Kittens, I've been waiting for this: 20% off at Beauty.com! (Click below) Yay! Stock up on your awesomely natural Arcona products. I'm currently dying over Lavanilla's Lavender scent, too. Don't forget your sunscreen, Jackie-O sunglasses and hats: the summer essentials, even on cloudy days! XO Kitty

Clinical Aromatherapy

Hello, Kittens! When I first started blogging, I became an instant fan of Liz on the Fragrant Muse. She has taught me so much about essential oils, which are now a staple of my laundry room, first aid kit, yoga practice, and stay-sane regime. Essential oils are the only permissible perfume in my world, and I even like to re-broadcast what Liz has taught me. Please click here to read my recent Examiner post featuring The Fragrant Muse, who is by far, one of the smartest cats I know. Peace & Love, Kitty.

Biodegradable Sunscreen and Self-Tanner

Lavera makes the most effective, best smelling, healthiest self-tanning products I have ever used. I love, love, love them and have used them for years. Did you know Lavera's sunscreens are biodegradable? Perfect for your family, especially if you spend the summer at the lake: you'll protect the environment and your skin! Many eco-tourism parks require biodegradable sunscreens for scuba divers and snorklers. Problem solved, kittens. Gotta go slather up!

The Safe Green Sunscreen All Other Sunscreens Wish They Were

    

     After extensive objective research (your Kitty is never asked by a brand to test their products, nor does she accept swag for reviews), I have no compunction whatsoever in saying Arcona may well be heaven's gift to lovers of green and natural cosmetics. I have found the sunscreen of sunscreens, Reozone 40 (click image above for ordering info. I can't find it anywhere but Beauty.com) Here is why it's the cat's meow:

•  It's made in the USA, which cuts down on expensive and unsustainable shipping from a far. Plus, I try to buy American whenever I can, 'cause that's how I roll.
• Reozone 40 blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Both are dangerous.
• The packaging is sleek and looks cool on my vanity (I prefer things left out to match their surroundings and my laboratory of a master bath sports brushed nickel hardware. I know, weird. This is an issue with tissue boxes, soap, and candles as well. One day I'll tell you about my towel-folding protocol in the linen closet).
• The formula contains a little color, so it doubles as a foundation of sorts. It will do in a pinch when I don't have time to use mineral powders on top to hide my freckles.
• I have yet to get that creepy stinging feeling some facial sunscreens impart. No carbuncles or clogged pores, either.
• It smells like nothing. I love that.
• The texture/viscosity is incredible, almost like mousse.
• Is purported by the brand to "Help guard against future sun damage and neutralize free radicals with antioxidant sodium selenite."
•  I hate petrochems, hate sulphates, hate sheisty perfumes, and double hate parabens. The former are terribly unsustainable and the latter two give me headaches and disrupt my already whackado endocrine system. Here is why I love Arcona: "ARCONA products do not contain petrochemicals, binders or fillers, chemical stabilizers, parabens, sodium lauryl sulphates, perfumes, dyes, or any other caustic, toxic ingredients." [per Arcona's website]. 

     Although Reozone 40 will set you back about $28, I feel it is worth the investment. The tube is generous, and the formula is thick enough to use just a little at a time. Sunscreen is definitely the place to spend as much as necessary for the perfect product, and this is it kittens. Enjoy and practice safe sunning! Love, Kitty

BPA and the EPA

     Two things today, kittens. First and foremost, BPA. Bisphenol-A, or BPA is now being taken seriously by the Environmental Protection Agency. BPA is the nasty chemical in plastic that leaches into our food and beverages. How you ask? Canned goods and bevs are lined with a think plastic layer to keep the product from oxidizing. Microwaveable dinners come in plastic containers; baby bottles and sippies are often made of plastic, notably polycarbonate (#7). Heat these things in any way, including leaving water bottles in the sun and you will be ingesting BPA. Gross. This insidious chemical is also in some cosmetics. Read my full post in my column on Examiner.com; please do subscribe! I list some options for getting this toxin out of your life!
     Second, a blogging tip from me to you: ever find yourself cutting and pasting some mobius strip of code? You can easily shorten long URLs by going to bit.ly. No www is necessary. Copy your link into the magic box and you'll get a bit that looks like this: http://bit.ly/chLoja. Presto! No more ridonculously long web addresses!
     Don't forget your sunscreen, kittens. As promised, I will be posting a piece on green and natural sun options. I am still hard at work testing some products for you. Love, Kitty

Groupons and Natural Beauty

Hey Kittens,
     It's been forever long and the organic products are stacking up in my powder room begging to be reviewed. Your Kitty has been writing her paws off about yoga for her "real" job, and though I think of you between cat naps, I have been working. I feel like Vicki on Real Housewives of Orange County, sitting here in a trapeze top bedazzled all to hell squawking, "I'm working. I'm working. I work...." ad infinitum... just kidding. I wouldn't be caught dead in a trapeze top!
     So just a fast missive today. Have you heard of Groupons? Groupon is a service (which I hope serves your area; if they do Indianapolis, I'm sure anyone can get it) which emails a sweet deal every day. Today, I scored a $35 mani-pedi at a local spa called Eden's Pathway. Get this: it's all natural. Herbal formuals, essential oils, bodywork and the whole shebang. If not for Groupon, I would never have found this place! I can't wait to get there! I'll tell you all about it once I get my services.
     I had to quit going to my usual mani-pedi joint because I picked up a few of the products they were using and the labels scared the crap out of me: Paraben City! I suppose I could take my own toulene and formaldehyde-free polishes, Dr. Hauschka lotions, Korres salt scrubs, and sweet almond oil, but it's just easier to have cheese-grater feet than schlep all my potions with me to the shop.
     Meantime, enjoy spring wherever you are. I am currently testing sunscreen, perfume and body wash for you. Lots of Love, Kitty

Letting the Sunshine Into Frozen Indiana

In the words of Borat, "Wowie Wow Wow Wow!" Thanks so much to Mandy at Yoga Addicted, my yoga sista in Charleston, SC for bringing the sunshine in all the time, and especially today! herewith, the 12 blogs that bring the sun into my life by educating me, supporting me, inspiring me and/or making me laugh daily (in no particular order, just off the top of my head):


1. Dumbwit Tellher: very creative in-depth features. I heart Deb!
2. Chinoiserie Chic: more taste in her little finger than most muster up all our lives.
3. La Dolfina: California dreamin' in the most delightful visual ways.
4. My Favorite and My Best: funniest blogger in the 'sphere. A consummate cusser to boot.
5. Odi Et Amo: brilliant and eloquent musings from Averill. Is there nothing she can't do?!?
6. The Fragrant Muse: aromatherapy and authentic living. Love it.
7. Citizen Green: ridding the planet of plastic one cheap piece of crap at a time.
8. Sanity Fair: just fabulous. Would that I were her for a day!
9. Ms Arscott: always interesting introspective posts.
10. It's All Jenni: all yoga all the time. Sutras, get your sutras here!
11. Art's the Answer: highly educational and inspiring!
12. Liberty Post: prolific and provocative prose from one whose finger is on the pulse of culture.


In the last year, these kittens, along with Mandy have enriched my experience immensely. I salute them with two paws up! Hopefully they will find the time to pass this along to their favorite 12, and so on and so on! Peace and Love, Your Kitty.

Cosmetic Chemicals Linked to Birth Defects

     Hello Kittens! In my endeavor to practice "extreme self care" in the new year, I'm afraid I have gotten behind on my blogging. Assuredly, however, you can count on your Kitty to keep testing and evaluating green and natural products on Organic Orgy and Zen of Homekeeping (just click my profile to access the blogs). I subscribe to Rodale news, which provides a lot of insight into healthy living and sustainable lifestyle practices. This morning I was shocked to find the latest research on toxins in cosmetics that are definitively linked to birth defects as well as lowered cognition in children.
     Today, the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives released a study which ties fragrance (for the body and home) and plastic-softening chemicals (phthalates) to behavioral problems and lower test scores in children exposed to the chemicals before birth. According to the Rodale article, 


"To figure out phthalate exposure, Mount Sinai researchers tested the urine of 188 expectant mothers during their third trimester of pregnancy for the presence of 10 specific phthalate metabolites. Then, mothers were interviewed one to three times while their children were 4 to 9 years old, answering standard questionnaires to assess their children's behavior and cognitive functioning. The researchers found that prenatal exposure to a group of phthalates commonly found in personal-care products like makeup, hairspray, perfume, body sprays, scented shampoos, soaps, and lotions was significantly associated with poorer scores for problems with aggression, conduct, and emotional control. Associations did not appear to differ between boys and girls overall, and the associations were stronger as with higher levels of exposure."


     Nasty phthalates are found in air fresheners, plastic products (like bottles and sippy cups), perfumes, and cosmetics. While I was pregnant about 11 years ago, I had to give up perfumes because smells made me nauseous but I certainly was ignorant about things that leach out of plastics (like frozen entrees in the microwave) and candles. The thing about fragrances is their formulas are considered proprietary so manufacturers don't have to tell us what's really in them. Unless your fragrant products are made from essential oils (natural perfumers like Pacifica and Lavanilla are more than happy to let you know), the perfume can contain all sorts of nasty chems like formaldehyde and phthalates. Gross! Check the labels on your home cleaning supplies, detergents, candles and so forth, kittens! 


    

Worst of the Best

     My drawers, shelves and cabinets overflow with cosmetic products, all green and natural brands at this point save for a few Dior eyeshadows. By my account, I've spent about $800 in the last year trying stuff in the name of ecology and health. I've found winners, scads of them really, but there are some definite downers out there. To kick off 2010, allow me to list a few of the worst of the best: things I tried from brands I trust, only to find they are indeed sheisty products for one reason or another (price, formulation, efficacy or lack thereof, and/or bad packaging). In no particular order, here are the things I won't ever buy again - even though I love the brand.

1.  Dr. Hauschka Facial Steam Bath: Unless you're running a spa out of your kitchen, this stuff is too much hassle to mess with. I don't use it enough for it to be gone by its expiration, and that's a problem with preservative-free cosmetics. If I really need a steam bath for my face, I'll just use essential oil over a boiled pot. If you are indeed a kitchentician or you run an actual spa facility, well then, go ahead.
2.  Korres Milk Cleansing 3-In-One Cleanser: I tried so hard to like this product, because Korres usually makes me happy, I love multitasking products, and it's extremely convenient to pick up when I'm out and about. Then my Auntie came for a visit, borrowed it, and pronounced it to be "slick as shit." Well, you can read her guest review here. Needless to say, I just don't care for its slickery feel either. 
3.  Jane Iredale Eye Gloss: Only use this if you like sticky eyelids that appear to be covered in fish scales. I love the idea of this product, but the formula is wrong. And it stings, too.
4. John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Clarifier & Color Sealer. Smells douchy. Actually douchy. It's nothing more than diluted cider vinegar with a few indiscernible essential oils thrown in. If you want to seal your color, use the vinegar from your pantry. Besides, diluting this from its pour-top container then applying it by dumping it over my head with a cup makes me feel like a puppy. And it's a pain in the ass. I don't care for the smell (had I mentioned that?!?) enough to do this except upon rare occasion. If I were to use it every few days (because cider vinegar rinses do indeed clarify the hair wonderfully), I would mix my kitchen vinegar with water (and maybe a little essential oil) and apply it liberally with a spray bottle before showering. Prepare to smell like the Bio lab. The John Masters Organics brand as a whole is marvelous, and I use just about everything else they make. But I won't make this $17 mistake again!
5. Aura Cacia Shower Tablets: The idea is to put one of these eucalyptus or lavender tabs on the floor of the shower so you can reap the benefits of aromatherapy via steam. Totally ineffective. A cottonball soaked in essential oil would do better; these things totally dissolve within about a minute, and I couldn't smell anything but that nasty cider rinse I mentioned earlier. Instead, put a little of the oil (use only pure essential oils, please, otherwise the therapeutic benefit is nullified) into the reservoir of your vaporizer. Your lungs will thank you, and you'll hack much less. I swear this treatment helped my son overcome pneumonia last fall.
6.  Lavera hair styling products. Great idea, totally ineffective in keeping my 'do did.
7.  Caudalie Contour Creme Eyes & Lips was the former name of this $50 budget-buster. I thought I was being a recessionista by combining anti-aging for two parts of my face. A big fat Meh. They've repackaged this and renamed it as Pulpe Vitaminee Eye & Lip or something stupid like that. Either way, I'm not buying it again, but I still like Caudalie.

Antimony: Friend or Foe?

Hello Kittens,

     Save the mention of ancient kohl eyeliner ingredients, this post isn't really about sustainable cosmetics. It's about antimony and safe toys, but I figure if you give a crap about what's in your makeup, you probably won't mind hearing about what your kids and pets could get their paws and mouths into as the holidays roll on and the new toys abound. More of such coverage is on Zen of Homekeeping, where this post originally appeared. XO Your Kitty.

     We've had real guinea pigs and hamsters. The idea of which, always proved to be more fun than the real thing. The former fling pissy hay and poo ("Don't eat the brown tic tacs," my son would say when we would find said poop far from the cage). The latter scatter, only to be found dead and shriveled in a duct somewhere. If this is not your hamster's fate and he or she lives to the ripe age of 18 months or so, you can expect a lifetime of wild goose chases through the house looking for them and wondering how they broke out of the plastic ball. I'm not really a rodent person.

     I am, however, a robot person, and the idea of a sweet little animatronic Mr. Squiggles who won't die or get lost of fling poo is suddenly somewhat appealing. I got all excited for nothing when I learned sometime around Thanksgiving what these were. By the time I got on board, the little bastards had sold out like Furbies or Cabbage Patch Kids. Then my mom got her hands on a couple of them, and now the news that they may not be safe! Here is my report:

     I woke Monday morning to the first snow in Indiana, and the report that Zhu Zhu pets may be unsafe due to high antimony content. Merideth Viera announced the news on Today, which basically amounted to the product’s manufacturer insisting the toys couldn’t even be imported into the US if the levels weren’t safe (oh, because that’s always carefully monitored and enforced – hello lead toys!). Then we heard about the throngs of shoppers clambering for these furry little f-ers, selling them for up to three times the retail price on Ebay.

     I happen to be expecting two of these toys any day now; my mother tracked them down in Florida. Your Kitty, half-mad with OCD over toxic chemicals to begin with, began fur-reaking out. What is antimony, why is it used, and are these hamster robots going to drive Spot bonkers and then kill him when he stalks and eats them?

     All the Today show reported was that antimony is used in flame retardants. Well, that’s all I heard anyway, before I dashed off to my trusty iKitty to begin a whole science project.

 Indeed, antimony is used in flame retardants, and it’s actually a naturally occurring mineral that has numerous purposes. In fact, it has been used since pre-Islamic cultures as a cosmetic! It can be mixed with fat to make kohl eye makeup.

Wikipedia cites “The most important use of antimony is as a hardener in lead for storage batteries.” It’s also used to treat protozoal infections (eeew) and to harden ceramic enamels and glass. It’s the sort of thing one would expect to find in electronics such as robotic vermin.

Initially, I decided the boys around here are all old enough not to put a toy hamster in their mouths, so it’s probably OK. But my obsessive thoughts wouldn’t leave it alone, and I worried about my pups (who attacked both the Roomba and Scooba floor robots, and now I'm back to manual labor). What if the dudes and dogs handle these things…will antimony rub off like lead paint chips and hurt them? I dug deeper.

Rather than paraphrase the rather disturbing effects of high doses of antimony, I’ll take the liberty of posting Wikipedia’s paragraph labeled, “Precautions:” (*I edited this a little for space and boringness relevance, but you’ll get the gist)

“See also: Arsenic poisoning

Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic. Clinically, antimony poisoning is very similar to arsenic poisoning. In small doses, antimony causes headache, dizziness, and depression. Larger doses cause violent and frequent vomiting, and will lead to death in a few days…Antimony leaches from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into bottled water, but at levels below drinking water guidelines…”

     Aw snap! One more horrible toxin to avoid. See, the thing is, maybe the amount of antimony contained in a Zhu Zhu pet is minimal and thus considered “safe” by toy industry standards. But what about the antimony that lurks in a Wii Remote, or an MP3 player, or batteries, or cell phones? What is the cumulative effect of all this exposure?

     And most importantly, what is the effect of chronic antimony exposure to a developing, pediatric brain? Over time, how can we expect children of the Digital Age to develop given the deluge of electronics in our ever-evolving culture?

     

So, that’s what I worried about today for about 3 hours. How did your morning go?!?

Suki Organic Eye Repair Balm: 2 Paws Up!

I wasn't familiar with Suki until my last foray at Beautorium. Though I've tried combo products before to "repair" my 37 year old eyes and lips, I have been less than enthused with Caudalie the results. This balm is the bomb! I don't know how I've lived so long with out this uber green skin care product! Made with carrot extracts and rose hips, it's really doing the job. I will say it smells a little medicinal, but you can rest assured there are no added fragrant dangers (such as pthalates). I get mine at Beautorium, because frankly I just like patronizing a truly sustainable store. I do recommend using a swab to remove it from its simple jar packaging. Because there are no preservatives like parabens to poison you, the bacteria from your fingertip could easily fester in your product. Eeeew.
Happy Thanksgiving to all, have a safe and peaceful holiday. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me here on Organic Orgy!

All the Sustainable Shower Products I Currently Use

     As requested by one loyal kitten: my current tried and true excellent sustainable shower products, well loved and still wet from the last go-round a few minutes ago! Old favorites like John Masters Organics, of course. You've heard about them in previous posts. Forthwith, some new great things I have to share since uncrating my ginormous Beautorium order last week.
1. Red Flower's Nature-Lymphatic Phytopower Sea Cleanser & Masque (see photo below). They had me at "made with windpower." This very healthy, very effective cleanser can also dry into a masque. It's great, it's green and I love it!
2. Nature's Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Body Wash. I get this at drugstore.com, but I'm sure you can find it in a variety of places. Nature's Gate is a relatively common health brand. I've had it for months; the bottle is huge, and the price is sustainable, too!
3. Korres Lemon and Sage Body Scrub. Divine. A new favorite from Beautorium.
4. EO Lavender Bubble Bath. Also from drugstore.com.  I trust my skin to nothing less than pure essential oils and vegetable cleansers. It smells like a million bucks, and is effectively aromatherapeutic. If you want to learn more about that business, head over to The Fragrant Muse. She has gotten me into a serious study of essential oils and their healing properties. I'm a changed kitten since I began incorporating REAL natural fragrances into my health and beauty routines!

Red Flower is "Biodynamic and free of dyes, parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals and synthetic preservatives. usda, wildcrafted, sustainably sourced and biodegradable,100% wind powered post consumer recycled (and recyclable) packaging where possible using vegetable inks, certified organic fruit, nut and flower oils." (Beautorium.com)