Archive for Organics
Go Greeeeeen Tea!
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Green tea is not only great for your heart, but for your skin and hair too.
Did the title catch your attention? I hope so…The benefits of drinking green tea are many: weight loss, increased metabolism, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, and improving the immune system to name a few. Green tea contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant which kills cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. If green tea is not part of your daily diet, it should be.
Green tea is so healthy in our diet but what can it do in our beauty products? There are times when your hair needs a break from regular shampoo and needs a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup of styling products. Enter Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo.
It deep cleans and rinses well leaving the hair healthy and manageable. It contains herbal extracts and nutrients which make the hair easy to style and cuts down on dry time (who doesn’t need more time in their beauty routine??) Green tea and nettle extract protect hair and tone the scalp. Aloe replenishes moisture while almond protein strengthens hair fiber, fullness, and manageability. You will be so pleased when you use this shampoo as it contains so sulfates, parabens, or chemicals. It’s also vegan and is not tested on animals. Here are the complete ingredients:
INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Coconut Oil-Corn Oil Soap, Organic Green Tea Extract (Organic Green Tea, Organic Nettle, Natural Grain Alcohol), Organic Aloe Vera, Carrageenan, Organic Lemon Peel Oil, Almond Protein, Organic Blue Camomile Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).
You can explore the entire line of green tea products at Aubrey Organics.
Another company who have tapped into the power of green tea is Burt’s Bees. They make a collection of products utilizing this wonder ingredient. I was able to find a Green Tea set at Marshall’s (I am always looking for deals!) It contained a 12 oz. shampoo, 12 oz. conditioner, 8 oz. hand soap, and a soap bar. Burt’s Bees Color Keeper Shampoo and Conditioner uses green tea and fennel seed to help preserve color. This is a good shampoo, but when compared with Aubrey, I definitely like the results from the Aubrey collection better. My hair seems to stay cleaner longer than when I use the Burt’s Bees. If you decide to try both lines, it is up to you to decide which you like better. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the benefits of green tea or what is has done for you. Please leave me a comment.
Until next time, stay natural… stay beautiful… go green(tea!) -Robin 
Can you afford not to go organic?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I tell people I live an organic lifestyle, I usually get the same response, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” But when you think about the question, “Can you afford to go organic?” it leads you to the question, “Can you afford not to?” Believe me, I feel your pain. I’m a teacher trying to live organically. I had to make a choice and it was made for me when I read Kevin Trudeau’s Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About. This book changed my life. I had already started going organic slowly (that’s the way to go.) But when I read this important book, I went the rest of the way.
Going organic with my diet was a bit easier for me than going organic with my beauty products. I had used some of the products for years, trusted them, and some were pretty affordable too. Now I know why they were so affordable. Companies use the cheapest ingredients they can find to maximize profit, not caring about the toxins and poisons we ingest into our bloodstream, causing disease. That is why you can find a way now to pay a little more for organics. Why pay even more later in doctor’s bills and health problems?
There have been many studies done over the years testing the long term use of commercial beauty products. Artificial ingredients like parabens, lead, talc, and aluminum are being found in diseased organs and tissue. How scary is this? So….pay now….or pay later? Of course, the choice is yours. But how do you decide what to do first on your sojourn into the organic living? I am here to help because I have been through it too. Stay tuned for my next post where I will delve more deeply into going organic and the steps you can take to make it gradual (and not bank-breaking.) Until then, stay natural, stay beautiful…Robin.
The gradual path to organic living
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The organic path does not have to be rushed. A lot of people become overwhelmed with everything they have to buy to start going organic. Like I have said before, it’s a process. You have to take it step by step. Prioritize what is most important to you and start there first. This goes for me too. Up until recently, I was still using eye shadow I bought at the discount store. For the most part, you can either use up or throw out what you currently use. In this case, I loved this color so much, I didn’t want to throw it out. Well I ran out, went back to the store and was able to see the ingredients on the package. I was horrified. One of the top ingredients was talc, a substance I stay far away from. Talc has been shown to cause cancer, especially in women as women use make-up and products containing talc more often.
So instead of walking away empty-handed, this discount store provided me with another option. Some mainstream makeup brands are starting to see the light and come out with all natural versions. I was able to purchase Almay pure blends, a new line which is hypoallergenic and 98.2% natural. It contains fruit and flower extracts and no parabens (which mimic hormones in the body) or talc! They make eye shadows, blush, lipgloss, powder, and foundation. If you can’t find the time to get to the natural grocery to buy your cosmetics or wait for it to come in the mail, this is a great way to get what you need in a safe, eco-friendly product. By the way, I purchased the eyeshadow in ivory, a great every day color for $6.44!
An organic beauty shopping spree!
Posted by: | CommentsToday is my birthday and the thought came to mind that if I could give myself a gift of $200 to spend on any beauty product I wanted, what would it be? It didn’t take me long to figure this one out. I would give myself the gift of organic beauty and health (they do go hand in hand.)
My absolute favorite products contain natural, pronouncable ingredients that I can identify. They contain no sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, methlyparaben, benzophenone-4 or artificial fragrance. They are preserved with only natural substances like citrus seed extract and vitamins A,C, and E. O.K., by now you probably skipped down to the part where I say which company I am talking about! It’s Aubrey Organics, a company that started in Tampa, Florida and now is carried online and in natural health stores everywhere. Besides being so natural and safe, the other thing I love about this company is that the products are grouped according to skin type and you can use the whole set of products. They make fragrances, make-up and many more personal care products too!
My favorite product I am using right now is Rosa Mosqueta Moisturizing Cream. It smells great, fresh and clean and moisturizes dry/combination skin very well. While in the shower, I wash my face with the Rosa Mosqueta bar soap. My other faves include the Natural Misset, which is an herbal hairspray that gives you light hold (no helmet hair here!) I cannot go without my Green Tea clarifying shampoo either. I try to use this at least twice a week. It really does remove buildup from other shampoos and styling products! On other days, I use the Blue Chamomile Hydrating Shampoo. It leaves your hair so soft (with a very pretty, natural fragrance too.) To finish up, I use GPB Protein conditioner ( I tend to have knotty hair so I comb it through while still in the shower.)
Throughout my organic journey, I intend to try ALL the Aubrey products and I will not hesitate to share what I find with you. In the meantime, if you use Aubrey products, I would love to know what you think!
Organic living is growing!
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Over two years ago after reading a very important book, I decided to take the plunge and “go green.” After learning about all the risks to non-organic living, I changed everything about the way I live. I started eating organic food and stopped using commercial beauty and personal care products. Even though I wanted to throw everything unnatural away immediately, this change did not happen overnight. Little by little I transformed the way I eat and live. For some, the idea of going organic can seem daunting. But you can transition exactly the way I did, one step at a time. You will be amazed at how much better you will look and feel, once you reduce the toxins you’re taking in.
More and more people are going organic everyday. Despite recent economic struggles, sales of organic foods and products have increased 17 % over the last year (I think my spending alone is a huge part of this!) In response to the growing interest in organics, an “All Things Organic” expo will take place from June 14-16 in Chicago, Illinois. This trade show will showcase the best in organic foods, cleaning, and personal care products. In today’s world more people are concerned with staying healthy and preventing disease before it can occur. Going green is a good start.
