Review summary:

A sweet USDA Certified Organic lotion stick and lip balm that both kids and parents will like.

Product

USDA Certified Organic Coconut & Lime Lotion Stick and Coconut & Lime Lip Balm both from Bubble & Bee. These products also come in many other yummy flavors, such as raspberry, peppermint cocoa, apple, orange, root beer, pomegranate, lavender, unscented and more.

Use

Use the lotion stick to heal and moisturize dry, chapped skin plus make your skin feel velvety-smooth. The USDA-certified organic, lip balm goes on smooth and cocoa butter, sunflower oil and beeswax heal and moisturize chapped lips year-round.

Cost

An affordable $2.99 for the lip balm and $7.95 for the lotion stick. There’s also a great deal on a Mini Gift Set, where you can get both a lotion stick and lip balm for $9.99.

Ingredients

Lotion stick: Organic beeswax, organic cocoa butter, organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic sweet almond oil, organic lime essential oil, certified organic coconut extract.

Lip balm: Organic sunflower oil, organic cocoa butter, organic beeswax, organic coconut flavor, organic lime flavor, organic lime essential oil, stevia.

Eco-perks

For more information on the eco-perks of Bubble & Bee Organic, please read my Bubble & Bee Organic company review, which discusses ingredients used, green policies, eco-benefits and other information about the company. Other than a non-updated blog, this company had seemingly zero cons and I gave them 5 out of 5 trees, a perfect score.

My reviewers:

Cedar (age 10) and myself.

What we thought of these products

Honestly, I’ve been meaning to review these products forever, but my ten-year-old son Cedar kept stealing these products from under my nose and taking them to school. Meaning the products haven’t been with me, but my son, who oddly doesn’t want to write my blog posts for me.

The fact that Cedar is a fan is a big deal. Cedar has sensitive skin and eczema. If he doesn’t use lotion and lip balm he’ll get dry patches and break out, especially during the winter. The problem here is that he’s a ten-year-old boy. He’s VERY anti lotion and lip balm, because he thinks most are too girly. For example, he won’t use this pomegranate lip balm I have because it’s red – it doesn’t make your lips red, it’s just colored with fruit, thus red, but he refuses to use it. He also hates “weird” smelling lotion and anything with overly cute packaging.

However, he LOVES the Bubble & Bee coconut & lime collection. One, the products themselves are a non-girly light green color and the scent is tropical and very lime-based. He’ll eat whole limes if you let him, so he’s really into this stuff. The packaging, while attractive and cute in my opinion, is not, apparently, too cute for a ten-year-old boy. He’s just fine taking these and using these at school in front of all his guy pals.

Here are some of the benefits we’ve seen:

• The lotion goes on smooth and the lip balm goes on amazingly smooth with NO waxy feeling whatsoever.

• The carry along solid lotion stick is packed with product, (no water added) and yet fits in a tiny tube that you can carry in your pocket or purse. It’s very travel-friendly.

• The scent is awesome. I’m not a huge coconut fan, but this scent is more lime and we both agree it smells great. It’s a perfect scent for boys or girls. I took the lotion stick to a family dinner, passed it around, and everyone said it smelled great.

• The lip balm is sooooo smooth. I love that it’s so concentrated and it really lasts on your lips for a while, as compared to other other, less long-lasting lip balms we’ve tried.

• My son hates getting his hands messy with lotion, and thus, these lotion sticks are the perfect solution. You never have to dip in or touch the actual lotion, just hold the container and rub it on.

• Both products are VERY long lasting, I’m guessing, because they’re so concentrated. We’ve had these forever and they still have product in them.

Any cons?

Bubble & Bee is an excellent green company with affordable organic products that everyone in your family will love.

BASICS:

Bubble & Bee Organic was founded by Stephanie Greenwood, who started investigating chemicals in her personal care products, such as parabens, phthalates, and artificial fragrance at the age of 26. After learning that  many (most) body care products contain hidden icky ingredients, she decided to make her own products using healthier, organic ingredients.

After some experimentation, Greenwood enlisted the help of a chemist friend to help her refine her formulas, and soon she had a vast repertoire of her own products including soaps, shampoos, lip balms and deodorants for her family. Thinking people other than her family might enjoy the products, she partnered up with a business partner and Bubble & Bee Organic was officially born.

The current mission of B&B Organic is to sell quality organic and safe products and also to inform others about the importance of staying away from the dangerous chemicals in conventional products.

PRODUCTS:

Bubble & Bee Organic offers an enormous range of body care products. In fact, maybe all the products you’ll ever need to stay clean and smooth. Check out their amazing range in the slideshow below…

• Organic Bath Salt Cube

   

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• Raspberry & Vanilla Organic Body Butter

   

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• Squeezed Lime Organic Shower Gel

   

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• Karma Apple Lip Balm

   

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• Coffee Vanilla Soap

   

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• Certified Organic Face Cream (For Men)

   

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• Pampering Hands Gift Set

   

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• Organic Belly Balm

   

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• Spearmint & Tea Tree 'Pit Putty with Baking Soda

   

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• Organic bath salt cubes - adorable!
• Organic lotions
• Organic shower gel
• Organic lip balms
• Organic soaps
• Organic facial care
• A wide range of gift baskets
• Organic baby and maternity care products
• Organic deodorants

Not shown in the slideshow – they also carry organic hair care, organic insect repellent, salt scrubs and more.

COMPANY SUSTAINABILITY PERKS:

Peppermint Vanilla Salt Scrub

• Bubble & Bee Organic is a certified organic processing facility, certified by the Utah State Department of Agriculture and Food.

• Produces most of their products organically, and the ones they don’t are clarified in great detail on their website.

• Recycled all excess packaging that comes to them as much as possible.

• Uses only recyclable or reuseable materials for all product containers and packaging, such as post-consumer recycled PET plastic.

• Currently exploring the option of solar or wind power for their facility.

• When the company runs out of reusable packaging materials, they buy recycled newsprint roll ends from their local newspaper press.

• The company is cruelty-free - meaning, zero animal testing.

• Part of the Coming Clean Campaign – something I really like to see body care companies on board with.

• Most of their products are free from parabens, propylene glycol, ethoxylated compounds, aluminum, SLS, “fragrance,” artificial colors, micas, oxides, DEA, TEA, Urea and other harmful substances.

• They offer a helpful archive of articles about harmful chemicals in body care products – thus educating customers.

• Every single product on their site is clearly marked “organic” or not, and offers full usage and ingredients info, so you won’t be tricked or buy something you don’t want.

OTHER COMPANY PERKS:

• Unopened package return policy.

• Online shop - no searching all over for their products!

• B&B Organic deodorants comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

• The fact that they’re trying to combat the whole toxic deodorant issue is HUGE. Conventional deodorant is a big bad when it comes to toxins, and yet, of all the “natural” and organic deodorants I’ve tried NONE have worked very well. Now, I haven’t tried their deodorants, but, the mere fact that they offer a gigantic range means you’re more likely to find a non-toxic deodorant to suit you.

• Many products come in tiny sizes that easily slip into a purse or bag or even a pocket. For example their nice lotion sticks allow for organic-on-the-go ease!

• Adorable packaging, but not so sticky sweet that you couldn’t give these products to a “manly man”. Plus, all ingredients and labels are clearly laid out on their packaging, even on their smallest products.

• Their product range is appealing to women, men and kids (as you’ll see in my soon to come organic lotion stick and lip balm review). Many organic companies only make products for one type of consumer, but not B&B.

• Large range of product scents – a perk because it’s hard to find a favorite. For scent-sensitive individuals, there are fragrance-free options as well.

• A great discussion about lye in soap is available at their website. This is excellent, because I’ve been asked about this often (you can’t make soap without it, but people worry).

• Clearly laid out website that’s easy as pie to navigate.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY PRICES:

I think this company’s prices are excellent. Nothing is overly expensive for the average family in my opinion and because many of their products are concentrated, you’re getting a killer deal. Plus the company offers trial sizes of many products, allowing you to spend less to find your favorites. Their higher priced products are comparable to other organic companies, except keep in mind that many so called organic companies up their prices on “natural” not organic products. I’ve highlighted three awesome deal examples below:

Mini Gift Kit

• The Mini Gift Kit – your choice of an organic lotion stick and organic lip balm for just $10! A terrific small gift or stocking stuffer idea.
• Baked Apple Salt Scrub for just $10 – a great deal, one of the best I’ve seen beyond homemade scrubs.
• Chai Guy 100% Organic Lotion Stick – this, and other organic lotion sticks are just $8 each, but pack a lot of awesome product into a small tube.

Regular shipping is never more than $6.00 and they have special shipping offers too, such as FREE shipping for sales over $99.00.

COMPANY CONS:

Honestly, I looked and looked and found no cons (unless you consider a non-updated blog a con). This is an excellent company that’s 100%  forthcoming and as healthy as possible.

OVERALL SCORE:

5 out of 5 little trees. This is not a 100% organic company, but they pass my organic fakers test – meaning they don’t say, “Hey this is organic” when a product is clearly not. VERY few companies are selling honest organics, so this is a huge perk.

Organic integrity, partnered with affordable prices, a wide range of products and clear green practices make this a wonderful eco-company to spend your dollars with. No tricks; just lots of awesome body care treats.

LEARN MORE:

• Bubble & Bee Organic Company Website
• Join Bubble & Bee Organic on Facebook
• Friend B&B on Twitter

See my green product rating system and green product rating criteria or read more green product reviews.

Everyone I know loves sugar scrubs. Sugar scrubs make for super smooth and deliciously scented skin, but don’t have quite the bite of salt scrubs. Bulk sugar scrub batches are great for holiday gifts.

SAFETY ALERT! Before you make homemade body care products, be sure to read Homemade Organic Body Care: Safety Basics.

The best part about homemade sugar scrubs is that you control what goes into them (no icky chemicals, preservatives, or colors). You control the packaging (less waste) and they’re very inexpensive to make. If you don’t already have essential oils on hand your start up costs will be more, but not more than it would cost you to purchase a ready-made boutique quality organic scrub.

I have tons of sugar scrub recipes, but the scrub that always seems the most popular with everyone is the organic lavender vanilla sugar scrub.

SUGAR SCRUB INGREDIENTS:

1. Natural or organic body oil (basic carrier oil): My favorite carrier is organic apricot kernel, but I also like organic sweet almond oil. Sometimes I will use Organic extra virgin olive oil, especially if I’m low on cash, because non-olive carrier oil is usually more expensive. NEVER use cooking oil – you’re not a piece of fried chicken! Using vegetable oil will make your scrub smell funky and it will get rancid faster.

2. Sugar: You can use Fair Trade Organic Sugar or Organic Turbinado Raw Cane Sugar. White sugar makes the lightest scrub, and is good for sensitive skin, while raw brown sugar makes a more intense scrub. You can also experiment with a mix of both. Never use soft brown baking sugar or powdered sugar – you’ll only get clumps and zero scrub appeal.

3. Organic lavender essential oil: If you’re new to essential oils, read the Essential Oil Buying & Safety Guide before you get started.

4. Vanilla choices: You have some different choices when it comes to vanilla…

• Whole organic vanilla beans.
• Organic Vanilla Extract (Fair Trade Certified) may darken your scrub, but I’ve used it in a pinch.
• Vanilla Sugar. Depending on the kind you use, you’ll need to experiment with amounts.
• Organic vanilla essential oil is not too common, but does exist. Mountain Rose Herbs sells some.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SUGAR SCRUB WITH WHOLE VANILLA BEANS:

1. Place 1 to 2 whole vanilla beans in 1 cup dry organic white or brown sugar.

2. Cover and let sit for a week or two – the longer it sits the better the smell. You can experiment with vanilla bean intensity. I like strongly scented scrubs, so I err on the side of more is better, however, use less for a lighter scent.

3. Remove your beans.

4. Saturate (but don’t over-saturate) your sugar with carrier oil. It should be totally moist, but there shouldn’t be a huge layer of liquid on top of the sugar.

5. Add two-four drops of lavender essential oil. Smell your mix, and add more lavender if you want a stronger scent.

6. Place in a reusable container with a lid. TIP: If you use a glass container, it won’t end up smelling like lavender forever, like a reusable plastic container will.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SUGAR SCRUB WITHOUT WHOLE VANILLA BEANS:

• If you’re using vanilla extract or essential oil, skip straight to step 4 above. After mixing in your carrier oil, add a few drops (give or take) of vanilla extract or oil. Then continue with step 5.

• If you’re using vanilla sugar, I’d start with a half and half mix – 1/2 cup vanilla sugar, 1/2 cup other sugar. I haven’t used vanilla sugar much, and the time I did it was not too strongly scented, so you’ll need to experiment. After you have the sugar scent you want go to step 4 and continue from there.

HOW TO USE YOUR SUGAR SCRUB:

• For the BEST scrubbing action, stand in your shower with the water off. Scrub your dry skin down with your scrub, then rinse off in the shower.
• For basic scrubby action, use your scrub in your already running shower, after your skin is wet.
• Do not ever use this scrub on your face.

Although it seems odd, you won’t be sticky after using this sugar scrub. All you need to do is rinse with warm water. No soap is necessary. This scrub will not dry your skin out and is perfect for troublesome dry areas.

SUGAR SCRUB SHELF LIFE & STORAGE:

• You can keep this in your bathroom. You don’t need to refrigerate it. It won’t mold.
• Make sure you keep it covered.
• I’d guess that this scrub keeps for 3-6 months well. I’m not totally sure because it never lasts that long. It’s so great, you’ll use it up before it goes bad.
• Oil does get rancid. It won’t kill you or anything once the scrub gets old, but it will start to smell funky. I once made this orange scrub, didn’t love it, threw it under the pantry, and forgot about it. I found it eight months later and you could tell that the oil had gone a little bad, so I tossed it. Since it’s non-toxic, you can throw old scrubs down your sink drain.

SUGAR SCRUB SAFETY:

• If you give a sugar scrub as a gift be sure to make a cute little label (like the one above) that lists all the ingredients on it. You can’t know if a friend is allergic to a specific essential oil or if she’s allergic to nuts (if you used a nut based carrier oil).
• Be careful in the shower because oil based sugar scrubs can make life a little slick. No big worry, just be careful.

GET CREATIVE:

I’ve made tangerine, lemon and mint sugar scrubs too, plus an ill fated coffee chocolate scrub (it sounded good). You can experiment with all sorts of scents, just be sure to use real pure essential oils, not fragrances.

Let me know if you make this scrub and what you think…

If you like this homemade body care product, you may also like:

• Homemade Organic Spice and Herb Face Toner
• Easy Homemade Organic Liquid Hand Soap

When I was 13 or so I read a book about women’s rights. In said book there was an order form for some awesome, “This offends women” stickers. You could use these stickers in stores, on products, a person – to label lame anti-female stuff. I loved my stickers. I know, I got started young ranting about rights and social issues. Now, I’m less rantish about women’s issues, but I am, as you might guess, super serious about eco-issues. Luckily for me (and you) there’s a cool new breed of stickers available to help us rant more effectively…

Nice! This new sticker is available from the Organic Consumer Association and you can use these stickers to have all sorts of fun labeling fake organics at stores.

Um, isn’t it lame to deface property that doesn’t belong to us?

I don’t know. Here’s what I think is WAY lamer…

• When companies mislead consumers by claiming to sell organic products.
• When companies label stuff as “organic“ when really the product is anything but organic.
• When products called organic actually contain toxins, pesticides, petroleum and other icky junk that can harm the planet AND speed up puberty, increase infertility, cause birth defects, cause cancer and a host of other health problems.
• That beauty care and personal care products aren’t regulated by anyone. AND that this ruins the integrity of the USDA National Organic Program as a whole; not to mention the term organic.
• When real organic companies get shafted because consumers buy toxic fake organics instead of real organics.

That’s lame.

If no one in the government gives a hoot about our health or the health of the planet. If no one sees fit to regulate body care. If kids are going to be exposed to harmful chemicals. Then no, I don’t think it’s lame to deface property. Why not inform someone that fake organics suck?

I mean, really – if you have a good reason why we should not inform consumers about fake organics, by all means, say so in the comments. But, just so you know, I love these stickers.

Get your own free download of this sticker sheet (pdf), then stick it to some fake organics.

PS – Don’t stick it to the following organic supporters…

• Whole Foods
• Real organic products
• A whole bunch of stores who have signed on to banish fake organics.

I know everyone is annoyed that Whole Foods Market seems so expensive, but there will be one very good reason to shop there come June 2011.

As you know, most ‘organic’ body care is anything but organic. Plus very few organic body care products are certified. However, Whole Foods has taken a huge step to combat the issue. In late June the popular chain announced that come June 1, 2011, all organic personal care products sold in U.S. based Whole Foods stores will have to be certified organic if they want to remain on the shelves.

This is excellent news for consumers. According to Whole Foods:

“These guidelines will require quite a few of our suppliers to become certified, change their labels, reformulate their products and take other measures to comply with our guidelines. We’re taking this huge step, and asking our suppliers to make these changes, because we believe very strongly that the meaning of the word “organic” shouldn’t change as you walk around the store. In the grocery aisles, an “organic” product is made of at least 95% organic agricultural materials grown using earth-friendly practices without toxic or persistent pesticides (and the remaining 5% can only contain carefully vetted substances from a short list of approved additives). Now, the word “organic” in our body care departments will signify that same set of ideals.“

Read the new Whole Foods Market’s policy on the use of the word “organic” on personal care products.

Hopefully this step will encourage other retailers to get on board and support real organic body care products as well.

Currently we’re looking at how to keep toxic body care products and cosmetics out of your home. Choosing real organic products is one way to accomplish this. In truth, USDA Organic body care products and cosmetics have some flaws, but first we’ll look at the issue behind certified organic products and the pros of said products.

*NOTE: When I talk about body care and cosmetics I mean the following types of products – toothpaste, soaps, body washes, lip gloss, lotions, shampoo, hair coloring, nail polish, essential oils and all related products. Body care products, to me, means products you use on or in your body (such as conditioner or mouthwash).

What are USDA Organic certified body care products?

Right now anyone and any company can claim that their body care product is organic. The product doesn’t need to be certified by anyone and companies don’t have to prove to consumers, or anyone else that their product is actually organic.

The one legal option we currently have as consumers that allows us to tell organic fakers from the real deal is the USDA Organic Seal. The FDA and the USDA do not regulate the term organic as it applies to cosmetics, body care products or personal care products as they do other agriculture items. If a body care product carries the actual USDA Organic Seal it’s better regulated but if there’s no USDA seal, then you can’t be sure the product is organic without some investigating.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has been working to clean up the natural and organic personal care industry via their Coming Clean Campaign for a long while now, although there’s resistance from major organizations. The OCA points out…

“The word “organic” is not properly regulated on personal care products (examples: soap and bodywash, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, etc.) as it is on food products, unless the product is certified by the USDA National Organic Program. Due to this lax regulation, many personal care products have the word “organic” in their brand name or otherwise on their product label, but unless they are USDA certified, the main cleansing ingredients and preservatives are usually made with synthetic and petrochemical compounds.”

On November 5, 2009, the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) passed a recommendation for “Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products” (pdf).  The recommendation urges the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to make sure that any use of the word “organic” on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic standards.

The OCA wants to get rid of all fraudulent labeling that is misleading consumers. The OCA believes that organic bodycare standards should mirror organic food standard meaning: Certified organic agricultural feedstocks are utilized in the manufacture of the key basic cleansing and conditioning ingredients, versus petroleum or conventional feedstocks; manufacture of such ingredients is ecological; the toxicity of each ingredient is minimal; non-agricultural water is not counted in any shape or form as contributing to organic content.

Why choose USDA Organic certified body care products?

The USDA Organic labeling process is far from perfect however, right now it’s the best we’ve got and beyond that there are still reasons to choose USDA Certified Organic products over non-certified products, such as…

• You’re speaking with your purchases. By choosing certified organic over non-certified organic you’re telling organizations and companies that certification of organic products is important to you.
• You want safer products for your family. If a body care product is certified USDA Organic it’s free from ingredients grown with conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Because of totally lax labeling issues, if you don’t see the USDA Organic seal your shampoo, soap and so on may contain synthetic and petrochemical compounds or other baddies.
• You’re sticking it to greenwashing companies. When a company flaunts a green or organic label and yet is not truly sustainable or organic that’s greenwashing and if you buy their products all you’re doing is supporting said company in lame greenwashing activities. To me this is the best reason to buy USDA Organic body care products. I HATE greenwashing companies and we’re making it easy for them by not reading labels and buying something just because it says, “organic.” Following is an example of one greenwashing product:

Freeman Good Stuff Organics Smoothing Facial Scrub – now this stuff looks super organic; they even plaster the word “Organics” across the top of the scrub. However, if you read the label you won’t see any of the ingredients labeled organic and some are unhealthy, even toxic when compared to other, better ingredients found in real organic products. If unhealthy I’ve linked the ingredient to an explanation.

Ingredients in Freeman Good Stuff Organics Smoothing Facial Scrub: Water, Polyethylene, Papain, Bilberry Extract, Sugar Cane Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonium (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Acai Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Carbomer, PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

The packaging also notes, “Formulated with organic Fair Trade Cocoa Butter to support farmers in developing countries.” However this product is not certified by TransFair USA and it’s important to note that a company is allowed to carry the Fair Trade label even if it’s a composite product so long as the product actually adheres to Fair Trade standards. If you browse the Freeman website you won’t find ANY information on organic certification or Fair Trade certification at all.

End result - This product is not truly supporting Fair Trade or organic standards. It’s a fake organic product and not very healthy for your skin to boot. This product contains many synthetic ingredients and scores a 5 at Skin Deep, meaning that 66% of scrubs listed at Skin Deep are healthier for your skin than this one.

Not to pick on Freeman… I don’t utterly hate Freeman. To be fair, Freeman has some major benefits as a company, such as only a moderate risk score at Skin Deep vs. a high risk score plus they don’t test on animals (they’re Leaping Bunny certified) and they offer somewhat recyclable packaging. With some tweaking, Freeman could be an excellent green company. However currently they are using the term “Organic” falsely to gain consumer trust.

Freeman is hardly alone though. I randomly picked this product because I see it everywhere, but many, many products are currently claiming to be organic without any certification to back them up. See which fake “organic” brands the OCA recommends boycotting. You can also see a listing of real USDA Organic companies at OCA.

Additionally some companies choose to certify some products, rather than a majority of products with the USDA, such as Eminence Organics and Juice Beauty. You need to be careful; a few USDA Organic products doesn’t mean all USDA Organic – look for the seal on actual products not simply at the company website.

Is USDA Organic perfect?

Not really. Just because a company carries the seal doesn’t mean they also use other sustainable company methods such as greener packaging or wind power. It simply means that they carry true organic products. The organic seal does not mean a product is 100% safe for all people. This seal also doesn’t cover companies who are using real organics but just aren’t yet certified. Lastly, many USDA Certified products use plant based ingredients or essential oils both of which can be unsafe for some people. Beyond looking for the seal, read your labels and read the following guides…

• Essential Oil Safety Guide
• Flowers & Herbs Safety Guide

All that said, if you’re looking for real honest to goodness organic body care items make sure you look for the USDA Organic Seal. Learn more at the Coming Clean Campaign and tell the USDA that you want better organic standards in place for body care and cosmetics.

Greener body care products and cosmetics is such a huge issue that I’m going to have to break it down into a little series here at Growing A Green Family.

Buying safe non-toxic and earth-friendly body care and cosmetics is not easy for families. The market isn’t making it simple and that’s hyper frustrating. Some major problems right now include…

• There are very few real regulations surrounding body care products and cosmetics.
• The FDA and the USDA do not regulate the term organic as it applies to cosmetics, body care products or personal care products as they do food items. For example food items can only claim to be “Organic” if the item is 95 to 100% organic. A food item claiming, “Made with organic ingredients” means that the food product must contain 70% or more ingredients that are organic. However, if you see a shampoo that says “Organic” it could mean anything. There’s no regulation unless the body care product carries the actual USDA Organic Seal. This is very confusing to consumers and allows body care companies to get away with greenwashing galore.
• Greenwashing is very rampant. Hundreds of not so eco-friendly or safe companies are tricking consumers by using bunk words like “organic, natural, eco” and more on their products when in reality, these words, when used in association with body care and cosmetic products mean very little.
• When it comes to choosing eco-friendly and safe body care products there’s a lot to consider. For example does organic mean eco-friendly, or can you really have an eco-friendly soap that’s not organic? How do you read body care labels and what do all those words mean? What is sustainable body care? What ingredients should you be scared of? Does natural mean safe and non-toxic? Companies aren’t coming out and explaining these questions in a way that consumers can easily understand so it’s very hard to make smart choices.

This is a big deal. You and your family use body care products daily I’m guessing. You put shampoos, soaps, lotions and more on your child’s skin every single day and many of these products on the market aren’t safe – even the ones labeled “Organic.” Cosmetics that mamas and teens use are just as sketchy.

With this in mind I’ll be looking at some of these issues over the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping to cover the following topics…

• Why you should choose USDA Organic certified body care products.
• How to read body care product labels and key red flag ingredients to be leery of.
• Why organic isn’t everything – sustainable body care is much more than an organic label.
• Why natural may not mean better in terms of safety.
• How to make your own sustainable, non-toxic body care products.

Stay tuned for posts on the topics above.

In My plan to cut out excess packaging, I discussed my plans for cutting out excess packaging this year. However, first I need to know which packaging I have that’s excessive and can be cut, so a small green home audit about said packaging is in order.

I went through my bathroom and found the following packaging – along side each I’ve made notes about which I can cut and which I’m not so sure about.

Packaging in my bathroom:

• Organic Body wash – this was an unnecessary impulse buy and one I don’t need it and two I can cut it by using unwrapped bar soap, homemade body wash, or fill a reusable container with body wash at the natural food store.
• Organic Shampoo – I rarely use shampoo and don’t need a special kind so I can get a refillable bottle instead.
• Conditioner – I have naturally curly hair (blah) and use a super charged, really good organic conditioner. Since I can’t find a decent conditioner in bulk, I don’t know if I can cut this. One option is to make my own conditioner. I make hair masques, but I’ll have to look into conditioner.
• Organic face wash – I should make my own like I used to, but not sure if I want to. I like my current face wash.
• All natural facial grains – I LOVE these facial grains, but I can make my own in a reusable container, they’re not as good IMO, but close.
• Organic shaving cream – well, I could quit shaving, or figure out how to make my own. This is a bath product I haven’t ever tried to make though, so I’m not sure. We’ll call this a maybe.
• Razors – I use recycled razors from Preserve. Right now I like shaving, so I suppose I’ll keep them, but I don’t love how the Preserve razors work. My goal is to find an eco-razor I like better.
• Bath scrubby – I usually have a washable bath scrubby in the tub, most of the time made of natural hemp – right now though for the last year I’ve been using one made with organic cotton fibers. Since I use them to death and rewash, I’m not concerned.
• Lip gloss – OMG I have so much lip gloss that it’s embarrassing. I LOVE lip gloss, especially my Tarte lip gloss. I think though what I’ll do is just commit to buying new Tarte and one take along organic lip gloss when I run out, then recycle the packaging. Another option is to make my own lip gloss more often.
• Deodorant – This is one of the biggest baddies in my bathroom. I don’t buy organic or natural because I’ve never found one I like that works. Trust me, I’ve tried a ton too.  The perfect goal would be to find a healthier one that works in less packaging, but I’m not holding my breath.
• Cosmetics – I actually own very few cosmetics. I don’t really wear make-up much due to the excess packaging and time involved. I have maybe 4-5 organic products, but they were all sent to me by companies for reviews and all have recyclable packaging. However, it’s not like I’m out there buying cosmetics.
• Body lotions – I actually have two bottles of lotion right now, (impulse buys) which is not cool. I used to buy only bulk lotion. However, I think what I’ll do here is switch over to just using my organic soy lotion bars. I LOVE these bars and the packaging is not only reusable but recyclable.
• Face lotion – I hate my current face lotion, and frankly don’t use it much. It’s an organic brand that turned out to be lame. I would like a good face lotion, but I think I’ll stick with making my own unless I can find a brand I actually like that comes in recyclable packaging.
• Q-tips – not organic, and come in lame packaging. I’ve never seen them in bulk though, but I bet could find them in organic cotton. They’d still have the packaging though, but I use them for various things, so I’m not sure I’d give them up.
• Nail polish remover and nail polish – this along with the deodorant above is a big bad, but I like cute nail colors. Darn it. I need to switch over to just using more natural brands of both. Goal – better brands and just a couple of colors.
• Female products – I actually have various sorts; reusable pads, organic tampons, and organic pads. I should cut out all non-reusable pads, which I never used to use ever (not sure why I half switched? Lazy maybe). There are lots of options that are not disposable, so being lazy is a bad excuse.
• Hand soap – I always buy bulk soap and refill my refillable container, so I’m doing good here.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste – I only buy recycled toothbrushes from Preserve and I recycle them when I’m done. I’m not sure what to do about the toothpaste situation. I currently use Tom’s of Maine cinnamon clove paste with fluoride. I know the debates about fluoride, but I’m on the side of it’s better. I’m not sure if I could make my own. I’ll look into it, because it would cut out the packaging. However, one good thing is that the tubes are recyclable so maybe this is some packaging I could keep.
• Floss – my dental floss comes in plastic packaging and while I do toss it in the recycling bin, I’m not 100% sure it’s recyclable. I need to cute out floss packaging, but since I don’t know anything about it, I’ll need to look into it.
• Oils – I don’t use perfume, but I do use essential oils. The packaging is recyclable though, and I use them to make homemade beauty products, so I won’t be cutting them. Note, I rarely buy them.
• Hair ties and clips – I use little plastic bands and plastic hair clips right now if I want to wear my hair pulled back. I could quit that and just use a piece of cut hemp like I used to.
• Comb – I have a plastic comb, which will probably last many more years. I should buy a more sustainable, non-plastic version the next time I need one though.

Whew. That’s a lot of bathroom stuff, and I’ve got a lot less than most people I know, which is scary. All in all my audit revealed the following…

• There’s some non-reusable packages I can cut. Shampoo, lip gloss, body wash, and facial grains. I’ll need to get some refillable containers that are non-toxic for these products or buy less (like with the lip gloss).
• I need to research floss and see what’s out there that’s eco-friendly.
• My bathroom is pretty non-toxic overall. I use mostly organic products, but I could find a better, more eco-friendly versions of deodorant, cotton swabs, and nail care products.
• I need to do away with non-reusable female care products and plastic hair clips and bands.
• I need to find out if it’s possible to make homemade organic shaving cream.

If I do all this, it’ll save on lots of packaging and result in a healthier bathroom overall. Coming up soon, I’ll run green home audits for packaging in the kid’s bathroom, kitchen, and pantry too.

Now, is there any excess packaging in your bathroom that you could cut?