Mom Goes Green

(This giveaway is now closed for entries… see “comments” for the winner!)

You got it, baby!… this one is for baby (and peace of mind for mommy and daddy too!)

It’s been a few years since either of my babies were actually babies but I certainly still take extra care in making sure their bath and body products meet my standards! You would be shocked (SHOCKED!) to know what’s contained in some of the better-known commercial products too.  Quite honestly, it’s awful…

But, not these products, my friends!  Mild by Nature has a fantastic line of Shampoo & Body Washes, Hair Conditioner, Everyday Lotion (scented and unscented), Bubble Bath and Bitty Bottom Cream. They literally take care of your baby from head to toe.  Okay, truth be told, they’re great for anyone, including my  6- and 9-year old “babies” and I’m considering arm-wrestling one (or both) of them for the Everyday Lotion!

The great thing about these products is their on-going  commitment to using only the best ingredients.  They like to say that their products contain NO “No-No’s”: No sulfates, parabens, dyes, animal testing or animal ingredients.  They DO contain natural and naturally-derived ingredients including beneficial oils and extracts that smell amazing.   I especially like that they cross-reference information and data about all of their ingredients to make sure they give us only the very best products.  Impressive, right?…

… and you want to try them out, don’t you? How about one of each product then… just leave a comment here saying who you’d like to win these for (you CAN say yourself!), or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. Facebook friends can also leave a comment to be entered. The winner will be randomly selected on October 18! (U.S. entries only… sorry.)

So there you have it, baby… another chance to win!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries… see “comments” for the winner!)

Yes, that cliché use of the word “bee” is referring to exactly what you’d think… those amazing little creatures we rely upon to pollinate a substantial portion of our food supply. My husband swears by bee pollen, in fact.  He takes a dose each and every day by way of JOEBEES, for nutrition and energy.

Aside from the pollination work of our busy bees, they also provide fabulous honey… and Beecology has formulated some amazing body products just for us. Everyone will love these body washes, hand and body creams and lip balms.  Everything is paraben- and preservative-free, but chock full of renewable, sustainable ingredients that nature provides!

Not only are Beecology’s products great but they’re also “pollinating society with charity”! 10% of the profits from the sale of their products will be donated to the charity of your choice.  (See why I like them!?) You can GET some great products and GIVE to a great cause!

I think you should check them out now… but, is anyone interested in winning some products?  How about three Body Washes in all three scents (peppermint, grapefruit & lemongrass, and lavender w/bergamot!), an Original Honey Hand & Body Cream and two Beeswax Lip Balms?!?!

YES, you say?  Well then, just leave a comment here saying you’d like to win, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. Facebook friends can also leave a comment to be entered. The winner will be randomly selected on October 12! (U.S. entries only… sorry.)

Now, shoo!… go check them out & enter to win… you’ll BEE happy you did! (Sorry, I just had to!)

Well, it isn’t often that I have to make an update so soon… I just sent everyone to Environmental Working Group’s list and rating of sunscreen products… and it’s JUST been updated again for 2011!

We know the concern with sunscreen is the presence of some nasty chemicals (that part certainly doesn’t change) but, like our ever changing lives, products get changed too and I would be remiss if I didn’t share the latest findings with you…

So here… without further ado is THE latest listing: EWG’s 2011 List of Suncreens!  Maybe you want to head right over to their Best Suncreens list… and hope that what you’ve been using didn’t make their Hall of Shame!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program… get your BEST suncreen and GO PLAY!

(Okay, Mom Goes Green is BACK from my little Mother’s Day hiatus, so…) I’m now thinking summer! The kids have started the countdown to the final days of school and we’re ALL thinking summer fun, the pool, beach vacations and lots of outdoor time!

But every parent knows that fun-in-the-sun also means extra precautions to make sure our precious ones (ourselves included!) don’t get fried during “the fun part”, so sunscreen is sure to be a purchase in the very near future.

The concern with sunscreen is the presence of some nasty chemicals that we really don’t want to apply to our bodies daily, or even “frequently” for that matter (since they absorb into our skin and accumulate). Many are believed to cause hormone disruption, cell damage and allergies, amongst other things. They include vitamin A (retinyl palmitate), Oxybenzone, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Mexoryl, Avobenzone… augh!… just a bunch of things that we could really do without!

So instead of laboring over labels and trying (sometimes in vane) to decipher the ingredients… (drumroll, please….)  Environmental Working Group has a list and rating of over 500 sunscreen products.  Believe me, it is much easier to find one on the “best” list and just know you have a good product to keep you safe from the sun AND the nasty chemicals.

You can also look-up the products you have been using to see how they rate.

Last year (via this list!) I discovered a great product:  Blue Lizard.  It was fantastic and we didn’t have a burn in the bunch (or exposure to nasty chemicals!).  Fortunately, EWG has done most of the work for us, so the answers are just a few clicks away.

(Boy, I sure have come a long way from those teen-days when my friends and I applied baby oil(!) in HOPE of sizzling and frying!… WHAT were we thinking?!?)

Now check it out, buy some, slather on the good stuff and GO PLAY… summer is almost here!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries… see “comments” for the winner!)

I’ve been a huuuge fan of Kiss My Face products for the longest time. I love their story, their mission and their commitment. All of their products focus on a healthy you and a healthy environment and those qualities always get a big Mom Goes Green thumbs-up!

I’ve given away tons of great stuff from Kiss My Face… cleansers, toner, soaps, moisturizers, lip tints and shines… but now let me introduce their Peace Collection.

The goodies included? Well, there’s a fabulous 100% natural all-purpose castile soap that can be used from head to toe, ceiling to floor (no kidding! You can use it on you OR your home!) and a terrific foaming hand soap too! Both of these products are biodegradable, and contain no parabens, SLS, phthalates, artificial fragrances or animal ingredients. (Got your attention now, didn’t I?!?) The collection also includes a yummy soy candle scented with essential oils. It has an unbleached cotton wick and no petroleum paraffin or carbon soot, PLUS the glass and packaging is 100% recycled…

Oh, I knew I loved Kiss My Face for a reason!!!

I can already hear you yelling “Me, Me, ME!!!” If you’re interested just leave a comment here saying you’d like to win, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. Facebook friends can also leave a comment to be entered. The winner of this $40 collection will be randomly selected on February 7! (U.S. entries only… sorry!)

Yes, I love Kiss My Face and oh, friend, if you win… you’re gonna wanna kiss my face too!

So, imagine this scenario:  You find yourself shopping for a product and, among the array of choices, you notice “unscented” or “fragrance-free”.  You might opt to choose one of these over a scented variety because it implies that there is at least one less additive in the product.  But are these terms synonymous? And do YOU know the difference?

Until recently, I didn’t.  I mistakenly assumed they meant the same thing.  Guess what?  I was wrong.

“Fragrance-free” does mean that there is nothing added to the product, but unscented is a whole different ball game.  In fact, “unscented” is a fragrance additive, used to mask any other chemical smells, and it most likely contains phthalates.  What’s bothersome is that phthalates are known hormone disruptors and can affect fertility in both men and women.

Sure, some of us may not have family planning in our near future, and our brood may already be complete, but isn’t this a chemical we’d all simply like to leave out of our systems?

Stay “free” of the phthalates and, given the choice, always choose “fragrance-free”!

Now that the countdown to the final days of school has reached “10 days and counting” all my kids can talk about is all the fun we’ll have this summer and our annual beach vacation!

But any parent knows that fun in the sun also means extra caution to make sure our precious little ones (ourselves included!) don’t get fried during “sun fun”, so if you haven’t bought it already, sunscreen is sure to be a purchase in the very near future.

The concern with sunscreen is the presence of some nasty chemicals that we really don’t want to apply to our bodies daily, or even “frequently” for that matter, since they absorb into our skin and accumulate. Many are believed to cause hormone disruption, cell damage and allergies, amongst other things. They include vitamin A (retinyl palmitate), Oxybenzone, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Mexoryl, Avobenzone… augh!… just a bunch of things that we could really do without!

So instead of laboring over labels and trying (sometimes in vane) to decipher the ingredients… (drumroll, please….)  Environmental Working Group has released its 2010 list and ratings of over 500 sunscreen products.  Believe me, it is much easier to find one on the “best” list and just know you have a good product to keep you safe from the sun AND the nasty chemicals.

You can also look-up the products you have been using to see how they rate.  Sadly, all of ours were in the “caution” category so Mom Goes Green will be doing her research too.  Fortunately, EWG has done most of the work for us, so the answers are just a few clicks away.

Now check it out, slather on the good stuff and GO PLAY… summer is almost here!

Everyone knows the standard list of ways to go green in the bathroom – turning off the water while you brush your teeth, low-flow shower heads, water efficient toilets, chemical-free cleaners, short showers and low-volume baths… okay, you’ve heard them all, but what about those little things you overlook?

Think there aren’t any?  Well, think again… here are some things you may have missed:

• Soap – choose bar soaps over liquid shower gels and avoid excess plastic packaging. Although many of the bottles are recyclable, the caps often aren’t.

• Cosmetic foundations & eyeliners – choose foundation sold in glass bottles or jars over those in plastic tubes and containers so they can be recycled. Choose wooden pencil eyeliners over plastic tubes too.

• Shampoos – (if you must use a conditioner) choose a 2-in-1 product where the shampoo and conditioner are combined.  You will use one less container but also shorten your shower by skipping an extra step.

• Razors – choose a refillable razor versus disposables.  Plastic razors simply become needless trash.

• Toilet paper – choose recycled content toilet paper (yes, I know I have waivered on this a bit, but I’m leaning back toward choosing the recycled version… and yes, my husband is going to be devastated!)

• Q-tips – choose those with a paper spindle instead of plastic… plain and simple.

• Antibacterials soaps – skip them… they do more harm than good.  (Read more here.)

• Towels – choose bamboo options.  They’re soft, snuggly and (most important) sustainable!  Organic cotton towels are another great choice.

• Greywater – Add a bucket in the shower with you and capture it!  Showers actually account for over a quarter of a home’s typical water usage, and there are plenty of uses for this greywater.

• Speaking of showers… shower with someone special…. (Ooo, Mom Goes Green just got naughty!)

Most of us never give much thought to the deodorant we apply daily… after all, don’t all moms naturally smell like roses?… yea, I know, not always but dare to dream!

There is a problem though… common commercial deodorants contain all sorts of frightening chemicals, including Aluminum Chlorohydrate (linked to brain disorders), Parabens (linked to breast cancer), Propylene Glycol (commonly used in manufacturing antifreeze!), Triclosan (linked to the development of antibiotic resistance) and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (a known carcinogen!).  Who wouldn’t want to avoid these chemicals?!?

Lately, I’ve been using Tom’s of Maine.  Those of us entrenched in the “green world” have probably heard of their products since they are easily found in major retailers, but it wasn’t as easy when I realized that it was probably time for our 8-year old daughter to consider some deodorant of her own.

Luckily I finally discovered Junior Varsity Naturals and honestly, I never imagined it would be so easy to convince my little lady to take-on this armpit task each day!  Their products are made of only safe, chemical-free botanicals, so I don’t have to worry about her putting toxic ingredients on her body just for the sake of hygiene.  And she looooves the smell… they have a Cherry Blast for girls and Citrus Sport for boys (all natural scents), so as soon as my little athlete is ready for some pit-assistance, I know he’s covered too.

If I can convince you of nothing else, please just avoid anti-perspirants. These are the products that contain dangerous Aluminum Chorohydrate to seal our pores and prevent sweat, but it’s being absorbed into our bodies every day!

There is nothing glamorous in the discussion of underarms, but even less attractive is the reality of the dangerous chemicals that enter our body as a result of wanting to smell more pleasant… now that’s really, REALLY the pits!

In name and theory, the term “antibacterial” seems like a smart choice to prevent illness and inhibit bacterial growth, but these products contain a chemical antimicrobial called Triclosan.  So what’s the big deal?  Well…

Triclosan was originally created for medical uses and sterilization but, now that it has become outrageously common and “household”, consumers need to know that it is actually linked to health issues, including antibiotic resistance, allergy susceptibility and severe skin irritations (not to mention the destruction of fragile aquatic ecosystems!).  Seems rather contradictory, doesn’t it?  While you are trying to keep germs and illnesses at bay, you are actually building a resistance to antibiotics and decreasing their effectiveness should you ever truly need them.

Triclosan is commonly found in soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, cosmetics, shampoos, disinfectants and even fabrics (also marketed as “Microban” or “Biofresh”).  What I also find disturbing is that Triclosan actually “reacts” with chlorinated water and produces a high level of chloroform… yes, I said chloroform…. classified, by the EPA, as a probable human carcinogen.

Another scary fact?  It literally accumulates in our bodies, and this is the reason we build the resistance to antibiotics.

The reality is simply that the harm far outweighs the benefit.  In fact, there is little evidence to support the use of antibacterials for home or personal use in the prevention of viruses or illnesses.

So why buy antibacterial products? Simply put, I cannot think of a single reason…