Cleansers

• Check out your local co-op for cleansers in bulk. The Boise Natural Foods Coop carries the Nutribiotic Non Soap Skin Cleanser – 16 oz – Liquid . I really like it because it get all the make up off without drying my skin. I also like that it is the cheapest soap they carry ($0.26 per oz), so I use it in all our bathrooms for face, hand, and body soap. It’s nice to be able to have something so gentle for everyone.

Exfoliant/Masks

• I have already told you that 100% Pure Organic Lavender Seafoam Facial Cleanser (3.5 oz for $19) is my favorite gentle exfoliant/mask. I use it a few times a week as a cleanser and no more than once a week as a mask.
• But for a really cheap alternative, you can crush uncoated aspirin and mix it into a paste with your regular cleanser for extra exfoliation (aspirin has salicyclic acid in it). I would not recommend this more than once a week as it is very drying.

Moisturizers- Day and Night

• Again I like the 100% Pure Argan Oil Hydration Facial Moisturizer (2 oz. $26) for everyday.
• The cheapest and best scoring alternative I have found is Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer, SPF 15, Fragrance Free – 4 fl oz(~$25). It scores a 3 from Skin Deep cosmetic database.
• In the winters, especially when not wearing make up, I also use derma e Vitamin A Wrinkle Treatment Oil w/ Vitamin E, 2 oz ($9) under my moisturizer. Just a little goes a long way. I also use this alone at night.
• My favorite eye cream right now is 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream (1 oz. for $19).derma e Pycnogenol Eye Gel with Green Tea Extract, 0.5 oz  ($14) is a good alternative scoring a 1 on Skin Deep.
• I love to use Rose Water as a toner, especially after a shower. It just smells great! You can make your own (CILCK HERE for one recipe), but they always recommend organic roses. My own roses are not producing enough yet, so purchasing enough organic roses to make the rose water is more expensive than buying it. I like Heritage Flower Water Rose 8 Ounces($6) and it can be found at most health food stores.

Body Care

• Nutribiotic Non Soap Skin Cleanser – 16 oz – Liquid ($0.26 per oz) is good for face and body and one of the cheapest I have found. It’s also fragrance free and fine for my kiddos.
• 100% Pure Butter Bars are great (4.5 oz for $6). They are not too drying for a bar.
• I like using sugar or salt scrubs 1-2 times per week. (Sugar is gentler than salt). You can make your own my mixing oil (almond or olive) with sugar making a paste. Scrub and rinse, but don’t cleanse after. If you would rather buy one that smells wonderful, 100% Pure makes more delicious scents than I can name here (15 oz for $25). Hugo Naturals also make wonderful Body Scrubs in delightful scents (Hugo Naturals Body Polish, Brown Sugar and Kumquat, 9 Ounce for $13) and are sold at Whole Food and other health stores.
• Hugo Naturals’ Body Butters (4 oz. for $13) are lovely, but I usually use my free samples of Body Creams (8 oz. for $15) from 100% Pure.

And that remind me, there is only 3 days left to enter to win the 100% Pure Body Cream Giveaway. I  have 3 packages each with 10 samples of 100% Pure body creams, just use the widget below to enter. (If the widget is not showing CLICK HERE).

Do you have any Thrifty and Natural Beauty Tips you Would like to Share!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I asked Jennifer to share with us her opinions of the Earth Mama, Angel Baby Products:

1) What was your favorite product in the “A Little Something for Baby” kit?

I love the baby body wash.  It has a heavenly smell, is mild yet effective in getting everyone clean.  

2) What was your least favorite product?

I was pleased with all the products.  I have and will continue to use the body wash with my kids.  I will not use the lotion as it is priced a little high for me. The diaper rash cream seems to have a calming effect, but does not really serve to create a barrier like some other creams do so it may not work for every situation.  

3) Why do you like Earth Mama, Angel Baby Products?

I love that they are a small company with safe and identifiable ingredients.   I love the smell of all the products.   

4) What is your favorite product they make?

My favorite product they make has to be the nipple butter as I can not live without it.  I used it with Stella (2.5 years old) as well.  I am pumping a lot more with these guys and find it an essential part of the routine.  I also use this cream on my skin with I have a reaction to jewelry or when Stella has a bad patch eczema with good results.  

Thanks Jennifer for reviewing these products for me! And Earth Mama Angel Baby®  has generously donated another “A Little Something for Baby Kit” to one of our readers. Just use the Rafflecopter widget below for up to 7 chances to win! Entries will be taken until December 31, 2011. The winner will be announced the first week of January. These products are a great way to try Earth Mama, Angel Baby products or give as a gift!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have trouble with the Rafflecopter widget not showing up, please try refreshing the page. Thanks! and Good Luck!

My favorite Children’s Book writer is Tomie dePaola, and his Christmas books are a special treat. I began collecting them about 3 years ago and I just love them. And my favorite Tomie dePaola Christmas book is The Clown Of God. I still have this book from my childhood and I truly don’t remember a time when this book was not in my life. If you have never experienced Tomie DePaola’s work, I suggest you start with this book. There are many more we love (especially by Tomie de Paola and Jan Brett), but in this list I am sticking to one from each author and my favorites of the ones we have, not going through my Wish List.

So here are five of favorites from our collection:

Here are a few other great Christmas Book Lists:

• Treasured Christmas Books to Read with Little Ones
• 10 Best Children’s Christmas Picture Books
• 10 Best Christmas Books of All Time 

What is your family’s favorite Christmas or Holiday Books?

• Setting out the Christmas decorations, including this nativity made by Claire, Noni, and me two years ago at ArtBeast.
• Thinking about this DIY Dinning Table from Soule Mama.
• Loving the smell of the Body Scrubs from 100% Pure.
• Shamelessly promoting and dancing to POORBOY from my new cousin-in-law!
• Making and canning applesauce and chicken soup continually.
• Earning and Redeeming points at Recyclebank’s Green Your Season.
• Dying to make thisLemony Olive Oil Bread from 101Cokbooks.
• Having fun with my new cookbook, The Wild Table, can you say rosehips-ginger syrup? Yum!
• Wait for my order from the Natural Candy Store.
• Sipping Coconut Milk Nog from So Delicious.
• Enjoyed reading Phantom Tollbooth with Ross, quote:

“So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”

First, I would like to congratulate Megan Ballard, Kara, Vanderleest, Barbara Daniels, Sara Brentrup, and WinterGreenMom! You are the winners of the Chamomile giveaway! I will be contacting you each personally to send you your Chamomile. Thanks to everyone who participated. And I hope you enjoy your chamomile flowers.

Cyber Monday

It’s not too late to take advantage of the Cyber Monday deals, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites:

•  Pure Citizen has some great stocking stuffers and Free Shipping all day today PromoCode: CYBERMONDAY. This is a great website that you can trust to be non-toxic and fair trade. They also give a portion of proceeds to charities. Some of my favorite stocking stuffers are Non-Toxic Nail Polish by Priti Mini Flowers ($5.50), Non-Toxc Paints by Glog ($10-17), and Lip Treats in great flavors by Crazy Rumors (4 for $9.45).
• 100% Pure : This is my favorite line on non-toxic and natural cosmetics and body care. I am hoping to do a giveaway soon, but until then, they are having a great deal today. Purchase one Body Scrub Gift Set (3 – 6 oz. body scrubs) for $35 and get a second FREE. That’s less than $6 per scrub. I love these scrubs, they are the only thing that keeps my skin healthy in this cold, dry Idaho winter. Also, there is FREE Shipping today and use the PromoCode: FBFANS for an additional 10% off!
• Earth Mama Angel Baby® are the products I recommend most for new mothers and especially new babies. The first year is such a crucial time for avoiding (or developing) allergies that may last a life time. These products are natural, non-toxic, and safe for the whole family. Here is a Cyber Monday PromoCode: SaveGreen for 30% off today’s purchase!
• PlumDistrict has some great deals now, including an additional 40% off for shopping from your mobile device! PromoCode: mobile40. They have a $25 off $40 purchase at EcoMom; $15 for $30 of Kidorable merchandise; and LOTS, LOTS, MORE.
• Recyclebank is also having Cyber Monday Deals. I just purchased a 50% off Vista Prints order plus Free Shipping for 80 points! That means I can get recycled, oversized, holiday postcards at 100 for $25! Some other great deals include: $10 off a $50 purchase at Macy’s (in store, 40 pts); $10 off $30 purchase at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (in store, 10 pts) MokuGift (plant a tree project) BOGO ($1 each tree) for 60 pts, and $15 of $55 at EcoMoms.com for 80 pts. Points are really easy to earn especially with the Green Your Season program currently running. Check it our and start earning rewards for things you already do!
• SwagBucks is a search engine where you earn point for searching through them. I earn about 50 pts/week on average. Right now you can redeem 499 pts for a $15 EcoMom gift card and combine that with the Recyclebank promotion of $15 off $55 and that’s $30 off a $55 purchase or a savings of 54%. They also have music, TV shows, PlayStation and Xbox games all under 600 points. I am thinking of getting Ross the Clone Wars Season 1 or 2 (299 pts each).

• Mama Source by Mamapedia has a deal through the end of the week for 60% Holiday cards by Paper Culture. They are made with recycled paper and eco friendly inks. I thinks from a green and design perspective, these are by far my favorite, but also expensive. After the Mama Source deal they come to about $1 each card for 50 or more cards.
• Plum District has 50% off Holiday cards from Photosdirect.com through tomorrow. Look for it in the Everywhere Deals. Photosdirect.com has hundreds of designs to choose from.  The cards range from $0.55 – $2.55 per card, but with the Plum District Deal you could get 100 cards for as little as $11 (does not include tax and shipping) that’s $0.11 each.
• Tiny Prints is giving 20% off until the end of the day today. They have many, many unique designs and also offer a recycled option and have reasonable prices. Their prices range from $0.69-$2.00 each card (not including tax and shipping).

• The average American throws away 1,600 pounds of trash each year. That’s 4.4 pounds every day!
• Americans make enough plastic every year to shrink-wrap Texas.
• 600 plastic bags are thrown away every second in California.
• Each year, more than 1 million sea birds and 100 thousand marine mammals die from plastic materials like bags from the grocery store.
• Composting is nature’s way of recycling leftover food into nutritious soil that saves space in landfills and helps prevent global warming.
• It takes 18 years for one corn cob to decompose in a landfill, but only a couple of months in a compost pile!  When food is composted, it breaks down much faster and recycles itself into new life instead of sitting trapped in the landfill for many, many years.

1. GoodGuide: The Good Guide is an organization that is dedicated to increasing consumer awareness and conscientious purchasing. In their own words, their “mission is to help consumers make purchasing decisions that reflect their preferences and values.”  They have a great database of products of everything from Personal Care to Cars, and you can set your personal preferences as to what is important to you (nutrition, organics, controversial ingredients, fragrance free, animal welfare, energy efficiency, recycled materials, climate change, pollution, resource conservation, fair trade, labor and human rights). Then when you search a product, they will show your personal rating and their ratings as well. You can become a member and follow other members, such as viewing their reviews of products (CLICK HERE to follow me on Good Guide). Another great tool that they offer is the Transparency Toolbar. This is a toolbar that will show up when you are using Amazon that will show you the Good Guide and your Personal Ratings for the product on the page. They are in the process of expanding this toolbar to more websites and retailers. But one of my favorite tools is the Good Guide App. You can access the information in their database or scan (really cool!) the products bar code to get instant information. It’s actually a lot of fun!

2. Environmental Working Group, Dirty Dozen and Sunscreen Guide: The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an endless wealth of information on toxins and the environment. If I am looking for information on a substance, they are always my first stop. As I have stated many, many times before, I use the EWG’s Shopping Guide to Pesticides in Produce (AKA the Dirty Dozen) as a guide to buying produce. This is considered the gold standard in pesticide information in the organic community. They also have a free App which has the Dirty Dozen (higher pesticide residues and should be avoided), the Clean Fifteen (the least residues and can be purchased conventionally), and even their full list. I find the App very helpful when I am out and can’t remember all the Clean Fifteen. Note: sweet corn is on the Clean Fifteen list, but if you are avoiding GMOs, then you should by it organic.

The EWG also maintains a web-based database of cosmetics and rates them according to their ingredients, called Skin Deep. A high score means that the group considers the ingredients harmful. A low score mean they are considered safe. You can go to the Skin Deep website to look up most products or ingredients. I would just caution you to use your own judgement as well as theirs. I find some of the “harmful” ingredients they list are OK to me. But their most thorough testing and evaluations are done on sunscreens. This list I don’t worry about, I just look for a sunscreen with a score of less than 3 and call it good! This list is also available in an App that is handy when you are shopping and wondering if that sunscreen on sale is really worth it. For example, I find a lot of these new mineral based sunscreens get good scores, but cost a lot of money, and leave a white film that is even hard to get off with soap. My favorite sunscreen right now is Supergoop! SPF 30+ All-Over Everyday UV Pump. It feels good going on, has a SPF 30, very water resistant, has no fragrance, and scores a 3.

3. Seafood Watch: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch puts out an annual sustainable seafood and sushi guides. It lists the different fish and rates them as Best Choice, Good Alternative, and Avoid. You can print out a wallet size guide for each or download the  App. I find this most helpful when trying to make a decision at restaurants.

4.  ShopNoGMO and nonGMO Project: I included both of these because they serve a little different purpose for me. I find that the Non-GMO Shopping Guide has the most straight forward information on GMO in general. They offer a downloadable Shopping Guide and their ShopNo GMO App is very helpful with 4 Simple Tips, Shopping Guide, Information About GMOs, and you can create your own favorites list with brands you frequently purchase. They are also certified by the Non-GMO Project. The Non-GMO Project is a group that collect pledges from Manufacturers (Brand Names) and Retailers that pledge to be GMO free and submit themselves to testing. Their website may be the most extensive information on GMO-free products out there. I find the nonGMO Project App useful when I am just looking for a specific brand or if traveling and you want to find a grocery store that you can rely on.

5. Leaping Bunny Program Cruelty Free: The Leaping Bunny Program is a coalition that  is dedicated to cruelty free cosmetics, personal care items, and household products. This is the most extensive list I have found. I have to admit this is one of my lesser used Apps, mostly because the “natural” products I buy I know are vegan and cruelty free. Many products nowadays mark this on their label, but not all. They also have a helpful downloadable shopping guides if you can not get the App.

So, here are a lot of helpful Apps, Guides, and Websites for your shopping pleasure. A little overwhelmed? Don’t worry, we all are. Just start one App, Guide, or Issue at a time. When that becomes second nature add a new one. Also, almost  all of these organizations have Facebook pages if you want to keep up with the latest information.

Wishing you Appy Shopping!