If you haven't already noticed, I've updated the Where to Shop portion of my page! Finally. I have been working on it forever now and I'm really happy with it.

Since I first compiled this list, I have learned so much about blogging and the green industry that I knew this page needed a serious update. In the process of my Spring cleaning, I learned some major lessons on the subject of green makeup. I thought that just because a company was cruelty free, this meant it was cruelty free for the human body. For those who care about the safety of animals should also care about the safety of humans. I wish I knew then, what I know now, a lot sooner. More often than not, cosmetics are filled with tons of poisonous chemicals that may be approved under FDA regulations, but are no longer approved under my person standards. Anyone of the chemicals permitted under the FDA standard is really only acceptable if makeup is thought to be worn once a year, but this is almost never the case.

I stumbled across this blog, The Green Beauty Team after doing a typical search in Google, "Is Tarte Cosmetics really natural?" Now, I know Google doesn't always yield the most honest results, but the first site that appeared was this one. My search lead me to a very interesting blog post on "Green Washing." If you don't want to read the post, green washing is essentially when companies claim to be natural when they are by no means natural at all. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, the cosmetic industry is completely self-regulated, so to claim "all natural" doesn't have much credibility because there is very little evidence as to what is natural and what isn't. Of course, upon reading this, I conducted my own research using their Toxic Ingredients List and searched every listed ingredient for every single cosmetic company that claimed to be natural.

After doing my homework, I was most disappointed to find the Aesop claimed to be a natural and toxic-free company, when in fact most of their products contained a chemical called Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES), a foaming agent which is linked to all kinds of terrible things. The only reason this is even in our beauty products is to create the "sudsy" effect as to feel "more clean." The irony is you're only dirtying yourself more when you use products that contain toxic chemicals.

Photo by: @plantmakeup

DIY Lip Gloss by: Imagine Create Repeat

So whatever your cosmetic of choice is, I always check the ingredients in my products on the Environmental Working Group site and check to see which companies are cruelty free via the Cruelty Free Kitty.

If you want to know where to buy all new makeup, here are two shops that I trust to carry entirely green, vegan, and/or cruelty free products: The Detox Market and Credo Beauty. You can always find more on my new and improved, Where to Shop beauty page!

Now, I know it's been 2016 for two and a half months, however, I have made some great choices and life changes in 2016 thus far. One of them being a change in my feminine hygiene products and I couldn't be happier!

I've had a lot of issues with my feminine hygiene products. However, I've found them less than hygienic. I use pads and tampons once a month for at least a 4-6 days. These products also contain TONS of chemicals, which subsequently enter your body and in turn cause your body a lot of harm. There was a study conducted in 2014 that discusses what can be found in your tampons here. According to Andrea Donsky, founder of Naturally Savvy and co-author of Label Lessons: Your Guide to a Healthy Shopping Cart, tampon and pad manufacturers don't disclose any of the chemicals added to their products because they aren't required to. This is because they're considered, "medical devices." She performed an experiment using Always pads and Natracare 100% organic cotton pads. You can find out a lot about the chemicals that are added to our products by watching what happens when you burn both pads. I'm sure you can guess the results, but if you want to see what happens, watch the video here. Essentially, the Always pad burned at a much faster rate, while smoke was black and produced an awful smell because of the toxic additives. That's why I've compiled a list of tons of alternatives to reducing your monthly chemical intake. If you prefer pads or tampons, it's best to use 100% organic/natural products. If you're willing to make a giant leap towards less chemical and garbage waste, you can use a Menstrual cup (aka - the diva cup), cloth pads, or sea sponges. If you're skeptical about making the switch to any of these "out of the ordinary" products, here are interesting testimonials from real people found in the Wellness Mama.

Personally, I'm not sure I'm ready to make the switch to a diva cup, but I've been really happy ever since I switched to Natracare. I like them because they use 100% organic cotton. I've noticed my cramps have decreased immensely (and I get really bad cramps). I've also noticed greater absorbancy in the organic tampons versus my chemical ridden ones. One regular size can hold the same amount as a super, if not more. I've also seen another brand of tampons and pads, Lola, which uses 100% cotton and offers a monthly subscription. However, Lola, although completely transparent and very convenient, doesn't use organic cotton, just cotton. This can be problematic because of the chemicals that are added to the cotton plant during cultivation. Unlike organic cotton, which does not use chemicals during cultivation. It's really up to you to decide which product and which company is right for you.