#28 My research on CHEMICAL/TOXIN-FREE make-up, nail care & HAIR COLOR!!!

Here's the latest nitty gritty on my research re detoxifying our lives.  In particular, I have given info. on the products I have tried so far for make-up, make-up removal, nail polish, nail polish remover, sunscreen, after sun balm and shampoos/conditioners (I also have a great website for all natural Henna to color your hair without all the toxicity).  All of the products and websites I am referring you to are for TOXIC-FREE, CHEMICAL-FREE, PARABEN-FREE, SULFATE-FREE, ALL-NATURAL PRODUCTS and usually 100% ORGANIC.

Who-hoo....... and you thought you HAD to use products with chemicals in them cuz you had no other choices, well, good news is, I'm here to tell you, that is not the case and I've done the legwork for you on where you can start to check out some of these FABULOUS truly ALL-NATURAL products.

BELOW are all my TOP PICKS and some reviews on them as well.... along with the websites you can find them at!

I will categorize by typing in CAPS and BOLDING the text to let you know the product I use, prior to listing some info. about it and the website I get it from.  Just scroll down for more info.

NOTE: All of my website reviews and info. are separated by asterisks ********.

I hate to say it but even the top of the line shampoos/conditioners that you buy in the store, such as Pantene and/or those you buy in salons, such as Redkin (and ALL other leading brands in the super market or your favorite salon) are full of paraben and/or sulfate which are actually very bad for us!!!  Sure the shampoo "feels" great and we may even like the results we get afterwards, but that doesn't mean it's good for us.

If you are willing to completely detox, I strongly suggest getting paraben-free and sulfate-free shampoos, conditioners and all other hair products you use (ie - hair spray, gel, mouse, spritzers, de-frizzers, shiny oils, styling balms, etc.... anything that touches your hair and scalp).

I also feel the same about anything touching my skin (ie - lotions, creams, facial creams, eye creams, hand creams, feet creams, sunblock, makeup, oils, etc).

Bottom line, if it's a mainstream product, question it big time.

Anyway, not trying to force you to change your habits or abruptly change everything in your bathroom, but I am putting little seeds in your brain so you can research on your own and figure out what works best for you.

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SUNBLOCK

I was about to look into getting some all natural sunblock cuz the stuff sold mainstream actually contributes to cancer instead of helping us avoid it.  In reality, we should NOT be blocking the sun from our skin on a daily basis (but then that brings up the issue of make up with sun block already in it, like most foundations on the mainstream market).  Due to all this unnecessary extra "sunblock" we are using, and campaigns to keep ourselves "covered" from the sun, we are depleted from natural "Vitamin D" that naturally is absorbed into our body through our skin when we "expose" our skin to the sun.... NOT when we "block" the skin from the sun. (See Dr. Mercola's website for a great all-natural "Vitamin D spray").  I found an all-natural sunblock, the brand is called "Badger sunscreen" and "Badger after sun balm" (you can find it online as well as in your local Whole Foods). 

Check it out:

http://www.earthturns.com/Badger-Sunscreen-p/badger-47031-0314.htm?gclid=CMHLptrn368CFcjb4AodtywfAQ

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LAUNDRY DETERGENT

(all-natural - only need 1/2 cup/load)

FEMININE PRODUCTS

(100% organic cotton - NOT wood)

SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

(paraben-free & sulfate/free)

VITAMIN D SPRAY

(most of us are lacking it - all-natural spray)

MELATONIN SPRAY

(all natural sleep-aid)

Dr. Mercola  is in Aurora, Illinois.  He's a plethora of information and has tons of videos on his site explaining WHY it's better to use the products he is mentioning and offering.  The above referenced items are items that I buy from his website. 

SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER:

I no longer use the shampoo/conditioner (not because it's not good, but because I found something even better).... I now get my shampoo/conditioner from Morocco Method, it's 100% "vegan" and 100% "raw" (so it hasn't been processed at all), but I will admit, it's got a "gritty" feeling to it and it takes some time to get used to but my hair is benefiting and changing and becoming so much healthier now that I use MM's products regularly (see below for more info). 

If you are like most people and believe that your shampoo/conditioner should "lather" in order for it to work well.... then you will love Dr. Mercola's shampoo/conditioner.  While it is not "raw", it IS completely paraben-free and sulfate-free which is the no.1 thing you should make sure any shampoo or conditioner you use is free of! 

LAUNDRY DETERGENT (I LOVE DR. MERCOLA's)! The laundry detergent is fabulous and a little goes a long way!!!  Just 1/2 cup per load.  AND, if you buy the "2-pack of laundry detergent with 2-pack stain remover" you're set for a couple mos.  And guess what.... because there's no chemicals in there.... your clothes do NOT need "laundry softener" or "dryer sheets" (extra wasted money, just to get us to buy more products).  Once I started using his detergent, I quickly learned that my clothes no longer felt "hard" or not "fresh", why?,.... cuz there's NO chemicals in there, hello!!!!  (So, why are the mainstream detergents made this way, you ask?  Because they want us to spend more money on more unnecessary products, that become necessary because they've made the detergent that way).  THE SOLUTION:  Use all-natural chemical-free laundry detergent.  Dr. Mercola's is FABULOUS!!!!

FEMININE PRODUCTS - 100% ORGANIC COTTON (I LOVE DR. MERCOLA's)!   Did you know that ALL the feminine products in the mainstream are made of WOOD particles, NOT cotton!!!  Oh yeah women, it's unfortunate, but true.  Just watch Dr. Mercola's video on his website (under feminine care) to find out the real truth and understand why it's imperative that we use "organic cotton" products ONLY!!!

And think of how sensitive that part of our body is.  So guess what, those products, whether you use tampons or pads, are touching that area, irritating that area and in turn making us bleed MORE!  Hence, we have to use MORE of their crap products.  THE SOLUTION:  Use all-natural chemical-free, bleach-free, 100% organic cotton feminine products that you can find on Dr. Mercola's website.

VITAMIN D SPRAY:  Almost all of us are low on Vit. D.  Why?  Cuz we've been brainwashed to "protect" our skin from the sun.  We use sunblocks daily and/or cover our arms and face on a regular basis to "protect" ourselves from the sun.............. THE SINGLE MOST HEALING energy on this planet!!!  It helps to GROW things, heal things, warms you, gives you natural Vitamin D and yet, we want to block ourselves from it.  WTH???  Watch Dr. Mercola's video on Vit. D and/or read my other blog on it to get more info.  (blog #11 - archived under April 2011).

MELATONIN SPRAY:  Are you having troubles sleeping?  Well, like most of us, it's due to stress, long working hours, troubles with finances, troubles in relationships, lack of love in our lives, improper diet and the list goes on an on.  The good news is that "melatonin" is something our body naturally creates when it is in the "dark" (ie - when we lay down to sleep).  Bad news is, when we are over-stressed we may not produce enough or simply we need more.  Good news is, you can find it in an all-natural form at Dr. Mercola's website.  Forget the "pills" you find in your local "health food store" and look for "liquid" or "spray" forms that will quickly and naturally absorb into your body.  Dr. Mercola's site has a great deal for a 3-pack so you get more bang for your buck.  You only need 3-5 sprays a night to help you get to sleep.  NOTE:  If your brain is on overload and you can't stop "thinking" when you go to bed, the melatonin might not kick in right away.  Here are some helpful tips to alleviate that issue: 1) stop using all electronics (computer, iPad, phones, tvs, etc) at least one hour before bedtime, 2) read a book or magazine and put on some dim light in the room, not the main light to start to transition your body, 3) take out a notepad and write down some short notes on the things that you can't seem to get out of your mind (whether they are concerns, duties, to-dos for the next day, etc), and if you still feel like once you lay down you still have more on your mind, keep that notepad and a pen on a nightstand by your bed and jot down some notes as they come to mind, so you can free your mind and sleep.  Try not to turn on a bright light when you do this. 4) "black out" all light in your bedroom (cover the alarm clock, cover anything that is charging and has a light on it, even if it's very small and use "black out curtains" for your windows to block any light from the outside coming in.  5) get a ionizer/humidifier for your room to circulate and clean the air.  6) open the windows regularly to circulate fresh air.  7) Put some drops of essential lavender oil on your pillow or put some dried lavender inside your pillow case.  Then, last but not least, take some Melatonin spray and close your eyes and go to sleep.

His site is: www.mercola.com

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SKIN CARE

HAIR CARE

BATH & BODY

EYES

LIPS

All-natural, organic, chemical-free and toxin-free! Many vegan choices and the rest are all vegetarian.  NO animal testing!!!!  Skin care line has: lotions/buttercreams, oils, dark spot removers, etc.

I love, love, LOVE this website!!!!  They are now one of my TOP pics.

It's called 100% Pure.

http://www.100percentpure.com/

HERE ARE MY REVIEWS ON THEIR PRODUCTS I'VE TRIED SO FAR:

HAIR PRODUCTS:

Honey Coconut Shampoo (I'm not a fan of honey, so the smell turned me off, but if you like honey, you might really enjoy this cuz the texture is really nice - I ended up giving it to my tenant, cuz I'm not a fan of honey, don't know why I picked that one, just didn't expect it to really smell like honey, but duh, there's honey in it, so why wouldn't it... ha, ha)

Smooth & Moisture Hair Balm (this is supposed to add shine and it does, it's just a little thicker than I expected, but all you need is a few drops, so it will last a long time and should help with fly-aways or frizzy hair as well)

BATH & BODY:

Bath & Body/scrubs

French Lavender Body Scrub (love, love, love it!!!!.... so fabulous)

Blood Orange Body Scrub - Just got this as a "freebie" and will be trying it soon.

My next pick will be "Mangosteen Body Scrub" (because it is the "Queen of Fruits" and a major "super food")

Bath & Body/soaps

Coconut Butter Soap (OMG... in LOVE, love, love!!!! - soooo smooth, so fabulous... think of Dove but wayyyyy better)

Bath & Body/baths

Lavender Sea Therapy Bath (It smells great, but I have yet to use it.

Yummy Ice Scream Bubble Bath - mini (I got it, smelled it and realized, this is totally for kids... ended up giving it to my tenant cuz she nanny's kids. IF YOU HAVE KIDS... they will LOVE this... and so will you, since you're not putting any toxic crap on them and remember, the "skin" is our largest organ so anything that you put on it will absorb straight into your bloodstream.... all the more reason to think twice on your children's behalf).

Hydrating Body Wash

Cocoa Kona Coffee - it smells just like chocolate.  I'm a chocolate lover.... but at first, it was kind of weird to think I was slathering my body with chocolate (and coffee, btw), but you know what... I love it and so does my skin!

Hand Creams

French Lavender Hand Buttercream -  I love, LOVE, love this stuff.... soooo smooth, such a wonderful smell, hydrating, fabulous!!!!  What more can I say.  There are many wonderful flavors to choose from other than just this one. 

SKIN CARE:

SKIN CARE/SERUMS:

Organic Argan Oil - I loooovvveee this oil!!!!  I use it on my arms, hands and chest.  It's pricey, but when you start seeing your arms and hands dehydrating and/or wrinkling, you'll know it's worth it.  (Much better than going to a Clinque (or other name brand) counter and wasting tons of money on their chemical-ridden crap).  You can use this on your face, but it might be a little heavy for the face, so if you want a lighter oil for your face, see my notes below on the "Nourishing Facial Oil".

Organic Aqua Boost - OMG...... TRUE LOVE!!!  Chicago has truly dried my skin out from all the extreme weather and in turn I noticed my arms and hands were very dehydrated.  Using oil or lotion alone will not resolve "dehydration", but will help with "dry" skin.  There IS a difference.  If you see the skin bunching up and it's not "wrinkles", well, it's most likely dehydration.  So....... AQUA BOOST it is!!!  I spray it on my arms, my hands AND my face and chest!!!!  LOVE it... but it also is expensive.... (again, FAR better than going to a name-brand counter at Macy's and spending an arm and a leg for their chemical-ridden crap).  My arms and hands have really become dehydrated from this weather, but most people don't suffer from that, (unless they live in extreme weather conditions) so I say, if you don't have dehydration on your arms and hands.... simply spray this wonderfully REFRESHING spray on your FACE before you put anything else on your face, in the morning.

Nourishing Facial Oil - So I spoke with a wonderful rep from this company through "live chat" and told her my skin care issues and she suggested that I use the "Argan Oil" on my body and use the "nourishing facial oil" for my face as it's a bit lighter than the Argan Oil.  I love this oil!!!!  Contrary to popular belief.... putting "oil" on your face does NOT make your facial skin "oily".  In fact, since the "skin" is our largest organ in our body and it "absorbs" everything you put on it right into our bloodstream, not only are you nourishing your facial skin, but you are feeding your body with nutrients that are very good for you!

SKIN CARE/MOISTURIZERS:

Coffee Cherry Sun Damage Corrective Cream - Wonderful!  Light and absorbs quickly.  I am seeing a difference in the skin discoloration/sun-spots I have on my cheeks and forehead, since I started using this product.

Brightening Night Balm - Ok, I have to be honest, I've always had an aversion to lotions on my skin since I was a kid when my mother would slather me in sunblock cuz my skin was so pale and easily burned.  So, when I got this night balm, I was excited.  And while I know that "balms" in general are a thick consistency, I was hoping that when I put it on it would simply feel like it immediately seeped in and didn't feel "thick" at all.  If you like thick consistencies, which I know some people do, you will love this product, but for me.... I had to return it.  I put ever so little on, but then realized right away that I would never consistently use this cuz it was so thick, so I returned and exchanged it immediately.  They have a GREAT exchange and return system.  Again, don't let my experience discourage you.... if you're used to using balms, or love the feeling of something thick and rich penetrating your skin, you may love this product, so try it out.  I know it's a great "compliment" to the product I listed above (Coffee Cherry Sun Damage Corrective Cream), as they both "lighten" your skin and if you have any skin discoloration, this is a great NATURAL way to address that in lieu of super expensive "laser treatments" or "whitening/bleaching creams").

SKIN CARE/EYE CREAMS:

Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream - OMG, I LOVE THIS PRODUCT & CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT!!!!  About 10 years ago, I started waking up once or twice a week with swollen UPPER eyelids.  Most eye creams on the market that address "swollen eyes" are specifically made for BELOW-the-eye-puffiness.... NOT for the truly sensitive eye area above the eyes... the actual "eyelid", which is where I SUFFER from puffiness!  As the years have been passing, this happens more and more frequently for me, than not.  Now it's more like 5 days a week and I'm lucky to have 1 or 2 days that it doesn't happen.  Ahhh, the joys of "aging".  I'm sure it means there's some sort of "imbalance" in my body, but I have yet to figure out what that is.  So for now.... THIS IS MY LIFE SAVER!!!  The weird thing is, for me.... for years now, I've always had the puffiness ONLY on the eyelids.... but lately, I started getting some BELOW the eyes as well, which is where most women & men experience it.  The GREAT thing about this product is that since it is all-natural, it does not have any chemical irritants to hurt the sensitive eyelid area.  So............ you CAN use is it on BOTH your upper eyelid area and the below-the-eye area!!!  BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!!  I use it nearly every morning!!! The puffiness will usually subside in 30 min. or less.  If it's a morning where I am puffier than usual, to the point I feel like my eyes are barely open cuz the eyelids are so swollen.... I'll put it on, wait about 30 min. and put on a 2nd coat and within an hour or so, the puffiness will be nearly gone.  (For now, thank God, the extreme puffiness I just spoke of happens very rarely for me).  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this product!!! P.S. This product is also great for "dark circles" around the eyes AND also for "fine lines/wrinkles" on the face. :)

Organic Cucumber Eye Cream Gel - I have yet to try this, but it is next on the list!!!!  I'm sure it will help with my swelling issues as well.  Thinking of using it at night before bed and then using the "Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream" in the mornings.  I bet that will be a great duo!!!  I know that "cucumber" is VERY good for swollen/puffy eyes!

FRUIT PIGMENTED MAKE-UP

Lips/Glaze - This is basically an all-natural LIPSTICK!!!  There are so many colors to choose from!!!  I LOVE them!!!  They go on just like lipstick, feel the same, but are free of the harsh chemicals like "lead" and "coal tar" (please tell me why ANYONE would voluntarily put that on their skin.... oh yeah, I know why... because the mainstream commercials show famous actresses wearing "name brand" lipstick and make-up and women are "brainwashed" to believe that "if she wears it and looks that beautiful, if I wear it, so will I".  And then it's the blind leading the blind.... cuz no one bothers to read the actual labels to see the ingredients and understand that if you cannot read an ingredient, then you should know it's a chemical and probably toxic for you (check out this website for more info: http://www.ehow.com/about_5438550_harmful-chemicals-lipsticks.html).  So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, spread the word about this AWESOME website (www.100percentpure.com) and start buying your lipstick from them.  AND, scroll down for my FAVORITE MAKE-UP website, "Survana".  100% pure doesn't have a lot of make-up choices, but their lip choices are fabulous and their other products are all amazing.  If you want more "variety" for actual make-up, check out "Survana" below.

REMEMBER: ALL OF THE ITEMS I REVIEWED ABOVE CAN BE FOUND AT: www.100percentpure.com

P.S. 100% Pure loves to give you "free samples" with ALL your orders!!! 

ONE MORE "BATH & BODY":

Body Cream/Body Butter - Haven't tried any of these yet as I use a wonderful mix of organic and essential "oils" on my skin (which I get from my homeopaths office.... sorry, he doesn't sell online, but if you're in Chicago, you can check him out.... he's AMAZING and so is his wife, in more ways than one.... and "Homeopathy" is a great way to get yourself OFF of the pharmaceutical grid.... use natural homeopathy that has been used for centuries and is the #1 leading source of medical care in many countries in Europe (instead of OTCs & prescriptions.... he's changed my life).  He also sells tons of "super foods", herbs, tonics, tinctures, natural oil mix (his wife makes it, just as for "Mama's Healing Body Oil" and much more.  He's a chiro, acupuncturist, energy healer and has an "infrared sauna" available for use in his office as well): Dr. Robert Selig - Back Up Therapeutic (check out his short video for info. on all his office offers):  http://backupchicago.com/ And check out my blog #17 - archived July 2011 on "Homeopathy" so you can learn ALL THE BENEFITS of this natural way of helping your body to "learn how to heal itself!  Stop the madness, stop using drugs and stop getting surgeries and blood transfusions, unless you have exhausted all other options).

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MAKE-UP (and they have great PERFUME too)! 

All-natural, chemical-free, toxin-free, organic, LOTS of choices!  What more could you ask for?  Oh yeah, price.... comparable to any mainstream brand you'd buy in a dept. store.

Survana is my other FAVORITE website!  They are in the UK!  I got their makeup and I love it, love, love, LOVE IT!!!!  All the textures are just like your main stream make up but are from all-natural products with no chemicals, no toxins, no lead (ie in lipstick, like most of the mainstream makeup has) AND there is no animal testing.  (The only thing I caught that I didn't go for is that some of the makeups have "hydrogenated oils" in them - so I simply don't purchase those... but there are MANY choices that don't and they have a VAST amount of make-up choices for ALL your needs from texture to colors, etc).  The key is to read the ingredients on everything we put on or in us!

Here is there website: http://www.suvarna.co.uk/

BTW, since Survana is a UK based website, you are paying in "pounds" so here's a converter to convert pounds to dollars so you know how much your purchase will be before you purchase anything (in the event you do): http://www.unitconversion.org/currency/british-pounds-to-us-dollars-conversion.html

Forgot to mention that I bought all of the following from Survana for only $225 (considering I could have spent the same or more at Clinique, I was very happy with my purchase): foundation, blush, 2 lipsticks (very creamy and nice), 2 eyeliners, dual sided mascara, 5-palet eye shadow, eye make up remover, nail polish and nail polish remover.  The products are great and in no way do I feel like I am missing out on anything that the name brands that have toxins such as lead in them are offering.  The colors and textures of these chemical-free and toxin-free make-up and nail products are FABULOUS!!!  Go UK!!!

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HAIR CARE

HENNA (all-natural, NOT-pre-mixed, organic, raw, vegan)

Let's talk about HAIR COLOR!  Ok, let's admit it, no one likes to go GREY, at the very least, not women these days.  We all want to "age gracefully", and I'm here to tell you that it IS possible to do so very inexpensively and WITHOUT putting any toxins in your body (ie - through your scalp's skin).  How you ask?  Well, with all-natural 100% raw/vegan Henna!  What does that mean?  That means it is NOT pre-mixed for you and does NOT have any hidden evil ingredients that are not listed on the package and/or they are but we don't know what they are. 

If you can't pronounce it or you haven't heard of it, you should question it.  And remember, when it comes to your hair, you NEVER want any sulfate or paraben to be in there! 

Now let me be honest about this amazing product.... the scoop is, you WILL have to put in a little "E" for Effort!  Yes, but that's a small price to pay to have GORGEOUS hair that is completely CHEMICAL/TOXIN-FREE!  Here's a link to check out this fabulous product (TIP:  If you're not willing to do it yourself, find a smaller salon that would be willing to put it in your hair for you, if you are willing to "prepare" it and bring it in for them ready to use - that's the key for the "E" for Effort.... the preparation.... but the instructions that come with it are pretty straight forward).

Below is a link to the website with their fabulous product (my good friend, Jamie, who has a hair salon of her own and has been doing hair for a couple decades checked out my hair when I visited her in April 2012 and said she was quite impressed with the results of my hair after applying the natural henna (she even applied one round for me). 

You can do it as often as you like (just a 72 hour waiting period in between henna colorings) to achieve deeper or richer looks, if you're looking to continue to change the color.

NOTE:  They advise that you always start with LIGHTER shades and work your way towards darker and you can MIX the colors if you like.... in other words, if you normally go "dark brown" start out with 1/3 dark brown and 2/3 medium brown and work your way up from there.  Once you go dark, it's not as easy to lighten back up without waiting awhile, so better to go lighter at first. 

SECOND NOTE: You should also buy the RED henna if you have grays!  Yes, I said it, RED.  I know, I know, no one wants their grey hair to turn RED, but here's the secret..... you do one coat of the RED on your roots/grays only and then the SAME day (you have to wait till your hair is completely dry again and do NOT shampoo - yes, for coloring grays, you CAN do the henna 2xs in one day instead of waiting 72 hours), you can then do a second coat with your actual color (or.... you can wait a couple days so you wash out the red henna the next day, let it dry, and then after that do your next round, whatever works for you).... so the red is actually a FILLER!  In the end, it will look like you have NATURAL HIGHLIGHTS from the sun!!!!  It looks fabulous!  Trust me, and I'm not an easy sell when it comes to my hair.  Yes ladies, this does mean........... NO MORE CHEMICAL HIGHLIGHTS, COLORS, DYES, etc.... if you commit to this process.  But trust me, if you do, you WON'T be sorry!!!

You will need the following additional items for your henna process:

1) gloves

2) glass or ceramic mixing bowl

3) hair color brush applier

4) one lemon (preferably organic)

5) 2 tbl. olive oil (or the oil recommended on their site)

6) red henna (if you intend to cover your grays) + your hair color henna

7) I also suggest you get the "scalp massager" that is listed under their "brushes" drop down menu

8) saran wrap and/or a plastic bag

SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

I now use ALL my shampoo and conditioner from Morocco Method's line.  They have a very interesting "lunar chart" on their website that shows you the best days to "cut" your hair in order to strengthen, lengthen or make it shinier.  Very interesting how the moon affects us! 

ALL of their shampoo/conditioner is based on the "5 elements" (earth, wind, fire, water and ether).... so there are 5 different shampoos to represent each of these elements.  What an amazing concept!  If you want THE best results for your hair, simply rotate the 5 different shampoos each time you shower, using a different one each time.  I line them all up in a line and then after I used on, I put it at the end of the line, so I don't forget next time which one I already used, I just use the one that's first in line again. 

There are also 2 "conditioners": 1) "Chi Instant Hair Conditioner" and 2) "Pearl Essence Cream Rinse" (these are both found under the "wash out conditioners". 

NOTE: If you've processed your hair by coloring, bleaching, highlighting, tinting, etc. and/or you've used shampoos/conditioners that DO have sulfate and/or paraben in them, you should consider "DETOXING" your hair.  Try the "Zen Detox Hair and Scalp Therapy" under "conditioners/wash out".  Try the "trial size" to see what you think.  This is also listed under "conditioners/deep conditioning" so if you're looking for a "deep conditioner" this is a good answer!

If you feel you have "dry" hair and/or need some "deep conditioning" in addition to the "Zen Detox", you can try the "Euro Natural Oil Conditioner" (btw, you should use this with your Henna, if you are coloring your hair).

Here's the link to their website, enjoy:

https://morroccomethod.com/en/henna

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Here's another website I found with all-natural hair care, but I haven't tried their products, so I don't have a review for them, but you might like to try them out.  This is the link for "thicker hair" care products (I haven't tried it yet, but they are on my radar because they are alcohol-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, chemical-free and no animal testing):

http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/hair/thick-ALL-products.html

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CLEANING PRODUCTS (glass, floor & all-purpose)

CANDLES

ROOM SPRAYS

DIFFUSERS

I get all my main cleaning products from this website (glass, floor & all-purpose).  Love it!!!!  Made from all-natural ingredients AND essential oils.  You won’t smell that STRONG “lemon” (chemical) smell you used to smell, but you WILL have a CLEAN and completely chemical-free and toxin-free home if you clean with these products.

I also love their candles because you are burning all-natural ingredients instead of other toxic crap the mainstream candles have in them.

The room sprays are FABULOUS and again, no toxic extra crap.

And the diffusers are another great way to let off a natural scent into the air by using their diffuser oils and little blue contraption that circulates it into the air.

https://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop

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DISHSOAP

Natural Cleaners

Bath & Body

Salt Lamps

And much, much more

I have yet to really dive into this online store.  I have been to their actual location in Skokie, Illinois when I took a “28 day raw food cleanse” class there. 

I’ve use their dish soap and have bought 2 of their amazing salt lamps and one of their crystals!  They have soooooooooo much more to offer!

But if you start with nothing else but the DISH SOAP, you are on the right page!!!!

http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/all-natural-cleaning-products.html

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Ok, that's my tips for the day.  Hope that helps!  Lots of choices, you just have to know what you are looking for.  And if the product does not say on it that it is "paraben-free" or "sulfate free" or "chemical free" or "toxin free", then you better believe that it DOES have those things in it.  Just food for thought!!!!

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And feel free to email me if you have any questions or want more tips on how to use the henna (or any of the above I've blogged about).

My email is: sunshineandvitality@yahoo.com

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#27 - David Wolfe webinar: How to Balance Hormones Naturally w/Food & Herbs

Wow, what an amazing webinar I just listened!  A couple months ago, David Wolfe had a link on his FB page to the "Winter Wellness" seminar.  Four days a week (M-Th) there has been a different amazing speaker.  Each day of the week represents a different area the speakers talk on.

Here's a link to the Winter Wellness seminar - if you'd like to check out other webinars they are offering: http://winterofwellness.com/program

Mondays - BODY: Specific ways to enhance the well-being of your physical body.

Tuesdays - MIND: Insights, research and tools to activate and enhance the Mind/Body connection.

Wednesdays - HEART: How to create deep, nurturing relationships - which profoundly impacts your overall wellness.

Thursdays - SOUL: Exploring how to deepen your connection to the larger source of your true well-being.

The webinar casts are live and are accessible by a recorded link for 7 days after each recording.

I just went in today to listen to my very first recorded webinar.  Admittedly, I forgot all about checking this amazing information out, until a topic that effects me directly (and in fact, effects ALL humans on this planet today) came up - HORMONES and the ESTROGEN DOMINANCE in our environment due to the 77,000 chemicals that have been dumped into our environment since the 1940s.

And who was the speaker......... my new favorite guru (who happens to be my current homeopathic-guru, Dr. Robert Selig's favorite guru as well), David Wolfe!  I saw him live last weekend in Long Beach and the "Mega Conference for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition".  I even got a chance to talk to David one-on-one for a brief moment and we shook hands.  His knowledge is phenomenal!

So, today I went into this last week's recordings of webinars to find David's webinar on: "Creating a Defense Shield by what we eat" AND "How to Block BAD ESTROGEN naturally with super foods and super herbs (no supplements necessary - although he does mention a couple supplements he thinks are good).

Obviously, no one is going to go overboard and get all of these foods or herbs at once.  So, the key is to try a few on for size and see how you feel thereafter.  If you have strong issues with hormonal imbalance already, then you can take a hormone test to see where you are at, then start eating some of the things he suggests and then take the hormone test again a month or so later.  In the meantime, you should naturally feel a shift in your body from mood to sex drive, etc.

So, here's my notes from the one hour webinar which David Wolfe gave on Mon. March 5, 2012.

Please note: I did not know the spelling of many herbs or foods he mentioned so I did my best to spell them as they sound.  My notes may not all be in complete sentences either.  However, you should be able to clearly follow all his premises.  The webinar recording is only available for 2 more days (today is 3/9/12, btw).  So I figured, I better take good notes and share them before I forgot all this amazing information.

He gives information on how/where you can test your hormones and gives a lot of information on the different forms of foods or herbs you can ingest in order to block the BAD ESTROGEN, which, like I mentioned before, has actually effected everyone in our society.  He gives examples of how it effects us from migranes, to low sex drive, to many other issues.

So, here goes, hope you enjoy the notes:

Create a stress defense shield by what we eat:

Fortify ourselves herbally.

Adaptogen is an herb that helps us deal with stress.  It’s a tonic herb.

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. – Hypocrites

Maca – adaptogen deals with stress 10-15%

Top 10: Chinese Herbs, Aryuvedic herbs, western herbs

David Hawkins book: “Discovery of the presence of God”

Dynastema – helps drive digestive track back into proper direction

Become aware of what food is doing to our system.  Make sure food takes burden off of system instead putting burden on us (ie – gas, physical pain)

Live fresh vegetable juice (celery, cucumber juice) + fresh salad per day

Take a day off of food and just drink water.  Direct connection with eating and stress.  Will notice that if stress occurs while we’re not eating, we will want to eat right away.

Eat more salad.  Put in more good stuff and crowd out the bad.

Fresh juicy cells of: vegetable juice, fruit juice, fresh herbs.

Go to most well researched herbs and superfoods of the world.

Reishi mushroom – anti-stress adaptogen

Medicinal mushrooms – immunological – adaptogen

77,000 artificial chemicals dumped in our society since 1940.

Astragolis (organic) – Chinese herb – make a green tea out of it.

Caffeine is a driver that drives other nutrients in.

Chaga, reishi – and put with Astragolis to drive them in.

If you drink alcohol, put herbs in it, so that the alcohol drives the herbs in.  Then the alcohol is a driver.

Don’t drink coffee by itself, use it to drive all the herbs in.  There are companies that are selling coffee with reishi in it to drive the reishi in.

Super food mocha. 

Tolci, amalaki, (Chinese herbs)…. mix with honey (=“chivonprash”) – feed to child

Chu Mash – the local tribes that used to live in LA

Chisandra berry –

Ho shi woo – bone marrow building – anti-stress

What does David eat on a daily basis: eat a salad everyday (cucumbers, lettuce & pistachios – kale, olive oil, avocado), herbs (reishi, chaga), astragulis, asparagus root (wild asparagus hunter – Echo Park – lots growing all over there – asparagus root looks like gummy bears – can take through customs).  Supps: Mega Hydrate (Dr. Patrick Flannigan) – hydrogen supp… + Rodiola, Dynestema, Ho Shu Woo (+ horse tail and nettles).  Does not take pills – take as powders, teas or fresh. 

Incapsulated vegetable capsules of the powder of the herbs.

Food: changes dominant thoughts, habits, transforms your values, changes your focus.

Emotional, spiritual, food transformation – if you have anyone of these, you will then lead into the other areas.

www.winterofwellness.com/david - Education - take things that are exotic and far away and make them easy and accessible.  DVDs - deals with our physical body – longevity now dvds, recipes, teas, superherbs, etc.  - 60 hrs. of material for $127.

Need live fermented cultured food everyday (sour krout, kim chi, etc.)

Eat raw super foods such as: gogi berries, cacao, maca, spirulina, marine phytoplankten, honey, + acai, yocon, lukuma, aloe vera, noni, etc.  Do research online and learn a lot.

Hormones: Last 70-80 years, we’ve dumped 77,000 chemicals since 1940s – effects of that toxicity causes estrogen dominance (DBT – fake estrogen).  Dioxen dominance and petroleum products cause estrogen dominance.  Women need progesterone to balance out. Causes migranes, insomnia, chronic acne, enormous amount of different cancers triggered by estrogen dominance, unability to lose last 20-30 lbs.  How to deal with this naturally.  Bio-identical hormones help and work, but is there something to do naturally with superfoods and superherbs.  Protocal: they chemicals cause liver problems and cannot process estrone fast enough and is beginning of estrogen dominance (“emetholation problem” – cannot metholate the bad estrogen out).  Bad estrogen is missing a methol group.  Trimethyl glycine – found in beets: beet roots and beet juice – great liver detoxer and gogi berries are also great.  Look at other methol donors: vit B6 & B9 (detoxify liver of toxic estrogen & toxic pesticides).  MSM is great methol donor.  (If you don’t get bad estrogen out: men can be in danger for prostate cancer, women are in danger for breast cancer and ovarian cancer.  Can take hormone test (for women) – progesterone is low, testosterone is low to moderate – 16 alpha hydroxy estrone is elevated through roof, estrodial is elevated, estrioal is low, cortisol is elevated, vit d3 is low – in danger of breast and ovarian cancer) – ZRB labs does hormone test (capilary test – prick finger for blood) – if you’re 50 or serious pms issues or man, low sex drive – take protocal and then watch how you transform and take test again.  If you’re going into menopause and you come out of menopause, then hormones are going in right direction. Dr. Patty in FL will be running protocol in FL.  Is summarized in instant access feed.

Bad estrogen dissolvers:  Melotonine, iodine, indol 3 carbinol (supplement of the year according to David – “Estro Guard – indol 3 carbinol and DIM concentrated out of broccoli – all cospherous vegetables are bad estrogen dissolvers: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc and they contain fiber called “calcium diglucerate”) – get estrogen out of system and is in intestines sometimes it can be reabsorbed, so you need the fiber of crospherous veggies and fruits (apple skins and berries) to draw out bad estrogen out of system right out of your bowels.  Another big one is oats, oatmeal and oat is very powerful bad estrogen dissolver.  

Natural aroma-taze inhibitors: olive oil, rezveritrol (grapes), cor-si-tin (onions & apples), passion flower (chamomile) – block a good hormone like testosterone (naturally anti-prostate cancer), progesterone (naturally anti-cancer), but when back flips and becomes bad estrogen because it aromitizes – natural aroma-taste inhibitor will keep a good hormone like testosterone or progesterone from back flipping and becoming bad estrogen.  Ferments specifically - nettle root is also natural aroma-taste inhibitor (very imp. for age 60-70 if concerned with low testosterone and possibility of prostate cancer). 

Need enough fat and oil in our body and our diet on a daily basis:  need full spectrum of oils from saturated fats (such as coconut oil) to omega 3 fatty acids to including oils such as olive oil (monounsaturated).

Great hormone builder foods: Maca, anese family (fennel and gil – good to increase breast milk), chocolate (natural raw chocolate - not filled with sugar and dairy).

Herbal hormone support – ginsing, dinostema, nettle, rasberry leaf (for women).

(Chemicals and toxins) How important is organic food vs. conventional:  Very, very, very important to choose organic.  Nothing more important than that.  Number of reasons, one is, we don’t want to support non-organic farmers, supporting them supports more chemicals into our environment – we have enough to deal with for 10-30,000 years.  Vote with dollar, vote with your money, let’s vote organic. 

What about expense of organic foods and herbs: It's a values correction.  There’s free food around you all the time that is wild and free.  Grow in yard: evening primrose, marsh-mah-low, com-fri, wild lettuces (wild weeds).  Everyone is financially stretched right now.  Get out of mind set of scarcity.  Wild avocados, wild food, citrus fruit (lemon, grapefruit, orange, lime – bad estrogen dissolvers).  Nothing more important to spend your money than food that goes in your mouth.  You have to save yourself first and put your money where your mouth is.  Values, get values in order.  If you have 2 cars, get rid of one car and put that money into nutrition (it’s a pollution maker).  Grow your own food and nutrition to transform yourself, that’s the best use of your money.  People are stuck in mindset that there’s all these other expenses.  You can grow your own food.  Can grow: astragolis, ho-shu-woo, chocolate trees (he grows it at farm in Hawaii), noni, aloe vera… what a better way than to get connected with the earth, by growing your own medicine and your own food.  Connect mind, body and spirit – close the loop.  It connects that great cycle – connection of being out in your yard barefoot, connecting heaven and earth, seeing magic of your growth over the years in your orchard and berry trees is absolute fulfillment. 

Developed fruit tree foundation that gives back to kids (vision to plant 18 billion fruit trees). www.ftpf.org. Did a huge planting for City of Chicago and planted hundreds of trees in their parks to help plant fruit trees and now anyone can have fruit from those trees, homeless people, anyone can have some.

Something fresh is better than nothing fresh!!!

Theme: Take steps you can take: Look at habits and patterns and make the changes you can make within that without being unrealistic about the changes you are going to make.

www.winterofwellness.com/david - longevity talks and much more details about hormones and foods that can balance out hormones in a natural way - $127 (valued at over $500) – 60 hours of dvds…. equivalent to 30 movies.  So much information!  Will also include live streaming as well!

#26 - How to detoxify our lives!!!

Well ladies and gentleman:

I am long overdue for a new blog entry.  So here it is.  This blog shares all the changes I have made and am still working on making.  But what's more important, it shares lots of information on all the CHEMICALS in our lives!

Did you know the average woman is putting over 200 chemicals on/in her body everyday between her shampoo, conditioner, soap, cosmetics, lotions, etc.  And I'm sure men are not far behind, even though they are fortunate to not be exposed to the chemicals in cosmetics, unless of course they use them as well.

As a quick note, before I get into the nitty gritty, I should note that I DO NOT suggest that you go gung-ho like I have and revamp your entire household in just a month or so.  Obviously, that would be quite expensive to do! 

The reason I am doing so is tied to direct health issues that I have been working very hard on improving through homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, chiropractor, energy healing (all of which I receive from my wonderful husband/wife team Dr. Robert Selig and his wife, Maria at Back Up Therapeutic located in Chicago, IL), improved diet (included no meat and limited dairy - i.e. hormone free diet) and most recently I have started seeing an "integrative internist", Dr. Danuta Hoyer at Comprehensive Center for Women's Health in the Raby Institute located in Chicago, IL (for a holistic and Western approach to my medical needs) and an "integrative gynecologist", Dr. Katherine Thurer at the Raby Institute located in Chicago, IL (for a holistic and Western approach to my feminine needs) and a "naturopath", Dr. Lik at the Raby Institute located in Chicago, IL (for a holistic approach to supplements I need) and a "body talk" specialist, Tom Flesch at the Raby Institute in Chicago, IL (body talk is used to verbally reprogram your brain, i.e. your body's computer, to do what you need it to do to help your body heal itself).  As you may or may not know from my extensive blog on "homeopathy" (see blog #17), I shared my story of my personal health journey with uteran fibroids and anemia........ hence all the doctors I am seeing to work together to compliment both Eastern and Western practices.  I know I am on the right path and already have been having great results over the past 2 years with the assistance of my homeopathic doctors (starting in March of 2010).  As of Jan. of 2012, I added all the other specialists that are located at the Raby Institute and "fired" my regular "internist" and I "fired" my regular OB/GYN.  It was time to find doctors that not only knew Western medicine but had gone back to school to learn about "nutrition" and "integrative healthcare" (i.e. - doctors that not only know how to prescribe drugs, recommend blood transfusions or surgeries - but doctors that have now also learned about natural supplements, testing hormones, intravenous iron in lieu of blood transfusions and know about an overall "holistic" approach to our well being first and foremost before pushing the typical Western methods as the only options out there).

So here we go............. LET's TALK ABOUT DETOXIFYING OUR LIVES!!!!

My suggestion for the average person is to start to "phase out" the chemicals in your lives.  How?  Well, next time you run out of shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, feminine products, laundry detergent, cosmetics, lotions, etc, as you run out of each, look into finding "toxic free" and "chemical free" products that you can replace them with.  Also, consider buying filters for your shower and your sink to eliminate the "chlorine" and if possible, also the "fluoride".

THERE IS A LOT TO LEARN HERE, so truly, I suggest you take your time and revisit this blog when you have the time to sit and read up on all the various toxins that are in our households and how we can eliminate them all.  Dr. Mercola's website offers a plethora of information and videos on all of his products explaining exactly WHY certain everyday items/products we use are bad for us.  Whether or not your purchase items/products from his website, you can definitely do the research needed by listening to his videos, reading his extensive information on each of these topics and then seeing where you can purchase those items online.  Some products he offers, I could not find elsewhere, but there are some products/items that I could find on eBay or other websites for a little less.  It's all about research and making sure that you UNDERSTAND what to AVOID and what you WANT to be in a particular item/product..... a lot of which you can learn through his extensive website.

Below is information on what I've done so far and what I'm still working on.  I've given links with wonderful videos and written information.  As of the beginning of 2012, I started making these changes.

First, I started phasing out all the crap I put on my skin.  I got rid of ALL the lotions for face, body, eyes and replaced them with all natural oils (blends of oils such as: apricot kernel oil, organic castor oil, sweet almond oil, organic sesame oil, organic lemongrass essential oil, organic eucalyptus essential oil, organic lime peel essential oil, organic tea tree essential oil and organic sandalwood essential oil - I buy this blend from my homeopaths office and I use it all over my body, face, feet, etc.... and I also use magnesium oil on any areas that I have health issues with and/or pains in my body.... and I sometimes slather myself with organic coconut oil which smells fabulous but can't be mixed with other oils as it changes it's state depending on temperature so in cool room temp it will be hard but in warmer room temp it will be soft and/or liquid.).

So now I moved onto the next phase of changing what I put on my skin and I just got all natural shampoo, conditioner, soap, body soap, organic cotton tampons and organic cotton pads/liners (did you know the stuff they sell us in the stores is NOT made of cotton, it's made from "wood".... oh yeah, hence it's actually agitating our system - watch Dr. Mercola's video on it, it's shocking), shower filter (eliminates chlorine) and sink filter (also eliminates chlorine) .... though my next filters will come from "Omica" instead of Dr. Mercola because Omica carries filters that eliminate not only chlorine but also fluoride.

Here's a link to Dr. Mercola's goodies (just scroll down past the banner on the top and click on "personal care" to see all the products I talked about above:  http://products.mercola.com/

BTW, have you ever Googled "fluoride and Hitler".... um, interesting stuff there, check it out.... and if you didn't know, you should know that all of our water system has fluoride in it and so does all the name brand toothpastes (except for the children's brands, go figure, cuz it's BAD for you).... I buy "Tom's fluoride-free" toothpaste but will be trying Dr. Mercola's fluoride-free toothpaste soon.  Dr. Mercola is amazing and he's local to us in Aurora, IL.  He's been featured in numerous top magazines and is a plethora of knowledge on whole health care, supplements and getting rid of toxins in our life.... and he sells many products to help us do so.

Here's a link to info on "fluoride and Hitler" (things that make you go hmmmm..... so why, do they have fluoride in our water supply in the US???):

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=flouride+and+hitler&pbx=1&oq=flouride+and+hitler&aq=f&aqi=g-s1g-ms1&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=265l2623l0l2935l19l17l0l0l0l0l312l2747l3.11.2.1l17l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=1d4096cba42e89f5&biw=800&bih=425

The next phase was cleaning products, so I did a lot of research on how to make your own cleaning products and then also found some chemical free products that include essential oils ("Method" is a mainstream brand you may have heard of that states that are chemical free but as I read through the detailed listed, at first very excited, then I found there were some questionable things such as using possibly GMO (genetically modified) corn and I forgot one of the acronyms for a particular chemical that research hasn't quite proven that it's bad for us..... yet.... so I prefer to stay away from all "maybes" and stick with basic, all natural, plant derived products). 

Here's a great website on how to do-it-yourself (DIY) with some very basic natural products that most of us already have in our homes: http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

I haven't tried making my own yet to be honest, instead I've started out with this all natural, plant derived (with essential oils) line of cleaning products: http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/All-Products/pl/262

And then I found all natural leather cleaner and moisturizer: http://www.bee-natural.com/cgi-bin/web_store/web_store.cgi?product=furniture&category=yes&cart_id=6602433_5407

I got the "furniture amour" and the "leather finish" from the website above.

While I haven't tried making my own leather cleaners here's a great website on how to DIY: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/homemade-leather-cleaner-and-conditioner.html

My next step to well being is working on changing my bed linens to 100% organic wool and changing my cookware to ceramic.  I found great information on both on Dr. Mercola's site.  Expensive, but I have a plan.......... gonna sell a bunch of stuff around the house I no longer use that I know others will and viola, I'll have at least half my budget for this next investment.

Just scroll past the banner and click on "household" to see the many options: http://products.mercola.com/

From Dr. Mercola's site, I have already bought the "sun alarm clock" (that video is sooooooooo worth watching, I actually got the clock on eBay for $20 less, btw) and I've bought his water and shower filters (but like I said, next time I will be check out "Omica" for their filters that also get rid of fluoride, not just chlorine.  I also bought and air purifier that gives off negative ions (found one for much less on eBay) and it is making a big difference to how my air feels when I breath it in my bedroom.  I've also bought his laundry detergent, bath care, hair care, feminine products and numerous supplements like: melatonin, vitamin d, probiotics, etc.  Love his website and all his videos and tons of info.

My next mission, as I mentioned, is to buy the ceramic cookware and the wool bedding from his website and the "aroma turbo oven" that you can use instead of horrible microwaves. 

Oh and I cook with Himalayan salt all the time and start my day off with it every day.  Check out my blog entry on table salt vs. sea salt vs. Himalayan salt, check it out, quite fascinating: http://www.sunshineandvitality.blogspot.com/2011/04/table-salt-mortons-vs-sea-salt-vs.html

As an added bonus, I go and pump my own FREE spring water from a spring right here in Chicago (it's closed for the winter now, so for now I get the water from a machine at Whole Foods, but I'd prefer fresh spring water that hasn't been processed in any way).  Check out how to "find a spring near you" which will help you find a spring ANYWHERE across the ENTIRE NATION: http://www.sunshineandvitality.blogspot.com/2011/04/6-find-spring-near-you-get-free-water.html

Here's a blog on the benefits of water: http://www.sunshineandvitality.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-water-how-do-we-know-if.html

So now we get to cosmetics, did you know how many toxins are in the average cosmetics and even companies like Mary Kay who claim that are offering non-toxic or better options (who are not necessarily doing so). 

I've done lots of research, so check out what I've found below.  Of course, I know the average consumer has not realized yet and therefore has no concern for the fact that the majority of cosmetics we use are very harmful to our health, but I feel, we should all be educated about the toxins found in cosmetics.  Luckily, I rarely wear make up, only for special occasions, so I can honestly say I might buy one new item of make-up once every 1-3 years and I might wear make up at best, 1-5 times a year, whereas the average woman wears it 5-7 days a week, so this should be of even greater concern to the average woman.

So here's a lot of info. I've found on the topic that I think will interest most of you and enlighten you about how much toxins there truly are in most cosmetics.

This is a great article that enlightens us on how many chemical toxins we've put in our body on average per day from all of the lotions, creams, shampoos, conditioners, body scrubs, cosmetics, etc, etc, that we use regularly, it's quite alarming: http://toxicfreeawareness.com/2010/09/11/organic-and-toxin-free-cosmetics/

This website has great information on what toxins to avoid in cosmetics and how/where you can find toxic-free organic cosmetics: http://www.essential-organic-living.com/organic-makeup.html

This is a blog entry I found that has some interesting info:

http://www.healthy-communications.com/8coschemicals.htm


This article talks about the "Campaign for Safe Cosmetics" that was started in 2001 and guess what, Mary Kay doesn't want to sign it.  So obviously, they are not making a complete effort to be toxin free as per the guidelines that Europe established long before the US decided to start this "campaign" to get cosmetic companies on board in following the same guidelines:  http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=281

This website lets you look up different cosmetic lines and check the amount of toxins in their products.  Here's the main website page to check all cosmetic lines on: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/search.php?hq=Mary+Kay&search_group=everything&ptype2=

Here's a link to an amazing website with all sorts of essential oils and other great natural products: http://www.livinglibations.com/

Great article re heavy metals found in most cosmetics: http://shine.yahoo.com/green/heavy-metals-found-many-cosmetics-not-listed-labels-194900866.html

Article re top cosmetic companies resume cruel animal testing: http://www.naturalnews.com/035078_cosmetic_companies_animal_testing_cruelty.html

So where am I going to get my replacement toxin-free, organic cosmetics from???  Well, gonna do more research but here's some links I've found so far: http://www.google.com/search?q=toxin+free+cosmetics&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADRA_en

The link re "Make-Up Junkie - Top Toxin Free Beauty Brands" is probably the first one I will search on that list in the link above.

Here it is, I've done lots more research and am about to do another blog entry on all the goodies that I have tried so far for my hair, make-up and nails.  But as a quick reference, here's some GREAT websites to check into (if you check out my blog #28 you will see more details on all the products I have bought so far from these sites):

http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/hair/thick-ALL-products.html

http://www.100percentpure.com/

Here's info on my new favorite website for ALL NATURAL, completely CHEMICAL-FREE and TOXIN-FREE make-up, make-up remover, nail polish and nail polish remover (the only products I do NOT suggest from their site are ones that list "hydrogenated oil" as an ingredient as truly that's a modified oil that is one step from "plastic" so if we're trying to be all-natural, why would we want that on our face? The rest are fabulous).  http://www.suvarna.co.uk/

The above is a UK based website, so if you'd like to check out how much you would actually be paying in dollars, here's a convenient link to convert pounds to dollars (no surprises that way): http://www.unitconversion.org/currency/british-pounds-to-us-dollars-conversion.html

Hope you enjoy all the info. I shared.  As consumers of the free world, we need to stick together, support each other and always enlighten each other as well.  I hope that the info. I have shared here has done that for you.

Please feel free to share this blog with your friends and if you like what you read, please "join" my blog so you'll get automatic emails when I add a new blog entry.

#25 - Vegan Lasagna Recipe

“Vegan lasagna recipe”Lasagna Ingredients:
One package (organic) lasagna noodles
2 jars of “Organicville Italian Herb” pasta sauce
2 packages of “Yves” “meatless” ground meat
4 cups of fresh spinach
1 yellow onion
1 lg. tomato
1 lg. portabella mushroom (optional)

“Ricotta Cheese” Ingredients:

1-2 packages “firm” (organic) tofu
NOTE: If you like lots of "cheese" then use 2 packages of tofu and DOUBLE all the ingredients below for the "ricotta cheese" mixture:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbl oregano (fresh, if possible)
2 tbl basil (fresh, if possible)
2 tbl parsley (fresh, if possible)
1-2 tsp “Himalayan salt” (add till it tastes good)
1-2 tsp pepper (I used “garlic & pepper spice mix) (add till it tastes good)

Additional ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil (to use in water and in lasagna tray)

Preparing “ricotta cheese” mixture:

Put tofu in food processor or blender and blend till very smooth
Remove and place in bowl
Add remainder of ingredients (remember to double the ingredients if you are using 2 packages of tofu instead of one) and whisk together, then set aside

Preparing “meatless” meat mixture:

Dice up onion, tomato and portabella mushroom
Warm up saute pan
Add olive oil (2-3 tbl)
Let olive oil heat up for about 30-45 seconds
Added diced up veggies and saute till soft and/or lightly browned
Add both packages of Yves “meatless ground", stir until nice and warm
Add one jar of pasta sauce and stir until nice and warm
Turn off heat and set aside

Preparing lasagna noodles and spinach:

-Bring 4-5 quarts of water to full boil in large pot
-Add 1-2 tbl of olive oil (this keeps noodles from sticking)
-Do not break noodles in half when placing in pot
-Place about 5 noodles in at a time (edge will stick out – gently push on middle of noodle and/or edge that is sticking out, with wooden spoon, until entire noodles are submerged under water)
-Repeat this process till you have put all noodles in the pot of boiling water
-Cook no more than 10 min. (check that noodles are almost fully cooked, but are still “al dente”)
-You do not want to fully cook the noodles since they will be baked thereafter, they should be soft but not too soft
-Do not leave noodles in water when they are done cooking, as the hot water will continue cooking them and making them softer. When they get to desired consistency, remove water, rinse noodles and set aside
-Separately: Chop up spinach and thoroughly rinse all dirt out of spinach leaves, then set aside (spinach should not be boiled or cooked prior to being placed in lasagna mix)

Assembling lasagna: (at this point, turn on oven to preheat at 450)

-I like to use a glass lasagna tray (stainless steal or disposable foil trays will work as well)
-Pour a couple tbl. of olive oil in bottom of tray and use brush to brush bottom and all sides on the inside of the tray with the olive oil (this will prevent the noodles from sticking to the tray)
-Open second jar of pasta sauce and brush a couple tbls. over olive oil on bottom of tray
-Gently start to take lasagna noodles apart, if possible, without ripping them so you have full length strips (if they do rip, just layer them)
-Place 3-4 noodles side by side (lengthwise) to cover the width of the tray
-Brush another a couple more tlbs. of olive oil on top of noodles
-Use 1/3 of “meatless” meat mixture and spread over sauce and noodles
-Place another layer of noodles on top of “meatless” meat mixture
-Put another layer of pasta sauce on top of noodles
-Take 1/2 of the “ricotta cheese” mixture and place on top of sauce and noodles
-Take 1/3 of chopped fresh spinach and put on top of “ricotta cheese mixture”
-Repeat the steps above one more time (noodles, sauce, meat, noodles, sauce, cheese, spinach, noodles, sauce)
-Top of lasagna should have generous amount of sauce (you can add a “vegan shredded mozzarella cheese” on top if you like (I didn’t really care for the one I tried, but everyone else loved it…. it tasted more “parmesan-y than mozzarella-y, but it did make a nice crispy top”

Baking lasagna:

Place lasagna tray in preheated (450 degree) oven and bake for 30-45 min. (make sure that layers are hot by cutting a little piece and trying it.... a nice semi-crusty top is a good sign it's ready, but always taste test to be sure)
Viola, dinner is served!!!!
Soooo yummy!

The key is to make sure that every layer of your lasagna has pasta sauce throughout it. I made a second batch and did not put that much sauce in the layers and it didn’t taste as good. Then I went back and added more sauce and it was perfect!
So, with the “meatless ground" and the tofu-based “ricotta cheese”, the flavors are really brought together with the pasta sauce, otherwise it becomes a little too dry!

Good luck, enjoy and tell me how it went! I believe it took me about 45 min. to put it all together and no more than 45 to let it bake!  I've now made it 3xs and every time I've shared (with "carnavores" no less), every last one of them has said they LOVED it and would "never guess that there WASN'T any meat in there.

Of course, if you don't like using "meat substitutes", you can play around with the recipe and add other veggies (like mushrooms zuccini, squash and/or eggplant if you're a fan of any of these) and OMIT the meat substitute.

Below are pictures I took when I prepared this for my family in LA over Thanskgiving wknd, 2011.  I did not have one LARGE glass dish, so instead I used 2 small ceramic ones (you can't tell from the pics, but they are not full sized dishes, more mid-sized), so that's why I ended up layering and making 2 lasagnas instead of one.

 

 

 

My next challenge is how to take a fabulous "vegeterian" recipe for "Baked acorn squash with bread pudding stuffing" and turn it into a fully "vegan recipe" (I got the butter and milk covered.... but not sure what to sub for the eggs.... suggestions??)