Watch The Story of Cosmetics

Instead of documenting my green domestic adventures, today we're taking a field trip to the movies.

I invite you to watch The Story of Cosmetics. I'm sharing this 8 minute animated video because I think it does an excellent job of explaining:

• what toxic chemicals are in most conventional personal care products
• how these chemicals affect our health and the environment
• how most of these chemicals are undisclosed in the ingredient labels on packages
• how horribly unpoliced these chemicals are by the government
• reforms that need to happen to protect consumers

Three things that stood out to me:

• Since 1938 the government has only banned 8 of 12,000 new ingredients used in personal care products.
• Only 20% of the chemicals used in personal care products on store shelves have been assessed for safety. This testing is done by an industry safety panel, this means the industry polices themselves. Yikes!
• Terms like "herbal", "natural", and "organic" are unregulated when used on cosmetic products. These words mean nothing. I guess that explains how there exists such "natural" products as "organic" hair relaxer. (WTF! I'm glad someone else on the internet is giving them the side eye!)

What do you think of the documentary? Did anything surprise you? Can you recommend any other educational films on the issue? 

Connect with The Story of Stuff Project: YouTube // storyofstuff.org //  Facebook // Twitter // Also visit: SafeCosmetics.org

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips. 

I'm featured on Clueless Curl blog

I am so happy to have joined the resource of inspiration and sisterhood that is the Green Light features on Clueless Curl blog. In this recurring feature, Maggi interviews other Black women about their journey to living an eco-friendly life.

Read my recent interview where I talk about sometimes feeling like a hypocrite (it happens to the best of us!) and share my tricks for awesome hair.

Stay around to read more of Maggi's blog where she documents her own journey toward living a more natural lifestyle. I most enjoyed this post about her experiences with henna and clay hair treatments.

Maggi, the blogger behind Clueless Curl, has great hair!

DIY Whipped Body Butter

I just made whipped body butter with two easy to find ingredients! If you've ever made cake frosting or chocolate ganache, you've got all the skills you need to make your own whipped body butter. But even if you have no baking experience, you should find this pretty easy to make.

I love my homemade body butter!

 You need:

• 2 parts coconut oil (tip: use an ice cream scoop to get it out if it's a little hard)
• 1 part cocoa butter (tip: use a cheese knife to chip off what you need)
• essential oil(s), if desired
• a double boiler or a sauce pan and metal or glass bowl
• an electric mixer, handheld or stand with whip attachment
• small wide mouthed jar(s) with lid, preferably glass. Select jars with the understanding that the ingredients will be more massive/voluminous once whipped.

How to make whipped body butter.

Here's what you do:

1. Melt the measured out oils together in a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler (I don't), you can create one by simmering water in a sauce pan, then covering it with a metal or glass bowl that fits comfortably atop it. You wanna make sure the bowl is not touching the water. (If it is, pour out some water). Basically, you're using the heat from the rising steam to melt the oils together.
2. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Let it cool so that it can solidify a bit. It's winter so I put mine in the attic for a few hours (brrr). You could probably put it in the refrigerator and get similar results. (This blogger did.)
3. Whip the cooled mixture on high. At this point, you can add some essential oils. It shouldn't take long before you get whipped butter.
4. Spoon it into jar(s). Since this is technically food, you could totally lick the beaters if you want, but it doesn't taste anywhere near as good as it smells. (Yep, I tried some!)

Yesterday was my first time making body butter and I am totally pleased with the results! The body butter is light, easy to use, and feels superdecadent on my skin. I decided not to add any essential oils since it already smells delicious. My boyfriend says it smells like a Mounds bar, which I guess makes sense because it's basically chocolate and coconut.

Another awesome thing about this concoction is the price. I used Dr. Bronner's Virgin Coconut Oil, a 30 oz jar of which is on sale at the Providence Waterman Whole Foods for just $13.99! (Today is the last day of the sale, so drop in if you can.) At that awesome price, the 4 oz I used were just $1.87. The cocoa butter is from Mountain Rose Herbs. Since it was my first time ordering from them, I tried a small jar for $4.75. I used 2 oz of it in this recipe for $2.38. (I would've saved more had I purchased a larger container and I plan to do so in the future.) The jars were re-used so that's free. So we're at $4.25 and rounding up for shipping fees and tax (not sure I paid any but just in case), it couldn't have been any more than $5, even if I had added essential oils. Whoa! $5 for almost 8oz of organic, fair trade body butter. Yes!!!!

I like supporting small, local businesses that make yummy handmade products, but I also enjoy exploring my creativity and making my own stuff too. Kinda like how I cook at home and dine in restaurants sometimes too. I'm thrilled to have this budget-friendly trick (or is it treat?) under my belt! I look forward to experimenting with making body butters from other oils and ratios once this batch runs out.

I wanna send love to my friend Liz at Raganella, who introduced to me the crazy notion that you can make luscious natural body care products in your own kitchen. Also wanna send love to Annie B. Bond for her recipe (found in Better Basics for the Home) and Rawmazing for their homemade body butter blog post which filled the gaps in the aforementioned recipe.

Have you made a body butter before? If so, what's your favorite recipe? And if you haven't, would you try this or do you prefer to buy body care products? Who makes your favorite body butter? 

Olivia Lane Lovejoy is a Green Living Educator trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. 

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Super Quick Fix for Super Funky Kitchen Odors

We just started practicing the bokashi composting method in January and boy does it stink when we open that container! (I think it's because we're not using enough bran but my other half is the mayor of that project so I'm going to let him make that call.)

Keeping open mason jar of vinegar atop the bokashi scrap bin.

These days it's too cold to open the window for half an hour or so and let the fresh air take care of it. Good thing we've always got white vinegar on hand. Now after opening the funk factory (aka scrap bin), I quickly put out a little mason jar filled with the vinegar and the foul smell dissipates in 5 to 10 minutes.

The vinegar can be re-used for other projects later so you get double bang for the buck! You can also leave the vinegar filled jar out fighting funk all day and refill when needed, as it will eventually evaporate.

Check out Almanac.com for more interesting natural ways to tame indoor odors.

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

How to Clean Copper Coins (and more)

We moved into a 177 years old house in June. To put it politely, the house has been "very gently restored" over that period. The good thing about this is our floor boards are the original old wooden planks. One entertaining Winter past time is pulling things out of the wide gaps. Our most interesting recent discovery is this 1924 wheat penny!

1924 Wheat Penny found in 2013. Wow!

A few days after finding it, I saw my boyfriend Googling how to clean a copper coin. My knee jerk reaction was to scoff at him. What a waste of time, I thought. Then the Angel of Procrastination offered me another perspective. I looked down at the pile of pots I was washing and suddenly it seemed so important that I help him immediately. I am a cleaning blogger after all, my ego nudged. Within seconds I was totally crashing his coin cleaning party.
 
Here's how we cleaned the copper penny together.

We cleaned our old copper penny.

1. Sprinkle some salt into a little bowl. Pour a shallow pool of white vinegar into the bowl. Add the coil and let it soak. (We waited about 5 minutes before removing it and wiping it dry. From this alone we saw lots of improvement.)
2. Sprinkle a little baking soda on a spot of a damp cloth. Put the coin on the spot. Rub it between your fingers to buff the coin. (I didn't get a picture of this. Sorry!)
3. Laugh all the way to the bank. A copper wheat penny is worth $.75 to $450 or more today, depending on the year. Today's pennies are made of 97.5% zinc and only 2.5% copper, according to Wise Geek.

You can apply this technique of using salt and an acid (vinegar, lemon juice, or a sliced lemon for example) to clean anything made of copper metal. You can use baking soda on a cloth to buff any metal too.


Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

Hip Recycled Jewelry from PVD's Hint Studio

One beef I tend to have with accessories made from trash is they often look very much like the trash they're composed of. Little is done to separate the materials from their former form. I get that that's some folks' aesthetic but, in my opinion, it makes it hard for the jewelry to both distinguish itself from other recycled jewelry and have an artisan energy.

Thankfully this isn't a problem with Hint Studio creations. Sonja and Carolina Arentsen, a Providence-based mother-daughter team, reclaim copper electrical wires, fabric scraps, plastic bags and other materials that would otherwise end up in landfills to handcraft quirky, distinctive jewelry that has a voice of its own without screaming "I'm recycled."

Necklace by Hint Studio. (See more on Flickr.)

If the Arentsen's aren't trying to make an in-your-face statement, why are they using 100% recycled materials? Well, when Carolina entered the jewelry design industry after graduating from RISD she encountered two things: unsafe working conditions and sheer waste of resources. Workers, often undocumented, were required to cut and treat jewelry with dangerous chemicals in rooms without proper ventilation. All the jewelry was made with either mysterious mixes of metals or plastic bits purchased for cheap in China. Carolina wondered why not just reuse the plastic we already have rather than fly all the way from America to China to buy plastic made from newly mined petroleum to ship back to the US.

Being confronted with the reality of the role the jewelry industry was playing in global warming was enough for Carolina to want to make a difference. She left the mainstream jewelry industry and teamed up with Sonja, who has a natural sense of style and is good with her hands, to create Hint Studio. Carolina does most of the design and Sonja does most of the craftwork. Together the two women hope to remove the mainstream stigma that recycled materials are "unsanitary" and to help consumers and retail shop buyers explore the value of having something that is unique as opposed to something created in identical multiples for mass market consumption. Carolina also campaigns and talks to local officials in hopes of making reforms in jewelry industry standards for worker safety.

Hint Studio jewelry can be found in Paloma Boutique in Providence, RI and Green Envy Eco-Boutique in Newport, RI. Carolina also creates visual art which can be purchased on Etsy and seen hanging in Providence Optical, Blaze, and Runcible Spoon.

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was interesting. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

12 Ways to Keep Your Hair from Taking Over Your Home

I love my naturally kinky, coily hair! I think it's 99% fabulous. Why only 99%? The one thing I don't love about it is finding bits of it all over my apartment. Perhaps you've experienced this with your long, curly, or coily hair too. Here are a dozen tricks, treats, and habits I use to keep my hair from joining dust bunnies in a coup to take over my apartment.

Allies in managing shed hair: dust mop, microfiber towel, lint roller, vacuum, rubber mop, and drain hair traps.

1. Comb hair before getting into the shower. I usually spritz my hair with water then comb deep conditioner, coconut oil, or just water with aloe through my curls before getting into the shower. This reduces the shedding of hair that can clog drains.  
2. Stay in a confined area and wear a towel, t-shirt, or pillow case draped around your shoulders while combing, unbraiding, untwisting, styling, or trimming hair. This minimizes the area that you need to clean up later. You can just ball the fabric up and shake it out over the trash or compost bin before washing it.
3. Have a lint roller or vacuum nearby for clean up that way you don't have to wander about your apartment spreading shed or cut hair all over the place while searching for these things.
4. Never leave shed or cut hair laying around. Not only will your housemates hate you, but it's sure to wind up a dust bunny before you get to it later. Give your natural hair back to Mother Nature by composting it! (New to composting? Check out my Lazy Person's Guide to Composting.)
5. If you have a private backyard, deck, or rooftop, it's so nice to be able to do your hair outside on warm days. Not only will you not have to worry about shed hair, but you'll also enjoy vitamin D, fresh air, and fresh style!
6. Use a hair trap in sink and tub drains. I've found that inexpensive mesh wire hair traps are best for me, but your best choice will depend on your hair type and the placement of your drain. Try out a few different ones at the hardware store.
7.  If you already have a clogged or slow drain, check out my blog post on how to unclog drains without chemicals using a Zip-It.
8. Use a microfiber towel to dry your hair. They don't snag hair and cause breakage like traditional towels with loops do. I've also noticed that loose hairs do occasionally stick to them, rather than falling off onto the floor. Yay! I have two: one by Aquis and another from DevaCurl. I prefer the Aquis, but both are fine. I've read of people using t-shirts too!
9. Wear your hair in protective styles like twists and braids. These minimize daily shedding and reduce breakage. Black Girl Long Hair is a great resource for inspiration. There are also thousands of natural hair bloggers on YouTube.
10. Become besties with your vacuum. I love my Miele Olympus Vacuum. I prefer canister vacs because they have attachments you can use to easily suck up hair from various surfaces like the floor (even hardwood), upholstered furniture, and clothing. Just always be sure to choose attachments and adjust settings according to surface. Beware of buttons too!
11. If you don't have a vacuum, a dust mop is a great alternative for wood floors. If you already have a microfiber mop, you could just purchase a dust mop head and cheer yourself for saving space and resources! Step outdoors to shake dust and hair from dust mop after each use.
12. Another vacuum alternative is a rubber broom. In my experience, it's not great for catching my shorter hair, but it is exceptional at catching longer hair, cat fur, and big ol' dust bunnies. There are lots of varieties of rubber broom and some are better than others so read reviews. (I use the one my boyfriend bought from TV years ago but I'm not sure I see it was listed on Amazon now. Sorry!) Rubber brooms work on various floor surfaces, including carpets.

Did I forget anything? How do you keep your curly, kinky, coily, long, whatever hair from taking over your apartment?

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Let's stay connected: Newsletter // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin' // YouTube

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