Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Top 5 Fave Natural Beauty Products for Winter

During the winter, I use more products than at any other time of year out of pure necessity. In order to avoid dry, scaly skin and lips, I do a lot of scrubbing and moisturizing. This winter, I became even more of a purist (or what some may call a control freak) than ever in terms of the ingredients of the products I’m using – I wanted them all to be super simple, healthy and natural. These 5 products didn’t just live up to my expectations, they were so great I just had to spread the word about them.

Vintage Body Spa Ginger Cardamom Cream Body Bar – This ultra-moisturizing body butter smells absolutely heavenly and it was the only thing that has managed to keep the soles of my feet soft and smooth.  Cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil lightly scented with clove, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, orange and mint.

Mountain Rose Herbs Restorative Skin Oil – For the rest of my body, especially my hands, elbows and legs, this moisturizing and healing skin oil has kept dryness and that unpleasant itchy, tight feeling at bay. Organic calendula oil, rosehip seed oil, vitamin E and a blend of essential oils including Neroli and Helichrysium.

Aubrey Organics Blue Green Algae Rescue Conditioning Mask – Finally, a vegan protein treatment for hair that really works. Aubrey Organics combines blue-green algae and red algae extract with coconut, shea butter, aloe, and lavender water in a deep hair treatment that keeps my hair glossy and healthy looking despite harsh winds and drying indoor heat.

Josie Maran Lipstick in Rumi Joon – This might just be the ultimate flattering nude lipstick shade for practically every skin tone. It’s also ultra-moisturizing, long lasting and free of toxic ingredients, petrochemicals, parabens and artificial fragrances. The tube is recyclable, too.

DIY Brown Sugar Body Scrub – This exfoliating and moisturizing body scrub is so decadent yet incredibly easy to make with stuff you’ve probably already got in your pantry. I scoop about 4 tablespoons of coconut oil into a microwaveable container, nuke it just until it softens and mix in ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. You could literally eat it (and I can attest that it tastes fantastic) and the brown sugar helps to gently buff away scaly skin.

Tree Spirit Project

As a child I climbed the trees near my Hudson Valley home barefoot and half-naked. My favorites to clamber up were the evergreens, especially pines, which grew tallest in the second-growth forest that surrounded my home. I would hold on tight, as high up as I could climb and sway with the tree. Above the deciduous treetops there was almost always a breeze. When asked why I liked to climb so high, I recall explaining, “to see what I can see.” Sticky-sap stuck in between my fingers for days, bringing back an almost-instant memory of that week’s exploits.

I’ve always felt attached to trees, watching in fascination (and later teaching kids as an ecology instructor) about how a rotting tree is home to all kinds of creatures; even (and especially) in death, trees perpetuate the cycle of life, a good reminder to us all when we think of our ‘purpose in life’. Being considered a treehugger has never been insulting to me; I’ve hugged many a tree in my time, rough bark against my cheek, the particular scent of a Maple or Birch evident to my knowledgeable sniff-everything nose. Trees are my conduit to the Earth and the sky, to water and wind, and a reminder that real beauty lies in change, not stais: Brilliant leaves fall and branches stretch into the air, then lie bare to the winter winds, then grow anew the next Spring, budding with recreated green life.

Hence my appreciation for the Treespirit Project, which pairs the human form with that of various trees in a visual representation of the symbiotic relationship between people and trees. Or perhaps it’s not symbiosis; trees would do just fine without us. Without trees, however, we would not do so well.

The mission of the project’s photographer, Jack Geschiedt, is:

To share my love of trees and nature in community gatherings to create TreeSpirit photographs, intending for both the experiences and the photographs to encourage and inspire others to feel and express their own unique connection to nature.

To raise money for existing nonprofit environmental organizations that value and promote tree planting and protect green space within and outside our cities.

Thanks to Remy C. for the link!

Tilting at Windmills

Should women’s bodies be used to ‘sell’ environmentalism? Lots of folks have been discussing the Ecobabes calendar lately, and though I think the photos in the calendar are pretty tasteful (as I think the picture above, of model Betcee May is), and I certainly believe in celebrating women in the environmental movement, there is something that bothers me about the whole thing.

Maybe it’s not really the pictures that bother me, because I love the naked and artfully photographed nude human body, but the fact that there aren’t any naked men doing this? I guess I don’t see equality if it is only one gender shown in their skivvies all the time. While some argue that women’s bodies are more beautiful, I say that’s bunk; I love beautiful bodies, both male, female, transgendered, asexual, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. Finally, if the vast majority of environmentalists are women, shouldn’t we be able to demand some fair play with the images that are used in the promotion of our cause?

I’m not opposed to natural beauty being appreciated, but honestly, I’d like to see some ecohunks too- some young, shirtless guys who work hard for the Earth…I can imagine some forest rangers, environmental scientists and maybe even bloggers (wink, wink) who would look great half-naked in a calendar whose proceeds would benefit green causes. What do you think? Would you buy an EcoHunks calendar in 2008?

Brad Pitt does drive a hybrid after all….

nude lube

I’m just on this major shopping spree right now. Boyfriend coming to town, doing a little strategic pick-up with my credit card online. Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma’am – click here to pay – and Voi’la. Lube at your doorstep two days later.

Happened to cum upon this incredible, in-depth website called Organic Lubricant.  Basically they sold me on the first line:

“Firefly® is a 100% natural moisturizing lubricant from the makers of Nude™, that provides incredible pleasure for men and women who want to have the best sex possible.” $hit man, not that we need any help, but hell, if it’s that good…”

Nude lube is one of the lines sold under Firefly. I was searching for reviews and happened to cum upon clitical. Ha, what a funny name. Anyway, this horny guinea pig of a lady did one really in depth review, literally. So it’d be good to check out the “ups and downs” of this product before purchasing. And hey, if you are one of the lucky ladies (or men) who try out this product or others, definitely post a reply….inquiring loins want to know. ;o)

Knock, Knock – Knockers – and Knocked Up

C’mon, you gotta know me by now…I just had to go searching for this one…

S-t-r-e-t-c-h marks: We either got  ‘em, are going to get ‘em, or are OCD enough that we have to prevent them even if we’re not prone to them!

So I went surfing the big cyber waves and came up with Earth.Mama.Angel.Baby….(no relation to Gwen’s -  Love.Angel.Music.Baby – (even though she can use this on her big frontal bump right now)…Very interesting copywrite:

“Massage this light, luscious oil onto your growing middle section, hips and breasts… It’s infused with certified organic chamomile and calendula to keep your skin moisturized, soft and pliant. You can also pour it into a warm bath and/or massage it into your perineum…” WOW, that is enough to turn any guy on I’d imagine…
* Guess what? It also has no nut oils? good, cause we never really liked nuts anyway! And they say it smells like heaven!!! Hmmm, how the hell do they know that?!?