GREEN BEAUTY: Natural, alternative nail color!

If you read my last post on giving yourself a natural manicure and pedicure at home, well check out this latest post on some of the natural nail color!

PeaceKeeper Nail Paint is a vegan line of nail polishes for which all profits, after taxes, are used to support women's health advocacy and human rights issues. All PeaceKeeper beauty products fund projects such as breast and reproductive cancer research, osteoporosis research, clinical depression research, domestic violence prevention, gender equality advocacy, infanticide prevention, and rape prevention.

My favorite PeaceKeeper Nail Paint, (which I purchased at Whole Foods and I paint my toes with it) is "Paint Me Grateful". It is a rich purple color, one I liken to the hue of grapes, and it's absolutely divine. I enjoy supporting PeaceKeeper because their proceeds go toward health and human rights issues that are truly important in our world. Visit their website for more information.

No Miss Nail Polish does NOT contain: Formaldehyde * Toluene * Dibutyl-Pthalate or Camphor. Cosmetic Colors, come from earth. No Miss Nail Polish NEW and IMPROVED ingredients are: Nitrocellulose-a fiber used for viscosity. Ethylacetate, N. Butyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol-solvents used to dissolve Nitrocellulose. also may contain: Mica, made from sand, cosmetic titanium dioxide, (white),cosmetic iron oxide blue, (indian paint pot grey/blue), iron oxides, earth born colors made from rocks, zinc oxide, from the earth, used to promote drying and to deflect harmful UV rays from the sun.

No Miss Nail Polish colors are absolutely beautiful. I first started using their nail color back in 1998. My first bottle (which I totally used up, it was my favorite) was a bluish silver nail color and I wore it with everything! I bought my first bottle at Wild Oats in St. Louis (my hometown). Most recently, I've been sporting the sassy hot pink No Miss Nail Polish "Wakulla Watermelon" which I purchased from Whole Foods. This is a great summer color for your toes, it really pops with sandals! Visit their website for more information.

HONEYBEE GARDENS , Honeybee Garden Waterbased Nail Color is an alternative to solvent-based nail enamel. The water-based polish is odor-free, and:

· Non-toxic: no toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate
· No FD&C colors; only natural mineral pigments
· Water-based, not solvent-based like traditional polish

I have not personally tried Honeybee Gardens Nail Color, but I see that the colors are beautiful and this product does not contact many of the harmful chemicals we have come to know in other mainstream nail color brands. I will certainly order one of their nail color products in the near future and see how I like it! Visit their website for more information.

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier

GREEN BEAUTY: Give yourself a natural at home manicure and pedicure!

I'm a gal who loves to make sure my hands and feet are pampered, naturally pampered that is. I occasionally go for a professional mani/pedi, but I also know how to take great care of my hands and feet on my own. And I buy the tools and beauty products that serve me in this way. Pampering your hands and feet shows you care about yourself and when you choose not pay someone else to do it, you save money! Beautifying your hands and feet is also an ancient ritual practiced by women of many cultures. From drugstores to specialty boutiques and healthfood stores, you can find many of the tools you need, to give yourself a fresh manicure and pedicure right at home. And if you're striving to give your hand and footcare a "green makeover", well that's even better!

Natural Pedicure

I live in New York City and sometimes walking the long, city streets can be hard on your feet, especially if you're not wearing the most comfortable shoes each day. Most women want to show off their beautiful toes and wear the most fashionable sandals during the summer, and for this, your feet must be prepared! So let's start off with a natural at home pedicure to wake up those tired feet and put that "pep in your step"! Here's what you need to get started:

Tools:

Gather a small/medium size pan, a loofah, a pumic stone, a towel, bath and body gel, lotion/cream or body oil, a facial or body scrub, a nail file, toe nail clippers, nail polish remover, flip flops, cotton balls, and favorite nail polish. NOTE: Top and base coat polish is optional.

Step 1
Using cotton balls, take off your old nail polish, using natural nail polish remover or other nail polish remover.

Step 2

Use a small/medium size plastic pan, like a washpan that you can fill up with warm water. Fill the pan with warm water and a natural, scented bath and body gel like Avalon Organics Lavendar Bath and Body Gel. Use enough soap to create suds. You can also add your favorite essential oil to the warm water, such as: rose, geranium, peppermint, ylang ylang, or orange.

Step 3

As you soak your feet, use a strong, scented scrub such as Queen Helene Mint Scrub and a loofah to slough off the dead skin on the top and bottom of your feet. Rub vigorously for a few minutes. The rubbing and the water will clean your feet well and remove the dead skin. Also take your pumice stone to rub any hardened dead skin on your toes and any scaly, dead skin on your heels. This is the removal of all of those unsightly layers of skin on your feet. Rub vigorously and continuously until every part of your feet feel smooth and soft. Clip any hangnails, and even out your toenails using a toenail clipper. When your feet look just about "shiny and new", take them out of the pain.

Step 4

Dry your feet with a towel. Lovingly massage your feet with a refreshing lotion/cream such as Burt's Bees Peppermint Lotion. Or if you love scented body oil, try massaging your feet and conditioning them with Aura Glow oil in Coconut or another favorite scent. Once your feet have been moisturized, now it's time to file.

Step 5

Use a nail file to shape your toe nails in a round or square shape, whichever is most flattering to you.

Step 6

Slip into your favorite flip flops and prepare to paint your toes.

Step 7

Paint your toes in a fabulous, eye popping color. Some nail color lines I suggest are: (a few of which have less harmful ingredients than most mainstream nail color lines) No Miss Nail Polish, Peace - Keeper Nail Paint, and Sinful Nail Color. Put on two coats for more lasting color.

Step 8

Rest and let air dry!

Natural Manicure
Writing, washing dishes, cleaning your home and all of the other duties that require strong and capable hands, can leave your hands and nails dry and lackluster. Why not give yourself a manicure, at home to pamper yourself. Of course, it's quite similar to the process for a pedicure, but here are the tools you will need:

Tools
A small bowl, a towel, nail polish remover, bath/body gel, nail file, nail buffer, nail clipper, nail cuticle stick and remover, antiseptic, lotion/cream or oil, favorite nail polish. Note: Top coat and base coat are optional.

Step 1

Use natural or other nail polish remover to take off your last coat of polish

Step 2

Fill up your small bowl with warm water. Add a bath/body gel soap such as Avalon Organics Lemon Bath and Body Gel to the water, enough to suds.

Step 3

Soak hands for a few minutes. In between soaking, use your cuticle stick to push back the skin from around your nail cuticle. Use your cuticle remover to take off any hangnails or other jagged skin from around your nails.

Step 4

Rinse your hands with wam water at your kitchen or bathroom soon. Dry your hands.

Step 5

Apply Carol's Daughter Lemon Cuticle Oil or other oil, lotion/cream to your hands and massage each hand.

Step 6

Use your nail file and nail clipper to shape the nails and even out any nail edges. Use your nail buffer to smooth out the surface of the nails.

Step 7

Now that your nails are just almost "so fresh and so clean", polish them using your favorite color.

Step 8

Relax and let air dry!

For more information on healthy nails, visit dermatologist, Dr. Susan Taylor's website!

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier

GREEN REVIEW: Taiwo Soaps 2-1 Conditioner

Every now and then we break the routine of using our tried and true bath/body and beauty products. I love to incorporate new products into my daily beauty regimen! This post will be the start of my "Green Review", my reviews of green products that I feel you may enjoy! Yetunde of Taiwo Soaps, a natural body products company, sent me one of her scrumptious products. And I've been using it with much glee! Taiwo Soaps 2 - in - 1 Silky Body Wash and Conditioning Shampoo (enriched with Cocoa & Shea Butters) is a light and refreshing, liquid soap that doesn't leave any residue on your skin. I love the Pear Glace fragrance and you don't need to use alot of the soap in the 4oz bottle I received, to work up a lather and get clean.

The ingredients for this fragrant body treat are:

• distilled water
• saponified coconut and corn oil
• cocoa butter
• shea butter
• and borax ( a natural mineral)

The soap itself is a light golden color and the bottle is recyclable which I love! What more can I say!

Visit Taiwo Soaps to find out more about the natural body products they offer, and tell Yetunde I recommended it!

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier

GREEN EATS: Ice Cream Alternatives!

When I was a little girl and visited my lovely grandparents, in the evening after dinner one of our favorite pastimes was sitting out on the screened-in porch, listening to the Cardinals baseball game and eating a bowl of cherry vanilla, neopolitan or mint ice cream. Oh how sweet it was! In my life I've been a lover of all types of ice cream treats: from frozen eclairs, to Dairy Queen Blizzards and of course Ben & Jerrys! In the last couple of years, I've tried some of the more lowfat ice cream alternatives and even started making my own fruit smoothies to fulfill my ice cold, sweet treat craving. Here are a few of my "healthier than ice cream" picks for frozen treats! PLEASE NOTE: Some of these treats contain sugar, cane sugar, brown rice syrup or corn syrup for those of you watching your sugar intake.

• Tofutti Cuties - These little individual treats are just like the ice cream sandwiches we had as kids, minus all the chemicals. This product is milk free, no butterfat, lactose free.


• Rice Dream - I enjoy all of the flavors of this treat which comes in 1pint servings or quarts. It has flavorful, natural ingredients and no dairy. Rice Dream is also not "too sweet." If you don't like alot of sugar, this is a good treat for you. My favorite flavors are: carob almond, cookies n' dream and mint chocolate chip.


• Rice Dream Frozen Pie: Hhhhhhm! My favorites: chocolate pie and mocha pie. Absolutely delicious on a hot summer day!


• Haagen Dazs Fat Free Sorbet: One more way to enjoy your favorite fruit flavors. My favorite is mango!


• Natural Choice Organic Frozen Fruit Bars: These wonderful frozen fruit bars come in a variety of flavors. My favorite is strawberry!

Now for my scrumptious and nutritious fruit smoothie:

Measure 2 cups of frozen fruit (pineapple, strawberry, and/or wild berries): Cascadian Farms or Dole brand varieties and place in your blender

Add 1 tablespoon of honey or brown rice syrup or agave to sweeten

Add a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon for a spicy kick

Add powdered vitamin c and/or protein powder

Add 2 1/2 cups of soymilk (plain or vanilla), or rice milk or fruit juice

Now blend all of your ingredients until you have a smooth and creamy consistency. You may have to put your blender on liquefy just to get all of the frozen smooth nice and blended with your sweetner, juice and spice. You can taste it just to see if it's sweet enough for you. This mix makes 2-3 servings depending on the size glass you use. Enjoy!

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier

GREEN BEAUTY: Strawberry Cleanser for Your Face

A precious, green beauty isn't complete without her daily health and beauty regimen! Whether you have been using the same beauty products for years or you have recently switched to more natural, non-toxic products, you know that your skin is going to show how well you take care of it. Years ago, I purchased a wonderful little paperback handbook, titled The Herbal Body Book by Stephanie Tourles, filled with natural beauty tips and recipes. Inspired by many of the recipes, I began making a few of my own beauty products at home. One of the things I did, was to experiment with natural ingredients to create facials for myself. Here is one of those fabulous recipes!

STRAWBERRY CLEANSER

• Good for: normal or oily skin
• Use: daily - when strawberries are in season
• Follow with: astringent or toner
• Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes
• Mix with: mortar and pestle, spoon
• Store in: Do not store. Mix only as needed.
• Yields: 1 treatment
• Special: The strawberry juice can also serve as a tooth cleanser and whitener. Very refreshing!

Ingredients: 4 very ripe medium-sized strawberries, sliced , 2 drops essential oil of yarrow or peppermint

Mix/Prepare: Mash the strawberries and press through mesh strainer or squeeze through cheesecloth or panty hose. Catch juice in small condiment bowl. Add essential oil and stir to blend. Apply to face and neck with a saturated cotton square and massage with finger tips for about 1 minute. Avoid eye area. Rinse with cool water.

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier

GREEN CLEAN: Dr. Bronner’s Classic Soaps

I can remember as a little girl, the strong smell of peppermint in our family’s bathroom on the second floor of the house. Was the smell coming from peppermint candy? No. Or how about peppermint room spray? No, not at all. It was the scent of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap, a product that has been around since 1948! Dr. Bronner’s makes several scented, non-toxic soaps which can be used for a variety of things. I love the peppermint soap because of it’s fresh, clean smell. Sometimes I use the soap to clean the bathroom and I also use it as a hand soap. You can definitely use Dr. Bronner’s soaps in place of any toxic, chemical ridden, cleaning product that you have in your home. One thing is for sure, this soap is strong! My bottle of peppermint soap states, you must “dilute, dilute, dilute” the soap with water before using. If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll be happy to know that Dr. Bronner’s soaps are 100% Vegan! Also a little bit of the liquid soap goes a long, long, way! My second favorite Dr. Bronner’s soap is lavender. Lavender is probably my favorite natural scent of all time (followed by rose, orange, patchouli, honeysuckle and ylang ylang). I love lavender bath salts, lavender room spray, lavender satchets and hair products with lavender. If you have a favorite scent, you may find that Dr. Bronner’s makes a product that is just for you!

Additional green info. to make you smile: All oils and essential oils in Dr. Bronner’s soaps are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soaps are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

TIPS to Help You Get the Most Green Use Out of Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soaps:

• Wash your face and body with the soap
• Wash your hair and scalp with the soap
• Wash your baby
• Use it to shave
• Wash your delicate clothing
• Wash your hands and feet
• Clean your car
• Wash your pet
• Dilute in water and mop your floors
• Dilute in water and wash your sink, counters and dishes
• Wash your make-up/beauty tools
• Wash your children’s toys

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier

GREEN HEALTH: Ways to beat the summer heat!

The summer season can be relaxing, fun and entertaining for some, or a hot, sticky, bothersome season for others. There are a number of ways in which you can stay cool and healthy during the summer, while also saving energy in your home.

TIPS FOR STAYING COOL IN THE SUMMER

• When it is especially sunny outside, during the daytime, I close my blinds in the living room so that it stays cool.


• If I use the air conditioner I turn it on just long enough to cool the place, and then to save energy (and to keep from getting too cold), I turn the air off.


• I try not to use a curling iron or other heating tools on my hair when it is very hot. These tools use up alot of energy and with a full head of hair like mine, my hair may frizz out anyway. In this case I opt for my favorite "air dry" hairstyles.


• On a hot day, my kitchen and living room are usually warm. To avoid heating my entire place to an uncomfortable temperature, I try to cook on top of the stove as much as possible.


• If you do not have an air conditioner and you find yourself using one of more fans to keep cool at night, try dampening a small face towel and leaving it in your freezer in a sandwich bag for a few minutes. Once the wash towel is nice and cold, rub your face, neck, chest and arms with it. This method should cool you off in no time!


• Drink plenty of H20. If you do not trust the good ole' tap, try instilling a water filter on your kitchen faucet so that you can drink cool water round the clock and take a bottle or two with you when you go out.


• Wear sun glasses, sunscreen, cool hats and anything else that will help you enjoy the summer and stay healthy.

Here is an article featuring other tips for staying cool. Enjoy!

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier