avoid ingredients that may be questionable during breastfeeding.

So far I’m using the Stretchmark Minimizing Cream which claims to… “Reduces stretchmark length and irregular surface area by up to 52% and stretchmark depth by up to 72%.”

I didn’t think it was possible to do much about stretch marks but apparently two ingredients, called darutoside and registril – “…have been shown in independent clinical trials to be effective on stretchmarks of any age or from any cause.”

I don’t really have a problem with stretch marks so I’m more excited about the Body Firming Serum to help take up the slack in my belly skin.

It features ingredients like green tea, shiitake mushroom extract, pumpkin, lemon oil and rice proteins.

The Belli people have let me pass along a discount to you.

To get 15% off your order, use the code BELLIKMR

I’ll be back in a few weeks to let you know how the products are working for me.

A few months ago I wrote a review of a non-toxic nail polish called Piggy Paints.

The company was kind enough to extend a coupon code to Natural Moms Talk Radio listeners. Cool

At checkout, simply enter code:

NATMOM20L

This expires May 1, 2009 so don’t dilly dally!

Oh wise blog readers, can you help me solve a problem?

I have bag under my eye. Not bags, mind you, as in under both eyes. Just under one.

photo credit: Look Into My Eyes

Anyone know why I am having this phenomenon? The eye in question is my right eye. I sleep on my back or on my LEFT side generally, and I use two pillows.

Any ideas?

I am intentionally drinking more water and for the next few days am going to avoid salting my food to see if that helps. Any more thoughts?

Also, my brown eyes have been turning hazel for some time now. Anyone else have this happen? Apparently it’s quite common and has no real implications in terms of health.

Don’t mind me, I’m just having a bit of an existential crisis about no longer being a “brown eyed girl”.

This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments and natural skin care recipes. The next post covered natural body care treatments. Then we talked about having beautiful hair via natural hair care treatments.

Of course, you can use many of the same skin care recipes for your hands that you use on your body. Don’t forget to use the same sunscreen you use on your face on the backs of your hands. And eating well goes a long way towards having healthy nails.

Natural Hand and Nail Care

Our hands do so much for us. They’re constantly exposed to drying agents like soap, and since they’re always going in and out of water. They need a little T.L.C. – in the form of intense moisture.

Cocoa Butter Hand and Nail Cream

2 tbsp. beeswax
2 tbsp. cocoa butter
4 tbsp. jojoba oil
1 tbsp. lanolin
20 drops essential oil (such as sandalwood and rosemary)

Combine first four ingredients in a double boiler and melt. Remove from heat and let cool for several minutes. Add oils and stir until thoroughly mixed. Store in a jar for up to 4 months.

The Natural Manicure

To give yourself a manicure, soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Then apply the cocoa butter cream to your hands and nails, working it into the bases of nails. Push the cuticles back with a cuticle stick, and trim the nails. Buff nails with a nail file for shine.

If you use polish, use a non-toxic nail polish such as Piggy Paints. A little lemon juice on a cotton ball can help lighten nail staining. If you’re like me and have a habit of picking at your cuticles, making it a habit to rub them regularly with this moisturizer will help prevent damage.

photo credit: bike queen

This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments and natural skin care recipes. The next post covered natural body care treatments.

Keeping our hair looking its best is a top priority for many of us. Since you’re reading this post, you’re probably already avoiding or minimizing the use of chemicals for hair care. Perming, heat styling, coloring etc can do a serious number on the health of your hair. By using all-natural treatments on our hair, we can make it fuller, shinier and healthier.

Treatments for Beautiful and Healthy Hair

Easy natural shampoo

If you’re looking for a safe and natural way to clean your hair, give baking soda a try. Just wet your hair thoroughly, pour a little baking soda into your hand, and work it through as you would regular shampoo. Rinse thoroughly.

Many people swear by apple cider vinegar as a treatment for the hair. Use a little of it on the scalp as a shampoo, rinsing thoroughly (the smell will go away when your hair dries). You might want to keep a spray bottle of diluted ACV in your shower for this purpose. It even serves as a natural conditioner!

Easy natural conditioner

Those with dry, frizzy or damaged hair need to condition it regularly. An easy way to do so is with coconut oil. Just apply after shampooing and rinse out. Coconut oil is amazing for the hair because it absorbs quickly and deeply and its antifungal properties help cure dandruff.

Deep conditioning your hair can be just as simple. Mashed ripe (brown) bananas make a wonderful deep conditioner. Apply them to the hair, cover with a shower cap, leave on for 20 minutes and wash out. Your hair will feel and smell wonderful. You can do the same with ripe avocados (which you’ve probably noticed is an ingredient in some hair conditioning products).

Here are some more hair care recipes.

Herbal Shampoo

* 2 cups distilled water
* 1/2 oz. fresh sage
* 4 oz. castile soap

Boil the distilled water, add herbs and remove from heat. Let stand for 30 to 40 minutes, then strain. Add castile soap and water to a plastic bottle and shake to mix. Use only a tiny amount for shampooing.

Egg Yolk Conditioner

* 1 egg yolk
* 1 tsp. almond oil
* 1 cup water

Beat egg yolk until frothy. Beat in almond oil. Mix in water. Apply to the hair and scalp, then wash out. Use immediately.

Egg Shine Treatment

* 2 eggs
* 1 tbsp. milk (use raw unpasteurized milk from grass fed cows)

Beat eggs and stir in milk. Apply mixture to hair and leave for 5 minutes. Rinse in cool water with a small amount of vinegar added. Use immediately.

Vinegar Shine Treatment

* 1 cup water
* 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
* Juice of half a lemon

Mix ingredients together. Pour on freshly washed hair, and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

Vinegar Dandruff Treatment

* 3 cups water
* 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Mix vinegar and water. Apply to the scalp at bedtime and put on a shower cap. Leave on overnight. Rinse hair with the same solution in the morning. Continue until dandruff is gone.

Dry Scalp Treatment

* 4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
* 2 cups aloe vera gel
* 1 tsp. Vitamin E oil

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend at low speed until thoroughly mixed. Apply to scalp and hair after washing and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.

Natural Hairspray

* 2 cups water
* Juice of one lemon or orange

Combine water and juice in a saucepan. Boil. Cool the mixture and strain if necessary. Pour into a spray bottle and use for styling.

Tomorrow we focus on the hands and nails. See you then!

photo credit: Amnemona

This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments and natural skin care recipes.

Your face may be the first thing people see, but the skin on the rest of your body needs tender loving care too. It needs to be exfoliated on a regular basis to remove dead skin (“ashy” legs anyone?) and moisturized.

Natural body treatments are wonderful for your skin, fun and easy to make, and they make lovely gifts as well. Try these recipes on for size.

Natural Body Care Treatments

Lavender Sugar Scrub

* 1/2 cup of jojoba oil
* 3/4 cup of white cane sugar
* 1 tsp. Vitamin E
* 1/4 cup almond oil
* 6 drops lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Use scrub at least once a week to exfoliate dead skin cells. Store in a jar.

Body Butter

* 4 oz. shea butter
* 4 oz. jojoba oil
* 1 oz. beeswax
* 3 teaspoons sandalwood oil

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use as needed to hydrate the skin. Store in a jar.

Banana and Honey Scrub

* 2 cups mashed bananas
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 tablespoon sugar

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use immediately as a scrub after cleansing the skin at least once a week.

Lavender Body Lotion

* 2 cups boiling water
* Handful of lavender flowers
* 1 tsp. Borax
* 1 cup rose water
* 2 tbsp. olive oil

Add lavender flowers to boiling water and remove from heat. Let stand for an hour, strain and set aside. Dissolve borax in rose water. Slowly add warmed olive oil, beating constantly. When thoroughly mixed, stir in lavender oil. Store in a bottle and use as needed.

Under Eye Circle Eraser

(Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase. It’s actually used as a skin lightener in cosmetics, so why not skip the expense and extra ingredients make it yourself?)

* 1 potato
* Piece of cheesecloth

Peel the potato and mash thoroughly in a food processor. Place in cheesecloth and hold under each eye for 15 to 20 minutes, taking care to keep juice out of eyes. Rinse away residue.

Up tomorrow are natural hair care recipes. Be sure to come back!

photo credit: ribena_wrath

This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments.

Looking great doesn’t require lots of expensive, chemical-filled beauty products. We can get glowing skin, shiny hair and strong nails by using ingredients found in nature. By making our own natural beauty treatments, we can save money and spare ourselves from the damage caused by the ingredients used in most mass-produced beauty products.

Now that you’re familiar with some of the ingredients you can use for your natural beauty treatments, here are some recipes to try.

Apricot Cold Cream

(for dry skin and/or makeup removal)

* 10 oz. apricot kernel oil
* 2 oz. cocoa butter
* 2 oz. beeswax

Melt all ingredients together in the top of a double boiler. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until cooled. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Simple Sugar Scrub

(for all sorts of skin)

* 1 tbsp. sugar
* A few drops of olive oil

Put sugar in a small bowl. Mix in a few drops of olive oil at a time until a paste is formed. Massage into skin and rinse with warm water. Kosher salt may be substituted for the sugar to make a salt scrub.

Rose Water Mask

(for combination skin)

* 1 tbsp. rose water
* 1 tbsp. plain yogurt
* 1 tbsp. honey

In a bowl mix rose water, yogurt and honey. Mix well. Use immediately.

Oatmeal Mask/Scrub

(for sensitive skin)

* 1/2 cup uncooked oats
* 1 tbsp. honey

Mix oats and honey to form a paste. Massage into face and neck. Leave on face for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse off.

For an exfoliating mask, grind the oats finely in a blender, food processor or spice grinder. Mix with water to make a paste, apply and gently scrub. Rinse and moisturize.

Honey and Apple Mask

(for oily skin)

* 4 tbsp. honey
* 1 apple

Grate apple into a fine pulp. Stir in honey. Use immediately: applying to skin and leaving on for 15 minutes. Rinse.

Cornmeal Scrub

(for oily skin)

* 2 tbsp. cornmeal
* Enough water to make a paste (you can also use fresh, raw apple juice if you have it)

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Massage onto face and rinse off.

Green Tea Toner

(for normal to oily skin)

* 5 green tea bags
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chopped chamomile
* 2 cups mineral water

Combine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Apply liquid with a cotton ball after cleansing the face. Store remainder in refrigerator for up to a week.
(Note: You may substitute any other herb that is appropriate for your skin type for the chamomile. Elderflower and marigold are good choices for dry skin.)

Papaya Peel

(exfoliates and reduces fine lines and wrinkles)

* 1 cup fresh pineapple
* 1/2 cup fresh papaya
* 1 tbsp. honey

Puree pineapple and papaya together in blender. Add honey and mix to create a paste. Apply to the face and leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse.

Mint Mask

(for reviving dull skin)

* 1/2 cucumber, sliced
* 1 tsp. cocoa butter
* 1 egg white
* Handful of mint leaves

Put mint leaves and cucumber slices in blender and mix into a paste. Add cocoa butter and egg white, and beat well. Apply to the face and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.

Firming Mask

* 1/2 tbsp. Vitamin E oil
* 1 tbsp. yogurt
* 1 egg

Beat egg lightly. Gently mix in other ingredients. Massage into face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Use immediately – this recipe does not store well.

What about the rest of your body? So glad you asked. Come back tomorrow for recipes for natural body care!

photo credit: love･janine

This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. Yesterday we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty.

Today we’ll focus on individual ingredients you can use to make your own natural skin care products.

When making your own skin care treatments, the first step is to analyze your skin’s needs. Is it oily or dry? Is it prone to breakouts? Are you concerned about preventing or minimizing the appearance of wrinkles?

The answers to these questions will help determine which natural ingredients will be good for your skin and which you will use in your care products.

Ingredients for homemade facial cleansers:

• Lemon juice – Lemon juice is known for its ability to cut grease, so it’s an obvious choice for reducing oil on the face. Those with oily skin can use it to make effective and great-smelling cleansers and toners.
• Witch hazel – You can find witch hazel at most drugstores. It is often used alone as a gentle yet powerful astringent for oily skin, and it also makes a good ingredient in skin care recipes.
• Strawberries – Strawberries are also good for oily skin. They are often used in toners. Strawberries can also be used to create a whitening treatment for the teeth.
• Cornmeal – Cornmeal has a drying effect and is also an exfoliant. It’s great in masks and scrubs for oily skin.
• Apples – Apple pulp and apple juice are both good for oily skin. They reduce oil and exfoliate.
• Tea tree oil – This essential oil works very well against acne. I use a drop as an acne spot treatment. I apply it overnight and the pimple is dried up by morning. Use sparingly in cleansers and toners, because tea tree oil is highly potent and may dry the skin.
• Oats – Oatmeal is good for dry or sensitive skin. You can also use raw, ground oats to make an exfoliant to remove dead skin.
• Olive oil – Olive oil provides moisture without being too greasy. It is most often used on dry or combination skin, but may also be used in small amounts in treatments for oily skin. It contains antioxidants that help protect your skin from the effects of aging. It’s great for removing makeup too.
• Yogurt/Buttermilk/Kefir – Those with dry or sensitive skin will find a yogurt mask very soothing. The mild acids in the milk aids in sloughing off dead skin cell and leaves the skin nice and soft.
• Eggs – Eggs are also very moisturizing. They may be beaten and combined with olive oil to make a great moisturizing treatment. A raw egg white can be applied to the skin and left to dry to tighten up sagging facial skin.
• Cocoa butter – Cocoa butter leaves skin soft and supple. It may be used in dry skin or wrinkle treatments.
• Honey – Honey is used in treatments for every skin type. It adds moisture without being greasy and makes the skin super soft. It is also effective against wrinkles and fine lines. Honey is one of the oldest beauty treatments in the world, with good reason. Since it’s antibacterial, it helps prevent breakouts too.
• Banana – Bananas are very moisturizing. They are often used in fighting wrinkles as well.

Some of these ingredients have a consistency that makes it easy to use them on their own. Ingredients like yogurt and honey can be easily smoothed on the face. Bananas and strawberries can simply be mashed and applied as a mask. Others must be mixed with other ingredients to make a solution, cream or paste.

Tomorrow? We’ll combine some of these ingredients to make natural skin care recipes!

photo credit: amanda tait

This is post two in a series on natural beauty treatments.

Most of us use facial skin care products on a regular basis, and we use them to do more than just clean our skin. We also want them to moisturize, remove excess oil, prevent acne and premature aging. But we can get similar results with homemade skin treatments.

The basis of natural beauty is healthy skin.

If your skin looks good, everything else looks better. You’ll need little or no makeup to go out, and people will notice your healthy glow right away. Health=beauty. Of course, a big part of that is healthy eating.

It’s imperative to get adequate nutrition if we want to look our best.

Our bodies depend on nutrients to function properly, and if we’re not getting the nutrition we need, it will show on the outside. Our bodies detoxify through the skin, so if we’re toxic on the inside, then premature aging, rashes, and acne will show up on the outside.

A few tips:

• Drink enough water and avoid all sodas and sugary drinks (except raw, unpasteurized juice – cooked juice is pure sugar)
• Eat foods rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect our bodies from exposure to pollutants and chemicals, as well as some of its own processes. Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, as is green tea.
• Hair is made up almost entirely of protein, so including enough protein in our diets will result in healthier hair. B vitamins are also essential to healthy hair. Vitamins A and E (take your cod liver oil!) are the building blocks of healthy skin.
• Eat healthy fats. I know most of us have been indoctrinated to believe that fat is bad, but we’ve been sold a bill of goods. Fat is absolutely imperative for human health. Fat does not make you fat. Lack of fat, on the other hand, makes you ugly and moody and kills your libido.
• Attitude. Ever known a resentful, angry person who can’t let go of anything, ever? I know I do. And they look old and mean, right? Being happy and grateful makes you look ten years younger. Try it!
• Exercise. Of course, exercise is also super important as a beauty treatment. Exercise retards aging. It increases oxygenation of the blood, giving you healthy color. It makes you happier and more energetic. All of those things make you prettier.
• Sleep. Girl, you know it’s true! Don’t shortchange yourself of adequate sleep. If you have insomnia, start exercising. I’ve never yet met an insomniac who worked out. Exercise helps you work out the stress that is keeping you awake, and tires your body out so you fall asleep faster and sleep better.

Ok so those last three things had nothing to do with eating, but they’re just as important! Tomorrow we’ll talk about ingredients for homemade facial cleansers. Stay tuned.

photo credit: {dpade1337}

The average woman uses about twelve personal care products each day, and the average man uses six. In the process, we subject our bodies to hundreds of chemicals.

That’s not a problem, right?

Well, we’re not exactly sure.

Unlike foods and medications, the ingredients that go into cosmetics and personal care products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. There are no requirements for safety testing, and labeling requirements are not very strict. Even chemicals that have been proven to cause health problems through studies are not required to be accompanied by warnings. And some dangerous chemicals are obscured under general terms such as “fragrance.”

So what is a health-conscious natural mom to do?

We could abandon beauty treatments altogether and go totally natural, but most of us are not willing to do that. We want to look our best. Fortunately, we don’t have compromise health and safety in the name of beauty.

There are natural beauty treatments that have been used for thousands of years by women all over the world.

If you prefer, you can find (with careful research and reading of labels) natural beauty products on the market. A number of companies have risen to the challenge of making effective beauty treatments without the use of preservatives, unnatural fragrances and other harmful substances. But many of us have chosen to go a step further and create our own homemade beauty treatments.

Making your own natural beauty treatments is often much less expensive than buying them in a store. And it gives you complete control over what goes into them. It takes longer to create your own beauty concoctions than it does to pick them up off the shelves, but it’s fun. Some of the recipes make great gifts too, and typically use far less resources and create less waste.

I’m going to be publishing a series of articles with natural beauty treatments and recipes in the next few days. Stick around.

Day One is devoted to: Nutrition for Healthy Skin

photo credit: ⓙⓞⓔⓨ

What’s wrong with conventional nail polish?

Plenty.

In fact, I’ve been scared off from painting my girls’ fingernails and toenails because of the ingredients in typical nail polishes. Such things as formaldehyde (a known carcinogen), toluene and phthalates (both toxic to the reproductive organs).

The really disturbing thing is that since little girls tend to chew off the polish quite a bit, not only will they be exposed to these nasties through their noses when the paint is applied, but also through their mouths when they chew or bite their nails.

So I was pretty stoked to find out about Piggy Paint non toxic nail polish and remover. Invented by a mom (of course!) of two girls, its claim to fame is that it’s “safe as mud”. Melanie, the mom in charge of Piggy Paint, says it can even be used on the compost pile.

Very impressive.

You can see the girls’ nails painted with alternating “Forever Fancy” (pink) and “Tea Party for Two” (blue).

When I opened the bottles to paint their nails, I was amazed to find that the polish had NO ODOR.

I don’t know about you, but on the rare occasion I step into a nail salon to get a summer pedicure, the smell just about knocks me down.

Piggy Paint is pleasantly free of any kind of noxious odor, which tells you something right off.

I was also happy with how long it lasted. I painted my toes the blue color and it looked good for several days. My thought was that it would wear off sooner (like those peel off nail polishes I remember when I was a kid?), but it lasted as long as any conventional nail polish.

Instructions on the website say to allow a longer drying time and even to use a hair dryer to set the paint, but I didn’t even bother and noticed no smearing. I only applied one coat – perhaps two or more coats would have required a lengthy drying time.

Piggy Paint also has a non toxic nail polish remover. It’s hypoallergenic, contains no acetone, is biodegradable and also made from natural ingredients.

Kudos to Melanie Hurley of Piggy Paint for inventing a safe, non toxic nail polish and nail polish remover!

Are Parabens Dangerous?

I’ve long been concerned about the ingredients in my skin care products and lately I keep coming across information about parabens.

I recently read in a book on the topic of cellular health (called Never Be Sick Again), that parabens can actually damage the skin and accelerate aging even more than sunburn!

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m certainly concerned about my health, but my vanity might make it more likely that I will be moved to get rid of products that contain parabens!

Ahem.

But for real. It’s a little disconcerting to think that the very sunscreen I’ve been slathering on my pale face since I was a preteen (and probably why most people say I don’t look 33) could actually be harmful to my health or my skin.

So I decided to do a little digging to find out if parabens are indeed dangerous for your health and damaging to the skin.

And after all the research, I’m more confused about parabens than before.

But I’ll share with you what I found so that you can make a decision for yourself. And I won’t leave you hanging about what I’ve decided to do either.

So first let’s talk about what parabens actually are.

Parabens are preservatives.

They’re ingredients added to skin care products for their bacteriocidal, fungicidal, etc effects.  Because noone wants their facial moisturizer separating or oozing or moldy, the beauty companies add parabens.

You can recognize them easily when they are called these names: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben.

They are also known by some other names that are trickier.

photo credit: drcorneilus

Some parabens occur naturally in plants we eat, like blueberries for instance. They contain methylparaben. If the stuff is so bad, why did God put it in a fruit?

Of course, noone rubs blueberries on their skin. We eat them.

Back to the topic I brought up earlier, about parabens being dangerous for beauty!

In 2004 one researcher, Professor Toshikazu Yoshikawa, who led a team of researchers from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine conducted a study on methylparaben.

Despite the fact that this stuff is considered to be safe, these guys looked for any side effects from normal use. What did they find?

That when your skin cells are coated with methylparaben (which again, is going to be in most skin creams and makeup products) are exposed to sunlight (not burning, beach rays either, just the average amount you would feel on a summer day) had three times the levels of a lipid called peroxide (which accelerates aging in your skin) than the skin without methylparaben.

Professor Yoshikawa’s conclusion? That methylparaben, when exposed to UV (ultraviolet) rays, advances the aging process in skin cells.

Um – hello!

Does it seem contradictory that the same product you use for antiaging could be making you older, faster?

Sounds like a great way to sell more products to me.

One study found that parabens were showing up in our urine. Well, that doesn’t seem like an awful thing. It means our bodies are detoxing the stuff, right?

Some people are allergic to parabens, and everybody seems to agree that they can cause rashes and other symptoms. A smaller group of people are highly sensitive to them and will get severe symptoms (like breathing difficulties) and rashes that mimic impetigo, eczema and other woes from exposure.

Here’s where some confusion comes in. Noone seems to agree whether parabens are absorbed by the skin or not. Some of the experts thing the particles are too large to be absorbed into the skin. Others say if they’re found in urine and other body tissues, they must be.

I don’t know. Maybe they’re coming from the blueberries.

An area of concern to me is the reported estrogenic effect of parabens. I’m someone with several family members (mom’s side) who had breast cancer. I’m always thinking about how I can decrease my risk.

One small study showed that breast tumors contained parabens. And even the naysayers agree that parabens have a mild estrogenic effect.

But what we don’t know is which came first, the cancer or the parabens? I’m no scientist, but I do know that when analyzing a study, one must prove that two things don’t just occur together often, but that one actually causes the other.

To illustrate: You could make the argument that playing pro basketball causes tallness, because all pro basketball players are tall. But is that true? Of course not. What is true is that tall people are drawn to basketball.

Like the abnormally high aluminum levels found in brain tissue of Alzheimer’s patients, did the aluminum cause the Alzheimer’s, or is there something about the brains of Alzheimer’s patients that likes aluminum and can’t detox it. Or something?

According to the Breast Cancer Fund website:

“Parabens have been shown to be weak estrogen mimickers, binding to the cellular estrogen receptor (ER). They also increase the expression of genes that are usually regulated by estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) to grow and proliferate in vitro.”

Obviously, more research needs to be done on the potential dangers of parabens.

Given what I said earlier about my family history, this information is reason enough for me to make sure none of my beauty products contain parabens. I went through my stash today and got rid of the ones that did.

Thankfully I had plenty of great, paraben free stuff left to use on my skin and hair!

I have several products from Mambino Organics, all paraben free. My shave cream is by Alba Botanica (their parent company, Avalon Organics, has removed parabens from their products too). Also paraben free. My shampoo is Burt’s Bees. My other shampoo (and conditioner) is from ecoStoreUSA. Deodorant? Lafe’s Natural. (By the way, the owners of the last two companies will be joining me for an interview so look for them on the podcast soon!)

That takes care of my bathroom.

Unfortunately, parabens can also be found in some other products, like prepared foods such as salad dressings (more motivation to make my own. I usually do make my own salad dressings because I don’t like to use soy or canola oils, and olive oil and vinegar are far cheaper!), and even some drugstore items such as topical wound treatments. But I don’t use any of those either so I won’t worry about that.

My final take on the issue is “When in doubt, leave it out.”

If it’s just as easy to choose products that don’t have a potentially dangerous ingredient, why not go ahead and do just that?

More paraben free products:

• Natracare
• Healthy, safe, effective sunscreen
• Earth Mama Angel Baby
• HARNN & THANN

photo credit: Jazz Defo

This kit contains some of the nicest organic skin care products I’ve ever used.

Mambino Organics was invented by a mom named Maki Maodus who suffered with cystic acne as a youngster.

She used natural remedies to heal it and decided to use her knowledge in herbalism and aromatherapy as an aesthetician to help others with their skin problems.

Now she’s a facialist to the stars but hasn’t forgotten her natural roots. Mambino organics is made from yummy oils and other natural ingredients that are safe for pregnant moms and even babies. There are no chemicals or additives, no parabens, no petrochemicals, no alcohol.

Mambino organics is an award winning line and I can understand why.

Here’s a little bit about each of the products I’ve been using.

The Kissable lips lip balm has become my all time favorite lip balm. It’s not heavy or greasy but does the job. It’s the only lip balm my 3 year old will tolerate. The others are “too hot”, according to her.

The Youth Glow Omega Face Complex feels so luxurious going on my face! I use just a dab on my skin at night after cleansing. It smells HEAVENLY, probably because of the rosa mosqueta and orange oil. I feel all tropical and fruity and love the way it sinks right into my skin without being greasy.

Ditto for the Moisture Me Body Toning Oil, which I rub on my belly after I take a shower. It has shea, pomegranate and avocado oil. I don’t have a pregnant belly, but I could use some, um… toning in that area. LOL! It has oils that boost collagen production and strengthens connective tissue (scientific talk for helps get rid of cellulite!).

I can’t say much about the Nipple Butter because my nipples are so far beyond needing this product, after almost 11 years of nonstop breastfeeding. I’ve been using it as a boo-boo cream. At least, on my 7 year old who cannot read the jar. The 10 year old won’t stand for it.

The Tippy Toes ultra gentle baby oil I use on my youngest after her bath. This winter her little legs get so dry, so after she towels off, I squirt it onto her legs and massage it in. It sinks right into her skin without being greasy. That’s one way you know the oils are natural. If they sit there and get slick, they’re made from petrochemicals. You could also use it on baby’s scalp for cradle cap.

And finally the Mommy & Baby calming aromatherapy oil is lovely. It’s a lavender and roman chamomile blend, both of which are recommended by aromatherapists for teething, fussy, colicky or sleepless babies. Safe to use straight up on baby’s skin, or put a few drops on yourself if you have nausea. Also very calming for postpartum stress or insomnia.

You can get several of the products in convenient, smaller sizes as a gift or for travel in the Mambino Organics – Mommy On The Go kit, which comes in a pretty travel pouch.

I don’t know about you, but when the air starts to turn dry and the central heat goes on, my skin starts to turn dry and ashy. If dry skin or eczema is a chronic problem, try eating more healthy fats to get more Omega 3′s into your diet, as well as leafy greens, fish and nuts. Taking fish oil capsules or cod liver oil is also great for your skin and especially if you experience some winter blues, it may help combat the depression.

Soaking in the bath is nice, but during the winter it can be even more drying to overbathe, especially if you aren’t adding moisture back into your skin.

I found a wonderful recipe for a milk bath treatment that I am looking forward to trying out. This will turn your bathtime into a spa experience. Safe even for babies (and Daddies too if he’s so inclined!).
photo credit: Unfurled

The ingredients are simple and easy to find in a Whole Foods or other large health-y food store, and this recipe would be an awesome gift for the ladies in your life too.

Buy up some reusable muslin tea bags or small glass jars to store it in, top with a pretty ribbon and small gift card cut out of a recycled greeting card, and you have an inexpensive gift that ANY woman would love.

Cleopatra’s Bath Milk

2 cups powdered milk (powdered goat’s milk would be specially good)
1 Tablespoon Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil
2 Tablespoons dried rose petals
1/2 cup ground oatmeal (grind oats finely in your blender)
10 drops lavender essential oil or other favorite oil

Mix all ingredients well and keep in a glass jar in the refrigerator. To use, put as much as you like into your bath under running water.

You can also buy reusable muslin tea bags and place the mixture in these. To use, just drop one in the bath water.

NaBloPoMo #18

The folks at Honeydew skin care sent me this Balmy Mommy itch relief belly balm for pregnant mommies.

Well, I’m obviously not pregnant, but I’ve nonetheless found myself using this product every single day since I got it.

It’s designed to keep itchy, stretchy areas of the body moisturized (like the pregnant tummy and thighs), so it contains evening primrose oil and cocoa butter. A little lavender so it smells nice and calendula for anti inflammatory properties, and even oats for skin soothing and itch relief. Other ingredients include avocado oil, safflower seed oil, beeswax, rose hips oil, and shea butter.

I like how the balm is in a convenient applicator designed like a deodorant. It’s so easy to whip off the cap and stroke it on wherever you need it.

I have found myself reaching for it in the middle of the night several times lately to rub on my youngest daughter’s itchy legs. She gets dry skin in the winter anyway, but she’s wheat allergic and when she manages to sneak something with wheat when I’m not looking (she’s usually pretty good about this but occasionally she will taste something her siblings have left lying around the house), she breaks out into an itchy red rash. This stuff helped me get her back to sleep which meant more rest for me!

Balmy mommy is also recommended for eczema sufferers. I’ve used it on my dry hands and lips too.

Honeydew has some other original products for moms, like an ointment to help ease C- section scars and one to soothe tired legs. Honeydew products are also free of parabens, petrolatum, synthetic colors, dyes and fragrances. They’re available at Nordstrom or at their website.

NaBloPoMo #4

This is a review and giveaway by new guest blogger Leslie Quigley. Thanks Leslie for the great offer and for telling us about these awesome skin care products.

*Attention- Giveaway at the end of this post!!!**

Recently, I had the opportunity to review Miessence products through Erin Ely.

Miessence Certified Organic products are certified with the highest international food standards!! All of their products are certified organic and do not include GMO’s.

What is a GMO? Otherwise known as a genetically modified organism (GMO) it’s a plant, animal or microorganism whose genetic code has been altered (subtracted from, or added to either the same species or a different species) in order to give it characteristics that it does not have naturally.

Knowing these products are not genetically altered is such a great relief especially when you’re dealing with skin- which is the largest organ of the human body! When these products arrived at my door I was thrilled. Each of these goods are very unique.

For starters, I used the Skin Care Pack- which included the Balancing Cleanser, Balancing Skin Conditioner and Balancing Moisturizer. The Balancing Cleanser works very well in removing the dirt and makeup. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed. I’ve used a lot of skin cleanser’s and what I really like about it was the aromatherapy (orange peel oil, ylang ylang, calendula & marshmallow) that went straight into my senses after using it. My face really felt clean and I felt like a new gal!

Next up, was the Balancing Skin Conditioner which is so gratifying because it feels so smooth up against your face, throat or decollete’ (chest). With 200 applications @ 3 pumps per application you won’t be disatisfied. I think out of the three this one I enjoyed most. I like to think of all the great organic vitamins and plant extracts that are nourishing my skin.

After you’re face is glowing and you feel like a new woman, there’s just one last step! Us woman love facial products and we want to know our skin is going to look as good as it did at 30 when we’re 50. So, in order to do so you have to have the right moisturizer that will prevent free radicals and moisture loss (which BTW causes wrinkling!!!).

Upon application, this soft and smooth moisturizer, feels like everything is complete! I tend to have oily skin and a few breakouts and I felt that this Skin Care Pack really packed a great non-toxic punch and kept my breakouts at bay. Plus, I noticed my skin wasn’t as oily as it would be.

Using products that do not contain chemicals makes you feel good about yourself. Not only that; you know you’re health isn’t being jeopardized. There are so many over the counter products that contain ugly chemicals that can alter our systems and yet the FDA still continues to allow them. With Miessence products you don’t have that worry.

I also tried their shampoo and conditioner. Both of which worked well. The shampoo, does take a little more than the standard shampoo’s, to lather up. Once my hair lathered up, it worked fine. Their Mint Toothpaste works really well leaving your mouth feeling fresh and clean. I must admit, that during my initial brushing…I was thrown off by a bit by the sea salt granules but it was nothing major! The salt and soda combination cleaned up the pearly whites nicely and not to mention freshens your breath.

My two absolute favorites were the Jaffa Lip Balm and the Tahitian Breeze Roll-On Deodorant!! I’ve always been into chapstick- it goes way back when I was in Jr. High…I’d always have a Bonnie Bell, Dr. Pepper or Grape flavored tube in my backpocket. It was an addiction. I was always rubbing the stuff across my lips.

As I grew up and learned more about natural products, I realized that it was full of toxic crud and I threw them all away and started using natural versions. I have a new collection of natural chapsticks because I still LOVE to keep my lips feeling soft. There’s also something about being able to roll your lips back and forth without getting stuck and being dry. I think you all can agree on this one! Just feels right.

When I first put the Jaffa Lip Balm on my lips it was PURE HEAVEN. The smell, the taste (yes, I did lick my lips and so did my son…LOL!) and the feel was absolutely what I look for in a lip balm. I mean c’mon, with ingredients like cocoa butter, avocado oils, sweet orange essential oil, and vanilla… it’s lip bliss!! I’m so sad too- because I LOST my tube…it was a tragic day. I’m hoping it’ll show up at some point. In any case, if you’re like me and love soft, silky lips then you should order some fast.

Okay, so here’s a personal secret…shhh!!! I have the sweaty pits syndrome…there I said it! I’ve heard you can get botox to fix the issue but are you kidding me? HECK NO!!! I don’t find that to be a suitable solution, AT ALL.

I’ve dealt with the problem for a long time and before I was into the natural way I was prescribed a medicine for it. All along I never liked the idea of putting a pure solution of ALUMINUM CHLORIDE under my arms. I finally stopped using it one day and vowed I would cope with natural products-Including putting tissue under my arms to capture the release.

I’ve tried it all- but Miessence deodorant comes out on top. It works!!! If it works for this “Sweaty Betty” then it will work nicely for those without my problem! It smells great and on my bad days I’ve had to roll-on twice. No big deal.

It’s strong scented upon application with citrus and bergamont notes but calms and keeps you dry once it’s been applied. Best of all, it’s ORGANIC- and most of the natural deodorants I’ve tried are not organic just chemical free. Huge plus, that’s for sure!!! I’ve had it a couple months now and it’s still half-full! Wow.

Last but certainly not least, I received a sample packet of their moisturizing lotion- great stuff too! Goes along way and provides just the right amount of moisture.

Overall, Miessence is QUALITY at it’s finest and I would definitely recommend these products. I mean, really…with ingredients so pure you can eat them- what are you waiting for?

** Now for the fun part!! Your chance to WIN the Jaffa Lip Balm & Tahitian Breeze Roll-On Deodorant!!! Simply, leave me comment telling me what Miessence product you’d like to try (other than the ones mentioned).

Pls. leave a valid email address with your comment.

Contest ends OCTOBER 16TH, 2008! Winner will be announced on the 17th!

*** The winner of this giveaway is Veronica G.!!! Congrats.

Thanks to all those who entered.

I have to admit, this isn’t an issue I’ve thought of very much – how to go green with your hair removal.

I’ve probably tried every hair removal technique known to (wo)mankind, including waxing and epilators. I’m no stranger to pain. I liked waxing because it made the hair on my legs grow back finer and sparser, even now and I haven’t done it in years.

I liked the hot wax formulas, but they do create a lot of waste with all the throwaway packaging and whatnot.

I tweeze my eyebrows a little and for my pits and legs, use a non disposable razor (the heads are disposable) and I take really good care of it so I only have to change out the blade about once every 6 months.

It’s pretty obvious that depilatories aren’t green since they’re made from all manner of nasty chemicals. And I ain’t crunchy enough to not remove hair… sorry!

Crunchy Chicken just posted about sustainable hair removal and included a homemade sugaring recipe. It calls for just sugar, lemon juice and water. I’ve always wanted to try sugaring and am going to give it a shot really soon and let you all know just what it was like!

Ah the joys of blogging.

Sugaring seems really natural and harmless and the sugar itself probably provides some exfoliation action. Another more eco friendly option would be the Preserve razor, made from recycled plastic yogurt containers.

What do you do for hair removal?
photo credit: Jinga escreve historia

Every once in awhile a reader emails me to ask how to find bargains on natural products. The sometimes frustrating thing about using non toxic skin care and other products is that they’re more costly.

True enough.

Good stuff does cost more. But, if you’re a savvy shopper and willing to do a little digging, you can find bargains on natural products. Here are some tips on how to do that.

1. Be alert to clearance bargains. In just the last week I’ve snagged some great deals on a couple of natural beauty products at my local Publix grocery store. Not exactly a health food co-op, it’s the closest grocery store to me (a 4 minute drive) so it’s the place where I do the bulk of my shopping. They always have a few shopping carts full of clearance items and I always check it out.

   A couple of recent finds: Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Shampoo and Conditioner for $3 each (retails around $8 each). I bought several of these! I found Burt’s Bees lip gloss for $2 too.

   Another find: California Baby Diaper Rash Cream for $3 each (normally retail at around $10). I don’t have a baby in diapers, so I plan on giving these away here sometime soon.

   I’ve also snagged some Burt’s Bees lotions on clearance at CVS. There are always products being discontinued and such and since a lot of the more natural products don’t sell as well at larger drugstore chains, you can find them marked down occasionally.

 

2. Check company websites. I am frequently able to print off valuable coupons for products I use regularly or want to try, just by visiting the company’s website. Sometimes you have to sign up for their newsletter, but that’s ok because then you’ll get more coupons straight to your inbox.

   Ditto for grocery store websites. Again, Publix sends me their print magazine in the mail and today I got about 20 $1 off coupons for natural/organic items, including one for the Clorox GreenWorks line which I really like. So before you buy a product, take a minute to check out the website and see if they’re offering any coupons.

 

3. Visit frugal/coupon/freebie websites. There are quite a few blogs I visit regularly to check out the freebie and coupon postings. Just to name a couple that have give me valuable info recently: Money Saving Mom, BeCentsAble and Freebies4Mom

   I have these 3 on my RSS reader and check them daily. They all turn up some great deals, including this one: Walgreens Saturday event with Yes to Carrots coupons and freebies. It just so happens that I will be passing by Walgreens Saturday on my way to another errand so I am absolutely going to drop in and grab a free Yes to Carrots Lip Butter!

   It was one of these sites that alerted me to free coupon booklets for organic products that were distributed several weeks ago in grocery stores and health food stores. I’m still using these up, and most of them for $1 off various organic food items.

 

4. Check here. I post discount codes for online retailers like Amazon and other sites as often as I get wind of them. It seems that about once a month Amazon has a percentage off sale on organic and natural product lines.

   Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter because I send them out there too (enter your name and email in the box on the upper right hand corner of the site). I also get discount codes periodically from some of my guests who have ecommerce sites. In a few weeks I’m featuring a company that sells frozen organic baby food (they ship!) and they’re offering a freebie, so stay tuned for that.

 

5. Contests and giveaways. Winning free stuff is cheap. You can sign up for newsletters like Ecobunga to get wind of the best giveaways and contests for natural and organic products all over the web.

So those are a few of my strategies. Of course, some of the best ways to save money are to minimize the number of products you use in the first place and make your own stuff as much as you can.

What are some of the ways you save money on natural/organic skin care and other products?

The Environmental Working Group just came out with their Sunscreen report, so I decided to stop being a lazy blogger and say something informative about the sunscreen issue.

It seems I’m the last natural/crunchy mamablogger to do so. LOL! But, I have a good reason. You see, I so very rarely wear sunscreen myself. Mostly I just stay out of the sun. Or if I’m going to be in the sun, don’t go during the peak hours and don’t stay out long enough to burn.

But next month I’m going to visit a friend who lives in Florida, and she is the kind of gal who sports a year round tan due to her beachy lifestyle. She’s always outside and she’s always exercising and she’s surfing and stuff and therefore always tan.
photo credit: Ordered Chaos

I was thinking of donning a huge sombrero, but I’m so not a hat person. So I will be having to purchase some sunscreen soon.

Healthy and Safe and Effective Sunscreen Choices

The bad thing about sunscreens is that many of them can be very toxic and others, not effective. And some are both ineffective AND toxic. Two for one!

Seriously though, some common ingredients found in sunscreens are suspected carcinogens. Really yummy stuff like: triethanolamine, diethanolamine (TEA, DEA), padimate-o, octyl dimethyl PABA, benzophenone, oxybenzone, homosalate, salicylates and parabens. Woo! Say that ten times fast!

Also disturbing is that many commonly used sunscreens contain chemicals that have estrogenic actions. What does that mean? It means that it can interfere with normal sexual development and can cause reproductive problems. Some studies have also shown that chemicals found in sunscreens can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

The really funny part is that all this chemical soup is not even regulated. The FDA has no strict standards for sunscreen. Among other things, a sunscreen can claim to be “broad spectrum” when it’s not.

Thankfully there are sunscreens on the market that are safer. Zinc oxide is a mineral that provides complete UVB and UVA protection. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and is considered a safe sunscreen.

The list on Skin Deep has some recommendations, including California Baby SPF 30 + Sunblock Stick – No Fragrance and another from Badger Balm (click link to read a review) … but another surprising top pick is a CVS brand (so maybe you can put some of those CVS tricks the frugal blogging ladies are always talking about to work).

So what do you use for sunscreen?

Just a quick “Bargainic” alert that Amazon.com is offering a lot of The Body Shop products at discounted prices including Buy One, Get One Half Off.

Through the years there are several Body Shop products I have loved. My all time favorite facial cleanser, ever, was their oatmeal scrub. It was discontinued and I’m still grieving! I also love their essential oil fragrance: Rose and Dewberry being among my favorites.

Plus I’ve long admired Anita Roddick, the Body Shop’s founder, for her commitment to Fair Trade. She was doing Fair Trade long before it became cool.

The specia offers end July 6. You can also get free shipping on all orders of $50 or more.

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 product 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. Again, this one gets great reviews and it’s packaged in ecofriendly, biodegradable packaging which is a plus. SkinDeep gives this product a safety rating of 6.

After I color my hair I’ll come back here and post my own review. Stay tuned.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Moms Talk Radio

What do you think? Are you going to go grey? Or fight aging every step of the way?

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.

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

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

www.shebirths.com

www.bloominbellysoaps.com

1-888-432-7171

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!

Tiffany talked about being a beautiful cheapskate the other day on her blog and asked for ideas on how to be a cheap beauty. A cheap beauty is also a green beauty.

While it’s great that there are many natural and organic beauty products available nowadays, I’m going to focus on the “reducing” aspect of the equation. If you don’t NEED it, you don’t need to buy it, even if it’s eco friendly. Here are some ways to be a cheap green beauty.

Eliminate stuff you don’t need

Every beauty and skin care expert I’ve ever read said that noone needs toner (or astringent). Wash your face well and rinse well. Skip the toner.

If you have oily skin you probably don’t need moisturizer, and if you have normal skin, your sunscreen might be enough of a moisturizer. Use a natural sunscreen daily and that’s probably all you need. If your skin is dry, use the gentlest cleanser you can and you might need less moisturizer.

Most people, unless their skin is extremely oily, don’t need to wash their faces with a cleanser in the morning. Of course it goes without saying that you should thoroughly cleanse your face at night, but as long as you do this, your face is clean enough in the morning to just splash with warm water.

Exfoliation is important for healthy and pretty skin, but you probably don’t need an expensive product. Use a very clean washcloth to gently scrub your face. Or put some baking soda in your hand and use that as a gentle scrub. Or sugar or salt mixed with a little olive oil. Olive oil makes a great eye makeup remover by the way!

Skip the allover foundation. Most people don’t need it all over their faces but just a little bit under the eyes and around the nose. Use a little tinted moisturizer instead or try mineral makeup, which makes your face look flawless and seems to last forever.

If you curl your eyelashes you might be able to skip mascara and eyeliner. It opens up the eyes and really makes them pop. If I were stranded on a desert island, I would want my eyelash curler and lip balm! Keeping your brows groomed also shapes your face without needing a product. In addition to tweezing, try trimming the longer hairs that stick out after you comb your brows (use cuticle nippers).

You can even skip shampoo entirely and try the baking soda (“no poo”) method.

Try multi use products

Body lotion or conditioner can double as shaving cream. Buy makeup that can be used for eyes, cheeks and lips, like Kiss My Face 3 Way Color.

Coconut oil can be used as a facial and body moisturizer, hair conditioner/styling product, and as an ingredient in natural deodorants and toothpastes.

Make your own

Making your own skin care products usually means you’ll use far less packaging than if you bought everything. It doesn’t have to be super complicated though. You can mix honey and salt to make a body or facial scrub. Or sugar and olive oil. Lemon juice, salt and olive oil are great to exfoliate and bleach elbows and heels. Here are more homemade skin care recipes.

Learn to love your natural look

I have a story here. My sister has super thick, curly hair. The kind that, if it were long, would rest in ringlets down her back. The kind that other people spend $100 per perm to try and achieve. Now she has accepted her hair and decided not to fight nature, but when she was a teenager and everyone had Farrah Fawcett wings, straight was the look. So she would spend money and time trying to chemically straighten her hair, which was mostly an exercise in futility!

Learn to accept your natural face. Freckles are cute and don’t have to be covered up. Curly hair is beautiful and doesn’t have to be straightened. Ask your hairdresser to help you choose a style that works with your facial shape and hair texture. The more you try to change your natural look the more money and time you’ll spend.

Now- what are your simple beauty tips?

Here is a coupon code to save 10% OFF Cruelty-Free Vegan Cosmetics, from natural mascara to nail polish at VeganUnlimited

Enter the code: vegancosmetics10 when prompted. This coupon code expires August 15.

Happy shopping!