WHAT IS A "GREEN" MANICURE ALL ABOUT?

Before you think “Lily Munster’s favorite thing to do”, think again. This kind of green manicure has everything to do with becoming an activist on behalf of your own health and beauty, and the health of the planet, and not so much a sassy, witchy shade of Halloween green (although, if that is your preference of toe color – go for it! More about that later)

Increasingly, the beauty products we use are coming under scrutiny by conscious consumers ready to insist on the health and safety of everything they put on their bodies. Nail care has gotten a strong look and re-consideration, for nail polish ingredients specifically, but for its overall use of strong chemicals for all the stages of a manicure and pedicure in general, not to mention the chemical bath that is a set of standard artificial nails. Isn’t it time to divest yourself of the experience of walking into a nail salon, ready to relax and be pampered, and have to force yourself to breathe through the chemicals that suggest more auto body shop than nail shop?

The nail bed is an incredibly porous and sensitive entrée into the blood stream of the human being. It literally sucks in all the substances that come into contact with it like a sponge, and pushes them into the tiny capillaries at the end of the finger for dispersal. (Likewise, any substance that is used on or near your physical proximity that emits chemical fumes, detectable or not, will be directly inhaled into the lungs.)

Think about the chemical soup your body can absorb during a regular mani or pedi: first the polish remover (typically made of acetone – a strong, chemical solvent used to break up the composition of plastics and paints), then a cuticle cream (most contain ingredients like salicylic acid to break down tissue, or triethanolamine an emusifier); next, various soaks, scrubs, and massages with lotions and potions (which could all contain various chemical detergents and preservatives, synthetic fragrances and colors), and then the application of the polish itself (most commercial brands contain formaldehyde, DBP, and tuolene) – all very toxic chems that have been linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies and certain neurotocixities. Tuolene, for example, is an octane booster in gasoline, and it’s a requirement by law in California, to post hazard warnings at all gas pumps about tuolene for pregnant women!

More bad news: If you happen to feel like splurging, perhaps you would get a paraffin dip (the wax is a by-product of petroleum). The supplies used on you (plastic toe separators, disposable slippers) are also by-products of petroleum and end up in the garbage (landfill), where with any luck, they will break down in, oh, about a billion years. And in case you forgot, petroleum is a non-sustainable resource. The search for, and procurement of petroleum has had major detrimental impacts on the soil, ground water, surface water, and ecosystems of the United States and around the world. Petroleum refineries release toxic, hazardous air pollutants, such as BTEX compounds, and air pollutants, like sulfur dioxide.

Whew. That little “beauty” regimen of yours just got a whole lot uglier, didn’t it? What‘s a girl to do, for crying out loud? Thankfully, there are more and more eco-friendly salons, spa services, and home care products to ease up congestion on the chem highway, and provide great alternatives for incredible hand and foot pampering. You still get to choose from hundreds of lush shades of paints, and you still get to feel like the spa princess that you are (even if you DIY in your own bathroom…er, spa HQ).

The first place to start is to think about getting rid of your artificial nail addiction, if you have one. It kills the health of the nails and prohibits any ability for the nail to flourish and grow on its own. If you have problems growing healthy nails, the root cause could be deficiencies in your diet. Take supplements of Vitamin A and calcium for nails that split or break easily, and Vitamin B for fungus, or ridges. Use tea tree or lavender oil to fight fungus outbreaks. Take Vitamin C or folic acid for hang nails, and avoid cutting cuticles, as this causes them to grow back thicker.

Use course sea salt or turbinado sugar mixed with your favorite essential oils for great exfoliating scrubs to get rid of calluses on the bottoms of the feet. (Try mixing salt or sugar with organic grapeseed oil for an incredible skin conditioner and callous softener.) Use a finer grain sugar mixed with lemon juice for the hands, as this will help lighten age spots or other skin discolorations.


Although the Spredi-Spa is a dandy entrée into the world of green pedicures, (it is a disposable, biodegradable toe separator and pedicure slipper all in one), the most eco way to solve the problem of having something to wear out of the salon with wet toes, is of course, to bring your own pair of flip flops. As you now are surely keeping re-usable canvas grocery bags in your car trunk, why not keep an extra pair of flip flops as well?

While we’re on the subject of “bringing your own”, this goes double for the basic nail care tools. Bring your own re-usable set of clippers, emery board/file, orange stick, and nail brush. You’ll cut down on your exposure to infectious bacteria from others, and in the process, you’ll be participating in the eco conscious practice of reducing, reusing, and recycling.

For polish: there is now a whole wonderful world of options available at health food stores and natural beauty apothecaries, as well as on-line. Our favorite brands are known as the “three-free” polishes, as they have all had the formaldehyde, DBP, and tuolene removed. These include Zoya, Honeybee Gardens, Priti, and Nubar. They have extensive color choices (Zoya has that particular shade of “witchy green” you might like, and new seasonal palettes every year), and last just as long as any other traditional brand, without chipping or peeling.

A new polish on the scene takes the concept of non-toxic polish a step further. Aquarella claims its polishes could be ingested, they are that chem free! These are water based polishes, and require a conditioning step of the nail bed to remove oils and residues accumulated from other polishes, removers and lotions (oil and water don’t mix). The high water content of this product can really be felt as it absorbs into the nail. No base coat OR top coat is needed when using this system—altogether, a very interesting peek into the future of nail care.

So now you have your own little nail care kit, yet you still crave the pampering and massages that come along with having someone else give you a mani or pedi. If you’re watching your pennies, and have to patronize a budget nail shop, at least you’ve taken very important steps to insure more of your health and safety. Choose a seat near an open door or fan while getting your treatment, and bargain for longer foot massages since you’re providing most of your own supplies.

If you happen to live in a city where there is an eco-friendly nail salon or services (uh hm: GreenBliss EcoSpa to the rescue), then you don’t have to take your supplies, as everything they have will be top of the line green and good. The sanitation standards will be stellar, the chemical fumes will be non-existent, and the ingredients used in the products will be more pure. A green salon cost a little more, but in the end, is really worth it.

And if you’re still the CEO of your own Home Spa HQ, then invite a friend over and make it a party. Your digits, your dermis, and your dollars will appreciate it!

Green Armpits: Eco Beautiful Ways To Deal With BO

It’s a stinky subject, to be sure, but we are nothing if not intrepid in our approach to solving this very annoying problem. Who sweats, who doesn’t, who’s smelly, who isn’t: those are questions best left to the doctors and scientists. We are interested in figuring out what to do about it in the most practical and effective way, from an eco-beauty perspective.
Conventional wisdom suggests that perspiration is the cause of body odor. However, perspiration by itself is basically odorless, but it is the bacteria and odors coming from other sources that are the real culprits. Anaerobic bacteria, which flourish when your body doesn't have enough oxygen, may well be the cause of your body odor. As the body's metabolism goes to work, it gives off odors which is the body's way of ridding itself of waste products. Any imbalances in metabolism will result in stronger odors.
Sweat glands (apocrine glands) under the arms secrete a substance that is the major non-food/drink related cause of body odor. This substance, which contains protein, carbohydrates, and lipids, often secreted in tense moments or emotional stress, is quickly attacked by bacteria, causing odor.
First off, get thee the right underarm protection.
Deodorants help destroy bacteria and disguise odors. But look out for potentially toxic, irritating ingredients. Avoid aluminum (linked to Alzheimer's disease) which can potentially leach into the breasts and lymph glands, and products with emulsifiers (known to clog pores). Consider products with tea tree oil, known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Or use a deodorant stone, made from mineral salts. Antiperspirants reduce bacteria-feeding moisture -- but they block sweat glands and contain aluminum chlorohydrate. Not so good!
These are some of the brands we’ve found at to be the safest (most non-toxic), yet effective:
Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal
Lafe's Natural and Organic
Kiss My Face Liquid Rock
Floral Active by Terra Naturals
In addition to your deodorant, try using a mild solution of hydrogen peroxide (3%) that can be picked up at the pharmacy. Put a teaspoonful in a glass of water and wash the underarm. If that doesn't work, increase the amount of peroxide.
Make it a point to use pH-balanced soaps and skincare products to maintain the protective acid mantle of your skin.
Lifestyle changes
There are certain lifestyle changes to make if you have a constant problem with body odor:
Clothing is an area many people overlook. Loose fitting clothes allow the body to breathe better than tight clothes. The perspiration escapes and doesn't become a breeding ground for bacteria. The type of fabric is also very important. Synthetic fabrics for shoes and clothes don't allow the body to breathe, so use all natural fabrics. (Bamboo is naturally anti-microbial)
Tobacco use is a major cause of body odor. Not only does it come back through your lungs, but it comes through the skin. It probably mixes with other elements of your body's chemistry to create a distinct odor. If you stop smoking it may take several weeks before you notice any changes in your body odor.
Dietary changes are also very important in eliminating various sources of odor. Certain foods, such as meat, onions, garlic, exotic spices, and drinks such as coffee and alcohol can lead to body odor. Try eliminating these from your diet for a week or two and see if this makes a difference.
Maintain a balanced diet. Overloading or cutting back in vital areas can throw your system off and aggravate glandular secretions. Adapt a diet of 30 percent lean protein, to help the liver develop a sufficient amount of enzymes for the detox process; 30 percent essential fats (such as flaxseed oil, nuts, avocados and seeds), to lubricate the GI tract; and 40 percent slow-acting/high-fiber carbohydrates to “clean the pipes” as it were.
Cut down on dairy products and sugar. Protect your gastro tract from yeast-enhancing sugar. Look out for hidden sugars in everything from mayonnaise and soups to nondairy creamers and frozen, pre-packaged meals.
Detoxify your system regularly. It's the only way to keep your liver and gastrointestinal tract functioning at optimal levels -- and potential body odor at bay. Try taking steam baths or saunas frequently as part of an overall detoxification program.
Include friendly flora and a fiber supplement in your regimen. Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacteria can reestablish the proper pH balance in your digestive system. Adding a fiber supplement will gently whisk away waste buildup in the intestinal tract.
Drink 10-12 glasses of water daily. Flush toxins from your body and keep metabolic processes humming along at peak levels.
Sweating As we mentioned above, excessive sweating may have underlying causes, so it is wise to be diagnosed to see if you have a medical problem. Women going through menopause and perimenopause may experience bouts of sweating accompanied by terrible body odor. The sweating may occur even when the woman is not warm (otherwise known as a hotflash).
Caffeine and medications may also be the cause of your sweating. Reduce your caffeine intake and note if there are changes when you stop taking medication.
Supplements
Chlorophyll One or two chlorophyll tablets or chlorophyll liquid taken with each meal may also help, as chlorophyll is a great deodorizer.
Magnesium Take magnesium supplements or augment your diet with food sources high in this important mineral. Between 200-500 mg of magnesium have been recommended. You will have to try different doses until you get the amounts that are right for your body.
Vitamins A high-potency B vitamin (50 mg or higher), when combined with magnesium, will help reduce certain secretions that can be a cause of odor. Make sure you are getting 100 mg of PABA and 100 mg of B6.
Zinc If you have body odor, try taking zinc tablets. Zinc, plus magnesium, will help balance your body's metabolism and reduce the cause of bad odor. Studies have shown that taking 30 to 50 mg daily will dramatically reduce certain body odors, although you may need less. Zinc may also reduce perspiration and sweaty feet. However, it is wise to go above 15 mg only with a doctor's supervision as zinc may interfere with the absorption of copper, another essential trace mineral.
Folk Remedies
Apple cider vinegar eliminates under arm body odor when used in place of deodorant because it reduces the pH of the skin. Bacteria can't live in areas with low pH. Try bathing in an apple cider vinegar wash twice a week. Pour 2 cups of apple vinegar in your bath. The vinegar smell is gone in minutes and you should be smell-free all day.
Parsley/alfalfa Chewing parsley, alfalfa and other leafy greens will help neutralize body odor, probably because of the deodorizing effect of the chlorophyll.
Sage Herbalists suggest drinking a cup of sage tea daily to reduce sweat gland activity. This is especially true for those who perspire excessively due to tension. Use 11/2 teaspoonsful of dried sage or two tea bags in one cup of water; steep for ten minutes; drink in small doses throughout the day.
• Fresh sage leaves blended with tomato juice has been found to be very effective against BO.
Wheat grass Take 500 mg of wheat grass daily on an empty stomach and wash down with a glass of water. The chlorophyll will dramatically reduce body odor.
Homeopathic
Silicea. Homeopaths recommend dissolving three 6X tablets of the tissue salt Silicea under the tongue each morning and evening to knock out odor. Can be found at natural food grocers and pharmacies with alternative medicine sections.

All in all, we hope the next time you conduct a “smell test” on yourself, that you pass with flying colors – at least one in particular: Green!!

Simple Cures for the Breakout Blues (An Anti-Acne Guide)

This is the last in the recent series of blogs about natural skin care, with the intention of empowering the reader to take charge of his or her own beauty regimen by learning a little bit more about what you can do to create a beautiful, healthy countenance, both inside and out – naturally.
”You are what you eat” was never more true than in looking at the causes/cures for teenage acne (and adult acne as well). Sometimes all it takes to get rid of acne and re-balance the skin are simple changes in diet, a clearer understanding of what is being used to clean and condition the skin, and to include basic food supplements in your daily routine.

Chemical reactions caused by sugar are the number one cause of acne, and the worse the acne, the more likely sugar is involved. Too much sugar in the diet stresses the body, especially the liver, and leads to insulin over-production, and consequently, over-production of sebum (fatty lubricant secreted by glands in the skin).

There is another scientifically proven link between food and acne: women who regularly eat meat are more likely to suffer from acne. The mail hormone, testosterone, causes the sebaceous glands (which secret sebum), to work overtime in times of stress. Conventionally raised meat contains hormones and steroids.

Anti Acne Diet:
If you want to have clear skin, base your diet around lots of vegetables, fruits, and good proteins rich in essential fatty acids (fish). Focus on intensely colored vegetables (such as artichokes, asparagus, carrots, kale, radishes, and spinach), that will have the lowest impact on your blood sugar. Apples, berries, apricots, peaches, cherries, nectarines are also a great addition to a low blood sugar/anti-acne diet. Plant proteins such as soy (tofu), quinoa, peanut butter, black beans, lentils, roasted almonds are essential, and will keep you energized.

Basic Supplements for Fighting Acne:
Some basic food supplements that your skin will love, and that will help combat acne are:

Vitamins:
Vitamin A, which helps rebalance hormone production. Naturally occurring sources are in eggs, cod, halibut, spinach, carrots, red bell peppers, cantaloupe, and other orange, red, and green veggies.

Vitamin E an antioxidant that promotes healing and tissue repair; topically it enhances wound repair, so it is good for dabbing on acne scar tissue. It also helps with headaches, fatigue, depression, and insomnia.

Zinc reduces inflammation, helps immune function, and keeps hormone levels in check – all critical for fighting acne breakouts. Found naturally in whole grains, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds.

Magnesium is helpful in relieving stress, and for lowering blood pressure while increasing blood circulation. Stress is a major enemy of healthy skin. Found naturally in seafood, green veggies, nuts, bananas, and potatoes.

Herbs (found at natural grocers and health food stores):
Burdock root is the most important herb for treating all forms of chronic skin problems. It is a serious blood purifier which detoxifies the blood and is a mild laxative. It contains polyacetylenes that have both antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. The easiest way to use it is in a tea, or tea blend, easily found on the shelves of any health food store. You can drink the tea, then gently press the tea bags, now a “poultice”, on your acne outbreaks. Leave on for 5 or 10 minutes.

Yellow dock is extremely powerful against acne. It improves liver function by stimulating bile and digestive enzymes. It reduces bowel inflammation and toxicity, which contributes to skin eruptions. Take in a tea.

Milk Thistle is a liver and kidney tonic, and digestive aid. It cleanses, detoxifies, rebuilds, and restores healthy liver function. Poor liver function (from too much sugar in the diet), results in improper waste elimination, which leads to skin eruptions and acne. Take in a tea.

Makeup and Skin Care Products:
Finally, examine what you are using on a daily basis for makeup, skin care, and in fact ALL your personal care products. Many ingredients are toxic, and could be causing outbreaks, or worse, not doing anything to help dry up oil production and keep skin clean, but in fact, making it “dirtier”, thus becoming the direct cause of your acne.

See previous Eco Living blogs about how to read labels for safe, non-toxic ingredients, and how to shop for the best products.

Here are a few Acne Cure Recipes to make in your own kitchen that will be amazing for helping to clear up your acne:

Apple Cider and Aspirin Toner:
Apple cider vinegar lightens acne cars, while aspirin provides a generous concentration of salicylic acid. The combination of alpha-hydroxy from the vinegar, and salicylic acids will do wonders, without any chemicals. Dilute the vinegar with mineral water eight parts water to one part vinegar. Crush 6 aspirins (uncoated) and add them to the liquid, Shake the bottle vigorously. Apply directly to skin with a cotton ball. Let dry. Best applied before bedtime so the toner can really seep into the skin uninterrupted.

Lemon Egg White Mask:
Lemon juice is an excellent bleaching agent for lightening those brown, post-acne marks. Egg whites are rich in protein and help heal damaged skin, in addition to absorbing excess oil from the skin. Crack an egg, removing the yolk so that just the whites are left in the shell halves. Beat the whites, then cut a fresh lemon (organic if you have it), and squeeze the juice into the bowl of beaten egg whites. Whisk to form a dense paste. Apply to face by spreading on with fingers. Let dry (15 minutes), and rinse off. Gently pat dry.

Baking Soda & Honey Scrub:
This is a great scrub for exfoliating dead skin cells and really refreshing the tone and color of the skin. Baking soda’s fine particles are gentle and will dissolve on the skin. Honey has antimicrobial properties to fight bacteria and fungi, as well as being very soothing to the skin. It also helps to dry up acne. Mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with an equal amount of honey to make a paste. Rub over the face gently with fingers and then rinse with cool water. Pat dry.

Mind Stress = Acne

Now that we’ve explored ways to take care of your skin with certain “physical” methods, a word about the mental/emotional method: peace of mind, less stress.

Use this summer to get in some serious R & R – stress is big on the list of things which contribute to acne and skin fatigue. Unplug from electronic stimulus – reduce time with the television, computer, and telephone. Try yoga and meditation, long walks and leisurely bike rides, and time spent in nature – camping, picnics in the park, swimming in the ocean. Activities that still the mind, and bring a sense of calmness and serenity will go a long way toward easing the turbulence of stress in the mind.

Here’s to “real” beauty, inside and out!

MAKE IT YOURSELF!!

FACE:
· Cleanse: Soak a cotton ball with cold milk. Milk removes dirt from pores and brightens the skin. · Exfoliate: oatmeal or oats mixed with milk/water and orange peel.
· Blemishes: drop pure essential lavender oil or dab honey on blemishes to dry them up. Honey also lightens blemishes.
· Face mask: yogurt, and mashed strawberries, or banana, or papaya, and honey

HAIR:
· Condition: Mayonnaise or egg yolks, mixed with mashed avocado
· To promote growth & shine: rosemary essential oil mixed with warm olive oil
· Tame your frizzy hair by rubbing coconut oil into your hands and applying sparingly onto your hair. You don't want to overdo it - too much will make your hair look greasy
. Shampooing your hair less frequently also helps with the frizzies. Excess shampooing strips natural oils from the hair.
· Rinse your hair with baking soda to get rid of shampoo build-up and styling residues. Rinsing your hair with lemon juice is said to bring life and shine back to dull hair; it will also streak it and lighten it naturally when exposed to sunlight.
· Apple cider vinegar mixed with water will give your hair shine and bounce.

More Ways to be Smart, Beautiful & Green

Read the label on everything! Then go to http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ to enter any ingredient or product to find out more about it. Use Wikipedia to look up definitions of chemical compounds. Use google to further investigate ingredients, definitions, uses.


Remember: you get what you pay for when buying personal care products. Spend a little more for products that have no synthetic fillers or extenders (esp. in makeup, the most common being talc) and the amount needed for each use is considerably smaller, thus extending the total overall numbers of use.Only a fraction of pure products and ingredients are needed for each use compared to those that are not.


Mineral makeup is superior to traditional makeup, in that it is longer lasting, sits on top of the skin rather than soaking into the skin and being absorbed, like liquid makeup. Liquids contain preservatives. Minerals are more pigmented so less is needed to cover. Longer lasting, since pores have room to breathe – you won’t sweat it off. Beware of BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE, a common ingredient in some mineral lines for an opalescent sheen that is a product of lead refinement. It usually turns up in the more expensive lines (Trish McEvoy, True), rather than the cheaper ones (Afterglow, Alima)


Just because something is labeled as a baby product (baby oil, baby lotion, baby shampoo, etc) doesn’t mean it’s more safe and gentle. Baby oil is mostly mineral oil, which is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum. Baby products, unless specifically formulated from organic ingredients without toxic preservatives, are still going to contain the same things as adult products – parabens, etc.


Traditional lipsticks and lipgosses contain mostly mineral oil or vaseline type ingredients. The average woman will ingest 10 pounds of petroleum by-product during her lifetime from simply licking her lips while wearing lipstick. Good alternatives are shea butter, candellila or canuaba wax.


Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470 or E120, is a pigment of a bright red color obtained from by boiling dried insects in water to extract the carminic acid and then treating the clear solution with alum, cream of tartar, stannous chloride, or potassium hydrogen oxalate. Carmine is used as a food dye in many different products such as juice, ice cream, yogurt, and candies, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. Although principally a red dye, it is found in many foods that are shades of red, pink, and purple. As a food dye it has been known to cause severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock in some people.


Search for nail polishes that do not contain formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP (pthalates) which are incredibly toxic ingredients – both for our bodies and for the earth. (toluene is a key ingredient in gasoline, and all gasoline pumps in the state of California are required to post health warnings about toluene!)Look for non-toxic polishes at Whole Foods: Honeybee Gardens, Causemetics, Online: Zoya, Priti (coming soon)
Buy homemade/handcrafted soaps with herbs and flowers in them at farmer’s markets – support local business and avoid chemical additives. Beware of Greenwashing – just because something is labeled ‘organic’ or ‘all-natural’ doesn’t mean it’s free of toxic ingredients. Consider packaging – the less, the better.

April Fool's...

This is no joke: Women do not like to be made fool’s of. In the spirit of education and enlightenment, it’s critical that we all begin to read the labels of our personal care products.
What you will find, if you investigate, are an outrageous array of highly toxic ingredients that also show up in car wash detergents, oven cleaners, embalming fluid, gasoline, and engine degreasers. To me, this is a feminist issue of the highest concern: women overall use many more personal care products on a daily basis than men. We are the ones to whom the vast multi-billion dollar cosmetics and beauty industry is created, marketed, and sold.
And we are the ones who are showing the ill effects of it in the deadly rise of the breast cancer epidemic, to the pre-mature onset of menses in girls as young as 6, 7 and 8 years old, to the multitude of “inexplicable” everyday cases of contact dermatitis – rashes that are treated by mainstream dermatologists with even more chemicals (medicine)!

The lotions, potions, balms, and softeners that we put on our face and body are at their very heart, meant to soothe and comfort us through their textures, their aromas, their good intentions. The act of body care is a sacred ritual, and the ingredients we use in that ritual should be just as sacred, as special, and as SAFE as we can possibly make them. That no one (ie: government) is regulating these ingredients, that toxic chemicals are even considered to be acceptable for use on our skin, is beyond comprehension, and a boondoggle of the highest order. The worst offense is for a company to label their products “green” or “organic” or “all natural” while still continuing to include known carcinogens is beyond the pale.

Herewith, in the spirit of wising you up: Take this list shopping with you.

10 Ingredients to Avoid In Personal Care Products:

1) DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (momoethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine): often appear on labels as Cocamide DEA and are commonly found in cleansers, shampoos and body washes as emulsifiers and foaming agents. According to a 1998 research study by the National Toxicology Program, these chemicals affect hormone function and are known to produce cancer-causing nitrates and nitrosamines in laboratory animals. The FDA is currently in the process of evaluating the link between DEA and cancer in humans.

2) FD&C Color Pigments: often made from coal tar, these artificial colorings can cause skin sensitivity and may be carcinogenic.

3) Added Fragrance: can be very sensitizing to the skin. Many of the compounds in fragrance are toxic and can cause headaches, dizziness or nausea.

4) Imidazolidinyl Urea & DM Hydantoin: these are the most commonly used preservatives after parabens. They are the second most identified cosmetic preservatives causing contact dermatitis according to the American Academy of Dermatology. These preservatives also release fomaldehyde, a chemical that can cause skin irritations as well as health problems such as migraines, allergies and asthma.

5) Isopropyl Alcohol: a petroleum-derived solvent found in hair rinses, hand lotions and shaving products. Also used as antifreeze at industrial strengths.

6) Mineral Oil: a petroleum-derived oil that is sensitizing to the skin and can inhibit the ability of the skin to breathe. Baby oil is 100% mineral oil.

7) Paraben Preservatives: Developed in the 1930’s, synthetic Methyl, Ethyl and Propyl Parabens were derived from benzoic acid and were considered effective and economical since they were inexpensive to use as both a cosmetics and food grade preservative. However, recently this preservative system has come into question as these substances have been found in cancerous tissues, especially breast tissue. The greatest concern of these preservatives focuses on their estrogen-mimicking factor in laboratory animals (i.e., their ability to mimic estrogen in the body). More research needs to be done to see if similar exposures to humans produces similar findings.

A study performed by the British Industrial Biological Research Assoc. that recorded the effects of parabens
in decreasing testosterone levels and sperm counts on the male reproductive system.
(British Industrial Biological Research Assoc. PG: 8 p YR: 1989 IP: VI)


It is estimated that 99% of all cosmetic and body care products contain some form of paraben preservatives.

8) PEG: is an abbreviation for polyethylene glycol and is used to break down oil or help thicken products. PEGs are often used in oven cleansers and are irritating to the skin.

9) Propylene Glycol (PG): an alcohol that can be manufactured synthetically, usually from petroleum or naturally, from corn. Synthetically derived, it is used as a surfactant or wetting agent and is an active ingredient in industrial antifreeze. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on propylene glycol warn users to
avoid skin contact as it is systemic and can cause kidney and liver abnormalities. Propylene glycol may damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage to the skin.

10) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate: are used as detergent surfactants to remove dirt from the skin. These compounds are also found in car wash soaps and engine degreasers and yet are commonly found in many shampoos and shower gels. SLS is very irritating to skin and can be toxic to eyes.

Not only are these “immortal ingredients” toxic to our bodies, but they also, if petroleum-based, deplete the earth’s resources and can be toxic to the environment. Several studies have shown high levels of benzene and naphthalene in the brain tissue of rainbow trout and Coho salmon.

I’m Not A Cockeyed Optimist, Though I Aspire To Be One

I wish I could be an unflappably, buoyant optimist, one who stood strong against the daily bafflements of the world around me. But I have a lot of hours, a lot of days of complete and total “chicken little” worry. Which, considering the state of our current world affairs, is kind of normal; not constructive, but entirely normal. What helps is hearing an “everything will be alright” kind of message from someone, somewhere.

Recently, I ran across The Message in a couple of different places – one, a book review from last spring that I saved, and only found recently. The other from an email list I’m on. They both popped out in front of me as these things are wont to do, with perfect timing Herewith:

Paul Hawken’s most recent book is, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. Hawken is an environmentalist, educator, lecturer, entrepreneur, journalist, and best-selling author. Fundamentally, Blessed Unrest is a description of humanity's collective genius, and the unstoppable movement to reimagine our relationship to the environment and one another.

Hawkin explains: “The whole book, really, is about a rise of a movement that is a shift between a world created by, and for, privilege to a world created by community, and it details the rise of over one million organizations in the world who address civil liberties, social justice and the environment. And even though they’re atomized and there’s many of them and they don’t seem connected, due to modern technology—cell, texting, internet—they’re starting to intertwine, morph and come together in ways that is making it much more powerful than it has been before.”

And this from San Francisco Gate and San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Mark Morford:

"Stop thinking this is all there is. Realize that for every ongoing war and religious outrage and environmental devastation and bogus Iraqi attack plan, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flower box to cathedral......Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the karmic towel.
Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious... there's your opening.
Remember magic! And, finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable."

The Wild Food Guy

I just finished reading one of my Christmas presents to myself (you always get exactly what you want that way). It’s a book of essays put out by The New Yorker magazine editors. called Secret Ingredients, a collection of food and drink writing since the magazine’s inception over 80 years ago. One that just blew me away was by John McPhee, and the week in 1968 he spent foraging in the Pennsylvania wilderness with Euell Gibbons. Besides the pleasure of his fine writing style, McPhee very poignantly captures the personality of this fascinating and amazing character that was Euell Gibbons.



In 1968, Gibbons was at the height of his renown as a true American naturalist and writer (his first book Stalking The Wild Asparagus, published in 1962, was a national bestseller). He was a Quaker, a former schoolteacher, a railroad hobo during the Depression, and a frustrated writer of novels and short stories. But he hit his stride writing about something that he’d learned to do as a child to keep from starving, and continued to do all his life, from the pleasure of it: the gathering and preparation of wild food – most commonly known as foraging. His talent in the creative preparation of these foods earned him the moniker of greatest living wild chef when he was alive. (He died in 1975 at age 64.)



Gibbons once harvested edible weeds from the President’s garden at the White House, bagged 15 wild foods in a vacant lot in Chicago, and collected materials for 3-course meal from Central Park in New York City. His interest in wild food was to prove simply that there is a marvelous variety of good food in the world that is only partially found in supermarkets, and that mass production of just a tiny fraction of “cultivated” foods is contributing to the demise of the planet and our ability to feed all its people. One need never go hungry when one is a friend of nature.



As a Quaker, Gibbons was a pacifist and a peacemonger, and lived in intentional communities long before they were popular. His goal in foraging was to engage in “creative protest against the artificiality of our daily lives.” Though he was a product of the first half of the previous century, and was embedded with folksy, rural values, his perspective is timeless, sophisticated, and very inspiring. Everything urban foodies are now discussing about crop sustainability, organic and local farming, seasonal ingredients, and so on, old Euell was preaching about 40 years ago. I can’t wait to get my hands on all of his writing.

Winter in L.A.

We are now deeply into winter, aren’t we? For those of us here in Southern California, it means we’re able to drive an hour in one direction up to the nearby mountains and go skiing, sledding, and snowball fighting. It also means we can drive an hour in the other direction and sit out in the high desert under cobalt blue skies, then take a dip in a nearby hot mineral spring pool to stay warm. Or drive in still yet another direction and be at the beach, where you may or may not need to wear a sweater or jacket on the sand. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Something I haven’t still gotten over, even after living here for 17 years.

The first winter I lived here, I remember driving up to the mountains with my friends, and piling snow on the roof of the car then driving down to the beach with it, parking on the sand, and drinking an ice cold beer as we watched it melt in the afternoon sun. We took lots of pictures with us posing by the snow covered car in our bikini tops and sunglasses.Life is good here on the edge of the continent, isn’t it?

Whenever the ungodly traffic, rude strangers, bad air, and other high costs of living in LA start to make me crazy, I find I’m able to calm down about it all a bit, by focusing on the bountiful aspect of nature that surrounds us here. It’s a cliché, but nature does heal – it calms and soothes in a way that nothing else can.

I spent some time once, in the late 1980’s, studying Native American shamanism with several teachers. One of the cornerstone’s of that spiritual path is the guidance we must be open to receive from Nature in all its forms — from plant life, rocks, animals, to the wind, bodies of water – if we are to evolve our thinking about ourselves and our place in the cosmos.

Here’s a poem by Mary Oliver – a very gifted poetess and high priestess of communing with Nature herself. (PS: You will get many chances to read Mary Oliver’s poems in this blog as she is one of my favorites. Look her up – you’ll love her, too)

The Swan

by Mary Oliver

Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?

Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air -

An armful of white blossoms,
A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned
into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,
Biting the air with its black beak?
Did you hear it, fluting and whistling
A shrill dark music - like the rain pelting the trees - like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges?
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds -
A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?

And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for? And have you changed your life?

Greetings for the New Year

The wheel has turned again, and here we are at the starting point of a New Year. What a great time to focus on how best we all want to live our lives: spending more time with those we love, creating meaningful work, participating in the conscious stewardship of our community — and by extension the world at large — and cultivating the good health that will make it possible to do all of these things for as long as possible. What does “good health” mean, anyway? For most of us, it’s getting a handle on stress, on finding ways to reduce it.

After that comes exercise, diet, sleep. But really, it’s all related: you sleep better when you aren’t stressed, when you are managing your time well, you have time to exercise, when you are exercising regularly, you tend to make better food choices, and so on.

So what’s the problem, here? Why is this very straightforward way to live and enjoy life more, so incredibly difficult to grab hold of? Perhaps it’s just the very nature of being alive in the era we now find ourselves, endemic to a particular American existence. When basic issues of food, shelter, and survival has been met, then one is free to start worrying about the other stuff?

“We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”
~ Carlos Castaneda

I’m reminded of what all great thinkers, spiritual teachers, and just wise people in general, continually seem to say about this: try to move into gratitude when all else fails. Gratitude is the thing that gives us the ability to pause, slow down a minute or two, and really put into perspective what it is we’re trying to do, to be, to know, to become.

Gratitude for the big things, as well as small. Gratitude for the ability to draw breath – the prana, or “life force” as it’s called in yoga - and to be alive, every moment of every day. This is one aspect of “conscious” living, and when it becomes a part of the fabric of our everyday lives, then everything else flows.

Thank you for reading, thank you for being a part of our GreenBliss community, thank you for making us one of your healthful living choices this past year, and in the year to come.