Post # 42!!!!

Hello,

My name is bwings and I'm a hoopy frood who always know where their towel is!

A towel, you see is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.

"Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it around your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very, very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough. 

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Obviously, being the 42nd entry and my being a hippie nerd I simply had to make a H2G2 reference in todays entry. What better topic than towels? I certainly know no eco-friendly space travel fuel remedies!

I am unaware of what sort of towels I have, inexpensive and in their first 6 or 8 washes they shed a lot of blue! In fact the first time Asmerus got out of the shower and dried himself he shouted out, "Can I have a different towel? Preferably one that doesn't make me look like grover!!!"  But I digress.

I'm certain we will someday replace these towels, as towels go, and when I do so I intend to make a more eco-friendly selection. Most towels are made of conventional cotton, it is this cotton that brings about 25% of the insecticide in the world. The dyes in these towels are often derived from petroleum, polluting our waters and drying our face. Organic cotton, hemp or bamboo towels with plant-based or low-impact dyes are a far more eco-friendly choice. Each has their positives and negatives that accompany them.

For instance, bamboo will grow quickly and with little maintenance. It doesn't require pesticides or fertilizers and when cut needn't be replanted as it will simply grow back. Bamboo made towels are highly absorbent and studies have proven them to be 60% more absorbent than cotton towels. Bamboo towels also have a natural silk quality to them making them comparable to cashmere and far softer than cotton towels. They also have their own unique anti-bacteria and bacteriostasic bio-agent making them naturally anti-bacterial. They are 100% biodegradable and quick drying. If used in hot climate it will keep your skin cool and in the cold will keep you warm. They have natural UV properties, anti-static properties and are odor resistant. However making them into fiber for clothing is a massive chemical bath! There are sources available that have more eco-conscious fiber production but they can involve a steeper price tag.

Organic cotton towels would maintain all the qualities of regular cotton towels except without the pesticides.

Hemp towels are durable, absorbent and will withstand far more washings than cotton. They are also far more resistant to mildew than cotton towels. Because of hemps durability the towel will hold it's shape better than other material and won't stretch out. If dyed it will retain the color a lot longer and better than most any other fabric. This is due to it's porous quality, in addition the pores will allow the hemp to breath and keep you cool in the heat while the absorptive quality will keep you warm in the cold. Unfortunately they aren't sold in standard retail stores and so might be harder to find. But with the invention of teh internetz I'm sure a quick google for a local store would turn up something in your area.

Personally I'm sold on the organic bamboo towels and given that my new bathroom lacks a fan I am often growling when I pick up a new towel and find it already stinks of musk! There is nothing I hate more, when it comes to bathing, than coming out smelling clean and drying off with a stinky towel! To me the musky odour of a dirty towel bares resemblence to cat urine and that is a disgusting thought to run through your head after getting out of the shower. I won't even put my kitty litter in the bathroom. I have always kept it tucked in the back of the storage closet and refused to ever move into an apartment that didn't have this option. So I believe I shall venture out early for a few of these bamboo towels. One or two at first to see what I think of them. If they turn out then I may donate the cotton ones to my kitties for their bedding and dry off in anti-bacterial, odor resistent material.

I didn't think I'd be switching quite so quickly but my research has changed my mind before. As Douglas would say,

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."

That is all for now, from your neighborhood hippie mom.

Another Manic Monday

Hello,

My name is bwings and I rarely wear lipstick.

I've never really saw much point in lipstick, it stays on your lips or it's faded in places, it's on your teeth. I prefer eye shadow for it's room for artistic flair. Regardless, I do have, in my tool kit, some lipstick. Revelon Moon Drops. Scary thing is it rates 9 on the hazard scale!!! NINE! Well, isn't that lovely. I don't know that I'll bother replacing it because of my lack of use. However, it's good to know my good list and bad list.

The Good

Boots No7 Mineral Perfection (0) - $10
Coastal Classic Creations (0) - $16 - $20
Afterglow Cosmetics Organic Lip Love Lipstick (1) - $24
barefaced Mineral Cosmetics Natural Lipstick (1) - $12-$15
Cargo (1) - $12-$24
CNaturals Vegan Lipstick (1) - $14
Cosmic Tree Essentials Lip Care Confections Lipstick (1) $9
Earth’s Beauty Shea & Aloe Lipstick (1) - $10
Hemp Organics (1)
Inika Mineral Lipstick (1)
Johnny Concert, LLC Narcissistic Lipstick (1)
Maia’s Mineral Galaxy Ecstasy Lipstick (1)
Monave Vegan Lipstick (1)
Pure ANada Cosmetics Natural Lipstick (1)
Real Purity Lipstick (1)




There are options, even if I don't plan to replace mine, at least I know I have a lot of options.
Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and are ready for the new year.
Your friend neighborhood hippie mom.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hello,

My name is bwings and I stuff my stockings with a tangerine/clementine!

I don't know for sure where the tradition started, I just know that I am not the only one who grew up with a tangerine in my stocking. All through the holidays the tangerines sit on a shelf pleading with you to buy them. Sale after sale they jump out at you. Just like egg nog they are here and then gone after the new year. I was fortunate to be pregnant in season as I craved the juicy fruit.

Some sources say the tradition started in the 18th century when nuns would stuff socks with nuts and tangerines and leave them at doorsteps. Other sources say it was Bishop Nicholas who, having learned  about 3 daughters with no dowries destined to be old maids, tossed 3 bags of gold down their chimney. It of course landed in their stocking as the folk lore goes and as the fire heated the socks the sacs of gold melted and softened into balls of gold. The tangerines in our stockings are to symbolize these gold sacs.

Do you know what I think? I think it's just because tangerine season is from October to April. The centre of this season would be December & January when the fruit would be just right! Not too sweet, not too sour. Why stuff it in the stockings? Simple, so the gifts don't get stuck in the toe. It fills the toe perfectly and then parents aren't busy saying, "Are you sure you got everything out?" "yes mom" "I think there is something more....Santa told me what he left in your stocking and you're missing one thing."

Two nights ago I received a letter from one of my hippie viewers.

Dear Hippie Mom,

How do you recycle Clementine boxes? It seems like such a waste to just throw them in the garbage.

Anonymous Hippie

Honestly this was something I was curious about as I have two boxes sitting on my counter. Now to find out what is allowed in my location. My first step was to call my local waste company. They said unfortunately it would be considered garbage as far as they are concerned as it's not plastic or cardboard. Disappointing as it's wood. I suppose it'd break down relatively nicely in a waste pile. But all the same, next was to call my city office.

My city office was able to help me out. Before I even finished the question the operator told me they could be put in the green bin provided all the staples were pulled out. Well that wasn't so hard was it? Now I can stuff my stockings without feeling guilty.

Now seeing as it's Christmas tomorrow (and Kawanza on Sunday) I guess I better finish up our song.

Are we ready? Do you remember the lyrics? Sing along everyone!!

♫On the 12th day of Christmas a hippie brought to me a hand woven telephone wire bracelet, a recycled cotton wastebasket, a set of Circuit Board Cufflinks, a Truck Tire Bentley Bag, a triple razor, a splaff thin recycled tube belt, a wind up universal remote, a tie fold wallet , a biodegradable fertile tee, a flip-flop door mat, 2 cangle earrings and a bobble water filter ♫ 


That about wraps it up! Have a very, merry Christmas! 
Your friendly neighborhood Hippie Mom

A forest in your bathroom

Hello,

My name is bwings and I roll my toilet paper underhand!

Without getting into the argument of overhand vs. underhand I'll go right into todays entry in my green-living adventure. I through a big shindig here the other day, small apartment, one bathroom, twenty guests. Crazy? Maybe a little! Even more crazy was the realization at the last moment that we only had one roll of toilet paper left! OH NO! That just wasn't going to do at all! Asmerus headed out to pick up some more while my friend and I continued to ready the meal for everyone.

Upon his return and my first visit to the lavatories thereafter I discovered he brought home 1 ply simple and plain paper. Not that we get frilly or puffy spoil your bum paper. Just this was the very basic of the basic. And as I sat there on the throne I asked myself, "Which is more eco-friendly? One Ply or Two?" I don't imagine there is one answer to this as without an extreme controlled study there would be no determined answer. Even then the answer would be completely unscientific which just wouldn't do at all. Whether a person uses more or less toilet paper when using 1 or 2 ply depends purely on the person and the purity of their erm.. dumps. But it did make me question the toilet paper as a whole. What, if anything, should someone be watching for when shopping for their toilet paper.

I had heard one thing which, sorry earth, I won't be doing, this is family cloth. I don't think I need to go into too much detail but essentially it's the replacement of conventional toilet paper with individual fabric cloths to be washed (I'd assume daily) and reused repeatedly. In some cases families would keep toilet paper options for twosies and guests. But like their are intense activists I'm sure there are those who say, "If you use my john you use my johnny cloth!"

There are other things to keep in mind when shopping for butt wipes, things I'm much more willing to do. Such as buying toilet paper free of bleach and chlorine and if in conjunction with being made from recycled material all the better. The problem with recycled toilet paper is that it is normallly bleached to remove prior ink. When the chlorine combines with the paper fibers it creates toxins such as dioxin. Dioxins cause cancer, learning disorders, impaired immune system, impared developing nervous system, impared endocrine system, fertility issues, diabetes and more. Therefore my top priority is in purchasing chlorine/bleach free toilet paper. Second to that would be to ensure it is recycled.

I will likely continue to purchase 1 ply paper. My family doesn't increase usage with ply reduction and 1 ply will break down easier and quicker. In case you were worried about Dioxins it might pleasure you to know that toilet paper is the least of your worries. I imagine you'll be less than thrilled to discover that more than 90% of exposure is through meat (yes fish included) and dairy. The higher up on the foodchain you go the higher the concentration of dioxins. (that puts vegetarian/vegan down at the bottom of the cart with cows) ;) Yes...I just compared myself to a cow mooooooo. Dioxins thrive in your body because of their endurance and ability to be absorbed by fat tissue. Their half-life in a body is estimated to be seven to eleven years.

While doing my research into toilet paper I discovered two things I thought to be really amazing! First is a nifty video showing an invention called the white goat. It is intended for companies that go through a lot of paper through the day. Taking their shredded paper and making toilet paper rolls for the company use. I assume the paper is bleached inside the machine but it's still a pretty nifty idea.

Second is the new tube free toilet paper from Kimberly Clark. It is said that the simple cardboard tube in our toilet paper roll is to blame for 160 million pounds of waste annually, in the United States alone. If you were to put the rolls end to end you could go to the moon and back....TWICE! Of course people are only going to continue to toss the toilet paper roll in their bathroom waste bin rather than walk it out to the recycling bin. I think this is quite innovative! I read that it was released November 1st and promptly got on the phone with my local grocery department. When reaching customer service I said, "I have an interesting question for you. I just learned about this new tube free toilet paper roll introduced by Kimberly Clark. It would've been released to public the first of November and I was wondering if your stole carried it." Well Customer Service promptly transferred me to Grocery who stuttered and transfered me to the assistant manager. It is their belief they do not carry this product.

Next step is to call Kimberly Clark themselves and see where one could purchase this product. It is my understanding that it is to be released in the United States at first and then later spread if it is popular. In my household our rolls are recycled and so it won't change the environment any if I purchase these rolls. However, I am ever so curious as to how these rolls hold their shape, so foolishly curious! If I find anything more about them during business hours I will surely update you.

For now I've looked into a clever eco-friendly bathroom trash can and seeing as it's the 11th day of Christmas *clears throat* on the 11th day of Christmas a hippie brought to me a recycled cotton wastebasket. But don't let that hippie catch you tossing toilet paper rolls in it! Or she'll open a BPA free can of whoop a$$ on you ;)

That's all for now, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom!

Technologic

Hello,

My name is bwings and I never have just one computer running at a time!

What happens when two nerds come together and make a love nest? They don't use feathers to line it, instead they have laptops, computers and multiple electronic accessories. This is not a joke, it's a very serious fact!! If there was a theme song for our house and it's relationship with electronics and technology it would very seriously be Technologic.



But with all these computers there often lies the need to replace or recycle a computer. How does one dispose of an aged computer nicely? This all depends on what the exact issue is.

Issue 1:
Your computer isn't working anymore and it's driving you crazy! You want to throw it out the window.
Solution:

Almost everyone knows one tech loving friend who will give a good crack at that aggravating data muncher for you. Talk to your friend, see if they will look into it for you. Most will do it for a pizza or some other favor. It will save you on having to send it back to the retailer and hope they can do something....in a few weeks. This solution is NOT always an option if your computer is under warranty. I can't stress that enough! If your computer is under warranty and the problem proves to be a hardware issue and not a software then your tech loving friend will not be able to open your computer. For there are stickers intended to show if a computer has been tampered with. Breaking these seals will void your warranty and that's a lot of pressure for your friend. Know your warranty going in.

Issue 2:  Your computer is getting old and you want to upgrade.

Solution:

This one leans back on those tech loving friends. You can either donate your worthwhile parts to these friends or ask if they wouldn't mind stripping your old computer for it's newer parts. In some cases they might be able to simply replace old parts of your computer for newer ones and save you money on the packaging of a whole new computer. In my house we have a computer that has been around for 12 years now. It's up to date as of 2009 but the computer has never been replaced. Simply parts and pieces removed and exchanged for others. Old parts sit in another tower casing to be sold at later available times or used to make new computers. It's completely possible to rebuild a computer without forking out the money for a new container. Unless you're into that sort of thing.

Issue 3: Replacing the trivial things, monitor, keyboard, mouse etc.
Solution: If these parts still work and you just want a sleeker design you can donate it to another who might not be able to afford the sleeker designs. Monitors will sell on kijiji or craigs list for a couple dollars here or there depending on the age and quality of the monitor. If you are replacing a wired keyboard or mouse for their wireless alternative then you want to store the wired version. If the day comes, and I hope it never does, that you need to enter safe mode or your bios this will be impossible with a wireless equivalent. A wireless will not (at least in my experience) run until your computer is on. To enter bios or safe mode you need keyboard use before computer start up. It's always good to keep one spare wired mouse & keyboard for these situations.

If the keyboard or mouse doesn't work and you know someone with a child ... do I need to spell it out? My daughter loved typing on our keyboard, but for the earlier part of her life she was rather aggressive with those buttons. Watching her mash the keys on a keyboard was cute, but watching her slam the keys on an expensive wireless model made our stomach turn. The solution was to donate an 80's model keyboard to her. She loved it and it is still one of her favorite toys.



Issue 4: You have exhausted your upcycling and reusing options with your friends or simply have no tech loving friends.
Solution: Find a computer refurbisher in your area. If your computer is less than 5 years old they will recycle it's parts into newer systems. They use the parts to replace broken parts in a newer system to save the owner some money.

Issue 5: Your computer is older than 5 years old/has no useable parts/has terrible hardware problems!
Solotuion:  Computer Recyclers in your area will do basically the same thing as a refurbisher. They will take the salvageable parts (if any) and recycle unusable parts.

In some cases recycling your computer can result in a tax deduction. Either it's market value or it's un-depreciated value. This may be only $10 if your computer is ancient, but if you go through computers quickly and treat them well you might be looking at a bit more. Worth looking into.

When recycling or donating your computer try to have all your documents with it, any discs that came with that computer were useful to you and will be useful to the next owner.

Additional things you might want to know before going ahead with a recycle or refurbish is to ensure all your data is erased before passing it on. To prevent identity theft it is crucial that you format a hard drive to erase all your data. When you format it make sure you are doing it in the traditional way as there are now options to format and save your data. You want this hard drive wiped clean. A study on 129 old hard drives (many formated) found more than 5,000 credit card numbers, medical correspondences, love letters, porn, banking information and other data you wouldn't want in the wrong hands.

Lastly, please don't just toss these things out, there are so many options and what you're throwing out potentially contains lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and PCBs. Some have found their waste departments to be less than helpful with this and so I hope my suggestions have been helpful. Some find speaking with their local Geek Squad (best buy) has been helpful in locating a recycling program for their computers and laptops. In fact in some cases Best Buy will recycle most of your electronics, although TVs, CRTs, Monitors, Desktop Towers, & Laptops will cost you $10 to recycle through them. KEEP READING they will in exchange give you a $10 gift card. So really you're just promising to spend at least $10 in their store in exchange for their recycling. See? not so bad! If you're already a tech user you can likely find something to spend $10 there. A new mouse maybe?
You will have to take your harddrive out before giving it to best buy though or they will charge you a removal fee. But that's not such a bad thing, call up your tech friend, they might even be able to turn your harddrive into an external for you, thus making music storage practical.

Your options are endless really so there is no reason why you can't find something to do with that old computer. If you ever need any help from us you can feel free to e-mail your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

In the meantime I believe we're on the 10th day of Christmas a hippie brought to me a set of Circuit Board Cufflinks. Oh you know I had to go there, but honestly they are sort of nifty looking.

The Wheels on the bus

Hello,

My name is bwings and I don't have a license.

But billions of others do and I'd be willing to bet more than 80% of license holders drive cars and maybe another 15% of those without licenses do as well ;) Every vehicle is different but every vehicle is the same. Or at least every vehicle has the same concept, a device straddling tires/wheels propelled by an engine to get you from one point to another presumably faster than walking when grandma's not at the wheel. So ignoring the obvious question about gas and mileage what else can we think about when going green. Our tires! Of course, these tires that are manufactured using petroleum and then burnt into the pavement when drag racing rushing to work!

About one billion tires are produced annually made mostly of 4lbs of rubber (8 types), 5 lbs of carbon black, 1 lb of steel cord, 1lb nylon, 1lb steel bead wire, 3lbs of chemicals (including petroleum), 6lbs of synthetic rubber.

There is hope yet, there has been production started on various naturally sourced tires. For instance Yokohama has come out with their dB super E-spec. This tire is made using oil from orange peels and natural rubber. Thus reducing the need for petroleum based materials and is replacing it with a sustainable resource. In addition this tire promises a 20% reduction in rolling resistance which will save you in gas. Which is nothing to shake a stick at, for every gallon of gas saved is approximately equivalent to 20lbs of CO2 reduction.

In case you're questioning my math on this one it's as simple as chemistry. Take a look at your periodic table of elements and you'll find Carbon to weigh 12, Oxygen 16 that lovely "2" after the O means 2 oxygen atoms. Therefore 16+16+12 = 44 as the atomic weight CO2. To determine the amount of CO2 in the gallon of gas we multiple the weight of carbon in gas by 44/12 (3.7)  Gas is typically 87% Carbon and 13% hydrogen so where gas typically weighs around 6.3 pounds  the equation looks something like this:
(6.3 x .87) x (44/12) = 20.097 or reduced  5.5 x 3.7 = 20.35

Did you need to read that or did you just trust my math? I'm not just a hippie you know, I once studied math, physics and chemistry in my major at university....BAZINGA! Alright, nerd talk aside, that's a lovely reduction. I actually went as far as calculating my estimated reduction this past year. Starting September 2009 I have been without a car. When I had a car it was a gas guzzling beast of a car. We paid roughly $50 a week to gas up and at about $1 a gallon that's 50 gallons a week, 200 a month, 2400 a year! By no longer having a car I have reduced my carbon footprint by 48,000 lbs! If you need a visual for that take a person you know who weighs roughly 130 lbs, now clone that person 369 times!

According to a study done by TireRack the tires wouldn't save you huge with standard driving, only $50 and some change per year in milage. But that is $50 you wouldn't otherwise have and it is a better tire for the environment. If it is something you are interested in, it's the tire for you. Keep in mind though that it is still a new product and has yet to be taken through the wringer by consumers.

But when shopping for Christmas a tire might be a bit difficult to wrap so perhaps, *aahh aahhh ahhhem* on the 9th day of Christmas a hippie gave to me a Truck Tire Bentley Bag. Another item on Hippie Santa's list that is an upcycle. It is a leather in appearance hand bag made with reclaimed truck tire rubber. Truck stops in Colorado supply the company with used inner tubes and they are then created into something new. The company only uses cruelty free, recycled and vegan materials.

As much as I know what they mean and I adore them for saying it, I did snicker at the idea of a truck tire being cruelty free....how many squashed ... oh never mind. Just take it the way they mean it and don't think about the rest.

That's all for now, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

Manic Make-Up Monday

Hello,

My name is bwings and I'm examining my make-up kit ....again!

After that letter from Happy Hippie I decided it was time I reexamine my make-up kit. I've examined it before for Parabens but what about the hazard rating? Also, what should I try as a replacement? This would take many posts I imagine and so I have decided to break it down over a few Mondays.
Today I am taking a look at my Mascara. I have always used CoverGirl Lash Exact Blue. I find it really lifts my lashes and the color makes my blue eyes pop.
After seeing the hazard rating of 7 though I have decided that I will be checking into alternatives.
The main concern is the carcinogens and their high absorbency levels into your flesh. It is my understanding that if you want something to go straight to your bloodstream your eye is certainly a fast path there. 

Considering how rarely I actually use my make-up I will continue to use this one until it is finished. After which I will look into buying a new mascara from "the good" list. When that day comes I will post an update of whether they are any good as far as visual and textile goes.

For now, all I can offer you is a list. Well, two lists, one of the good and one of the bad in the Mascara department. This is based purely on a hazard rating with no details aside, alas this is a simple list with no extreme research currently. 

The Good:

Coastal Classic Creations Whispering Seas Mascara (0) - $25 {Yikes}
Cleure Mineral Mascara (1) -$25 {YIKES!}
Jane Iredale PureBrow Fix & Mascara (1) - $20-$35 {YIKES YIKES YIKES!}
Rejuva Minerals Lengthening & Thickening Mineral Mascara (1) - $10 -$16 {That's a little better, also has introductory price}
Suncoat Products Natural Mascara (1) - $14 {Much better than $35}

The Bad:

CARGO Mascara (9)

Covergirl Exact Eyelights Mascara (9)
Covergirl Lasblast (9)
Christian Dior (8)
Neutrogena Weightless Volume (8)
Scott Barnes Super Luscious Lash (8)
Vincent Longo The Curl (8)
Yves Saint Laurent Everlong Waterproof (8)

So all-in-all Covergirl seems to be pretty high on that hazard rating. When I'm in the market for those other products I'll do even further research. Until then I'm doing some Christmas shopping because on the 7th day of Christmas a hippie gave to me a triple razor tra la la la la and then on the 8th day of Christmas a hippie gave to me a splaff thin recycled tube belt! Because I'm losing weight and my pants won't stay up. ;p

Happy Shopping, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

Happy Hippie - Scar Tissue

Hello,

My name is bwings and I can't put make-up on the inside of my bottom eyelid.

It just gives me the hippy hippy shake to even think of it. Something about anything rubbing up against my eyes every time I blink makes me squeamish. It's something my fiancée is always teasing me for, "Everyone else does it! It's hot!" Talk about peer pressure, geez!

He is right about one thing though, a lot of other people do it. In fact, I am now curious if my dear friend, Happy Hippie, also does.

Dear Hippie Mom,

This one isn't so much for being a Mom, as for the Woman who is the Mom. I had an extremely bad experience getting my hair dyed last year. Someone who is supposed to be a professional, dropped a HUGE glob of dye in my eye. The best part was as I am in EXTREME pain from the lovely chemicals burning, I was the one who was calm enough to get myself water and flush it while the hair dresser freaked out. Anyway, since this incident I have noticed I have an issue with eye makeup remover. I like to dress up now and then and wear eye makeup but like most women, I wash it off before bed to head off the raccoon eye look that is so sexy! I have noticed that every time I use the makeup remover I can not see out of my injured eye. It goes cloudy for over an hour which results in a migraine :( I know that it is not a reaction to the remover in general since it does not bother my unharmed eye. I am guessing the one eye is sensitive now to chemicals. Soooo I was wondering if you had any research on something more natural to use? whether it is something I can make myself or I can buy. Soap and water just does not cut it. Thank you so much

Once again

The Happy Hippie ♥

WOW, Happy Hippie, I have so many questions! First, have you seen an eye doctor yet? I know that if untreated damage like that might get worse with time. I'm no eye doctor so I can't offer much in that department. So I will focus instead on the eye make-up remover.

Because I don't put anything in my eyelid I don't use eye make-up remover personally. Sure I might not get all of it off all the time, but I get most of it off most of the time. If you are in need of options though, that I can provide. Of course the first thing I've found is people swearing by baking soda paste. As you can imagine, I haven't tested this, anything going in my eyes makes me shiver. But I have also found an organic and natural eye make-up remover that some others swear by. Earth Science Chamomile & Green Tea Eye Make-Up Remover - $9 or less - Fragrance-free, paraben-free clear gel, non-greasy. Made with Decyl Polyglucose and Vitamin E.

A list of other eye make-up removers to try, these are ranked 0 on the health hazard score. Just in case you were wondering 0 is the bottom of the scale while any number higher is more hazardous.

• Andrea Eye Q's Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover Pads - $4 for 65 pads. - main complaint by reviewers is that it tends to be oily. However another states the oil comes off easily. at $4 that's not too much for a test run.
• Ava Anderson Nontoxic Eye Makeup Remover - No PEGs, no phthalates, no parabens, no SLS, no 1,4 dioxane, no fragrance. Couldn't find much for reviews or cost unfortunately.
• Be Natural Organics Rose Hip Seed Facial Cleanser and Eye Makeup Remover - $18 - Rose hip for overexposure to sun and seaweed to hydrate the skin
• Coastal Classic Creations Coastal Moon Olive Oil Pre-Wash, Moisturizer & Eye Makeup Remover - Shelf life of 3 years, $27 a bottle
• Gi'ovane Italy Eye Makeup Remover - $15 - Made with Organic Sesame Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Pomegranate Extract
• Glam-Nation, LLC Natural Perfection Organic Eye Makeup Remover - $30 a bottle - Long list of al natural and organic ingredients! 
• Healing-Scents Eye Makeup Remover - $9 for 2 oz. - from what I've read these are the ultimate hippies, they believe if you wouldn't eat it you shouldn't put it on your skin. Not a terrible belief but certainly a hard one to follow. Again, not as much information on this as some of the others. But as far as health goes...well it checks out.
• Nothing Nasty Tender Eye Makeup Remover - £18.50 Based upon the ingredients given this is the UK version of "Healing-Scents" 
• Real Purity Eye Makeup Remover - $9 for 2 oz bottle - another oil based one. all natural.
• Skin Apricot Eyes, Eye Makeup Remover - $17 for 1 ounce - Similar ingredients to a few of the afore mentioned products. Honestly, if any of the above worked for you it seems you could easily concoct one yourself out of essential oils 

One to avoid would be Environ Skin Care Interactive Eye Makeup Remover which ranks a 7 out of 10 on the hazard radar. 

I hope this helps some in finding a product that works for your poor eye.
In the meantime GET YOURSELF TO AN EYE DOCTOR a quick search tells me that it can be bad news to get that in your eyes. Especially if you are so clearly having adverse reactions. I don't need a blind hippie typing me letters...for one thing, if you are a one fingered typer I would have difficulty making out what you typed. ;)

But while you can still see to read I thought I'd continue with the last two posts for the 12 days of Christmas of this week. For instance, on the 5th day of Christmas a hippie gave to me a wind up universal remote! and all that other stuff. On the 6th day of Christmas a hippie gave to me a tie fold wallet .

Bought with love

Hello,

My name is bwings and I am struggling when buying bath gift baskets for friends. 

Tis the season to buy relaxing gifts for everyone on your Christmas list. But everyone one that I pick up seems to have something I wouldn't buy for myself on it. I know it's not of my friends following to avoid bubble bath with EDTA or body lotion with parabens but if I am avoiding them for my health why should I buy them for those I love?

I still occasionally purchase goods with EDTA in them as it's hard to find one without. EDTA, if you remember, bonds with metal and increases mercury in fish. Not such a problem to a classic vegetarian but still not the greatest thing for the environment.
Parabens are found in breast tumors, mimic estrogen  and combined with UV rays will aid in ageing skin and DNA damage. They are a preservative used in a lot of skin care items.

Between the two of these ingredients I occasionally accept EDTA as they are everywhere. But I have done everything in my power not to waiver on Parabens. Because of my new strict lifestyle it's become habit to check the ingredients, like checking the burners before you leave a home or locking the door. Once I flip that bottle over it's like a gambler rolling the dice. I stand there with my hopes high, "Come on, come on, no Parabens, none...come on!"

So what gifts can I buy? I have a list formulating, I believe you may be familiar with it. It began on the first day of Christmas, and now I believe we are on the fourth day of Christmas a hippie gave to me a biodegradable fertile tee! For the golf loving friend in your life there is the golf tee that will be welcomed back into the earth with open, er, um...roots.

Signing out, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

MOOOOOO

Hello,

My name is "bwings" and I don't feed my daughter hormones.

My daughter was breastfed until 14 months and then switched over to formula. She has the occasional sippy with milk but only when there are not other pleasant options. Although I could preach, "We are the only species that feed off another species breastmilk" but I needn't give you visuals of suckling on a cow's utter, and it's not the reason I don't feed her milk.

In actuality it was something that Asmerus wanted and I agreed with. Cows in factories are injected with countless chemicals and as a result we did not feel comfortable feeding standard milk to her until she was older, if at all. However, for my American friends you may already be aware that in the states bovine are injected with hormones to increase milk production. Bovine growth hormones also known as Bovine Somatotropin (rBST)  injected into bovine often leads to utter infections, resulting in antibiotics and multiple other treatments and injections. A cocktail of chemicals you would never inject a toddler with yet we fill their sippy with the juices from these walking syringes on a regular.

So what's a mom to do? If you live outside the United States you have far less to worry about, buy local, avoid American labels. If you are concerned with the additional chemicals or the vegan aspect there are organic options or milk alternatives such as Soy Milk or Rice Milk. However, if you are in the United States, as long as the FDA continues to approve growth hormone injections it will be in your milk and beef. Look for labels with the words, "no artificial hormones" on them. All milk has hormones, so anything labeled "Hormone free" is incorrect and should be brought to the manufacturers attention for misleading information. Labeling of injected milk and rBST free milk is not required by FDA and so in some cases you might have to research the company providing the milk. Wal-mart, Kroger and Costco have pledged not to sell milk from rBST injected cows.

I recovered a list of some others that I hope may help our friends south of the border.

• Ben & Jerry's ice cream is rBST free.
• Braum's 
• Chipolte Mexican Grill only serves rBST-free sour cream.
• Kroger & Ralphs have banned rBST milk since 2008
• Publix rBST free since 2007.
• Safeway have been rBST free since 2007.
• Starbucks free since 2008
• Wal-mart & Sam's Club provide "Great Value" brand which has been rBST for years but labeled free since 2008
• Winder Farms a home delivery dairy and grocer in Utah and Nevada sells only rBST free milk.

You can also check by state to see what is in your area for rBST free products.

Oh, and wouldn't you know it, it's the 3rd day of Christmas. *cough* ♫ On the 3rd day of Christmas a hippie brought to me a flip-flop door mat.♫ A flip-flop door mat? Yes, that's what I said. A flip-flop doormat. Simply put it is a colorful doormat made out of reused, pre-loved footwear.

Happy shopping, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.