Natural Home Products

When it comes to romance, just about everyone has their own theory on what works best. Of course, no one knows their significant other like their own partner, but a few tips and a little advice never hurts. One of the best places to start thinking about romance is in the bathroom. We’re talking about handmade soap, bubble bath, moisturizers, bath fizzies, and massage oil. There’s nothing better than having a private candlelit bath and coming out feeling clean and refreshed.

For husbands who want to set a romantic bath for their wife, start with a little bit of bubble bath solution. Draw the bath, and be sure to light a few candles around the room, and dim or turn off the lights. Having incense burning can help to set the mood, but if incense isn’t right, then consider scented candles or tarts. Provide a bath set complete with sensual soaps and oils, and let them have a relaxing soak and come out feeling like a new person.

For hundreds of years skilled craftsman have made handmade soap.  Prior to the Industrial Revolution rough cuts of handmade soaps were crafted on a small scale.  While today most soap is mass produced,  many skilled craftsman continue to pursue their passion for hand crafted soaps, adding a personal touch to their soap and a sense of luxury to our personal hygiene.

The quality of today’s handmade soaps differs from massed produced industrial soap in that, usually, the glycerine is not removed.  This leaves a naturally moisturizing soap rather than a detergent.  An array of oils and butters are used in the hand crafting process such as olive, coconut, palm, cocoa butter, hemp oil, and shea butter, with each oil providing different qualities.  For example,  olive oil provides mildness in soap; coconut oil provides lots of lather; and coconut and palm oils provide firmness.  It is easy to see how the selection of hand crafted soap has become so vast.

Handcrafted soap is made unique with the additions of essential oils, fragrance oils, botanicals, herbs, oatmeal or other natural additives.  Often rosemary essential oil is added as a natural preservative and fragrance. While many of the handcrafted soaps are long lasting hard bars of soap, they remain exceptionally gentle soaps that can be used on sensitive skin.  The high natural glycerine content of handmade soap draws moisture to the skin to combat dryness. The high quality handmade soaps crafted today will remain among the mildest of soaps for sensitive skin.

It’s impossible to stay perfectly informed about every last product we use or ingest. Still, common sense holds that goods made with familiar, all-natural ingredients are better for the body. Discerning shoppers can gain a wealth of knowledge about the foods they eat by merely pausing a moment and glancing at the ingredients. Artificial doesn’t necessarily mean harmful, but it’s best to go with natural ingredients where possible.

That rule of thumb is not limited to food products alone. Hygiene products are available in clearly labeled, all-natural options as well. All natural shampoo, for instance, draws its cleaning and restorative properties from plant oils. These shampoos tend to be biodegradable and feature a relatively short list of ingredients. Knowledge is power, and you can gain some by asking questions about the contents of the products you buy every day.

Sustainability is the new environmental measure for everything from farming practices, to waste management, to cost effective organizational management practices.   As the forum for sustainable living expands, we realize how sustainable practices can affect the products we use and consume, and how this consumption can affect our planet.

Sustainable farming practices are at the root of the sustainable living movement.  Many modern growing practices proving unsustainable are being challenged, often replaced by organic farming.  To be certified organic, farmers must show that their crops have not used synthetic pesticides or fertilizers for the past three years.  Seeking sustainable growing practices, organic farmers provide healthy crops by improving soil health and fertility with composting and cover crops.   In lieu of synthetic pesticides, organic farmers employ biological pest control measures, such as beneficial insect release, crop rotation and manual weeding.

While organic crops are produced on a smaller economic scale, the price difference for conventional goods is small.  Buying organic food and organic products supports sustainable living practices. When choosing your fruit and vegetables look for certified organic produce. To support organic cotton farming, vote with your buying dollars and purchase organic cotton clothing, linens and 100% organic cotton towels.  There are many organic fibres to choose from such as organic hemp clothing, bamboo towels, and bamboo bed linens.  Vote for sustainable living practices with your purchasing dollars, buy organic.

The variety of hair care products available today is staggering, each with its signature scent.  But the catch all term “fragrance” used on shampoo labels may actually be masking harmful chemicals you would otherwise choose to avoid.  The National Geographic’s Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely explains that while the term “fragrance” developed in the cosmetic field to allow manufacturers to keep their fragrance formulations under wraps, they may mask harmful chemical formulations including phthalates.  With no requirement to list the fragrance ingredients, it may be your signature scent that you should be avoiding.  

The National Geographic’s Green Guide suggests avoiding unnecessary exposure to harmful chemical “fragrance” formulations by choosing fragrance-free products.  If you prefer a mild scent to your shampoo, you can avoid the phthalates by selecting products scented with essential oils such as lavender and rose.  Read the labels and choose from all natural shampoo products that list all ingredients and look for brands that are forthright about the safety of their ingredients.

Family picnic season is here again, and portable food containers can help to minimize the mess and the stress. Plastic wrap simply doesn’t cut it in a moving car, when the contents of a dish can splash up and dislodge the seal. Tin foil is marginally better, but the slightest poke can create a gaping hole in its thin metal surface, releasing any freshness instantly.

Glasslock containers provide a suitable solution for families on the go. They keep food fresh and secure before a picnic and allow for easy, dishwasher-safe cleanup afterward. If by some miracle your oldest son doesn’t finish up all the macaroni and cheese, glasslock containers can be reheated safely in the microwave. Weigh all of your options before the next outdoor function and make the choice that best suits your family’s picnic needs.