A Few of My Favorite Things - Skin Care

Disclaimer: I am not paid to review these products. I buy them with my own money and have chosen to review them myself. If you'd like me to review your products, then please contact me!

Since my family has joined the green living, get the processed junk out of our homes, being more aware of what we're consuming revolution, I've switched my skin care products from effective, less expensive, but has junk in it, to effective, a little more pricey, but worth every penny not to have the junk in it.

Here are a few of my new favorite skin care products! 

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes 

L-O-V-E these! See, I'm really lazy when it comes to washing my face at night. After I brush my teeth, I just want to fall into bed because I'm so exhausted. I've been searching for a great wipe that works well and doesn't have parabens, petrolatum, and all that other funk in it. These are fantastic! They smell good, they work, and they are all natural. Another plus is they don't break the bank.





Burt's Bees Radiance Day Lotion

This stuff is awesome! I'd been using Oil of Olay since I was 15 and it worked well, but it has the junk in it. So I tried BB's a few months ago and have been so happy about it. It doesn't break out my face, I can tell it has SPF in it when I miss a spot on my neck, and it's at a great price point. I heart Burt's Bees!






Enfuselle Hydrating Moisture

Of course, you know there had to be a Shaklee product in there :) My sister in-law is actually the one that got me on this moisturizer. It's wonderful, smooth, doesn't clog pores, etc. It's perfect for all seasons and for all skin types. I'm anxious to try the entire line of our Enfuselle products!


So you might be wondering where I'm getting all this information about the 'junk' and 'funk' in various products. Trust me, I'm not just pulling things out of the air. There's a ton of research out there about what we are actually putting on our skin. The site I refer to a lot for information is EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. 
 
Skin Deep contains information and online safety assessments for:
75,125 products | 2,966 brands | 260,676,188 searches since 2004


It's helpful and a little overwhelming at the same time. There's a lot of information on the site. Check it out if you ever want to know what's in your cosmetics!

I hope you found this helpful! Tell me, what are you favorite skin care products?

What is in My Fabric Softener??

(Disclaimer: I am not an expert on any topic other than my children, and most days that questionable. These green living/healthy living posts are based on my own research because of my own concern about the health of my family. I’m passing it on to you, the people I love, just as an FYI. I’m in no way trying to be an alarmist or convert you to my way of thinking)

A few months ago I did some research on the safety of fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Lots of people use them to make their clothes smell nice and feel soft. I always used name brand dryer sheets on our towels, but had recently started wondering what in the heck is in them, especially after one ‘incident’ with them.

I’d put a towel in the bathtub to lay Beck on while giving him a bath to keep him from slipping all over the tub. As water was filling the tub, I noticed the water was getting cloudy and I could smell the dryer sheet scent. Um, GROSS. I knew fabric softeners left chemicals in clothes, but I seriously had no idea that they left that much.

Which led me to start my investigation. And here’s what I found...

This is a list of commonly used chemicals in fabric softeners and dryer sheets that can pose health risks:

• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• Limonene: Known carcinogen
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
• Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
• Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
• Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled
• Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer

Yuck and kinda scary if you ask me.  I mean these chemicals are really needed to make our clothes smell good? No thanks.

Here’s more information, and this is stuff I already knew:

Fabric softeners and dryer sheets coat your clothes and towels with a wax that no amount of washing will get out. I’ve noticed one name brand in particular where you can really feel the wax on your clothes. It’s always grossed me out. Once these chemicals are on your clothes, you absorb them through your skin and inhale the chemicals throughout the day.

There are alternatives to reducing the level of toxins you ingest…

• Stop using these types of fabric softeners and dryer sheets; especially the ones that DON’T tell you what’s in them.
• If you’re so inclined, hang your clothes outside to dry. (I know some of my family members are totally rolling their eyes right now!)
• If you really need a fabric softener, use an all natural one (I know of a great one!) or use a non-toxic dryer ball that can last up to 2 years of use!

Quick Takes Friday

--- 1 ---

We've been living in a hotel for 11 days because our AC caught on fire after a lighting strike. Hotel living with 2 littles is for the birds. I'm over it and ready to go home!

--- 2 ---

We are pleasantly surprised at how easy our insurance company has made it to get a new AC system. They've been so helpfu and agreed to our submitted bid of a new system. We're getting the wish list of all new AC systems. Did I just write that? What am I, a suburban-mommy-of-two-who's-finally-submitted-to-her-calling? Oh yeah, that's me! And it's the little things like new AC systems that make me giddy!

--- 3 ---

I miss church. I miss it so bad. When will we get back into our routine and start going again?

--- 4 ---

I joined the Twitter world a few days ago. I'm so confused and I consider myself a pretty technical savvy gal. Any helpers out there?

--- 5 ---

Preschool starts for my oldest in a few weeks. I think we're both ready. We both thrive on structure, but this mommy never did get it together this summer with activities, playdates, etc. Mommy fail.

--- 6 ---

We are going minivan shopping this weekend. We've thrown up the white flag and surrender. We need one. We need the convenience of a swagger wagon. ASAP.

--- 7 ---

I literally just got word that we can move home on Sunday. Yippee!! Hallelujah! And with that...I'm off to celebrate!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Hiatus

If you follow my other blog, you'll know about all the excitement we had last week! That said, I'll be taking a brief hiatus of posting about our healthy, happy life. We are living in a hotel, and while it's very nice, it's not home. So blogging is just not gonna happen for now. I'm hoping by next week our lives will get back to what we consider normal and I can start posting regularly again!

Be well, stay well!
Jessica :)

Just Because...

August 12th is a big day in our family!

Business Among Moms!

So I'm super excited to let you know that I'm the local coordinator for the Business Among Moms group here in the Ft. Worth area! Yay!

What is this? Check them out here: Business Among Moms and then you can check out the local groups page.

If you or any other mom you know is interested in joining a wonderful group of like-minded business owners to collaborate, share ideas, and network, then this is the place for you!

Join by clicking here!