Category Archives: personal care

Recycla has been reading recent reports about sunblock lately and wondering how she’s supposed to keep her family burn-free this summer.  While she’s always known that some ingredients, including oxybenzone, are to be avoided, she had no idea that some sunblocks are actually hazardous to your health.

Luckily, the Environmental Working Group has released their 2010 report on sunscreens and it’s a big help in determining what to buy.  Click here for a list of the Environmental Working Group’s recommendations (and anti-recs) on sunblock.  The Daily Green also has a list of good eco recommendations.

Recycla has bought sunscreens by Badger Balm and JASON and, so far, both have done a good job of keeping her family from getting burned.

In addition to using the right sunblock, don’t forget the following tips:

• Try to stay out of the sun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• If you are outside, wear clothing and a hat that will help block the sun’s rays.
• Always wear sunscreen, even on overcast days.
• Apply sunscreen 15-30 minutes before going out.
• Use enough sunscreen to fill a shotglass and coat your body in a thick layer.

The Eco Women encourage you to get outside this summer, but be safe!

Have you ever read the ingredient list on your tube of toothpaste? There are a lot of unpronounceable words in that list, but they can be broken down by function: binders, abrasives, sudsers, humectants, flavors (unique additives), sweeteners, fluorides, tooth whiteners, a preservative, and water.

If you look online, there are a lot of websites that discuss toothpaste and what goes in it. Some people believe that conventional toothpastes are perfectly acceptable, while other people think they are toxic and shouldn’t be used. There are artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners, and a variety of other additives.

Recycla is personally not a fan of conventional toothpastes. She doesn’t like the taste, nor does she like to put unpronounceable chemicals in her mouth. Instead, she uses Tom’s of Maine, which is the best known natural toothpaste on the market in the U.S. Tom’s uses real flavor oils instead of saccharine, and in fact of all the ingredients are naturally derived. Beyond that, Tom’s of Maine uses recycled packaging and gives 10% of their pre-tax profits to nonprofit organizations.

There are other natural toothpastes out there, including by Kiss My Face, JASON, and Weleda.  You can also brush your teeth with baking soda.

As for toothbrushes, Recycla’s hands down favorite is the Preserve. These toothbrushes are actually made from recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm yogurt tubs. Later on, when you’re finished with your toothbrush, you can send it back to the company so that it can be recycled into plastic lumber.

Recycla has also heard good things about the RADIUS toothbrush. Replaceable heads save 80% of the material used by standard toothbrushes. The renewable resource bio-plastic handles are made from recycled wood or flax mixed with post-consumer polypropylene.

Tell the Eco Women:  Have you ever used baking soda as a toothpaste or do you have other recommendations?

The Eco Women are not employed by any of the companies mentioned here, nor were they asked to do this review.

This is the time of year when Recycla spends a lot of time outside working in her gardens.  Even though she wears gloves, her hands still end up dry and cracked from all that digging, raking, and more.

Her solution? Badger Balm.

Badger Balm smells good, without being too heavy.  It goes on greasy and takes a few minutes to fully absorb, but it’s worth the wait.

A 2 ounce tin costs around $8, but a little of this stuff goes a long way, so the cost-per-use is actually pretty low.

The Eco Women are not employed by Badger Company, nor were they paid to do this review.  Photo Credit:  BadgerBalm.com.

Ever since winter arrived, Recycla has been doing battle with her old nemesis — Cold Dry Air. As soon as the temperature dips into the 40s and lower, Recycla’s skin starts to dry out and even flake off.

Recycla’s dry skin issues go back 30 years to when she was in elementary school and her fingertips would crack and bleed.  Unfortunately, it was a great many years before she learned not only the importance of applying lotion proactively, but also using the right lotion for the job.  For a long time, she bought a basic body lotion from the drug store and then used it for all parts of her body.  It has only been in the past few years that she’s learned that she needs different lotions, balms, and serums for her hands, feet, body, and face.  Recycla has also learned to stash lotion and lip balm in a variety of places — her purse, her car, her desk at work, her kitchen, her  bathroom, etc. — so that she always has what she needs close at hand.

Recycla has made a determined effort to find products that don’t contain parabens and other yucky stuff.  Through trial and error, she has finally found lotions to suit all of her needs.

Here are Recycla’s  favorite products from head to toe, as well as the recommendations of the other Eco Women:

HEAD

For the face, Avalon Organics and Alba Botanica both make really nice moisturizers.  In particular, Alba’s Jasmine and Vitamin E Cream smells divine and does an amazing job.  A little goes a long way, so Recycla only has to buy moisturizer once or twice a year.

Around the eyes, however, Recycla needs a little extra help combating dry, irritated skin, so she pulls out the big guns with Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing Serum.  One drop of this around her eyes every night has made an amazing difference this winter.  No more red, flaky skin!

On her mouth, Recycla’s favorite lip balm is by Honeybee Gardens.  It’s not at all greasy, yet gets the job done.  As for the rest of the Eco Women, the Green Mommy uses Say Yes to Carrots Lip Balm, Eco Lassie loves Aveda lip balm, and Captain Compost is a fan of Burt’s Bees.  For more on lip balms, check out the Eco Women’s reviews here and here.

HANDS

For dry hands, Recycla is a big fan of Badger Balm’s Organic Healing Balm.  This is seriously greasy stuff, but it gets the job done and Recycla’s fingers no longer crack and bleed each winter.

Eco Lassie swears by Aveda Hand Relief and also Duluth Trading Company No-Crack Hand Cream, which she says is great for serious chapping.

Enviro Girl uses Kiss My Face hand creme (grapefruit + bergamot) She says, “It smells like Froot Loops and a little goes a long way.  I LOVE it because it lasts and lasts and doesn’t soak in and disappear, but really seals and heals my skin.”

BODY

Recycla has tried a lot of body lotions, including some made by Burt’s Bees, Avalon Organics, and Indigo Wild.  Honestly, none has worked as well for her as Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion.  If anyone has any recommendations, she’d love to hear them.

FEET

Recycla uses two different foot products:  Badger Balm’s Organic Foot Balm and also Natralia Heel Balm.  Both work quite well.

Eco Lassie says that she’s a slave to Aveda Foot Relief.  She slathers it on, then puts on thick socks to help the lotion absorb into her skin.

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So those are just some of the Eco Women’s favorite products to combat winter’s drying effects on their skin.

There is also another possibility.  If you want to really understand what goes into your skin care products, then perhaps you might want to try making your own.  That’s not such a far-fetched idea and the Green Mommy is going to cover this very topic on Friday.

Tell the Eco Women:  What are your favorite eco products to combat dry skin?