Going Green...

Hey everyone!  I thought I'd expound a little on something I've been interested in lately.  Going green.  This means that I try to use products that are Organic, 100% natural, or without harmful chemicals/toxins as much as possible.  My focus lately has been on the things that touch my skin.  The skin absorbs things so well, so its a big concern if you're letting certain products touch your skin on a regular basis.  Many of the chemicals, like parabens, etc, cause severe allergies in people and their real affect on people without a direct allergy is largely unknown, due to a rather limited FDA here in the US.  Could some of the things I'm trying so hard to avoid not actually be all that harmful?  Very possibly.  But, I don't really see the point in taking that risk when here in Seattle area it's so easy to get a hold of green products.  It's a pretty common thing around here, which is one of the reasons I so love this place. : )  Seattle has a high concentration of outdoorsy, highly educated, healthy-living people.  I also like the diversity and the ability to be who you are without being judged for it negatively.  We're pretty laid back around here and like people to be able to do as they like as long as they don't mess with other people and whatnot.  Anyway, that's sort of a tangent.

I've so far overhauled the things that touch my skin.  Here's what I've got:

On the left is Castile Soap.  It's all-purpose shower soap.  I have it in peppermint flavor and its completely natural.  It gives your skin that tingly fresh feeling kind of like toothpaste.  I use it as shampoo.  This one huge bottle is about 16 dollars with tax, so more up front.  BUT, you have to use less than half of what you would for regular shampoos and it still lathers even better than regular shampoo.  I think it's going to last at LEAST half a year with both Micah and I using it as shampoo. It kind of clarifies your hair at the same time, so you need to make sure you use a good conditioner afterwards to be able to style your hair later.  In the middle is a the most natural brand of body wash that I could find at Safeway.  It was just a couple dollars more than regular body wash, but it's only 95% natural.  Who knows how bad that 5% actually is for you.  It's got a nice scent, but I'll be shopping at Fred Meyer for my next purchase because I want 100%.  My conditioner on the right is 100% natural.  It's nice and conditioning and doesn't really have much of a scent.  It's just as moisturizing as any other conditioner and leaves my hair nice and soft.

On the left is my face moisturizer.  It's the FAB (First Aid Beauty) brand at Sephora and inexpensive in comparison to the other brands you can find there.  It's for sensitive skin and has none of the chemicals that irritate skin.  This product and the middle one basically sold my on green skin products, because I IMMEDIATELY felt a difference in how my face felt after using it.  The middle jar is my face wash and it feels delightful.  I have very dry skin with a persistent oily sheen on my nose, chin, and forehead.  But, this product makes it feel clean and yet soft and moisturized.  Any other face wash that I've tried actually leaves my skin so dry that it feels like it will crack about 30 seconds after I've patted my face dry.  It may have been some sort of sensitivity to the chemicals found in normal face washes.  Who knows, but even the "ultra moisturizing" versions of face wash left my face feeling like a desert.  The last item is something I just bought.  It's the lavanilla brand of body lotion at Sephora and not any more expensive than bath and body works products.  It's not organic, but free of all the same chemicals that could be harmful and cause allergies.  It was the last skin care product that I needed something natural in.  It's thick and creamy and delicious.  It's has a line of baby products too that I would try as well (for myself or someday for kids).

The aluminum found in regular deodorants and pretty well linked to alzheimers and other older age problems.  So, I use Tom's.  I simply couldn't comfortably use it until the last year or so though because my armpits have actually decreased in sweat production (finally).  I felt like a teen going through puberty up until last year and that aluminum was the only thing that worked.  At least I'm off it now.  It's lavendar scented and works just fine now.  The middle product is my pressed powder for regular daily coverage.  It's the Sephora brand of all natural mineral foundation, so it's a little cheaper and just as good as bare minerals.  It is so light and natural feeling that I don't even know I have anything on my face.  It also combats my dry skin and covers my oily sheen nicely.  (win-win).  The right is a cream foundation that has really great coverage that still feels light.  It was a little more spendy, so I use it for special occasions or going to church.  It's lasted almost 2 years though.

For all of the more expensive products that I've bought, they all literally last forever!  A little goes a long way, so it really does pay for itself and it just feels better.  You can kind of tell when you're using products that are natural.  Your skin is so much happier for it. : )

The next going green project is cleaning supplies.  I've already researched how to make one's one natural all-purpose cleaner, I just want to use up the cleaners I have now before I delve into it.  I'm sort of going green too when it comes to food as well.  I try to avoid buying the "dirty dozen" (everyone should google it) unless I can get it organic and things like that.  With food, we simply can't afford to buy everything organic, so we limit our toxic chemical intake as best we can.  I LOVE shopping at Trader Joes which has everything organic or pre-organic, meaning every single item in that store is free of chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, you name it.  There still are a FEW items with preservatives that are kind of iffy (my mother is extremely allergic to some that are supposedly "ok" for regular consumption), but there are very few items and you just need to look at the ingredient list to make sure.  There's nothing more wonderful than picking up hashbrowns and reading that the ingredients are:  potatoes, and that's IT.  You should take a look at the ingredients list of regular grocery store items.  It's a little worrisome.  Oh, I also use ONLY glassware dishes to microwave foods.

Someday when Micah and I decide we are ready to be parents, we'll go completely toxic-free and organic.  Especially when they are still 6 months old or less and potentially more vulnerable.  Just as a little disclaimer, there is NOTHING wrong with you if you don't think it's for you to go green/organic.  It's a simple lifestyle choice that no one should be judged for if they do or don't.  We all have our priorities and the things that we each feel is important to improve.

Do any of you use organic or natural items?  

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read:  Cold Fire... still
taste: mizithra and browned butter
see:  kitty lounging on my purse, looking up at me
hear: kitty making her cute lil plaintif meow
smell: browned butter
touch:  my cold glass of iced pear juice
think:  lately?  That I'm so glad that I live in a democratic state, especially as a woman
feel:  thankful for the love I have in my life and the rights I have as a person here
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