A while ago, I browsed through a book called Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano (a book I do not recommend because of it's girly, edgy, new-agedness). I also flipped through a book called Easy Green Living by Renee Loux (a book that I do recommend for it's thoroughness). These ladies went on and on about the presence of nasty ingredients in bodycare products. Things like parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryle sulfate, and propylene glycol were residing in the products that I used every day: shampoo, soap, toothpaste, lotion. Our family had already made huge changes in our house-cleaning supplies because of offending industrial chemicals. It was time to change our bodycare lineup as well.
To pass the time during one of our last extended stays at the hospital with Graeme, I picked up a book from the gift shop called Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephane Tourles. It combines two things that I love: natural and organic ingredients and hand-made concoctions. Not being a beauty queen, I had never really taken the time to reasearch how to consistently care for my skin. Honestly, I still don't know much, but Tourles's book gave me some information and recipes that I have found to be very useful.
Being a fairly low-maintenance girl, I use just a handful of products each day, some of which I make by hand. Using Tourles's book, I have come up with a recipe for facial cleanser that I really like. It contains powdered lavender buds, bentonite clay, oat flour, and lavender essential oil--ingredients that I can buy within a few blocks of home.
I also make my own facial astringent and moisturizer, which I use every day. These are made with very basic ingredients, most of which are edible. In the past I have made lip balm (which tasted really yummy) and lotion (though now I just use unrefined coconut oil). I was surprised to learn how simple these products are to make in the kitchen and how easy it has been to assume more control over the dangerous substances that I am exposed to. Little by little, I'm moving toward my goal of a more healthy, sustainable life.
You are amazing, Kylee!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely new blog header! Did you create that graphic?
And, is there a specific type or brand of unrefined coconut oil I should look for?
One other thing...
ReplyDeletebirds on the brain lately?
Heather- thanks for noticing the header. I accomplished that project with the help of a friend who knows a great deal more than I about how all this stuff works (thanks Tonya!).
ReplyDeleteI got the coconut oil idea from a good friend (thanks Jen!). The only place that I have found unrefined coconut oil in town is GreenTree. I purchased Barlean's virgin coconut oil there while it was on sale. It smells yummy.