In the Bathroom: Less is More. Don’t buy into advertising claims about the thousands of body care and bathroom products you hear about. Although  organic body care can enhance the health and appearance of skin and hair, what you put INTO your body will have a larger effect than what you put ON it. (Think EFA’s, other healthy fats, whole foods and hydration.)

So, keep it simple. When it comes to products for face and body, Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care is the cream of the crop in quality and on every other level. Their handcrafted products are made with shea butter and other natural ingredients indigenous to Africa. The founder, born in poverty-stricken Togo and now residing in Washington state, has dedicated his life’s work to supporting African and American communities by promoting fairly traded natural resources that are “culturally, spiritually, economically and ecologically sustainable.” Check out the full Alaffia story here.

Preserve toothbrushes and razors are made from recycled materials and you can send them back to the company (postage paid) to be recycled again. There are plenty of chemical-free toothpastes out there, but if you are tired of throwing out non-recyclable tubes, you can make your own.

Expensive bath salts? Forget it! Baths are so yesterday - just like our water supply. But, if you really need to use a tub full of tap water for a soak, invite a friend and use whole sea salt. The purest salt we know is from our friends at Himala Salts or try reasonably-priced Burt’s Bees Therapeutic Bath Crystals, instead of overrated luxury salts.

I’m keeping my ancient bath towels and wash cloths around until they fall apart, but when (IF) they ever wear out, I’ll go to Rawganique for luxurious organic cotton or hemp replacements.

Recycled TP may not be “squeezeably soft” but, hell, it’s toilet paper. I’d rather keep chemicals, bleach and artificial scents away from those vulnerable places and save some trees while I’m at it.

Conventional shower curtains are full of PVCs and other chemicals. Hemp has natural anti-bacterial properties; these and other alternatives have been around for awhile - see this past post.

For scrubbing the toilet and shower, I like the same natural products I use in the kitchen. Bon Ami for basic scouring or Mrs. Meyers for added cleaning power and scent from natural essential oils.

For Girls Only: You haven’t yet discovered The Diva Cup or The Keeper? Go here now!

Done so soon? That’s the surprising truth. We really don’t need all those bathroom products you see advertised. Get back to basics, save some bucks and stay healthy.

Tags: community, culture, health, home

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 7th, 2007 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Green Misc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.