Green Health – Here’s to your Hair

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Have you switched to all natural and organic hair care products yet? When my family went organic, this was one of the first things that we did because it was one of the easiest things to do. After reading about how porous the human scalp is and that it essentially absorbs everything that is put on it – we immediately switched.

As you probably know, traditional hair care products include a nasty list of toxins – everything from formaldehyde to ammonia. And these chemicals have horrible repercussions including cancer and possible blindness. These are definitely chemicals that I don’t want in on my head, let alone in my home.

I have heard that baking soda is the best thing to clean your hair with, since it leaves no residue. However, you can also choose from an array of all natural and organic products from your local health food store. Just make sure that you choose a real “natural” brand since there is a lot of greenwashing when it comes to these products. If you are unsure, check Skin Deep – my favorite resource for finding the best non-toxic products.

Do you use all natural and organic hair products?
Which are your favorites? Is there a brand that you have found works better than most?

I would love to hear your thoughts, please leave your comments below!

photo via Le Fab. d’Amelie

Welcome New Sponsor: ecoSTORE Green Cleaners

I am very excited to announce my first sponsor, ecoSTORE – please join me in welcoming them. I have talked about ecoSTORE before both here and here and you will remember that ecostore is a New Zealand based company that offers plant-based and mineral-based household cleaning products, that are free of toxic chemicals and will help you reduce your carbon footprint. Their products are available through the Midwest at Meijer Stores and also online at ecoSTORE USA. “No Nasty Chemicals” is the foundation that ecoSTORE is built on. ecoSTORE has been building on that foundation for over 15 years and their goal is to help reduce the overall negative impact of our everyday living practices on the environment. ecoSTORE only uses biodegradable ingredients that break down efficiently and harmlessly. Their products help reduce the number of toxic chemicals that enter our water supply and ecoSTORE offers refill options and bulk sizes in many of their product lines, to lessen the amount of packaging. Their product line consists of over more than 100 products that are all manufactured to the highest environmental and sustainability standards.

If you haven’t had a chance to try ecoSTORE, give them a try. I highly recommend the front loader laundry powder, pure oxygen whitener and a Sweet Greens family favorite the lemongrass soap.

Have you tried ecoSTORE’s products? What are your favorites?

Green In The Community: Denver Botanic Gardens, Coloardo

Yesterday the mister, Eben and I spent the day at The Denver Botanic Gardens. It was a lovely and sunny day perfect for strolling through admiring the flora and fauna. We found a lovely area next to the lily pad ponds and sat and enjoyed our homemade sandwiches while we watched the birds eat the crusts from Eben’s. The Denver Botanic Gardens are huge with a vast array of collections that house plants from all over the world. You will also find an assortment of birds and bugs that the children will delight in finding. The Denver Botanic Gardens also has amazing classes for adults and kids alike and they have a summer concert series that I will definitely be going to. I want to sit on the grass, sip a lovely glass of wine and listen to beautiful music float on the breeze. You?

The mister, Eben and my favorites were the Japanese garden, the water garden, the cutting garden, the roof top garden, and the poison dart frogs. The Japanese garden is full of manicured landscapes complete with a huge Koi pond and a beautiful tea house that was shipped directly from Japan. The water garden is an extensive waterway with more than 450 species, including my favorite the water lily’s. We found the rooftop garden to be relaxing and we are very happy that The Denver Botanic Gardens has taken the step to utilize this space and promote roof top gardening. Eben loved the poison dart frogs that reside inside The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory where you can see their entire tropical rain forest from a two story banyan tree model. Jayson saw a pond that has continued to inspire the design of the pond that he is building in our backyard and I was very inspired by all of the succulents and the peace and quiet of the gardens. You can see all of the pictures from our beautiful day at The Denver Botanic Gardens here.

Do you have a local botanic gardens? Do you visit it?

Halloween Costumes – Lions, Tigers, Bears Oh My!

Have you seen the super cute animal masks and tails that Oeuf has available for Halloween? These cute knits are made by indigenous women in Bolivia who are paid a living wage. Wouldn’t these make year round dress up time fun. I love, love, love the crocodile.
Have your children decided what they are going to dress up as for Halloween?
Are you dressing up? As what?

Diapers – There is a Solution to this Dirty Little Secret

My article Diapers – There is a Solution to this Dirty Little Secret at Cascadian Farm is really causing a stir. I love when my readers are passionate about a subject that I write about. Check it out and let me know how you weigh in.

** You can find more comments (56) on Cascadian Farm’s Facebook Fan Page too.