Body Lotion

Who doesn't love a good body lotion? Lotions keep our skin soft and smooth. They are not as greasy as oil and quickly absorb into the skin. Some of them smell amazing too. So what's the problem? Lotions are filled with toxic chemicals like parabens, fragrance, petrochemicals, alcohol, and oil emulsified in water. The only ingredient that provides any moisture to the skin is the oil. 

I know everyone isn't an oil junkie like me. A few of you even told me that you simply don't like using pure oil on your skin. I get it, no judgement here! While I continue to use my homemade oil based body butter (recipe below), here are some great chemical free body lotions you can use.

Acure Organics Energizing Body Lotion
Sold at Target, Wegmans, Amazon and on the Acure website

Shea Moisture Tamanu Oil & Shea Butter Extra Dry Skin Body Butter
Sold at Target, Ulta, Amazon and I even found a few at TJ Maxx

Everyone Coconut & Lemon Lotion

Sold at Target, Amazon and on the EO Products website

Alaffia Coconut Lime Ultra Hydrating Body Lotion

Sold at Target, Wegmans, The Vitamin Shoppe, Amazon and on the Alaffia website

Homemade Body Butter. I have tried several body butter recipes and this one is by far my favorite. It has only 4 ingredients and super easy to make. Note, I used almond oil (not olive oil) and I added Young Living lemon essential oil. I also threw it in my stand mixer and whipped it on high for about 10 minutes. My skin feels amazing ever since I started using it. I keep it in a mason jar in my shower. I put it on right after I dry off. You will feel slightly greasy after you apply it, but your skin quickly absorbs it. Just remember when using oils, a little bit goes a long way.

Sunscreen - Part 2

Last June I posted about sunscreen. As summer approaches, I'm going to revisit the topic. It's very important to apply sunscreen as long as it's chemical free. Sunscreens loaded with chemicals can actually do more harm than not wearing sunscreen at all. The easiest way to find a chemical free sunscreen is to read the label.

Mineral sunscreens should only have two ingredients under active ingredient; zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Zinc oxide protects against UVA and UVB light rays, prevents burns and signs of photo-aging. Titanium dioxide is a fine white powder that occurs naturally. It's a very effective UV filter.

Chemical sunscreens have active ingredients such as oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalte, oxtocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate. These chemicals are linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity, and may impact hormones. They are highly toxic to you and the environment.

The most common sunscreens on the market are the ones that contain chemical filters so always be sure to read the label. Sunscreens in the U.S. have not been regulated since 1978 so you need to be responsible for what you buy and what you apply.

Bare Republic Mineral SPF 30
Sold at Target, Amazon, or on their website

Alba Botanical Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
Sold at Target, Walmart, Amazon, or on their website

Badger SPF 30 Zinc Oxide Lavender Sunscreen
Sold at Walmart, Amazon, or on their website

Jason Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
Sold on Amazon

Konjac Body Sponge

A few weeks ago, I posted about the konjac face sponge. If you tried the sponge, you have seen what it has done for your face. Your body deserves the same treatment. When I stumbled across this konjac body sponge, i had to buy it.

Similar to the face sponge, the body sponge is hard until you wet it. The fibers of konjac, a starchy root vegetable native to Asia, are used to make the sponge. The sponges are handmade, biodegradable, and extremely gentle. These sponges are just as friendly for the earth as they are for you.

Since konjac body sponges are 100% natural, they don't contain chemicals, colors, additives, or any junk. The konjac root naturally exfoliates and cleanses. You can use it alone or with your favorite soap or body wash (hopefully chemical free). I use mine with the liquid Dr. Bronner's soap. The sponge leaves your entire body clean, balanced, and glowing. 

The sponges need to dry out between uses. Once you are done, rinse it with cold water, squeeze the excess water out, and let air dry. They only have a shelf life of a few months so be sure to discard as needed. 

Of course I got mine at Marshalls, but I'm sure they are on Amazon. Just be sure to read the label and make sure the sponge doesn't have any dyes or additives before you buy it. 


               

Monat Global

I'm sure all of you have heard about Monat Global by now. If you haven't, it's the newest line of chemical free haircare. Monat launched in 2014 but seems to be all the hype right now. Their ingredients are naturally-based, safe, pure and sustainable. They use natural oils, which is an A+ in my book as you know my obsession with oils! The products can be used on both men and women and actually promote hair growth. You can read more more about Monat and order products here, Monat Global

Monat products do not contain:
Parabens
Sulfates
DEA/MEA
Phthalates
PEG
Phenoxyethanol
Eathanol
Petrochemicals
Gluten
Sodium Chloride
Salt
Fragrance
Color

I was given a sample and decided to give it a try. I used the Revive Shampoo and the Revitalize Conditioner. The verdict? It has a light clean smell which I love. It also left my hair super soft, shiny, and manageable. I was told to use it for a week or more to really notice a difference. I can honestly say, I notice a difference after one use. I can't wait to order this stuff!

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Amazing Deals!

Acure Organics - through Monday April 24th, Acure products are 20% off on the Acure website. Acure is a family owned and operated company founded on sustainable principles to provide the highest quality natural and certified organic personal care.

Dickinson's Witch Hazel - through April 30th Dickison's witch hazel is 50% off at your local CVS store. I use witch hazel as an all-natural toner and in a lot of the products I make. Dickinson's has been around for 150 years and all their products are made from 100% witch hazel.

Dr. Bronner's - through April 30th, all castile soaps are 15% off. In my last post I told you about their limited edition scents, green tea and cherry blossom. Stock up!

Juice Organics - through May 20th these products are on sale for $7.99 at Target. I'm not sure what Target's normal price will be, but they are $9.99 at Ulta. This is my favorite line of chemical free haircare and Target just started carrying it.

Dr. Bronner's

As you all know, I'm obsessed with Dr. Bronner's castile soap. It's the top selling soap in the US natural marketplace. They do not use any chelating agents, dyes, whiteners, detergents, foaming agents, synthetic preservatives or synthetic fragrances. Dr. Bronner's has been family owned and operated since 1948.

What is castile soap? Castile is a region in Spain where vegetable soap was originally made using local olive oil. Castile has now come to mean any vegetable oil based soap as distinct from animal (tallow) fat based soap. Castile soap comes in liquid and bar forms and Dr. Bronner's is the most popular brand.

They just launched two limited edition scents, cherry blossom and green tea. I don't know how long they will be available for so I just ordered both. The standard scents are lavender, peppermint, rose, citrus, tea tree, eucalyptus, baby unscented, and almond.

For the whole month of April, all the castile soaps are 15% off on the Dr. Bronner's website. It's also free shipping if you spend $50. Stock up while they are on sale!

While I was on the Dr Bronner's website, I added a few more items to my cart:

Organic Magic Balm - I get really dry skin around my nose. It says to use this balm to moisturize and heal dry skin anywhere on the body. Soothe skin safely and simply without synthetic ingredients.

Organic Sugar Soap - I bought this to use as shampoo. 4-in-1 Organic Sugar Pump Soaps are good for washing hands, face, body & hair. To wash hair work one pump of it into wet hair until it lathers, then rub and rinse. Repeat for thicker or longer hair. After washing, follow up with a lightly acidic conditioning rinse, like the hair rinse below or you can use diluted apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

Organic Hair Rinse - After shampooing with Dr. Bronner's soap, dilute the hair rinse in one cup of water and pour it over your hair. The citrus extracts in the rinse counteract the soap's alkalinity, tamp down the cuticles, leaving your hair manageable and smooth.

Lisa Bronner has a blog where she gives tips and 'cheat sheets' for all the Dr. Bronner products. Here is her post on using the soap as shampoo and the hair rinse as conditioner. Shampoo to Soap - My Story

Bug Spray

As the weather gets warmer, we spend more time outside, forcing us to deal with bugs. I hate bugs. All bugs. I don't discriminate either, mosquitoes, spiders, ants, flies, bees, I hate all of them. There is nothing worse than trying to drink a glass (I mean bottle) of prosecco outside and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Traditional bug sprays, like Off, smell horrible and contain toxic ingredients. One of those ingredients, deet, can cause major damage to your central nervous system. What is deet? It's a chemical (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) created by the US Army in 1946 to ward off mosquitoes. The EPA warns us about it; don't spray it anywhere near your face, avoid breathing it in, and wash it off immediately after coming indoors. If these sprays can kill mosquitoes, melt plastic, and are not meant to breathe in, it's probably not a good idea to put them on your skin. Since deet is the most common ingredient in insect repellent, it's in almost every brand on the shelf. Luckily, there are a few alternatives:

Quit Bugging Me! by Jason - this is a non-greasy, light oil formula, bug spray. It's deet, paraben, and PABA free.

Natural Insect Repellent by The Yellow Bird - this is a long lasting, deet free, bug spray. Made with all natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals added.

DIY Chemical Free Bug Spray
First you will need a spray bottle. I always try to use glass if you have it, if not plastic is fine.
Fill the bottle 2/3 with distilled water and 1/3 witch hazel
Add 20 drops of purification essential oil (I use Young Living)
Add 20 drops of lavender essential oil (I use Young Living).
This is the combination I use. However, there are a few oils that bugs hate. Lavender, peppermint, tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, vanilla, and cedarwood. You can play around until you find one that works for you.

Everyday Coconut Face Lotion

I may have found my new favorite face moisturizer, everyday coconut face lotion by Alaffia. You all know I'm obsessed with using oils my skin and I rarely use anything else to moisturize with. Some of you mentioned oils don't work for you so I have been searching for alternatives. I also needed something to travel with as the oils always leak in my bag.

This lotion contains zinc oxide for SPF 15 broad spectrum sun protection. It does not contain synthetic fragrance or parabens. It's vegan, soy and gluten-free, non-gmo, and never tested on animals. It's loaded with neem and papaya making it an antioxidant rich everyday moisturizer for all skin types. Alaffia is a part of fair for life and uses certified fair trade coconut, handcrafted.

It's light, fresh, and leaves my skin super soft. It's also ultra moisturizing. Under makeup, it almost acts as base and helps my skin glow. A tiny bit goes a long way making the 12 ounce bottle seem like it lasts forever. It's less than $10 for the whole bottle so it's a bargain!

This lotion may not be for everyone. The zinc oxide leaves your face tinted white if you don't rub it in all the way. When I say a little goes a long way, I really mean it. You only need a tiny bit to cover your whole face or you will wind up looking like a mime. It takes a little effort to rub it all in so if you don't mind that, definitely give it a try. I got mine at a Wegmans but I'm sure you can buy it on Amazon.
Everyday Coconut Face Lotion

Acne

Acne...we have all had it (or still have it) and we all hate it. Acne is caused by overproduction of oil, which becomes trapped in the hair follicle, causing bacteria to thrive, resulting in inflammation. Everyone gets acne for different reasons. If you google 'face mapping' there are tons of articles that explain why you get acne in certain areas of your face. I'm not going to lie, I never had a face full of acne during my teen years. I do however get zits every now and then. The older I get, the worse the zits are. They are big, hurt, and take forever to go away. Lavender and tea tree essential oils are my go-to when I get these zits.

Lavender oil - lavender oil has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties that can fight the bacteria that cause acne. Add a drop or two of lavender oil to your nighttime moisturizer. You can also apply a dab a drop of the oil directly on the acne as a spot treatment. Do this every morning and every night before bed as soon as the pimple appears. It will be gone in 2-3 days.

Tea tree oil - tea tree oil is known to be just as effective in fighting acne as benzoyl peroxide. The only difference is it doesn't leave your skin dry, red, and peeling like the peroxide does. Mix a few drops of tea tree with witch hazel. Apply directly to the acne with a cotton swab twice daily.

DIY acne fighting toner
2 Tbsp witch hazel
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
15 drops lavender essential oil
1 tsp jojoba oil
Mix all ingredients in a small spray bottle. Spray directly on the skin or on to a cotton pad and wipe your face. Shake before each use. Apply toner twice daily to fight acne.

DIY acne fighting scrub
2 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp coconut oil
7 drops tea tree oil
5 drops of lemon oil
Melt coconut oil and add baking soda, tea tree and lemon. Apply the scrub in circular motions to freshly washed skin. Massage the scrub on face for a few minutes then rinse with water.