We just purchased our first natural loofah kitchen scrubber, and could it bee any cuter?!?! Loofah-art makes bio-degradable kitchen scrubbers made from natural loofah and colored with 100% natural vegetable dye. Each scrubber is safe for all surfaces (from fruits and vegetables to pots and pans). We love that these are bio-degradable and won’t be sitting in a landfill for years – plus they are really fun!
Check out Loofah-art at: http://www.loofahworld.com
During the winter months, many of us like to light candles and enjoy the warm and soothing (or romantic) atmosphere that they create. Candles are traditionally made from paraffin, which is the sludge left at the bottom of crude oil barrels after it has been treated and bleached with chemical solvents. Burning paraffin candles releases toxins and carcinogens, as well as soot and smoke. Perfumes and artificial fragrances are then added to over the smell of burning petrochemicals. These perfumes and fragrances are also often toxic.
Beeswax candles are a great alternative to paraffin candles. They have a wonderful natural scent (like honey) and burn without creating soot (unlike traditional candles). Beeswax is free from toxins and carcinogens and burns at a higher temperature than paraffin (so it lasts longer). Burning beeswax candles releases negative ions into the air, which helps combat mold, dust, bacteria, viruses, and other pollutants. Just make sure that your candles are 100% beeswax in order to enjoy all these wonderful benefits.
Today’s healthy beauty find is the Preserve Toothbrush. The handle is made from 100% recycled #5 plastic. Our favorite part is that the toothbrush comes in a pre-addressed/stamped mailing package, so when it’s time to change out your toothbrush, it’s easy to recycle your old one by just slipping it back into it’s original package and dropping it in the mail. We’ve been buying our Preserve Toothbrushes at Whole Foods, but there is a subscription program available through the Preserve Products website: http://www.preserveproducts.com/
Many traditional makeup removers and wipes have toxic ingredients that act as preservatives, or mineral oil, which clogs the pores so that the skin can’t free itself of toxins. We don’t know about you, but we don’t want that stuff on our faces – especially near our eyes. We have been using Blum Naturals towelettes to remove makeup. They don’t irritate our sensitive skin, and they get the job done. Best of all, they don’t leave us with the feeling that we need to rinse our skin with water after using them. You can find more information at www.blumnaturals.com.
There are a lot of performance fabrics out there on the market. There is even a trend right now with performance fabrics being incorporated into women’s underwear. You may want to think twice about having these types of fabrics near your most sensitive of regions. Performance fabrics are by definition chemically treated, and your lady parts are extra sensitive to chemical exposure.
Bamboo is nature’s performance fabric and RX Undies have an organic bamboo liner. Organic bamboo fabric is grown without the use of pesticides, wicks moisture away from the body, and is naturally anti-microbial. Bamboo fabric is incredibly soft against the skin and bamboo is ecologically sustainable.
We are loving the bkr water bottle. We have long favored glass water bottles over plastic (better for the environment, no bpa, and water just tastes better from glass. We love that the glass bkr comes in it’s own silicone sleeve; we feel like we can be our clumsy selves without worrying about breaking our bkr. We got our bkr bottles at Whole Foods and we take them everywhere (just like all the celebrities who love bkr bottles, except we aren’t famous).
We are obsessed with finding a way to make our hair healthier, shinier, and smoother. Living in New England can be kind of a bummer if you are prone to frizzy hair… like we are. We recently read a magazine article that recommended using coconut oil as a hair treatment. We decided to give coconut oil a try and bought some from our local Whole Foods (it was in the aisle with all the other cooking oils). Prior to shampooing, we rubbed a big scoop into our hair focusing on the ends. The results so far have been great; we experienced softer, smoother hair even while the remnants of Hurricane Issac moved through Boston (major humidity). We recommend Dr. Bronner’s Organic Fair Trade Coconut Oil, because it’s organic and it provides a good wage and healthy working conditions for those involved with it’s production.
Aside from having a super fun name, Kiss My Face body lotion does a great job moisturizing skin. We use it head to toe after we shower and our skin stays super soft all day.
Just in time for the end of summer, this week’s healthy beauty find is Badger Anti-Bug Shake & Spray. This bug spray is 100% natural and certified organic. Traditional bug sprays contain chemicals that are neurotoxins to insects. Spraying that sort of chemical on the surface of your skin means it enters your blood stream, and can be toxic to your brain cells. Yikes! We love the anti-bug spray from badger because the smell is not unpleasant, and it isn’t as sticky as traditional bug sprays. We used Badger anti-bug while we were out in a marsh and didn’t get a single bite!
Did you know that most conventional mascara contains mercury? Thimerosal is a mercury compound that is used as a preservative in mascara. We don’t want that on our body much less near our eyes… that’s why we love Couleur Caramel mascara. It doesn’t contain mercury or any of the other toxic/harmful ingredients found in many conventional mascaras.
