Are Your Organic Skincare Products Really “Organic?”

Using organic skincare products is more than just saving your skin from possible chemical irritation—it’s also saving the earth from home. However, that is only if you are using the real organic skincare.

Why Use Organic Skincare?

Organic skincare products are made up and processed without using any chemicals like synthetic fertilizers, pest killers, and preservatives. Thus, supporting organic skincare brands means encouraging chemical-free farming and processing.

That’s less pain for the earth and less damaging effects for the environment. As for your skin, that means less irritation, less potential damage, more natural glow, and more youthful appearance.

Beware of Some “Organic” Skincare Products

The dramatic increase of environmental concerns is taken advantaged by manufacturers. Adding the words “natural,” “organic,” “eco-friendly,” etc. on the label can instantly transform a poorly sold product into a market hit.

As a consumer, you need to be vigilant. Otherwise, you might only be contributing harm to the environment despite your desire to help. And the most painful part is, you are not aware of it.

Organic Skincare Labels

All products can say that they are “organic skincare.” But only few can have the real seal of being organic.

There are groups that are responsible for certifying that organic skincare products are really organic like the Australia’s Organic Food Chain, ECOCERT, USDA, UK’s Soil Association, and Germany’s BDIH.

They give certification depending on how organic an organic skincare product is. For instance, those with “Certified Organic” seal have at least 95% organic ingredients while those with “Made Organic” have at least 70%.

In the end, making your own organic skincare recipe is still the best way to make sure that you are using organic. But with the hectic lifestyle, using trusted organic skincare brands is a better and more comfortable way to save your skin and the environment.

Cycleina Organic Soaps

For a lot of women, bath soaps and other beauty products are of great importance. Even those who are not usually into “girly” stuff, when it comes to soap, it seems that more attention is given. When buying soap, though, it is important to look at more than the beauty benefits that it can give you. A lot of commercial soaps have ingredients that are harmful to the environment – that’s one main reason that organic soaps have become so popular in the recent years. And speaking of organic soaps, here is a line of soaps that I highly recommend.

I discovered Cycleina Organic Soaps through a friend. She gave me a couple of bars late last year, and I have been using them ever since. Cycleina is a small company based in the Philippines. They take pride in making hand made soaps using the traditional cold process. All of their ingredients are pesticide free and are guaranteed to make your skin feel absolutely wonderful after each use. And they are not just saying that as a marketing stunt. As I told you earlier, I have used these soaps and they are for real!

Cycleina has several varieties – or flavors as I like to call them – of soaps. My personal favorites are the coffee soap, peppermint, and tomato. The coffee soap has coffee grinds in it, which make it perfect as an exfoliant. The peppermint is great if you want to feel refreshed. The tomato is excellent for the face. For more information, visit the Cycleina web site.

Disinfecting Germs at Home with Home Made Cleaners

The night after her baby brother’s birthday party, my 6-year-old daughter came into our bedroom at around midnight saying “Mom I feel si….” and promptly projectile vomited in the middle of our doorway. The next 24 hours were awful, she couldn’t hold anything down, had a fever, and felt absolutely terrible. Classic symptoms of gastroenteritis. And what I find most annoying is that earlier in the week I had received a letter from her school saying that there were multiple cases of gastro going around the school, and it gave necessary measures on how to avoid it – washing hands, keeping clean, etc. Obviously not easy to do for 6-year-olds in the playground or school canteen.

So now that she had indeed caught the bug, the only thing I could do was to protect the rest of the family, especially her two little brothers. Aside from issuing a strict handwashing policy at home, I took on the task of disinfecting crucial areas like the kitchen, toilets and places my daughter used. I resisted the urge to buy the heavy-duty Lysol, and instead found a website which had some great information on how to make your own less-toxic disinfectants – so you save money, save the earth, keep healthier and hopefully kill a few germs while you’re at it.

Home-made Alternatives

Disinfecting/Deodorizing Cleaner
Add 1/2 cup of borax to 4 litres of warm water.

One hospital used this formulation for cleaning for a year. The monitoring bacteriologist reported that the solution satisfied the hospital’s germicidal requirements. (Dadd)

Disinfectant
Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle.

Tea Tree Disinfectant
20 drops tea tree oil (approx. 1/5 tsp. or 1 ml)
20 drops emulsifier
1 cup water or vinegar
Put emulsifier in container. Add oil and blend. Add 1cup water or vinegar.

Cinnamon Disinfectant
12 drops cinnamon oil (approx. 1/8 tsp. or 0.6 ml)
12 drops emulsifier
1 cup water or vinegar
Put emulsifier in container. Add oil and blend. Add 1cup water or vinegar. Shake before using.

Beware of Hazardous Chemicals Found In The Home

Do you have living plants inside your home? Just the other day I realized that while I made sure my garden was in good condition, I hardly had any living plants inside. When we first moved into this house a year and a half ago, I had two large houseplants inside, one very tall, reaching my double height living room ceiling, and the other one of those spider plants, like the one above. I’m not sure why, but both languished for the next few months, and when I found a nasty termite hole under the pot of the large one, I moved both plants outside.

This I now regret, because I have since learned that the amounts of chemicals inside our homes were huge – and this is just from ordinary, everyday living. And one way to combat its ill effects (like cancer) are non-other than the humble houseplant. Here are some examples of the big baddies which are most probably in your home as we speak.

Formaldehyde
This nasty one causes cancer and is shockingly found in pretty much everything (if you bought your furniture/clothes etc. etc. at regular stores) – your dining table, your carpet, your pad of paper – even the gas for your stove! In the past I always associated it with preserving the dead, so it’s an even scarier idea, for me especially, that this stuff is actually on the tabletop my family eat off on, and maybe even my makeup.

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The Best Window Cleaners

I used to spend a lot of money on commercial glass cleaners. Not only were they expensive and full of toxic chemicals, but they also never managed to do the job too well. Since I started to try and live a more earth-friendly lifestyle, I switched to eco-friendly products, which didn’t have the chemicals but weren’t that cheap either. So I resolved to find some cheaper DIY solutions. Here are my favourites:

Newspaper: Yes, thats it! Crumpled old newspaper. My Mom swears by it. You can use this to dry as well, to avoid streaking.

Vinegar and Water: Two simple ingredients, one cheap and effective solution. The only hitch is that you have to beat with the sour smell for a while – but it does eventually wear off.

The Best Window Cleaner – I found this recipe online:

Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

If you must buy the stuff, here are some good options:

Eco Products, Boulder Colorado

Natural Collection Products

Eco hip Environmental Products

Ecover

Soap and Water vs Antibacterial Gels

One of the mantras in my household is “Wash your hands please”. When the kids get home from school, before mealtimes, before cooking, after playing, after touching the pets and so on. But when you’re out of the house, using water and soap obviously isn’t the most convenient thing. And the solution a lot of people have been using come in the form of antibacterial gels, which are cheap, plentiful and found just about anywhere. The problem with it though, is that terrible ingredient, triclosan, an antibacterial agent found in a lot of products nowadays, from soap to socks! But the fact remains: Triclosan is no better than plain soap.

Several months ago, I read a very disturbing article by a Mom, aptly called: “Cancer or Germs? I’ll Take the Germs!”. She took the time out to do research on the stuff (the things a Mom will do!- bravo) and it made me ban triclosan from my household forever – why? because among other nasties, it causes cancer and is bad for the environment. Enough said. If you want to know more about it, or what products contain it, please go here.

Okay. So we know antibacterial gels with triclosan are bad, but that doesn’t really solve our problem about killing germs while we are on the go. Mind you, soaps have it too, so be wary and always read labels. Well, the best solution is to buy the natural stuff (like Clean Well), or better yet, make it yourself.

Here are some ideas:

Grapefruit seed extract: diluted with distilled water, makes a great all-around germ-killing spray for hands, air, surfaces and even wounds!

Vodka and essential oil: Mixing vodka, essential oil (like lavender) and distilled water, is another easy and cheap alternative. Put it in a spray bottle and keep it handy.

Essential oils and water: Simple yet effective, take your favourite essential oil and mix it with water to create a very natural antibacterial. The most potent are: cinnamon, cloves, verbena, lavender, angelice, juniper, sandal, cedar, thyme and lemon.

Recycling And Reusing Tips For Students

The obligation of doing our part for the environment lies on the shoulders of each and every person, never mind the age or the background. In this particular post, I would like to focus on college and university students. These years could be some of the best years of one’s life, but that doesn’t mean forgetting to do one’s part in saving the earth. Here are some simple ways by which students can contribute through recycling and reusing.

Newspapers and other periodicals. Most, if not all, colleges have their own newspaper. Students normally get these papers on top of regular newspapers and magazines. In many cases, students tend to immediately throw away or recycle these materials. My suggestion? Reuse them instead! Put them in the dormitory reading room. Donate them. Before you recycle, try getting more use out of them.

Plastic bags. Many grocery stores and shops do not use plastic bags anymore. If you do go to a store which makes use of plastic bags, don’t throw them away. Instead, find good use for them. I like using used plastic bags as trash bags. It saves me on money – I don’t have to buy garbage bags as often. You can also use these plastic bags to carry around wet things.

Readings and other papers. Again, instead of immediately bringing your stacks of used paper to the recycling center, why not make the most of them? Cut them up and use the unprinted side for notepads. Use whole sheets of paper as scratch. If you’re printing drafts for yourself, then print on the other side.

Remember, try to get as much use as you can from your things. You’ll not only save money, but help the earth as well.

Plan A Green Wedding

June is the traditional month for weddings and many of those planning on getting married in June of this year probably are making plans as early as now. Indeed, those who are planning extravagant weddings are probably almost done with their planning. Have you considered having a green wedding? Of course I am not talking about the color theme for the ceremony; instead, I am referring to having a wedding that will have a lesser impact on the environment. Here are some ideas that can help you do just that.

Wedding rings. Have you had new wedding rings made? If not, why not consider using family heirlooms? This will not only help the environment but also make the symbols of your love even more significant. You may even get old pieces of jewelry and have them re-fashioned to suit your tastes.

Wedding attire. While many brides may want a totally new gown, the option of wearing your mom’s wedding gown is always open. Why not take it a step further and make it a theme? Instead of having new dresses made for the entourage, why not make it a point to “re-use” old (but no less beautiful or elegant) clothes for everyone?

Invitations. Have you checked out the prices of professionally-made invites lately? They are astronomical! Why not consider electronic invites? Or if you want something more concrete, make sure you patronize recycled products. Again, this does not mean that they will be less elegant or beautiful!

A Chlorine-Free Pool

When I read Debra Lynn Dadd‘s’ article on her chlorine free swimming pool, I thought, what a brilliant idea! With the summer holidays coming, I just know the entire family is going to be swimming a lot, especially the kids. And when one thinks of the huge amounts of chemicals in a regular pool – chlorine, muriatic acid, bromine and so on, and how it so easily gets absorbed into the system, it makes sense to look to other alternatives.

Debra uses an above-ground pool (good for the environment!) and incorporates a pretty amazing technique invented by Winston Kao, who really knows about “living” water and organic growing among other things. But more posts on this very interesting man later. Anyway, Debra bought a water system from Winston Kao, which now makes the water in her swimming pool not just naturally clean, but also good for you! And with no chemicals at all. Chlorine, if you didn’t know, is linked to asthma and cancer in kids.

There are a number of companies and products offering chlorine-free alternatives, like Ecosmarte pools, and of course the salt water option, which are becoming more common, yet I wouldn’t choose it mainly because my son is one of those kids whose eyes really sting in sea water. Be wary though of some products, which although are non-chlorinated, are STILL made from chemicals. Try and look for the most natural options you can and treat your family to healthier fun this summer.

Environment-Friendly Candles

I love candles. I can’t get enough of them. While I have ample electrical lighting at home, there is nothing like a bunch of scented candles to create a relaxing atmosphere at any given time. More than the aesthetic and relaxing aspect of using candles, however, there is also the environment to consider.

Candles do not use electric power. This means you save yourself on electric bills. It also means that you do not contribute to the using up of the world’s store of fossil fuels. But did you also know that there are kinds of candles which are friendlier to the environment as compared to “normal” candles?

Here are some really nice scented candles which will not harm the environment (and you!).

Vermont Soy Candles
These candles are perfect for aromatherapy. They have various scents – lavender, lemon, cedar, cinnamon, and others. They also have special Clean Air candles which can get rid of smoke and other unpleasant odors. Get them here.

Aveda Plant Pure-Fume Aroma Candles
These candles do not have petroleum or other synthetic materials, and also have various scents. The candles are available in small tins (perfect for travel) and big pillars in glass holders. You can get them here.

Beeswax Candles
These are much easier to find – you would probably find beeswax candles in your local market. You can also find a lot of these in various online stores.

Just a note: do make sure that you also check the wicks of the candles that you buy. Ask the manufacturer and make sure that the wicks do not contain lead and other similar compounds.