How do you feel about you afterlife being a part of Kim Kardashian’s butt?

It sounds like a sustainable choice, from a sustainablist’s nightmare. With the excessive and dramatic use of the weight-loss Ozempec, and the gaunt look of a flattened butt and hollow face, more people are looking to liposuction to give more volume where gauntness has created a hole. It can happen in the cheeks, the hips, the rear-end. But not everyone can go through with the painful procedure of liposuction, when there is no fat to harvest.

A new Hollywood secret sauce is called alloClae and Miriam has written about it here. It’s a new injectable filler made from processed human donor fat. Unlike traditional fat grafting, which requires harvesting fat from a patient’s own body, alloClae offers fat “on demand,” purified and ready for injection for about $100,000 a syringe.

The fat is being positioned as a solution for patients who have lost so much weight that they no longer have enough fat for conventional contouring procedures.

Clinics in the US, and who knows where else, are increasingly using it to restore volume in the face, hips, and buttocks, areas most visibly affected by rapid weight loss. In effect, one intervention is being used to counterbalance another: pharmaceuticals to reduce fat, followed by biotech to replace it in more controlled ways.

The global rush to weight-loss drugs like Ozempic is reshaping bodies at unprecedented speed, and not always in ways people expect. While semaglutide (the generic name for Ozempec) has helped millions lose significant weight, and this can be good for the heart and the joints, researchers and clinicians are now documenting a set of unintended physical effects tied to rapid fat loss.  “Ozempic face” reflects accelerated volume loss in the cheeks and temples, producing a more aged appearance and literature describes this as “exaggerated volume loss… resulting in advanced facial aging.”

The impact is not limited to the face. Rapid weight loss has also been linked to reductions in lean mass, including muscle, raising concerns about long-term strength and metabolic health. At the same time, known side effects, ranging from nausea and gastrointestinal distress to more serious complications such as pancreatitis, continue to be studied as usage expands beyond diabetic populations.

According to Noor Saleem, approximately 15 million persons in the United States are currently taking GLP-1 drugs. Off-label use is becoming more common, which raises worries about potential health hazards and significant side effects such as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), or vision problems.

Into this strange and dark landscape steps alloClae. From a macabre sustainability perspective, alloClae occupies an uneasy space. It can be framed as a form of biological reuse, drawing on donated tissue that might otherwise go unused.

Yet it also reflects a deeper shift toward the commodification of the human body (like facials made from baby parts), where fat becomes a standardized product moving through a supply chain. The pairing of Ozempic and alloClae signals something larger than a trend. I’d not want to donate my body for science, if there was a chance I could be a part of Kim Kardashian’s future butt. My friend Mike say otherwise: “F, yea. I’m in.”

Some other concerns, from Robert C, a literature professor in New York: “I hope it is possible to donate one’s body with stipulations that prevent some uses of it.”

Joy P, a business advisor says, “Horrific. A crucial reminder of the importance to place standards and controls alongside innovation; no matter how altruistic the intention, there seem always to be parasites waiting to profit from it.”

Liat C, a journalist in the US: “I think it is a disgusting desecration. I’m signed as an organ donor and I could even perceive of body fat being used for necessary plastic surgery for burn victims etc but not sold for someone’s cosmetic vanities and insanities.”

This all points to a future where bodies are increasingly engineered in stages, shaped by overlapping technologies that subtract, then add back, until the desired form is achieved.

I for one am staying natural. No botox, lasers or fillers for me. I will age, with grace or without. But some women build their self-esteem on their looks. For one user of alloclae, who didn’t show her face or give her real name in a recent article, she’s happy about it. She told the New York Post the alloClae treatment improves her self-esteem.

Karry R, a friend of mine from high-school, is concerned about the source of the cadaver fat. “Where is the honour in donating our bodies?” she tells me. “Our senior citizens think it’s for science.”

The post Fix your Ozempec face with alloClae fat from a human cadaver? appeared first on Green Prophet.

This common potted plant can now become part of your daily diet. Naomi offers 4 recipes for taking advantage of this healthful plant, which offers more than just sunburn relief. 

Growing up, my mother was always interested in natural remedies to mild health issues, whether it was burns, cuts or the flu. Aloe vera being so versatile was one of her favourites, but as much as we used it externally, aloe vera juice was never on the menu, it turns out that it can be a great addition to your diet.

There are many plants, like roses, which can be used in more than just one way and aloe vera – native to the Mediterranean region where it grows like a weed –  is one of them. We discussed previously some of the uses of aloe vera (like in ice-cream!) however the next step, beyond buying the potted plant, is to be able to make your own aloe vera drink. Granted this doesn’t sound very palatable but the benefits are significant to one’s health.

Your body has the tendency to hang onto food residues, various toxins and bacteria all of which block the intestinal lining of your digestive tract and prevent nutrients from being absorbed properly. Drinking aloe vera juice regularly can help get rid of all the junk your body no longer needs which in turn prevents various digestive problems such as indigestion, colitis, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Some recipes for aloe vera juice: Your aloe vera drink will actually turn out different colours depending on the fruit you use, since the pulp of the plant itself is colourless

Recipe 1 – virgin juice

The most effective way to get the medical benefits is to drink the pure juice, so if you are game, this is the recipe for you:

1. You take a few leaves of aloe vera and cut them into pieces of a few centimetres long and put this in a pot to boil.
2. Let it boil for a few minutes, but make sure it doesn’t boil over.
3. Take it off the flame and let it cool for about an hour, sitting in the water.
4. Then take out the plant pieces and drink only the liquid.

If you are looking for something a little tastier, we have some other options:

Recipe 2 – light and lemony

Ingredients:
1 Cucumber
1 Apple
1 Lemon
2 tbsp Aloe vera pulp

Method:
1. Blend the apple and the cucumber
2. Add the lemon juice
3. Cut open an aloe vera leaf and scoop out 2 tbsp of the pulp and add it to the mixture

Recipe 3 – health

Ingredients:
2 Carrots
2 Green apples
1 Orange, peeled
1 tbsp of aloe vera pulp

Method:
1. Cut the apples, carrots and orange into pieces
2. Blend them into a juice
3. Then add the aloe vera

Recipe 4 – exotic aloe vera

For something a little more exotic you can try this one.

Ingredients:
1-2 cup Fresh pineapple
1 Carrot
1 Green apple
1 tbsp Aloe vera pulp
A few tbsp of coconut milk is optional

Method:
Basically blend all the ingredients together, adding the pulp of the aloe vera leaf. The coconut milk more than being a tasty addition, will actually increase the anti-bacterial and anti-viral qualities of this drink.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTtQaLIJc8[/youtube]

All of these recipes are simple and quick, but remember the same doesn’t apply to the results of drinking aloe vera. Like most things natural, it takes time until you see and feel the benefits of adding this to your diet, but it will be well worth the effort.

Read more on natural health remedies:
Natural Remedies for Late Pregnancy
Feel Better with Herbs of Kedem and Ancient Hebrew Medicine

The post 4 Unique Aloe Vera Juice Recipes for Summer and Health appeared first on Green Prophet.

If you’re looking for gifts for the man in your life, then this gift guide will give you some ideas. From a solar-powered watch to ecologically sound clothing and beyond, there are plenty of great options that he’ll love. And best of all, they’re all sustainable. So, whether the man in your life is a resource-efficient guy or just someone who appreciates great gifts, sustainable gifts for him are sure to be received thankfully.

1. Lip Balm Made With Organic Beeswax

Is the man in your life looking for a way to hydrate his lips and feel good about doing it? Natural lip balm is the perfect gift! This lip balm is made with organic beeswax that provides long-lasting hydration without any chapping or cracking of the lips. Plus, it comes in various flavors so that you can find the perfect one for him. 

2. Solar-Powered Watch

Solar-powered watches can make an excellent gift for the eco-conscious man in your life who wants to reduce his environmental impact. And because it’s solar-powered, he’ll never have to worry about batteries dying or replacing them. These watches come in various colors and styles to suit any taste; some are water resistant.

3. Vegan Leather Wallet

A stylish vegan leather wallet is a great gift for a man who cares about animals and the environment. They are usually made from sustainable materials like recycled nylons and rubber, so it’s gentle on the planet. Plus, it’s PETA approved, so you can be sure that no animals were harmed in its production. He’ll love carrying his wallet, knowing it’s cruelty-free and environmentally friendly.

4. Sustainable Clothing

Sustainable clothing is a great gift for any man who cares about the environment. Sustainable shirts, jackets and more are made from organic hemp, bamboo or recycled materials. They’re gentle on the planet, and they look great too!

5. Reusable Water Bottle

A reusable water bottle is a must-have for anyone who wants to stay hydrated. Reusable bottles are sustainable, eco-friendly and stylish. They make the perfect gift for the man who wants to reduce his plastic use and help save the planet. Insulated water bottles can keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12, so he can enjoy his favorite beverages anytime, anywhere.

6. Sustainable Home Goods

Sustainable home goods make a great gift for the man who might have recently moved out to live on his own. These products are also a simple way to introduce someone to living a low-waste lifestyle. From sustainable sheets and towels to cookware and beyond, you can find a wide selection of eco-friendly home goods that are sure to please. And because they’re made from sustainable materials, he’ll be helping to reduce his impact on the environment every time he uses them.

7. Natural Dry Deodorant That’s Aluminum Free

Plastic-free deodorant is a must-have for any eco-conscious man, and a naturally derived dry deodorant that’s aluminum free fits the bill. This natural formula is made with baking soda, arrowroot powder and cocoa butter and will keep him smelling great all day long and without harming the planet.

When shopping for a natural deodorant, be sure to search for one that kills odor-causing bacteria, neutralizes odor and absorbs sweat. Even though you are purchasing something eco-friendly, it should still work just as well as its non-natural counterpart. 

8. Dry Shampoo

Is the man in your life always on the go? If so, he’ll love using a natural dry shampoo. It’s perfect for busy guys who don’t have time to wash their hair daily. Just sprinkle a little on, massage it through the hair and style the hair as usual. This natural formula will absorb oil and leave hair looking and feeling fresh. 

9. Wooden Watch

A stylish wooden watch is a perfect gift for a man who loves the outdoors. Some models are water resistant so that he can wear them anywhere, including the shower. And because it’s wooden, it’s unique and different from any other watch he’s ever worn. Enhance the appeal of a wooden watch by including interchangeable watch bands. Choose from sustainable materials like recycled fabric or long-lasting silicone watch bands to maintain its environmentally conscious theme. This variety allows the wearer to customize their watch for different styles and activities, making the gift even more versatile and unique.He’ll love showing off his new watch to all his friends, and he’ll be doing his part to save the planet, too.

10. Sustainable Socks

Sustainable socks are the perfect gift for a man who loves to be comfortable. Many sustainable socks are made from a blend of bamboo or recycled cotton and merino wool, so they’re soft and warm. Because they come in various colors and styles, you can find the perfect pair to suit his personality.

Shop Sustainable Gifts for Him 

The perfect sustainable gift for the man in your life is out there. With a little thought and creativity, you can find something that he’ll love that won’t harm the planet. 

The post Gift Guide:10 Sustainable Gifts for the Man in Your Life appeared first on Green Prophet.

Following the heels of the popular refillable, zero-waste shops cropping up in Brooklyn, Montreal, and all around Europe, the Body Shop is starting to market a new refillable program for its products. 

The Body Shop just sent us an announcement about their five-year plan to roll out refill stations in the majority of its stores globally in an effort to reduce plastic use and become the most sustainable business possible. The Body Shop is now introducing the refill program in stores across the United States, with the goal to have about 50% of all US locations equipped with refill stations by the end of 2022.

“The foundation of The Body Shop’s environmental activism was born out of ideas like these, when our founder, Dame Anita Roddick, refilled her first bottle out of necessity in 1976,” said Hilary Lloyd from the Body Shop: “We’re thrilled to be embracing a circular economy approach and provide this sustainable alternative.”

Every year, the beauty sector generates billions of pieces of plastic that end up in landfills or the ocean. Since April 2021, when The Body Shop announced the rollout of refill stations across 400 stores globally, the brand collectively has saved over 3.7 tons of plastic, which is equivalent to 170,000 plastic bottles. according to their statistics.

Another 400 refill stations are planned for 2022, with the aim of saving 25 tons of plastic and helping to prevent up to 5lbs of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere.

By the end of 2022, The Body Shop will have refill stations present in about half of its store locations across the country. Find them in Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando. The stations will allow customers to refill their favorite body, hair and hand care products including shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, and hand washes. The selection of available products will vary from six to twelve depending on store size.

Another option to your plastics problem is just avoid the beauty industry altogether, with most of its aromas and products damaging to the body in ways known and unknown. Creams and shampoos contain preservatives and synthetic smells that can disrupt your endocrine system and which can lead to diseases like cancer.

One in 7 beauty products also contain asbestos and other harmful ingredients. Despite asbestos’ declining use in the US, mesothelioma deaths remain substantial, especially among younger people. From an analysis of federal mortality data, EWG Action Fund estimated that up to 15,000 Americans die each year from asbestos-triggered diseases.

Try keeping it simple by making your own. Ancient people used natural creams and lotions. You can too. 

Here are some sunscreen tips. 

The Bedouin also have some beauty hacks. Find some here. 

The post The Body Shop’s doing refills appeared first on Green Prophet.

Israel’s most ancient soap making workshop – a soapery – has been exposed in recent weeks at an excavation site run by the Israel Antiquities Authority and young participants, inside a wealthy home of the Islamic period from approximately 1200 years ago, in the Bedouin city of Rahat. Home to many green and eco activists.

Over the last six months, hundreds of youth and adults have been employed at the large archaeological excavation managed by the Israel Antiquities Authority, including participants from among the local Bedouin residents, university students and students in pre-military preparatory programs.

The excavation was supervised by Dr. Elena Kogen-Zehavi, with the help of Dr. Yael Abadi-Rice and Avinoam Lehavi. The purpose was to reestablish the connection between the community and the local history. The excavations were carried out in light of new neighborhood developments in Rahat, initiated by the Authority for Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev.

The production of olive oil soap is mentioned in writings since the 10th century and it has been a significant industry in the region from the Middle Ages and until the early 20th century. During the soap-making process, olive oil was used as the base material, mixed with ashes produced by burning salsola soda (or saltwort) plants, which contain potash and water.

See Palestinians making it in the West Bank.

The mixture was cooked for about seven days, after which the liquid material was transferred to a shallow pool, where the soap hardened for about ten days until it could be cut into bars. These were piled for additional drying, and the final product was ready after an additional period of two months. The site at Rahat displays facilities associated with this industry.

“This is the first time that a soap workshop as ancient as this has been discovered, allowing us to recreate the traditional production process of the soap industry,” says Elena Kogen Zehavi, the IAA excavation director.

Olive oil soap is still made like the ancients did in the West Bank. It’s being poured on the floor to cool and solidify. The tradition goes back over a thousand years when the land was inhabited mainly by Jews and Christians, before the Islamic reign began.

This film shows the process of traditional soap production in the old soap factory in central Nablus. Film produced by Eirik Moe, Stavanger, Norway.

The games they played

According to on-site archeologist Svetlana Tallis: “One of the underground spaces of the wealthy building contained another exciting finding, shedding light on the daily life of the inhabitants – a round limestone gameboard used for a strategy game called the Windmill.”

This game is known to have existed as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE (the Roman period), and it is still being played to this very day.”

Nearby, a second gameboard known as “Hounds and Jackals”, or “Fifty-eight Holes” was also found. This game was first played in Egypt and it spread to other parts of the Mediterranean basin and to Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE. In Israel, it has been discovered in ancient Megiddo and Tel Beth Shan. It was played by two players throwing dice or sticks that determined the number of places to move with each throw. The goal of the game seems to have been a specific point on the board.

Laundry soaps – is less more green? Jordanians Concentrate for the Environment

We have featured some ancient games on Green Prophet not long ago, like those played in Jordan, across the border. Once borders did not separate Bedouins, nomadic people now living sedentary lives in towns, villages and cities.

See ancient multiplayer game mehen here.

According to the mayor of Rahat, Fahiz Abu Saheeben, “The excavation has revealed the Islamic roots of Rahat. We are proud of the excavation and happy that it took place in cooperation with the local community. We enjoy good relations with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Authority for Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev and we hope to construct a visitors’ center that tourists and the local community will be able to enjoy.”

The post Ancient olive oil soap factory unearthed in Bedouin city appeared first on Green Prophet.

We’ve read reports that sunscreen can cause cancer (and that sunscreen doesn’t really work to prevent skin cancer), but yet –  doctors say you need sunscreen in the sun.

While the daily use of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher is widely acknowledged as essential to skin cancer prevention, it is hurting the sea. The clincher is that you don’t need to swim for it to be damaging because it’s damaging the reefs through coastal sewage systems and runoff.

New research published in Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology finds that a common chemical in sunscreen lotions and other cosmetic products poses an existential threat — even in miniscule concentrations — to the planet’s corals and coral reefs.

“The chemical, oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), is found in more than 3,500 sunscreen products worldwide. It pollutes coral reefs via swimmers who wear sunscreen or wastewater discharges from municipal sewage outfalls and coastal septic systems,” said Omri Bronstein from Tel Aviv University, one of the principal researchers.

The study was conducted by a team of marine scientists from Tel Aviv including the eminent Prof. Yossi Loya, from the Department of Zoology and the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

Gets deadlier at the beach

A person spending the day at the beach might use between two to four ounces of sunblock if reapplied every two hours after swimming, towelling off, or sweating a significant amount. Multiply this by the number of swimmers in the water, and a serious risk to the environment emerges, the study authors report.

“Oxybenzone pollution predominantly occurs in swimming areas, but it also occurs on reefs 5 to 20 miles from the coastline as a result of submarine freshwater seeps that can be contaminated with sewage,” said Dr. Bronstein, who conducted exposure experiments on coral embryos at the Inter University Institute in Eilat together with Dr. Craig Downs of the Heretics Environmental Laboratories.

“The chemical is highly toxic to juvenile corals. We found four major forms of toxicity associated with exposure of baby corals to this chemical.”

Forms of toxicity include coral bleaching, a phenomenon associated with high sea-surface temperature events like El Niño — and with global mass mortalities of coral reefs. The researchers found oxybenzone made the corals more susceptible to this bleaching at lower temperatures, rendering them less resilient to climate change.

They also found that oxybenzone damaged the DNA of the corals, neutering their ability to reproduce and setting off a widespread decline in coral populations.

The study also pointed to oxybenzone as an “endocrine disruptor,” causing young coral to encase itself in its own skeleton, causing death. Lastly, the researchers saw evidence of gross deformities caused by oxybenzone — such as coral mouths that expand to five times their healthy, normal size.

It only takes one application

“We found the lowest concentration to see a toxicity effect was 62 parts per trillion — equivalent to a drop of water in six and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools,” said Dr. Bronstein.

The researchers found concentrations of oxybenzone in the US Virgin Islands to be 23 times higher than the minimum considered toxic to corals.

“Current concentrations of oxybenzone in these coral reef areas pose a significant ecological threat,” said Dr. Bronstein. “Although the use of sunscreen is recognized as important for protection from the harmful effects of sunlight, there are alternatives — including other chemical sunscreens, as well as wearing sun clothing on the beach and in the water.”

Here – we show you how to make your own non-toxic sunscreen from tea

Natural tea and beeswax sunscreen recipe

The researchers hope their study will draw awareness of the dangers posed by sunscreen to the marine environment and promote the alternative: use of sun-protective swimwear.

The post Your sunscreen is killing baby coral reefs appeared first on Green Prophet.

Rumored to be full of fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin E, argan oil cosmetics produced in the Maghreb are now available throughout the world, and that is a good thing for the women who make them.

Empowering women

There are now 137 cooperatives in Morocco that employ mostly women to produce argan oil, according to The Daily Star.

The argan tree is able to thrive in the desert environment of Morocco thanks to its deep root system that protects it against soil erosion and desertification. Even so, the once ubiquitous tree is now considered endangered and is protected under UNESCO.

In the past, Berber women collected undigested argan nuts from the waste of goats that used to climb into the trees and eat them. These were ground and pressed to make the precious oil. Modern technology bypasses the goats, and argan oil is made from nuts that are taken directly from the trees.

Hundreds of women who were previously unable to feed or clothe their children properly have benefitted from the oil’s surging popularity.

The Ajddigue cooperative alone employs 60 women, who collectively produce 1,000 liters of argan oil a month, though smaller businesses don’t fare as well, especially since the fiscal crisis in Europe has slashed frivolous spending.

Prices for argan oil have dropped by half, according to the Daily Star, to roughly $68 per liter.

Employees at the cooperative are concerned about the slump, but they expect a revival in time. In the meantime, the quality of life for the women living in the stretch of land between Essaouri and Agadir, on the country’s west coast, has improved dramatically.

“Before, they worked at home roasting and crushing the nuts and giving the oil to their husbands to sell. Now, by working together, they are able to earn money for themselves, to support their children and their families,” one assistant worker, Karima, told the paper.

Argan trees in Israel

While indigenous to North Africa, the argan tree grows elsewhere as well – most notably in Israel, where there are approximately 20,000 trees, according to experts. This is healthy for a species that is at risk of overexploitation and changing climes.

“Yields in Israel amount to an average of 60-80 kilos annually, compared to the 8-10 kilos from wild Moroccan trees,” Prof. Elained Solowey from the Arava Institute told Green Prophet.

While this is not expected to slash high prices and argan oil in Israel can’t compete with Morocco’s exotic reputation, Prof. Solowey hopes that within the next five years the country will be able to produce a high quality product that will diversify the industry.

In the meantime, European and American women are buying what they can, when they can.

“One woman from America came into my store and told me that she suffers from terrible skin problems,” the owner of Bubbles in Ghent, Belgium, told Green Prophet recently. “So I recommended that she try my argan oil cream, and she has had no problems at all. Now we ship to America.”

The post Morocco’s Berber Women Empowered by Rare “Miracle Oil” appeared first on Green Prophet.

DIY, make your own chemical-free hand and body lotion.

At the end of our post on 5 natural ways to keep your skin beautiful, we note how important it is to moisturize. Now, take a good squint at the ingredients on your moisturizer’s label. There’s petroleum in one form or another. Alcohol. One or more kind of parabens, a preservative that has a weak estrogen-like effect.

Mercury –  the American Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about high levels of mercury in skin products, as of this past March. To enhance the fragrance, phthalates; chemicals that may act as hormone disruptors.

To top the soup off, there’s retinyl palmitate, derived from Vitamin A and which may increase skin cancer risk when the moisturized skin is exposed to the sun.

Yes, commercial moisturizers are so lovely and fragrant. But as with so many industrial products, you pay for fast satisfaction with your health. We’ve written about scary things in skin-care products in the past, and here’s an extensive list. It’s so easy to avoid the chemicals and make your own silky, fragrant moisturizer that it’s silly not to. All it takes is four ingredients, a small jar and some ziploc bags.

Natural Hand and Body Moisturizer 

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup good-quality water or strong, strained herb tea. Suggested herbs: chamomile, marigold, lavender.
¾ cup sweet almond, avocado, or olive oil
3 tablespoons grated beeswax (or use shea butter if vegan)
5 drops essential oil of lavender or other favored essential oil (rose, jasmine and ylang ylang, while expensive, are heavenly)

Equipment:

A standing blender or a stick blender

If using a stick blender, you will need a jar or bowl with a 3- cup capacity.

1 small jar for daily use, washed in very hot water and absolutely dry

Small zip-loc or freezer bags

Rubber spatula

An improvised double-boiler: one smaller pot on top of a larger one containing water half-way up the top pot.

Put the beeswax and the oil in the smaller pot. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to allow the wax to melt gently. When the wax has incorporated into the oil, remove the pot from the hot water and set aside.

Put the water in the blender jar or bowl. Blend it for a few minutes to agitate it.

Slowly add the wax/oil mixture to the water, blending meanwhile. Keep blending until you have obtained a smooth emulsion: this may take several minutes.

Blend in the essential oil.

Cover the cream with a clean cloth. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

Use the spatula to fill the small jar for daily use. Transfer the bulk of the cream to as many small zip-loc bags as it takes. Seal the bags shut and freeze the cream. Thaw it out as needed to replace the contents of the small jar.

Notes:

Wash and dry the jar thoroughly before filling it with newly-thawed cream.

The fragrance of the essential oils made fade with freezing. In that case, add a drop or two – no more – to each thawed batch.

As there’s no preservative in this cream, store the jar for daily use in the refrigerator. Very refreshing to apply cold cream on a hot day!

This cream is considered too heavy to use as a facial moisturizer, but some people use it as such and like it.

More on natural beauty from Green Prophet:

•  5 Things To Avoid To Keep Your Complexion Beautiful
• 3 Natural Masks and Cleansers
• “Scentual” Natural Perfumes

The post Make your own toxin-free herbal moisturizer appeared first on Green Prophet.

When your ancestral roots include a tangle of Irish housewives, you instinctively interpret “Vernal Equinox” as “spring cleaning”. I live in a furnished apartment. I’ve shed most of my superfluous stuff after a couple international moves. So mine is a micro spring-cleanup.  Sort photos; recycle books; shakeout a closet and the bathroom shelves.

The bathroom shelves sound simple enough.  But I have a teenage daughter. So, we suit up in old clothes, open windows to air out long-spilt nail polish remover and exploded body wash, and jump in. Boxes of ancient lotions; mini-shampoos and conditioners swiped from a year’s-worth of hotels; dust-covered toiletry gift sets, never opened; and then, the nail polishes.

Crazy thing is this kid doesn’t use make-up.  She just loves scent.  Her motley collection would disappear if only I could source scratch ‘n sniff wallpaper. She agrees. We start sorting.  As we unscrew each cap to whiff and judge the fantasticness of each smell, I read labels.

It starts with parabens, benzoates and xylens. Moves on to butyl, methyl, ethyl and propylisobutyl.  In comes formaldehyde, nonylphenol, octylphenol, and tongue-twisting alkylphenol ethoxylates.  Top it all off with perfumes.  It’s a chemistry lab Madame Curie would kill for, neatly packaged in pretty bottles and teensy tubes.

I swap stories with a mother of twin 6-year-olds.  Her girls are mad for nail polish, the next rung up from bubble bath on the kiddie-cosmetics ladder.  Twenty minutes of internet meandering on this and we both have headaches.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC -links to website) is a coalition of women’s health, environmental health and consumer-rights organizations. They publish reports, host a website, and run a companion blog exposing the chemical truth about toiletries we all use. They relentlessly query cosmetic giants on flash-points like how can products pitched to women contain ingredients linked to reproductive illness?  Can companies self-marketed as leaders against breast cancer use chemical ingredients that might cause the disease?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG),  one of the CSC’s founders, strives to expose health and environmental threats hidden in everyday products. Their excellent website broadcasts some dizzying findings.

In industrialized nations, nine out of ten girls regularly wear makeup by age 14.  Pubescent girls are most vulnerable to makeup’s chemical ingredients, some of which have proven links to breast cancer. In a study of 20 teenagers, EWG found evidence of 13 different hormone-altering chemicals in the girls’ blood and urine samples.  Their research shows that a typical kid is exposed to about 27 product ingredients that haven’t been found safe for growing bodies.

EWG claims that 77 percent of the ingredients in 1,700 child-specific products have yet to be assessed for safety.  CSC’s 2009 report, No More Toxic Tub, revealed that dozens of bestselling kid’s bath products  are contaminated with cancer-causing formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.

The toxins in your make-up:

1. Phthalates – Used in hairsprays, perfume and nail polish; they act as hormone disruptors and affect fertility.  They cause allergies, damage kidneys, and have been linked to asthma.  Phthalates are banned from US children’s toys, but not toiletries.

2. Parabens – Used as a preservative in deodorants, moisturizers and toothpaste; parabens are estrogen mimics. They’re linked to breast and testicular cancers.

3. Xylene – Used as a nail polish solvents; it irritates the skin and respiratory tract, may cause liver damage, and is narcotic in high concentrations.

4. Formaldehyde – Used as a disinfectant, germicide, fungicide and preservative in deodorants, shampoos, handwash and nail polish;  it’s been found to cause lung cancer in rats. It irritates eyes, respiratory tract and mucous membranes.

5. Alkylphenol ethoxylates – Used to make shampoos foam; these are hormone disruptors and extremely toxic. They may be carcinogenic.  They cause asthma and eczema, and damage the central nervous system.

6. Perfume – Synthetic fragrances are linked to breathing difficulties and allergies. About 2,600 chemicals are commonly used in perfume; 95% of chemicals used to scent cosmetics are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. Twenty-six of these chemicals are on the EU banned list.

That’s why we only use natural perfume.

Cosmetic ingredients are often considered trade secrets, and they’re exempt from labeling laws. The industry is widely unregulated.  The very nature of these products hold their greatest danger: applied directly to the skin, chemicals are easily absorbed and pass into the bloodstream.

Consider the youngest users. These chemicals are found in baby shampoos, lotions and soaps. How often is your baby rub-a-dub-dubbed in the chemical tub?

How to shop for make-up without toxins:

Product standards vary internationally. Ingredients within a same-name product can differ based on point of manufacture. Testing standards are globally inconsistent; chemicals banned by one nation may be acceptable in another. Consumer protection websites can educate and inform, but we’re fully responsible to take care before we buy.  CSC offers these few tips on how to shop smart:

• Simplify: Select products with fewer ingredients and no synthetic fragrance or dyes. Use fewer products overall. Look for natural creams and deodorants with materials you recognise. Good face creams may need to be kept refrigerated.
• Choose safety:  Learn more. Check out EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database  and search almost 70,000 products.  Learn about ingredients and associated risks. See if they test on animals. Find safer alternatives. See also their Safety Guide to Children’s Personal Care Products.
• Read labels: Select products that don’t contain any of the ingredients mentioned in this article.

It’s not all ugly.  Hundreds of companies meet CSC safety standards, and another hundred are making measurable progress towards those goals.  These industry champions show it’s possible to make safe products, that work great (and, yes, kid, they smell fabulous) without using hazardous chemicals.

Asthma? Allergies? Eczema? Maybe she’s born with it – but maybe it’s her choice of toiletries.

The post Love Lipstick, Love Formaldehyde? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Green Bar makes local, natural beauty products in an industry pumped with chemicals and toxic preservatives.

It’s tough enough being a woman without having to worry about nasty preservatives in cosmetics, or the loads of other bad things pumped into beauty products.  The natural world is filled with plants and flowers that have been used for centuries as beauty elixirs, and it is only a matter of reviving these methods and bringing them back to popularity.  One of these revivalists is the young Bahraini entrepreneur Reem Al-Khalifa, who founded Green Bar – an online shop for beauty products based on local floral oils and other natural ingredients.

“Time tested in different cultures, precious oils have been around before Queen Cleopatra,” Green Bar claims, “they only needed to be rebottled with some creativity, keeping all their simplicity.  It’s a primitive, effective, and naturally extravagant beauty ritual.”

When asked why she decided to focus on regional ingredients when there are so many other natural essences that could be used from other parts of the world, Al-Khalifa answered that “we have very beautiful exotic ingredients that no one is celebrating.  Just a little creativity and improvisation can go a long way.  They are a form of my expression to celebrate the island.”

Green Bar’s “100% super natural” ingredients all come from fruit flowers, herbs, and natural resins and include rosewater, rice bran, henna leaves, lavender, and Christ’s thorn leaves.  The oils extracted from these sources are cold pressed instead of through heat, since heat can damage some of the more subtle ingredients.

Instead of using chemical preservatives the products are naturally preserved in UV protected bottles, and water and oil are not mixed because that combination generally causes preservation issues.  “Natural perfume is natural protection,” Green Bar says.  “Plants are generous.”

Green Bar’s products are currently sold through retail outlets throughout Bahrain, but can also be purchased online and shipped worldwide.

: Green Bar via Mideast Youth

Read more about other natural beauty products::
Citramed Preserves Our Cosmetics the Natural Way
Eco-Conscious Cosmetics: Looking Good Never So Beautiful for the Planet
Dead Sea Herbs Offers Organic and Biblically Inspired Cosmetics
OnePure, a First in “Halal” Eco Skincare Products

The post Bahrain’s Green Bar Offers Naturally Extravagant Fragrances appeared first on Green Prophet.