Organic · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with Organic

Suds Up With These Healthy Soaps!

I’ve romanticized the idea of making my own all-natural soaps for a while now, even giving them out as gifts, but the problem is that I can’t seem to find the time to do it! Making our own cleansing products after work probably isn’t going to happen for most of us.

But you can’t just grab just any old soap off the shelf either. The majority of the soaps and body washes you see perusing the personal care isles don’t seem to give a hoot about your health. They’re laced with synthetic lathering agents, artificial colors, and harsh chemicals which bioaccumlate in our bodies. The chemicals get stored in our fat, and when there is enough accumulations of toxins in the body, illness can occur.

Our skin is the largest organ of the body, and it’s both porous and absorbent. What we’re sudsing ourselves up with every day matters. What we put on our body, is as import as what we put in it.

When I was little girl, my Mother would encourage me to wash up while having fun in the bathtub by telling me to make myself into a soapy snowman. I know, it sounds strange but, it’s a fond memory. Now you can lather up and have some fun, even make yourself into a soapy snowgirl if you wish, with these healthy soaps that will leave you feeling so fresh and so clean.

Wembe’s Cleansing Blend for body, face and hands. My favorite is the mango (above), but you can choose from several different blends.

I wash my face with Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree Liquid Soap. (Just three drops will do the trick!)
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Beauty, beauty products, cleanser, healthy, natural, nontoxic, Organic, soap

Party Planner Extraordinaire Brian Worley’s Girl’s-Only Valentine’s Day Fiesta

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by Starre Vartan · 02/02/12

Ed Note: Brian Worley, an LA-based party planner who was most recently featured in People Magazine, and he’s shared some of his great ideas with Eco Chick (see below)!

For the girls who want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their friends and have a fun night in, I have included a party plan to help celebrate a holiday that is notoriously for couples, in a way that celebrates their independence and zest for life! Decorate with Orange and Turquoise, rather than Pink and Red, or any other colors that make you happy and enjoy a night of gal-pal bonding!

For starters, here are two quick and easy appetizers to get the party started that anyone can make and are tasty as well:

Artichoke and Olive Dip:
1 Cup Pitted Olives (I suggest Kalamata Olives, the purple of them will give it a nice Valentine’s Day pop of color)
2 Jars of Artichoke Hearts, drained
1 Tablespoon of Capers
1 Garlic Glove
A Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt to add a little flavor, but the Olives should help out!

Mix all the ingredients in the food processor, but make sure to keep it chunky and serve with pita bread. Or if you want to really be healthy, serve with carrot sticks, cucumbers and celery sticks!

Mushroom Caps stuffed with Eggs and Spinach Tartlets

Mushrooms
Olive Oil
A Bag of Spinach
6 Eggs, beaten
A few Strips of Fakin’ Bacon
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Brian worley, eco chic, Organic, party, valentine's day

Heroines for the Planet: Vanishing of the Bees Director Maryam Henein

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by Lindsay E. Brown · 12/22/11

Vanishing of the Bees began as a small research project for Maryam Henein and her friend, and co-director, George Langworthy when they learned that bees were mysteriously vanishing en masse worldwide. Since one in every three bites a human takes is pollinated by honeybees, the bees’ disappearance was deeply troubling.

Soon the honeybee would become Maryam’s raison d’etre.

She was 29 when a few steps changed her life, and eventually led her to the bees. Working as an investigative journalist in Los Angeles, Maryam was hit by an SUV in a crosswalk. She suffered a torn rotator cuff, five broken ribs, a broken tailbone and L-1, and she had a metal rod and two screws placed in her fractured left femur.

The pain and suffering from the accident sent Maryam down a winding path to self-discovery. She developed a passion for nutrition, alternative healing and organic food, all of which cleared her mind and helped heal her body. This diet overhaul and renewed sense of self through nutrition became so important that she considered studying it. But then something magical started happening that sent her on a different trajectory: honeybees began flying into her world.

In those days before making the film, Maryam dedicated herself to a voracious study of honeybees, researching Colony Collapse Disorder, the phenomenon which explains the bees vanishing, and any and all books about bees she could get her hands on. Right as she and George began recognizing how dire the plight of the bees was, honeybees starting physically appearing in Maryam’s life. A honeybee hitched a ride on her windshield for miles one morning. And one week later, while driving down a busy street, Maryam drove through a swarm of bees.
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bees, documentary, local, Organic, vanishing of the bees

5 Ways to Reduce Your Chemical Exposure Before You Even Think About Getting Pregnant

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by Lindsay E. Brown · 11/30/11

Image courtesy Flickr User Trocaire.

I have never been pregnant and I do not have any children. I do, however, plan on being pregnant one day (but not anytime soon!). So you might be curious why I think I’m entitled to share pre-pregnancy tips with you.

It’s pretty simple: the facts! Being a healthy mom means starting on a healthy track well before you’re ready to get pregnant.

Budding mommies-to-be avoid smoking and alcohol without hesitation, as both butts and booze have long been widely accepted as fetotoxic — poisonous to a growing baby. But what many women don’t realize is that there’s a long list of other toxic chemicals lurking in their homes and daily beauty routine at this very moment– which could harm her eventual baby, not to mention herself.

These harmful chemicals pervade our personal ecosystems, disguising themselves in everyday items we use and consume. While clever and visually appealing packaging may assert that they’re safe, “eco” or even natural, a pre-pregnant or pregnant gal would probably prefer to avoid them if she knew the full story.

Many of the toxins in products we use daily bioaccumulate in our bodies over a long period of time after we’re exposed to them, sometimes even decades. (This is scary stuff for a woman who foresees herself becoming pregnant 10-15 years down the line, let alone just a few years.)

Toxins typically find their home in our fat cells, and because women naturally have more body fat than men, we store more toxins, (especially in our breasts and belly where babies grow and then nurse from). Heavy metals and other toxins don’t just bioaccumulate in our own bodies, they also build up in the bodies of animals, (especially large fish, which is why pregnant and nursing women shouldn’t eat fish like tilefish, swordfish, kingfish and tuna). These metals work their way into the atmosphere through emissions from coal-fired power plants and other sources, and then get distributed into the oceans.

As an aspiring mother in today’s world, it’s incumbent on you to take your health and your future baby’s into your own hands. This never-been-pregnant gal is here to help with these five ways to reduce your chemical exposure whether you want a baby next month, next year, or sometime way down the line!

1.) Use non-toxic cleaning supplies. Household cleaners contain nasty chemicals culprits such as phosphates, phenols, phthalates, triclosan, glycol ethers, ammonia, and petroleum solvents. Sadly, I could go on. Many of these have been linked to reproductive and neurological issues and birth defects, and traces have been found in breast milk and umbilical cord samples. Gross.

The bottom line: Look for purveyors of non-toxic and safe ecological cleaning products such as Ecover, Mrs. Meyer’s or Method. You could even make your own with ingredients like baking soda and vinegar!

2.) Buy organic fruits and vegetables. Women should avoid pesticides and pollutants found in non-organic food, as pesticide exposure can cause both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) health problems for animals and humans. Exposure to pesticides known as organophosphates, during pregnancy can permanently decrease children’s IQ, memory and ability to focus on tasks. Growth hormones found in dairy and meat products should be avoided as they can increase the risk of disrupted development and cancer in humans.

The bottom line: Shop organic and use the Environmental Working Group’s “shoppers guide” as a resource to avoid pesticides in produce.

3.) Junk your toxic beauty and personal care products. The average woman exposes herself to 167 different chemicals on her body and face during her daily beauty regimen. Since we absorb 60% of what we put onto our skin, this means that you’re allowing chemicals to be absorbed into your body.

The bottom line: Shop for beauty and personal care products including lotions, shampoos/conditioners, deodorants, toothpastes, perfumes, nail polishes, you name it, that are free of harmful chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates and DEA. Use the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website to research the truth behind the ingredients in many of the products you use. Be sure to use the tool prior to making any purchases. It may not be as convenient as simply reading some label that’s lying to you and throwing it in the cart, but you and your future baby are worth the extra few minutes of time spent.
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babies, Eco Beauty, eco friendly home, green home, nontoxic, Organic, Pregnancy, sustainable

Radiant Natural Beauty with Jessa Blades and Greta Eagan

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by Alicia Lubowski-Jahn · 04/25/11

Jessa Blades of Blades Natural Beauty makes up Greta Eagan
Photo by Clemens Kois

When natural beauty makeup artist Jessa Blades and eco fashionista Greta Eagan recently got together for an Eco-Chick style photo shoot, the theme of the day was radiance. Jessa, who is passionate about promoting beauty that is connected to health, aims to help women look and experience their most vital selves.

Jessa Blades
Photo by Clement Kois

Not only does she offer an amazing expertise on cosmetic safety, but her stellar makeup artistry is convincing women of all ages—from savy fashion clients to impressionable teens—that natural beauty products should absolutely be the norm.

Blades Natural Beauty
Photo by Clemens Kois
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