Test Driving Some DIY Green Beauty

Today's post is not about food, but is in keeping with a post I did earlier about greening up self care and my favourite eco-friendly soaps. As of late, I have been using myself as a guinea pig for a few natural self care products. I have tried to minimize my use of the Dirty Dozen in my self care products and have been slowly finding natural replacements, mostly homemade with the exception of my soaps - Ground Soap, The SoapWorks, and my Green Beaver Castile Soap which doubles as body wash and shampoo. From poking around the internet, I have found that many of the made for me beauty products can be a little pricey, but many are no more expensive than some of the high end conventional brands found in the department stores. Now, whether they work or not or are actually as green as they say, that's another story.

 

Some of my home made experiments have included coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and a variety of home made body and facial scrubs made from some pantry ingredients. I have to say, that overall, most of my DIY experiments have been pretty successful.

 

For the past 2 years, I have been using coconut oil as a face and overall body moisturizer and I would like to report that it has become my go-too moisturizer. I am lucky that it doesn't seem to clog my pores on my face as it is one of oils that has a high Comedogenic Ratings - 0 to 5, with 0 meaning no clogging and 5 being the worst.  My beloved coconut oil is a 4. Oils like argan oil, hemp seed oil and shea butter will not clog pores (a zero rating) while oils like avocado oil, grape seed oil, almond oil, jojoba oil and olive oil are low on the scale (2). I would first do a patch test to make sure that coconut oil doesn't clog your pores and cause breakout. If you decide to try a natural oil to moisturize, and you find that coconut oil is not the right choice for your skin type, you may have more luck using the less comedogenic (clogging) oils like olive oil or almond oil.

 

The eco-warrior in me found the perfect use for an old Clinique moisturizer container, not to mention, an ironic choice! I scoop out the coconut oil from my pantry oil and put it in this container. An excellent way to repurpose!

Coconut oil has been helpful to keeping my face, lips and body moisturized, especially through our cold winters. Downside is that it feels a tich greasy at first so it is important to remember a little goes a long way. I use it as an intensive moisturizer at nighttime by using larger amounts on my hands and feet and then wear cotton blend sport socks on my feet and cotton mitts on my hands to bed. Oh, and if you don't have soft terry towel like mitts or gloves, white sport socks work well too. It looks funny, but it does the trick. If you are having trouble sleeping, you can amuse yourself by doing a sock puppet show until you nod off!

 

Coconut oil is also a fabulous make up remover too. Apply to your face all over and tissue off. You may need to repeat for those dramatic look makeup applications, but it works well. I wash afterwards with either my Ground Soap or The SoapWorks Camomile soap. Gently towel dry and then apply a light application of the coconut oil.

 

I have curly hair and have found coconut keeps my curls curly and tames my frizzies. I take a little dab of coconut oil and melt it by rubbing it between my hands and then evenly distributed through my hair like you would any styling gel. This keeps my curls in check without that crunchy feeling too. Bonus, it acts like a stay in conditioner! The catch for this is to not use too much, otherwise your hair gets weighed down and looks greasy!

 

Pretty curls, tamed by a little dab of coconut oil!

During the winter months, I deliberately use too much coconut oil in my hair and scalp. It is an excellent deep conditioner when left on for a few hours. It is also a great way to soothe and calm mild psoriasis on your head. Apply a fair bit of the oil, massage your scalp with it and comb through your hair. Wrap in a towel or a shower cap and hang out with a cup of tea and a good book for several hours. I love home remedies... They take time to work so you have a great excuse to relax... BONUS! You will have to wash your hair a few times to fully remove the oil but as long as your shampoo is gentle, and preferably eco friendly and toxin free, this will remove the coconut oil well.

 

Sometimes my scalp is itchy and I get a build up of icky bits (sorry if that's too much information LOL!), resulting in the dreaded white flakes upon my favourite black clothes. Sadness... For years, I've used the Head and Shoulders shampoo which has a moderate toxic rating on the EWG SkinDeep Web Site. It's worked ok, but I have wanted a more natural approach and I think I have found it. A month ago I came across some information about apple cider vinegar, particularly the unpasteurized kind, being a good fix for dandruff and dry scalp. It is also supposed to a good hair conditioner, but I fear that if it is left in, one might smell like a salad, so for now, I am just using it as a treatment and then washing it out.

For the past month I have been using a 1:1 ratio of water to ACV (apple cider vinegar) and gently massaging it on my scalp.  Drip dry a bit and mop up the excess with a towel. Then I hang out for a few hours, grab a good book or do some writing while letting the vinegar do it's thing. Then, I rinse and wash out with a gentle shampoo or my castile soap. So far, I have found that it has reduced the dry itchy feeling I get and I think the white flakes have been minimized too. More to follow as I keep this treatment up on a bi-weekly treatment.

 

A new to me brand of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar I found at Bulk Barn!

Last but not least are my DIY products; a collection of homemade body and facial scrubs that I have been using for the last several months. I scoured the net for various kinds, including information from dermatologists and regular "peeps" on the effectiveness of said scrubs. I chose the ones that I felt would work the best and had the blessings of dermatologists. I found a great article for this >HERE<. Two words of caution: FIRST, not everything on Pinterest is a good thing (check out this post here) so do some research and SECOND, do patch tests for any DIY self care products just to make sure you don't have any reactions.

I tried out 3 DIY products. The first contained used coffee grounds, coconut oil, and honey. The second contained coconut oil or olive oil and ground oats. The third contained coconut oil and baking soda. All of these ingredients are supposed to have wonderful properties ranging from anti-microbial, anti-fungal, age-reversing plus a whole lot more, and while I really want to believe these promises, these aren't the reasons I have decided to try out DIY personal care products. As an aside, I even question the promises that the expensive store bought concoctions make. Bottom line, I wanted to make some things in my kitchen that would gently exfoliate, brighten up, soothe, and moisturize my skin, without having to purchase the made-for-me products with toxic ingredients. 

I know we can purchase green beauty products, but alas, my budget and my unwillingness to spend the money for higher end products prevents me from purchasing them. So for now, safe DIY is on tap and after the past few months of experimentation, I have come to the following conclusions...

 

I found that the coffee grounds, coconut oil, and raw honey scrub is best used on my hands, legs and rough spots like feet, elbows and knees. It is a little to harsh for faces, though I did try it once. I must say, that it certainly freshens up rough skin elsewhere on your body, while moisturizing with the coconut oil. It is a little messy for clean up and given that I don't want the grounds going down the drain on a regular basis, it requires a special screen on the shower or sink drain. I think you could use this body scrub a once per week or just when you find rough spots!

Coffee Ground Scrub

1/2 cup very finely ground coffee, already used for coffee

3 tbsp. raw honey

2 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil

 

Combine the ingredients thoroughly. Store in a wide mouth mason jar for up to 1 month in the refrigerator

 

To use, wet down your skin and scoop a small amount out of the container. Apply in a circular motion to wet skin. Don't rub too hard.  Rinse thoroughly. I used a mesh drain cover to catch the grounds in the tub and ran super hot water down the drain to make sure the oil was flushed out thoroughly. I prefer this as a body and hand scrub because I find it a little too abrasive.
 

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I've also tried a mix of ground oats and coconut oil (or olive oil) on my face. It is not as harsh a scrub as the coffee one and I believe that as long as you don't scrub too hard, it seems gentle enough on my face.  I thought it does a lovely job on brightening my complexion. I found it especially nice around my nose and chin area to slough off the dead skin. I only use this once per week and do it on a days that I don't plan on wearing make up or before bed.  The no make up rule after a facial makes sense. Thank you to the Cosmo Girl lawyer named Elle Woods in the movie Legally Blonde 2 for that tid bit of facial after-care! I am so not a glam gal. I've used this once every 2 weeks and I find that my complexion seems smoother and more polished.

Ground Oats Scrub

This is the right amount for one facial scrub application.

1 tsp. coconut oil or olive oil
1 tbsp. ground oats (regular oat ground finely into a flour in a coffee grinder)

Mix well in a small bowl and gently apply to a wet face. Gently rub onto your skin using round circular motions for a few minutes, being careful to avoid the under eye area. Don't rub too hard. Rinse with warm water, tissue the excess off and wash your face with a mild eco-friendly soap.

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Last, but not least, I also tried coconut oil mixed with some baking soda. I have only used it on my hands so far. It also does a lovely job of exfoliating. It doesn't seem too harsh and doesn't make a huge mess in the sink. It's not quite as grainy as the ground oats and is definitely not as abrasive as the ground coffee scrub. I'm a little hesitant about using it on my face because of the alkalinity of the baking soda. Since the skin on my hands is a little tougher, I thought it would work out well, and it did! Again, I do this once per week or 2 weeks because, as with all things, you can do too much of a good thing. In my research, I did read that if you were to use any DIY with baking soda on your face, it would be best to use it as a mask

Baking Soda Scrub

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. baking soda

Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.  Wet your hands and lower arms if desired. "Wash" your hands with the mixture and gently rub your lower arms with the scrub for several minutes.  Tissue off the excess and wash with a mild soap.

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And so, this ends round 1 of Michelle the green beauty guinea pig and my first attempts at some DIY beauty and self care products. If you too decide to try out some DIY, please know that there are some pretty crazy homemade products out there on the internet highway. I would research carefully, and check out what the dermatologists say too as well as check out the comments from folks who have tried them. Some food based products may better eaten as opposed to slathered on your skin. Just because it's not chemical or full of mystery ingredients, homemade DIY beauty and self care products can be just as harmful to you. On the flip side, DIY green beauty and self care products can be fun to make and fun to use. The safe ones would be great to use on a girls' spa night with a few glasses of wine!
 

Greening Up Self Care and Soap

Hello gentle readers. Today I am writing a slightly different post. For those who know me, one of my other interests is my attempt to be an Eco-holic so that I can try to do my part to become environmentally conscious and responsible. To begin, I would like to introduce you to 2 great environmental web sites and organization that have the planet's and humanity's interests at heart. The first is the David Suzuki Foundation and the second is the EWG. Both of these groups are working to make the world a better place. 

David Suzuki is the co-founder of the David Suzuki foundation, a non-profit foundation which is a group that works with government, businesses and everyday Canadians to conserve our environment and find solutions that will create a sustainable Canada through science-based research, education and policy work. Essentially, the goal is to help us see what we can do to stop destroying our world. He has spent a life time devoted to educating people about the wonderful ways of nature. He has worked tirelessly to raise awareness and provide solutions. 

The EWG is a non-profiit and non-partisan organisation dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. The EWG focusses in 6 general areas: toxics, food, agriculture, children’s health, energy, and water. Both of these groups and those that are committed to working with them are working hard to make our planet cleaner, safer, and sustainable.

If you have been following my blog, you know that I have been working to improve what goes IN my body, both for health, ethical, and environmental reasons. Today, I would like to write about what goes ON my body. Over the past few years, I have been a lot more mindful of the scary things found in our self-care/beauty products. I find it astounding that this industry is not regulated in North America. The institutions that are supposed to protect us from questionable ingredients and products are turning a blind eye and letting the Maybelline's, P&G's and the Johnson and Johnson's of the world sell us products that are harmful to us and the world in which we live. Making money and a handsome profit is paramount regardless of the end results.

It is important that we work diligently to adopt a greener lifestyle. One of the areas to do this would be to green up your beauty and self care products. I try very hard to avoid ingredients found on the "Dirty Dozen" chemical list: ingredients that are strongly suspected of being endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxicants, or causing cancer. Many are harmful to fish and other wildlife. There are chemical fragrances linked to cancer and neurotoxicity, and the list goes on. The side effects of these ingredients don't sounds so great to me, and it's perfectly OK for companies to put these ingredients in your lotions, soaps, and make up. YIKES! I think I will take a pass and look for better, greener and more sustainable choices.

Unlike Europe, the beauty and self care industry is unregulated in North America and the manufactures of these products can put almost anything in them. I wonder why there is such a difference in what is considered safe. Certainly our scientists are just as clever as the ones overseas. Then why are they not standing up to say the chemical additives in our beauty and self care products are bad for us? I don't have the answer, but it certainly is puzzling.

It is also mind boggling to go down the soap and shampoo aisles at the store. I can't get over the sheer volume of products just to clean ourselves, which I daresay are pretty much the same products no matter the brand; just minor differences and packaged in a different plastic bottle. And let's not forget about all that plastic. Why is it that soap has to come in a plastic bottle anyway?  Is it really that difficult to rub a wet bar of soap in your hands to lather up? I guess what I'm trying to say is, an easy way to green up your self care and beauty products is to consider the packaging. Is it plastic? Is it excessive? Are there better alternatives? Green beauty is as much about HOW it is packaged as it is WHAT is packaged.

Unfortunately, many companies hide behind the terms "trade secret" or "proprietary" so that they don't have to share the ingredients with those of us who would really like to know what we are slathering all over ourselves. If you are interested in finding out how safe (or unsafe) your favourite shampoo, lotion or mascara is, I highly recommend the Skin Deep database run by the EWG. It will give you the low down on what is in your products and how safe it is.  By the by, EWG also has a database for your favourite cleaning products too. Sadly, most of these are pretty scary. Myself, I'm a firm believer in white vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap. Please check out Queen of Green on the David Suzuki Foundation site! Anyway... that is another topic. Back to the beauty and self care.

The main purpose of my post today is to ask each of you to invest some time to learn a little more about the dirty secrets of the beauty and self care industry and check out a few of the links I have shared. Weigh the pros and cons of greening up your products and see what you can do to minimize your health risks and make better choices regarding what you put on your bodies. 

Once you have decided to do a little green cleaning, there is good news! There are more and more healthier and safer self care/beauty care products available on the market. Just be mindful of "green washing". Sadly, many of the conventional manufacturers of beauty and self care products will say their product is "natural" or "contains natural ingredients" just to snag business from those wanting safer ingredients. Although there may be natural ingredients, you will still find many scary chemicals in the product as well. As with food, reading the labels will be the key to successfully greening up! Remember to stay away from the Dirty Dozen!

Yes, natural or eco-friendly products have slightly more expensive price tags than the conventional ones, but I am a firm believer that the quality of ingredients is BETTER and SAFER and worth the cost. As with the food industry, food that is ethically and organically raised/grown is generally a little more expensive, but the end result is better food and better for your health, better for the environment and it allows for a kinder world. Safe shampoos, makeup and lotions, at a slightly higher price points equals better health and ultimately, a better planet. A WIN for all! 

I have touched on why I think it is important to consider the benefits of green beauty. Better and safer ingredients means less cancer and illness; less pollution; ethical sourcing and ultimately, a healthier planet. It's only the tip of the iceberg and I welcome you to investigate this topic in more detail for yourself. Please, check out the EWG and the Suzuki Foundation. I also highly recommend the books written by Adria Vasil. Adria also has an excellent web site too. Join me and become and Eco-holic too - even if it's only part-time. A little something is better than nothing. There is so much more to saving our planet than just the blue boxes and the green bins.

Michelle's Go-To Soaps

My first step to green up my beauty and self care products was to fix up my soap. We have always been a ZERO body wash family in my house because I couldn't stand the idea of all that plastic. Over the past several years, I have stocked a variety of  better bar soaps so now the ingredients are better for me and my family as well as the planet.

My absolute favourite brand of natural soap is Ground Soap which is available on line and made in Cornwall, Ontario. I really LOVE these soaps! They are luxurious, gentle on me and eco friendly. They make so many different kinds, you can find one, or two or three that work with your skin type or your specific needs.

Upside: Canadian Made, minimal and re-useable fabric packaging that you can save for crafts or whenever you need a small square of beautiful fabric, natural vegetable ingredients, the products are 95% to 99% certified organic, and natural essential oils are used for scent. There is even a bar that has no added scent at all. These cold pressed soaps are paraben, sulphate free and cruelty free and completely biodegradable. Wow! Ground Soap bars are a generous 6.5 ounce size and last a very long time as long as you don't float your soap or let it sit in water for long periods of time. 

As an aside, cold process is the method of soap making that Ground Soap uses. It allows for all of the moisturizing and healing properties in the ingredients once the the soap is made. A definite plus!

Downside: I really haven't found any, but because these are made with natural ingredients, these soaps "melt" a little faster than conventional soap when they are allowed to stay wet or sit in a pool of water. For this reason, I have a separate soap dish for them that we take in and out of the shower with us.

Aum Bar -  INGREDIENTS: Organic Olea Europaea (olive) oil, Organic Cocos Nucifera (coconut) oil, Water (aqua), Organic Mangifera Indica (mango) seed butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter) fruit, Theobroma Organic Cacao (cocoa) seed butter, Pogostemon Cablin (patchouli) oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (orange) peel oil, Allantoin, Prunus Serotina (wild cherry) bark powder, Pogostemon Cablin (patchouli) leaves, Vanilla Planifolia (vanilla) powder

 

My second go to brand is made by The Soap Works. When I first started looking for a soap alternative, I discovered The Soap Works brand at the Bulk Barn here in Ontario, but I believe they are available in Bulk Barns across Canada. The Soap Works also has places to buy on their site. I initially chose this product because of the lack of extra packaging and price point. Upon further research, I was happy to discover that these soaps were free from a lot of the toxins I had been reading up on, so I have continued to use this soap regularly.

Upside: Canadian Made, minimal packaging and you buy what you need; no phosphates or lauryl sulphates; better ingredients than conventional manufacturers, phosphate free and not tested on animals. Years ago, I emailed them with a list of bad ingredients found on the "Dirty Dozen" chemical list and with 2 exceptions, a clean bill of health. A great starting point to green up if you suffer from sticker shock when looking at the BEST alternatives. These bars cost a little more than the conventional and over-packaged offerings on the market, but much cheaper than the higher quality and organic offerings. An excellent way to test the waters so to speak or for those on super tight budgets who would also like to use safer products.

Downside: The sourcing of ingredients is not as pristine as I would like and many of their products use palm oil, which of course encourages clearcutting and habitat decimation for Orangutans. NOT a good thing! The sourcing of the of the sodium tallowate is ecologically questionable as well. Some, but not all, of the product offerings contain artificial colour and coal tar extract.

Overall, a decent option, not a great option, but certainly better than P&G's Ivory Soap which has been greenwashed to be "natural". This soap, like so many on the market is filled with petrochemicals, hormone-disrupting fragrances and preservatives as well as rainforest-razing palm oil. YUCK.

In our house, we primarily use the Tea Tree Oil and the  Chamomile soaps.

The Tea Tree Oil soap is an excellent bar for every day showers. It is particularly good to clean "stinky guy" after he has toiled outside for the day and "teenager feet" due to the astringent, antiseptic and antifungal cleaning properties of Tea Tree oil.   

Tea Tree Oil Bar - INGREDIENTS: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Palm Kernel Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Melaleuka Alternifolia (Australian Tea Tree Oil) Leaf Oil

The Camomile soap is especially good for oily and acne prone skin, but not overly drying.   

Camomile Bar - INGREDIENTS: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Palm Kernel Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract (Chamomile flower), Beta Carotene Colour, Yellow Iron Oxide, Parfum (Orange*, Clove*, Cedarleaf*, Rosemary*) *essential oils

A great way to store your soap is in beautiful canisters in your bathroom. 

My goal today was to pique your interest and open your mind to the idea that we should all look a little deeper into what companies ("family company" or not) are selling us, especially the companies that are part of unregulated industries like beauty and self care. We need to be knowledgeable and pro-active and deserve to know exactly what we are putting ON or IN our bodies. I truly hope you will give Ground Soap a try. This is an amazing company with wonderful product. If you aren't ready to dive into the world of handmade soaps, the Soap Works brand is well worth your time and may fall into a more comfortable price point. There are many varieties from which to choose. Whichever brand you choose, I think you will agree that this is a good first step to green up your beauty and personal care products!