This post is dedicated to J-Dog, who harasses me about living green.

Elle*Bee started this meme-like post about some of our favorite beauty supplies. Along with beauty, I'm going to add some fave websites. If this post just bores you to tears, at least jump down to the Daryl Hannah part...oh how I love her, she's my new idol...seriously LOVE HER!

My friend Ashlee over at New Mama's Nest sent me this via email...I'm so addicted to it!
Skin Deep, News about the safety of popular healthy and Beauty brands. I so love this site! I think I've gone through and checked every beauty product I own! You just type in the name of the product and this site tells you the concern levels. 1-5 one being the lowest, five being the highest. I'm in the process of getting rid of anything that has a moderate or high concern. With the exception of makeup because frankly I just can't afford organic mineral makeup...wish I could, but I can't. So, with makeup I'm trying not to buy anything with a rating higher than 1.5. I was needing some new shampoo and conditioner. I was using Aussie which I love the smell of, but has a moderate rating. Which brings me to the next site...

Burt's Bee. Mmm mm good. I have the Raspberry and Brazil nut shampoo and conditioner. Love the conditioner, not too happy with the shampoo...but I have an order in for the Rosemary Mint Shampoo bar. Not real sure how you wash your hair with a bar, especially long hair..but am very interested in this to come in. You can't order from the site, but you can read about their products. CVS and Walgreen's carry a huge supply of Burt's Bee products, but I would suggest in stead of buying from a chain, that you find a locally owned store that carries them instead. I also have the Soothingly Sensitive Aloe and buttermilk lotion, which is great...kinda runny, but very moisturizing with a nice soft scent. I almost forgot, I also have their herbal deodorant...great scent! And their Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep cleansing cream, also a great scent, but don't get in near your eyes because it's strong. These are obviously more pricey than your average bar of dial...but so much better for you skin!

Kiss My Face Olive Soap bar is my other new favorite. These are huge bars! 8 ounces of soap! Kinda pricey at about $3- 4.50 a bar depending where you go, but so worth the money. I happen to buy 3 bars when I found them because they were on sale for $1.75! SCORE!! Just watch out they don't sit in water, because they'll just dissolve away. Buy a cute little soap dish and they last a long time!

Avalon Organics. I haven't tried and products from here, but am very interested. Their site is very welcoming, and their prices are comparable to Burt's Bee. I emailed them about maybe getting some free samples. I'm thinking maybe I can find some great shampoo here. Just about everything they have to offer is under 1 in the ewg reports above.


Farmer's Markets. Go to this site to find a certified organic farmer's market near you!! You just punch in your state and it gives you a list A-Z of all the organic markets! I can't wait til the Farmer's Market season starts. I'll be driving 45 minutes to it, but it will be so worth it! Fresh organic produce from local farmers!? No jet fuel being burned carrying my food for over 2,000 miles? I'm sold. I'll even get up at 8am to get there GASP!

Ok, back to my friend Ashlee...she has a new food blog. Tasty Vegan. She has some great looking recipes on there. Unfortunately I haven't been able to try any since I don't have access to some of the foods. Major bummer. Veganism is something I'm looking into. I've heard that it's so much healthier to limit meat, or skip it all together. You do need your essential fatty acids, Omega 3 and 6 which you can get in other forms. This is still stuff I have to research. Ashlee has a link to a Vegan site that I've been meaning to check out. If you're interested, it's on her sidebar.



Ok, now for my new hero!!! You HAVE to go here: Daryl Hannah's eco video blog. LOVE THE SHOES, LOVE THE PURSE, LOVE HER! (anyone know where I got that quote from? It's a movie.) Daryl is on her way to being a vegan, and is very environmentally conscience. She drives a pinto that runs on bio-diesel fuel. Bio-diesel is made from corn oil...Something that we have right here in the good ol US of A. No need to go to war over corn oil. She actually pours herself a glass of bio-diesel and drinks it right on the first video!! Then she removes her gas tank cover and licks it! SHE ROCKS THE HOUSE PEOPLE! She has video after video of how we can help the environment. Hemp. Did you know that with hemp you can make clothes and build houses?? Hemp can survive extreme weather from the Arctic to severe droughts. Bugs don't like it, and therefore no need for pesticides. Unfortunately the US government won't let farmers grow it. I've watched almost all of her videos, I a few left..I save them for at night after the kiddo's have gone to bed to avoid interruption.

Ok, I think this is the end. Anyone still here??? Hello?? Just me...well, I'm gonna go to Daryl's blog now, yeah we're on a first name basis.

Oh, I'm gonna try to mention J-dog in every post for about a week. He harasses me at church that I don't mention him enough. LOL.