Holiday shopping can be challenging but need it also be horrifying?

In Jordan, import duties bloat retail prices. Clay pots and intricate mosaics are too unwieldy to mail, and puppies gestate in less time than it takes for a package to ship back to the States.   With these limits on local shopping, I turn to the internet for holiday gifting.  Handmade is good; up-cycled’s appealing and what’s not to love about supporting small business?

But a stroll through handmade marketplace Etsy turns up some cringe-worthy crafters.  Read on, if you dare.

1.  Etsy seller bonejewellery makes rings from human teeth, sealed in protective polymers and set into an adjustable-for-all metal base (see photo above).  If you desire a particular type of tooth (small, large, more or less decay), this seller will aim to please, or send in your own teeth for a discount.  Even at full price (under $20) this item won’t take a bite out of your wallet.

2. NaturePunk  encourages extreme recycling.  Why toss a part of yourself into the bin when you can become jewelry?  This seller urges shoppers to ask their dentists to hand over the extracted choppers.  Dampen the pain of getting your wisdom teeth pulled with the prospect of walking off with a new pair of earrings or cufflinks.  Perfect if all you want for Christmas is your two front teeth.

3. Nothing says style like a necklace made of mink skulls and rattlesnake vertebrae. Ossuaria Jewelry apt213 offers jewelry crafted from real animal parts, and claim that all their creatures have died “due to natural causes, or carelessness of others”.  Roadkill to retail, there’s resourcefulness.

4. Prefer your bones with a touch more glamour?  Then check out that same vendor’s glass neck ornament: vintage orbs stuffed with tiny ribs and toes and vertebrae. I’m scratching my head.

5. FetidFashion has an ideal accessory to match your favorite fur coat: earrings made from mink jaws. They’re the dangle-y kind, suspended from copper hook clasps. Not quite your taste? No worries, these can also be made with silver or gold clasps.

6. Zhon of The Nature Cave posits, “how often do you have the opportunity to adopt the King of the Jungle?”  He’s selling an 8 foot long pelt of an adolescent lion to anyone looking to make a rug, or wall hanging, or as Zhon suggests, buy it just to “”snuggle up next to”.  This former zoo-cat has been turned into $6,000 of skin and fur that’s “soft and cuddly for any craft”.

7.  Want to look “fly” at your holiday office party?  Head back to bonejewellery for this pair of earrings made from the skeletal structure of Short Nosed Fruit Bat wings.

8. If you need a bit more backbone to face your New Years’ resolutions, opt for this necklace made from rattlesnake spine and topped with a Green Crested Lizard skull.  Murder Jewelry assures shoppers, “all of my bones were only used once”. Twice by my count, if you consider the original owners.
9. Fishers are medium sized mammals living mostly in the North American Pacific Northwest, larger than minks and are smaller than wolverines.  Seller Lunalura says this genuine Fisher paw is the “perfect gift for an animal loving friend”.  I’m going bald from the head-scratching, I tell you.

10. Boomer2563’s shop was the end of my shopping trip.  After seeing the coyote, bobcat and raccoon “faces” he offers for sale, it was time to turn off the computer.

My holiday enthusiasm’s evaporated.  I really feel sick. This year for Christmas, I think I’m giving everyone hugs.

All images from each cited seller’s Etsy site.

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Eco-friendly products AND vegan shwarma can be found at Beirut’s A New Earth.

Sometimes, despite all our good intentions towards living a greener, healthier lifestyle, it’s just not convenient.  Sadly, most mainstream supermarkets don’t carry a variety of organic produce (if they carry it at all), and natural products may be few and far between.  The search for them alone can cause you to give up.  But when a store conveniently gathers all the eco-friendly foods and products for you in one location?  Well, that’s good news.

And that’s what A New Earth did for Beirut residents a year ago when it opened as one of the city’s first organic grocery stores.  (In fact, the photo above is from the shop’s 1-year anniversary in July, where organic vodka was sipped by many.)

But A New Earth tries to be more than just a boutique organic grocery store and really offer all the things that you could normally find in a supermarket.  The store offers a wide range of baby care, household, and organic cosmetic products and is open to enhancing its selection based on the needs of its customers.

In describing why there is a need for a shop such as A New Earth, store co-founders Layane Makarem and Sabine Kassouf simply say “because we believe that we have to move toward a cleaner, healthier, sustainable way of living, to rediscover our home, our planet, and to always remember that Earth is our host.”

A New Earth is located at 65 Zahret El Ihsan Street, Beirut and open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm.  For more information about the store please visit A New Earth’s Facebook page.

Read more about other green shops across the Middle East::
Dubai’s Ekotribe to Open Online Mideast Ecostore
Interview: Buying Local in Dubai With Baker & Spice’s Yael Mejia
Nagaya Organic Gifts: Give the Gift of Sustainability

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So summer is here and the timing is right for dancing in the street (socially distanced, maybe), but not without first considering the impact of the blistering sun. The automatic instinct is to grab the sunscreen and slather it on when the sun is so unrelenting. But have you ever given a thought as to what is really in your sunscreen?

Most unfortunately, despite the fact that sunscreen is supposed to protect our skin, there are chemicals in the sunscreen which are damaging for our health.

There are many ways to protect our skin, but one of them should be reading the ingredients on sunscreen so that we can avoid some of the hazardous chemicals. Some of these chemicals kill coral reefs and animals in the lake. 

1. Parabens – This group of compounds can appear on the label in several forms such as methylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben. It is widely used as a preservative, in beauty products and to give sunscreen and other products a long shelf life, however it is easily absorbed through the skin and can disturb hormone levels.

Think about the effect this can have the next time you go to put sunscreen on yourself, or on a child.

2. Benzophenone – Either this or similar compounds such as oxybenzone are active ingredients in sunscreen. This is absorbed by the skin and produces free radicals which in turn play havoc with your body, damaging cells and leading to aging skin.

Some of these compounds also have an estrogen-like effect which can not only disrupt your body’s hormone balance, but also cause have more adverse effects.

3. Cinnamates – These are often used together with benzophenones and have poor water solubility. This means that they are often used in sunscreens marked “water-proof” where they coat your skin.

Quite apart from avoiding certain ingredients, there are other things to keep in mind when worrying about sun care in summer.

The Good Ingredients in Natural Sunscreen

1. There are good ingredients – You might want to have a look for sunscreens with zinc and titanium both of which are natural minerals. Being natural they are both better options for skin protection then chemicals of any form.

2. Vitamin D – The sun is the main source of vitamin D which our bodies need to promote the absorption of calcium as well as to keep bones healthy and strong. Having enough vitamin D can also prevent osteoporosis later in life. Of course it is not good to get too much sun, but a little each day it ideal.

3. Cover up – One of the best ways to avoid too much sun, is to simply cover up. Try wearing a hat outside and t-shirts which don’t expose too much skin. It might be fun to wear skimpy summer clothing, but if you are planning a day outside, consider what that could do to your skin.

With all this, burning still happens, so in that case try using aloe vera as a great natural way to soothe your skin. Before you have to deal with burns, finding a sunscreen which isn’t loaded with chemicals and then you can avoid the pain altogether. Or like Green Prophet’s Karen suggests – make your own organic sunscreen.

Read more on chemicals in beauty products:

The Toxic Touch of Beauty Products – 7 Chemicals to Avoid

1 in 7 beauty products contain asbestos

Some Tips to Consider Before Buying Beauty Products

The post 3 Good and 3 Bad Sunscreen Tips for a Healthy Summer appeared first on Green Prophet.

The truth is, that even if you do read the ingredients, those long chemical names probably don’t mean that much to you, but the cosmetics industry is filled with chemicals so there are a few items you should keep in mind to avoid.

1. Coal tar – For many women, part of the morning ritual involves putting on their favourite shade of lipstick, but would you be as attached to it if you knew that it contained harmful materials? Synthetic colours often listed as D&C or FD&C with a number in the ingredients. These are based on coal tars, which are carcinogens. Carcinogens are cancer-causing substances, so how much do you really love your lipstick? Maybe it’s time to switch.

2. Parabens – These are actually a group of compounds, which occur naturally in certain foods, however, rather than going through the expensive process of extracting it from fresh fruit and vegetables, they are synthetically produced.

They are widely used as anti-microbial preservatives, but your skin can absorb the chemicals causing irritation. They disrupt hormone levels and while they are not the only cause of health problems, given the popularity of this chemical in beauty products, it is something to look out for.

3. Petrolatum – This is used as a moisturizer, which is ironic given that it clogs your pores, by coating your skin. In essence, this substance stops your body’s natural moisturizing system, which can in turn causes skin irritations. Of course, the reason for its popularity is that it is inexpensive.

Here in the Middle East, where the sun is so strong, it is vital to take care of our skin, but this is one chemical that you don’t want be using daily in your skin care routine.

4. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate – What this does is give your shampoo that nice foaming action which we all love, but in reality it is basically a harsh detergent. In fact it can cause skin irritations, eye problems and other allergic reactions.

5. Hydroquinone – It is very popular in certain cultures to lighten the skin and hydroquinone is key in many skin-lightening products. When you think about it though, anything that causes a permanent bleaching effect in your skin can hardly be healthy.

6. Propylene Glycol – A by-product of petroleum, what it does is act as a solvent on the skin making it popular in lotions and deodorants. It is highly toxic however and can lead to liver and kidney problems. If this isn’t convincing, consider the fact that it can be found in anti-freeze, now is that something you really want floating around your body?

7. Phenylenediamine (PPD) – This is found in permanent hair dyes as well as dark coloured cosmetics. Whether you dye your hair from the bottle or go to a salon, this chemical is just as common and can in fact cause scalp irritation and allergic reactions.

Consider the fact that to dye your hair, you have to sit for at least half and hour with chemicals seeping into your scalp. Why put yourself through all this when there are natural alternatives to hair dye?

When buying products there are several things to keep in mind, not the least of which is the chemicals in your products. So next time you reach for your favourite shampoo, have a glance at the ingredients and try to avoid the products with bright colours, synthetic fragrances and long scary looking chemical compounds.

Read more about natural alternatives to beauty products:
Sage Advice on Natural Deodorants (7 Tips)
Three “Natural” Masks and Cleaners For Soothing Summer Skin

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Since the dawn of time, people have been finding ways to improve, change and diversify their appearance for cultural and personal reasons. These methods of beautifying yourself are just as diverse as they are natural and one of these, is the art of henna hair dying.

Henna has existed in the Middle East as well as areas of Africa and Asia since the time of the ancients, so it is definitely a tried and tested process for all different hair types. Of course it is not limited to dying hair, it is also used on skin, fingernails as well as leather, silk and wool. But when it comes to dying your hair, there are a few things you should take into account.

To begin with, if you are used to getting your colour from a bottle, you should be aware that this process is completely different. While there are several colours available which are all known today as henna, the truth is that natural henna, which comes from a plant called lawsonia inermis contains a property called lawsone and this turns your hair a red-brown colour, depending on your natural colour.

The colours known as black and neutral henna actually come from completely different plants, however the dye process is the same. Just be careful when you are buying your henna products, if they are labelled “compound henna” this means that it is not purely natural and are actually combined with various metallic salts which can damage your hair.

Henna itself is one of the natural ways to protect your hair. It penetrates your hair, preventing dandruff and split ends and is a natural way of making it shine. Once you have decided what colour you want, make sure you have enough time put aside because this is a slightly lengthy procedure, like many others which are purely natural.

In the Middle East, you can usually buy henna in a local shuk or market. Just ask around. Best to ask people with experience on where the best henna can be found.

How to henna your heard or beard red:

1. You need to start by making a paste. Take the henna in its powder form and make a thick paste by adding lemon, orange or grapefruit juice.

2. Leave this to sit over night.

3. Then when you are ready to start applying it, add some more lemon juice, or some herbal tea to make it about the consistency of yoghurt. It will feel like coating you head in a thick layer of icing, but don’t be afraid to really cake it on.

It might look strange, but wrapping your head in plastic is the next step, try it out! Image via pretendtious

4. Now comes the amusing part. You need to wrap your head in shrink wrap, for between 2 and 4 hours. While it will feel heavy, it is actually very soothing and is a natural way of ridding yourself of headaches and letting yourself relax. The final step is to rinse out the henna, which can take a bit of soaking and then shampooing normally. Be careful you do not get any henna on your skin. The dye is powerful.

The colour that you are first faced with is not the colour which will remain. As the henna reacts with the air, the colour will change, so it is only 3 days later that the colour will truly settle.

Enjoy nature’s own hair dye, but make sure you wear gloves, remember, henna also dyes skin and you don’t necessarily want to walk around for the next month with red hands!

Read more on natural ways to improve your health and appearance:
Aloe Vera – A Prickly Plant with Pizazz
RECIPE: Eco Friendly Summer Solstice Lip Balm
Sage Advice on Natural Deodorants

Top image Image via AfghanistanMatters

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People like us who are concerned with the environment, apply the same basic common sense to our bodies, right? That’s why many environmentalists and even just every day folk have stopped using anti-perspirant (containing aluminum) to stop sweat. On HowStuffWorks they explain in depth how it works.

Basically  aluminum ions in the anti-perspirant go into our body cells, the ones that line our sweat glands at the epidermis – the top layer of the skin. Aluminum ions, and then the water that passes by them, eventually block the ducts so the sweat can’t get out.

Besides the obvious question of why in the world would we want our bodies to be deprived of a basic physiological function like sweating, the question of the aluminum ions on our health has been an important one. Wired says that aluminum concentrations in underpit anti-perspirants don’t cause Alzheimer’s debunking what they say is a myth. Meanwhile Planet Green suggests Botox injections (seriously?) as a means to stop the sweat glands from over-fuctioning, because aluminum ions have been found to have a strong association with breast cancer in freshly shaved pits.

BO is undeniably bad, but Botox? Besides, sweating is actually a necessary bodily function, according to Planet Green who cites Dr. Rob Streisfeld, a Naturopathic Doctor, “your body is designed to sweat, so using chemicals and agents to block the natural process is never good.”

The online media magazine concludes that both antiperspirants and deodorants are not good for the environment. The jury’s not quite clear on the health angle, but if there is a question will you take the risk? If not, what are your options?

Some greenies among us may have decided to go au natural. Meaning: no shaving, no deodorant, nothing.

If you live in an Alaskan village of 200 and wear a parka for 10 months of the year, this option is probably feasible, but “sweating around” in a burka (for traditional Muslims), dark suit and hat or wig (if you are a religious Jew), and in general, the traditional sweat-prone attire found in the Middle East is not always the nicest for your co-workers and neighbours to be around (unless you live in the Sinai Desert where no one’s sweat appears to smell).

But there are some options.

7 chemical free options to anti-perspirants:

1. A chemical free option is a salt crystal, which is activated by running it under water and applying it to the armpit area. Find them online or in health stores everywhere. The scent free solution is ideal, where scents are not tolerated or permitted.

2. Shaving your armpits may not reduce the sweat glands from working overdrive, but it does help cut back on the bacteria that leads to BO.

3. Wearing light materials, in dark colors, can mask any sweat stains. Those that cling less, are less likely to activate a sweat attack. Warning: when we say light we mean light in weight. In fact pastels can very much exaggerate the appearance of sweat.

4. Pure cotton clothes retain smells more than clothing with a synthetic mix.

5. Check out the lavender based deodorant powder recipe on Natural News. They also have a simple formulation for a tea tree based deodorant which doubles as a bug spray. Even just a base oil, mixed in with olive oil can work well. First check if the essential oil is safe to apply directly to your skin.

6. The Swiss company Weleda has a great natural deodorant which I use frequently. I find the “sage” formulation more effective at masking odors than the citrus one, though citrus smells better. Weleda also has one in rose scent, but I would never like to smell like a rose, so opt for the more masculine sage, which I am using now. Weleda products can be found in health stores around the Middle East, and even at big drug store chains in Israel.

A nice thing about Weleda is they pretty much give you their recipe on their ingredients label. So make your own, if you find the $10 price tag to be too hefty. The basic ingredients are rubbing alcohol and essential oils. The alcohol might be haram for religious Muslims though. Check on that if it’s a concern.

7. If you’re lucky to close enough to a Sephora store where there are lots of natural options, you can try to buy Lavanilla Laboratories “Healthy Deodorant.” The solid stick deodorant comes in a number of vanilla based scents, and the one in vanilla grapefruit smells so good you want to eat it. I like it less than the Weleda deodorant though.

Although the $20 stick lasts a lot longer, let’s say 4 months versus 1, after application it kind of has that “I am trying to mask bad odor” smell. Like French cologne on an old lady who hasn’t bathed for several weeks. This particular brand is phthalate and paraben free, as we’d expect it to be.

So as the spring turns to summer and we start to sweat more, I hope you enjoy and “apply” some greener options to your personal body care regime. Your body and planet will probably thank you.

Just be warned when a product is sold as “natural.” While there may be natural components such as essential oils in “natural” products, just look out for parabens and phthalates, which are linked to endocrine disruption and cancer.

Bonus tip – this just in: try baking soda – Video.

[youtube width=”560″ height=”400″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcbqjEm0Eho[/youtube]

More articles on green health and body products:
The Dioxane Scare in Baby Bath Products
Ecover’s Dioxane Stain Makes Us Feel A Little Dirty
Dr. Bronner’s Soapy and Sustainable Vision for Israel and Palestine

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