Eco-Beauty 101

Are you an eco-beauty? That might best be described as someone who consciously seeks out safe, natural beauty solutions, as opposed to chemical-laden, mass market products. Going green with your personal care is smart on many levels. You’ll not only be protecting yourself from absorbing potentially dangerous toxins, but you’ll be doing the earth a favor as well.

Many people simply assume that the attractively packaged personal care products they find in pharmacies, grocery stores, and high-end department stores are safe and beneficial. Often, the opposite is true. Would you believe that neither these products, nor their ingredients, are either reviewed or approved by the FDA before they’re sold to the public? Yet many contain a plethora of chemicals that pose a danger to both the environment and your wellness.

When it comes to personal care products, consider that your skin is highly permeable, absorbing up to 60% of what you apply to it. According to the Environmental Working Group, Americans may use up to 126 different ingredients daily─many of which promote health problems over time. In fact, applying chemicals topically may be even more dangerous than swallowing them since they enter your bloodstream directly.

Eco-beauty is all about becoming more discerning about the products you select, not only for yourself, but for your children as well. If you don’t typically study the labels on your hairspray, shampoo, body lotion, shaving cream, and other cosmetic items as closely as you do with food products, now is a great time to start. Some of the top ingredients to avoid are:

• Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate

• Synthetic Fragrances

• Parabens

• Formaldehyde

• Phthalates

• Propylene Glycol

• Dimethicone

• Triclosan

• Talc

In her book “Easy Green Living,” author Reneé Loux discusses the possible health risks associated with these chemicals in a smart, credible manner. Her book is a treasure trove of green beauty/lifestyle tips and information. Happily, if you’re ready to make some changes, you can find safe, effective alternatives in every personal care category with brands like Kiss My Face, Ecco Bella, Beauty Without Cruelty, Aubrey Organics, Aura Cacia, and Burt’s Bees, among others.

Greening your personal care routine may save you money as well, if you discover that less is often more. Here’s to the natural beauty in all of us!

The Health Benefits of Living Green

Do you have an eco-friendly lifestyle? If so, you may shop with your own cloth bags, compost kitchen scraps, grow your own tomatoes, and recycle everything you can. Daily choices like these go a long way in helping to protect the environment, so bravo! Your choice to live "the green life" has even greater ramifications however, offering significant health benefits to you and your family. For example:

Healthier, safer food

Part of living green is supporting the organic movement. Investing in toxin-free food is important not only for the planet, wildlife, farm workers, and our precious soil, but for you as well! Not only will you enjoy a higher quality menu─free of unhealthy synthetic chemicals─but you’ll also help protect your family from GMOs, those invasive toxic items that remain invisible on food labels. By choosing USDA certified organic, or at least buying fresh and local, you can more safely dine GMO-free. If you can’t buy 100% organic, be selective and go organic with the 12 most contaminated items─named the “Dirty Dozen” by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). These include apples, red bell peppers, celery, grapes, and more: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

A non-toxic home

Do you clean your home with Ajax, ammonia, and bleach, or other chemical-based products that emit dangerous fumes? Most Americans do! And yet, eco-friendly cleaning solutions are indisputably preferable, given the health risks associated with commercial cleaning products. Many common household cleansers pollute your home with toxic ingredients like phosphates, chlorine, solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), synthetic fragrances, and more. These chemicals contribute to dangerous indoor air pollution─especially hazardous for children and pets. They also cause environmental problems going down the drain. A safer bet is to invest in safe/green products from Method, Seventh Generation, Ecover and Meyers, or make your own cheap, non-toxic cleaning kit: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

Chemical-free personal care

Did you know that, astonishingly, neither cosmetic and personal care products, nor their ingredients, require FDA approval before they’re sold to the public? Talk about a free for all! The problem for us as consumers is that many beauty, hair and skin care products contain potentially dangerous chemicals, as well as ingredients that can disrupt and mimic reproductive actions in both humans and animals. It’s a game changer when you consider that your skin absorbs up to 60% of what you apply to it! How do you know what to avoid, and what your safest and greenest options are? Learn more here: http://safecosmetics.org/section.php?id=33

Community garden essentials

Do you have a local community garden? Many communities do, and are by far the better for it. It’s actually rather amazing to join forces with others in the larger mission of cultivating healthier food for all. Younger folks may not recall those age-old "Victory Gardens" in times of war, but the concept is the same now, if not more so! Why not collaborate to raise healthy food for ourselves and those we love? If you don’t have a community garden in your area, you can certainly start one with these cool tips: <http://communitygarden.org/docs/10stepsstart.pdfhat

Ideally, you can see that living green is the ultimate solution. To the extent that you personally limit your carbon footprint and live better and healthier, even on a budget, you make a great difference. To the degree that you inspire others with your example, you hit the ball out of the park!

Summer Cleansing for Health & Beauty

While summer brings a wealth of options for outdoor fun in the sun, it’s also an ideal time to rejuvenate, renew, and boost your wellness naturally. A great place to start is with a refreshing cleanse─from the inside out. The following natural tactics may inspire you:

Boost hydration

Consuming enough water daily optimizes your wellness as it facilitates many bodily functions, including digestion, absorption, circulation, and waste removal. Even mild dehydration is harmful, blocking the removal of metabolic wastes and adding to your burden of accumulated toxins. Distilled water, which is rated purest and cleanest by the National Science Foundation, is inexpensive and widely available. Keep it easily accessible, chilled if you like. Add variety with a range of caffeine-free teas, hot or iced, or sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh citrus.

Love cleansing foods

When it comes to rejuvenating your body naturally, food really is the best medicine. You can combat the harmful effects of pollution, food additives, second-hand smoke, and other environmental toxins with deliciously cleansing foods like apples, berries, citrus fruits, beets, dark, fresh greens, and other water-dense produce like tomatoes, melon, and cucumbers. Go organic as often as possible, especially with the 12 most contaminated produce items, otherwise known as The Dirty Dozen. See the full list here: http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Scale back on “wellness sappers”

Wellness-sapping foods include refined, fried, processed and/or sugar-dense items like cheap/fast food, commercial baked goods, white bread, pastries, cookies, pies and cakes, as well as sodas and other sweetened drinks, candy, etc. Heavily sweetened items spike your blood sugar levels, leading to a rapid insulin rise and fall that can drain your energy and promote weight gain, among other health problems. As for beverages, too much coffee or other caffeinated drinks can overtax your adrenal system and, along with alcoholic beverages, promote low-level, chronic dehydration.

Detox your skin

Your skin is a primary means by which your body releases toxins, through sweat and the shedding of dead skin cells. Gentle daily exfoliation helps ensure natural cellular turn-over. Dry skin brushing with a soft brush or loofah prior to your bath or shower expedites this process while boosting healthy blood circulation and lymph flow. Natural scrubs and masks are ideal for a radiant complexion, but you can skip the costly commercial products with these beautifully effective DIY recipes: http://beauty.about.com/od/homemadefacemaskrecipes/tp/Face-Mask-Recipes-For-All-Skin-Types.htm

These few steps may seem minor, but the collective impact on your overall wellness is powerful. Why not use this gorgeous summer to optimize your health and beauty─naturally?