I love sugar scrubs, they are great for your feet and body in the summertime and feel so nice and refreshing. You can make your own sugar scrubs for a fraction of the store cost and with organic items, you will find in your kitchen. Read on to make a citrusy lemon sugar scrub to polish up your summer skin.
Ingredients:
1 cup of organic sugar
1/2 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1 organic lemon
organic lemongrass essential oil
Preparation:
Mix all of the ingredients together and store in a reusable container. My favorite jar is a small fat glass mustard style jar. When you are ready to enjoy, rub over your body, scrub, and rinse. If you have sensitive skin, as I do, avoid your face and areas that you recently shaved.
Are your closets and cupboards overflowing? Invite your friends to do some spring cleaning of their homes, closets, and garages and bring the items that they never use to a stuff swap. Open a few bottles of wine and try on each other’s clothes or swap other household finds. Your best friend may have a cocktail dress that she never wore that would be fabulous for an upcoming event you have. You might find a lamp that doesn’t match your friend’s decor but that would look lovely in your living room.
This is a super fun way to get together with your friends, have a couple of glasses of wine, and go home with a new wardrobe, fabulous piece of furniture, or a great book without spending a dime. If anything is left over at the end of the night, arrange to donate it to your local women’s and children’s shelter.
You can pick up organic beauty products at home – but let’s face it, they are expensive. Especially considering that you can make many of them at home using organic ingredients and they will cost you a fraction of the store-bought options. Try these 9 simple, organic natural beauty remedies for sweeter chemical free skin. These will make you look and feel refreshed, all while avoiding harsh chemicals, read on, gather your ingredients and get started.
1. Organic Facial Whip 1 organic free-range egg for 10 minutes, add 1 tbsp. organic honey and apply to your face for 15 minutes, rinse and pat dry.
2. Organic Exfoliating Scrub
Mash 5 to 7 organic strawberries and massage onto damp skin, rinse, and pat dry.
3. Organic Moisturising Bath
Add 1 cup hot water and 2 tbsp, organic honey, to your bath, pat dry.
4. Organic Foot Moisturizer
Soak your piggies in 1/2 cup organic baking soda and water for 10 minutes, rinse and pat dry.
5. Organic Moisturizing Facial Mask
Mash 1/2 organic banana and apply to your face for 15 minutes, rinse and pat dry.
6. Organically Brighten your Nails
Soak your fingernails in the juice from 1/2 organic lemon once a week.
7. Organically Whiten your Smile
Mix equals parts sea salt and organic baking soda and applies to your teeth to whiten and brighten, rinse and then brush as usual.
8. Organic Eye Makeup Remover
Use 1 tbsp. organic castor oil, 1 tbsp. organic olive oil and 1 tbsp. organic vegetable oil to a cloth and remove makeup easily, wash, as usual, rinse and pat dry.
9. Organic Facial Scrub
Use either 1/2 cup finely ground organic almonds and 1/2 cup organic soy yogurt or 1 organic avocado and 1/2 cup organic mayo to make a facial scrub. Scrub your face, rinse and pat dry.
Be thoughtful about the clothes and accessories that you buy and the habits you use when buying them. Eco-friendly clothing is the better option, but don’t get rid of the non-green clothing you already own. However, when it is time to get “new” clothing. Here are a few things to consider from Green Chic by Christine Matheson.
1. Edit your Closet: Go through your closet and keep only the items that you love to wear. This way you’ll have an easier time getting dressed in the morning and you’ll always look fabulous without being distracted by the items that you dislike – this will only make you think you need a new wardrobe. If you do decide to edit your closet, please donate those clothing items to a women’s shelter, consign them or swap them with friends.
2. Opt for Organic Cotton: Growing conventional cotton is the most pesticide-intensive farming process in the world. All the pesticides and fertilizers in the cotton fields translate to a 1/3 cup of chemicals (such as cancer-causing agents) remaining in the clothing that you wear right next to your skin. Think of your skin as if it is a giant sponge, soaking up all of those chemicals as you wear your clothing every day. Just remember when purchasing clothing to read the tag, if it’s organic, it will say so.
3. Be a Material Girl: Consider choosing other great natural fibers when it comes to your clothing. For example; wool is a renewable resource and can be grown sustainably if the sheep are allowed to free-graze. You will want to look for organic wool or wool that hasn’t been chemically treated or dyed. Linen is made from the flax plant which even when it’s not grown organically requires little in way of pesticides and chemicals. Still organic is even better, look for natural shades that haven’t been bleached or chemically dyed.
4. Consider Vintage: Vintage clothing was crafted a long time ago so it costs nothing to the environment today. There are no pesticides sprayed to grow the fibers, no energy used in the manufacturing or shipping of the clothing, and no packaging material (usually). There are many great vintage and thrift stores out there, check them out.
Earlier in the week, I shared with you, ingredients to avoid when purchasing personal care products. There are also many things you can do to green your personal care regimen. Green Chic touches on many areas, I want to share my favorites with you. I thought these were the simpler things that you can do and the reasons why you should.
1. Green your Toothbrush + Floss
50 million pounds of toothbrushes are thrown away annually. Minimize your impact by using a toothbrush that’s not made from virgin plastic. Choose either a toothbrush that is made from 100% recycled #5 plastic-like Recycline’s Preserve Toothbrush or throw less away by using a toothbrush that has a permanent handle and replaceable head, like Eco-Dent. Also, try to choose floss that comes in a recyclable package or compostable flossers. (Which are my son’s favorite, fun to use, and even more fun to put in our composter.)
2. Green your Razor
2 billion, yes that’s billion, disposable razors are thrown away annually. Choose a razor with a reusable handle and changeable heads and if possible choose one with a recyclable handle like Preserve’s Triple Razor. It’s package doubles as a reusable travel case and can be returned for recycling using their postage-paid label.
3. Green your Tampons
Typical tampons are made from non-organic cotton and rayon, which is derived from wood pulp in an energy-intensive process that wastes about 2/3 of the wood’s material. The tampons are then bleached with chlorine that releases dioxins. (This is not healthy for us or the environment.) Not to mention many have plastic applicators that are not recyclable. There are companies making organic cotton tampons with recyclable applicators like Natracare or an applicator free product like Seventh Generation. If you are adventurous, you can try reusable products or a Diva Cup.
What other ways do you green your personal care products?
