Personal Care Products

So I am reading The Big Green Purse by Diane MacEachern and decided to blog about each chapter and share my local, good to the earth resources with you. Chapter 3 is about beauty and personal care products. So what do I use you ask? Here's my list:

hair -- I mostly wash with water and occasional baking soda (instead of shampoo) and organic apple cider vinegar (as scalp conditioner).

face -- I mostly wash with water, weekly gently scrub with my bath scrubbie, daily use of moisturizer. Currently my moisturizer is Avalon Organics Vitamin C Oil-free Moisturizer. When I run out, I will be replacing with a facial moisturizer from Terressentials - a great little local company located in Frederick, MD.

lips -- I apply Burt's Bees lip balm several times a day. I have a Terressentials lip balm to try when I run out so I can support a local small business while caring for my dry winter lips.

hands -- At the DC Green Festival I bought the Terressentials fragrance free moisturizer cream for daily use after dish washing. It is yummy. Our bathrooms and kitchen are stocked with Dr. Bronner's liquid soap.

body -- Over the last year, I stopped using soap or other harsh chemicals on my skin and it is much healthier than it was during the rest of my years. I exfoliate with my bath scrubbie and that is all. The human body naturally cleans itself. Of course, dirt and other things that did not start on my skin are washed off with Dr. Bronner's liquid soap.

feet -- My feet get really dry. Son and Daughter tell me to take better care of them. I am now reminded to encourage the dry skin off using a foot care emery board and to moisturize after showers with Burt's Bees coconut foot cream.

makeup -- I don't use much. I have some Burt's Bees tinted beeswax lip balm that I use as lipstick maybe once or twice a month. I use Ecco Bella's mascara (I wear contacts) every day basically. That's it. Beauty is on the inside and in the eye of the beholder. My dear Son tells me every day that I am beautiful while he hugs me. What more could I need?

nail polish -- Occasionally, I just want to be more colorful. My nails get a dash of color (peel off or water-based polish) from Honeybee Gardens in the fantastic color of Shiny Penny. Oh, and it is a Pennsylvania company so it is pretty local too. I should try their mascara next time too.

teeth - I normally go with Preserve toothbrushes because they are made from recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt containers and the toothbrushes are fully recyclable as well. Toothpaste I use a Tom's of Maine variety but am trying other brands as well when I have access to purchase them.

sunscreen -- We use our roof as sunscreen during the hours of strongest sun (i.e. we stay indoors). During morning and later afternoon/evening hours we go without sunscreen typically because we are busy making vitamin D with the sun on our skin. When we cannot avoid the strong sun or will be out for an extended time period, we have a supply of Nature's Gate sunscreen. Maybe by next summer, I will have come up with even better, local options for this too. Got an idea? Tell me!

menstrual products -- I almost forgot this one! I use The Keeper. I create no trash which is a good thing. At the end of my cycle, I sometimes use a panty liner made by Natracare.

Ok, that is it. If I didn't list it - I don't use it. What do you use?