For some odd reason, my stream of consciousness just landed on the topic of potpourri. I realize that this is an odd topic. It is fairly late in the evening and I was just trying to wrap up a long day of work. Specifically, I was tagging my Google emails, watching the first season of “Fringe” on Hulu.com and trying to make sure that I had all of my tasks for the new few days loaded into Deadline. It has been a long day and I am ready for it to be over: my wife, Debra, returned from a week-long trip early this morning and my son Lev suddenly presented with a fever about 4:00 this morning, so he has been miserable all day.

As I said, I had just been wrapping up and had started to do a little bit of web research on the golden ratio and Fibonacci (two other topics that inexplicably occurred to me out of nowhere) when the topic of potpourri just popped into my head pushing everything else aside. And there is absolutely NO reason for me to be thinking about potpourri at this point in time. Besides which, I really dislike potpourri.

I’m not a racist or anything, I don’t dislike potpourri as a group, I just find several things about potpourri unpalatable, all of which I shall describe in detail below.

First, it smells funny. Not funny ha-ha, per say, but funny peculiar: the smell of potpourri is always just slightly . . . off. I realize that there must be someone out there who likes the smell of chemical mixtures designed to produce a hyper-realistic facsimile of scents in nature, but I don’t.

Second, what exactly makes the purveyors of potpourri think that my living room would be enhanced by a bowl of silver spray-painted wood chips sitting in the middle of my coffee table? At what point in the human experience did we decide that taking things out of nature and doing everything we could to make them disresemble nature was the thing to do? I’m just saying.

Third, why do they have to use wood chips. How many trees get cut down every year to keep our houses smelling “pretty” for 27.5 minutes? Its gross. We OBVIOUSLY have an issue with global warming and pretty much everyone(at least everyone who’s opinion I care about) knows that we need to do everything possible to protect as many trees as possible, so WTF? And are wood chips the one substance on the face of the earth that chemical scents bond to most fiercely?

Fourth, potpourri scent lasts for like 27.5 minutes after you remove it from the bag. I can’t count the number of houses that I have been in, in which I have been confronted with a large bowl of scentless and spray-painted dead wood sitting in the middle of the table. You would think that the potpourri industry, since the scents they use are made of chemical anyway, would come up with a way to make the products odoriferous emanations last for more than a millisecond.

Finally, potpourri is invasive. It just popped into my head uninvited. You would think that a substance with as many shortcomings as potpourri would have a little more consideration. At least the golden ratio (my other uninvited visitor) has the decency to be interesting, but potpourri has just wasted nearly 20 minutes of my life, 20 minutes that I shall never be able to get back, and it is not interesting in the least.

If I was a more motivated person, I would probably draft a nasty letter to the potpourri lobby, or perhaps Crate & Barrel, but with any luck I will have another random thought in the next couple of second and be able to put all of this potpourri stuff behind me.

L8r,
-V

About six months ago My family and I decided to find a way to drastically reduce the amount of household paper that we use.  A few days before we made this decision, I had been in the middle of taking a big bag of trash out to the curb when I got distracted and ended up leaving the trash bag sitting on the kitchen floor as I left the house.  When I returned a couple of hours later, I found that my youngest dog (Masha - who has some issues with being left alone for any amount of time) had ripped open the bag and strewn the trash about the kitchen.  As I was cleaning up the mess, I noticed that there was an inordinate amount of paper (used paper towels, dirty napkins, etc.) in the disgusting mix.   This started me thinking . . . my family can’t have been the greatest consumer of paper products on the planet; could all US families be using this much paper?  What type of impact does this have on the environment - especially if all of this paper ends up in landfills instead of being recycled (not to mention the environmental impact linked to the production of the paper products in the first place)?

We stopped buying paper towels, went to the store to buy a whack of cotton towels and napkins, and for the last six months or so have been using those item exclusively (we haven’t been able to make the practical or psychological leap to get rid of TP).  The impact has been tremendous.  Where before we used to have as many as 3, 13 gallon bags of trash to be carted away each week, when I put the trashcan to the curb this morning (we have a weekly pickup) the trash can had only 1 bag in it (if you are counting, 3 - 13 gallon bags of trash is about 39 gallons of trash per week, 156 gallons per month, and 1872 gallons per year)  .  This equates to a 66% decrease in total household trash (a reduction of about 1236 gallons per year).   We have an ultra-efficient washer/dryer (http://www.askousa.com) which we use to wash napkins and dish towels once each week - about 1 load. One load of laundry in one of the newer ultra-efficient models of washer (please eschew bleach and only use bio-degradable detergents) can translate to costs as low as $0.5/load, so even discounting the environmental impacts this change has yielded positive results (via cost savings) for my family.  Not only that, but because our use of cloth napkins previously was relegated to super-special occasions, using them every day makes meals seem kind of special (my 5 y/o loves it) and we all feel really good about lessening our environmental impact.

The fact is that if every household in the US were to NOT buy just 1 roll of paper towels and 1 package of napkins we could save nearly 1.5 Million trees each year.  I’m not saying that doing away with napkins and paper towels is the single act that is going to save the planet, but think about what the environmental impact would be if just 20% of the people in this country were able to reduce household refuse by even 50%.   Economically;  If 20% of the people in this country (about 61M people) were able to save just $2.00 per month (which I think is a very conservative potential savings estimate) it would yield a total annual savings of nearly $1.5 Billion ($1,458,358,272).  If each of these folks were to then donate that cost savings to a worthy cause in their own neighborhoods it could have a staggering impact on the ability of civil-society organizations to deliver services back to their target communities.   Combine the cost savings with the environmental impact and doing away with household paper begins to seem like a remarkably attractive idea.

Environmentalism is not about denying ourselves the benefits of technology or industry.   It is simply about recognizing that we, as a people who inhabit this planet, have been operating in an unsustainable manner for far too long and it is time for us to think about finding different and sustainable ways to achieve our same objectives without compromising our overall quality of life.  

Peace and Hair Grease,

-V

People are choosing natural or organic food and household cleaning items at a rapid rate. The reason for this is that we have all gradually come to realize that natural and organic products are better for our health, and for the health of our environment. It is no wonder, then, that so many of us are also developing concerns about the personal care products that we use on a daily basis.

Many people are not aware that government regulations in the United States permit the inclusion of almost any ingredient in the production of personal care products that we use on our hair, nails, and skin. Most people care enough about their health to exercise and to try to eat foods that are better for them, but they have absolutely no idea just how dangerous the health and beauty products are that they use.

Natural or organic personal care products are a smart option for consumers for a variety of reasons. First, typical brand name personal care products, including soap,  shampoo, mouthwash, make-up, body lotion, and toothpaste, contain some chemicals that are known to be hazardous to our health. The potential danger of these chemicals ranges from causing allergic reactions to causing cancer.

Natural or organic personal care products do not contain any potentially harmful chemicals, so they are not only better for your skin, they are better for your overall good health, as well.  If you are not aware of the dangerous chemicals that you should try to avoid using, the following list will provide you with some of the most commonly used chemicals in personal care products:

• 1,4-Dioxane - This is a contaminant that is a derivative of petroleum. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, this chemical is a probable human carcinogen. It is absolutely carcinogenic to animals. The state of California believes that 1,4-Dioxane causes birth defects and cancer, and has taken actions to regulate the usage of this chemical.

• Phthalates - These chemicals can be very harmful to the liver, reproductive system, lungs, and kidneys. They are found in a number of health and beauty products, including make-up and skin care items.
• Lead - We are all aware that lead can be toxic, particularly if it is ingested; yet it is a common ingredient in lipsticks.
• Parabens - These are chemicals that can play havoc with your hormones. Exposure to parabens poses an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

The most frustrating part about this information is that the majority of personal care product manufacturers in the United States are allowed to get away with using these dangerous chemicals, and there is no regulating body to stop them. This leaves consumers with some difficult decisions to make, and a lot of research to conduct.

Unfortunately, it is much more of a challenge to find truly natural or organic personal care products. It is generally not as easy as walking into your local drug or department store, because the majority of the products you will find there contain ingredients that are bad for your health. If you are interested in using healthier products for your body, you may have to start shopping for products online. The good news is that there are a few companies who specialize in selling natural or organic personal care products that contain only healthy ingredients.

One thing that you should keep in mind, however, is that you should always read product labels, even when you are purchasing items that claim to be natural or organic. This is important because there are some unscrupulous companies who claim to sell all natural products, but in reality they are adding some very dangerous chemicals to them.

Ideally, the issue of consumer safety in relation to personal care products should be dealt with by governmental agencies. For the time being, however, this is not the case. Without such regulation, consumers have to be actively involved and committed to making healthier choices for themselves and their families. You can do this by educating yourself on how to understand product labels, and by finding natural or organic personal care products to replace your old ones.

The quality of most natural or organic personal care products is superior. Once you have found a few brands or products that you like, you will wonder why you did not make the change to all natural health and beauty items sooner!

References

1. http://www.inspiredliving.com/natural-eye-makeup/. Accessed 25 July 2008.

2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR200801240213

5.html. D’Amato, Suzanne. “Can Beauty be Dangerous?” Washington Post. 27

Shea butter is solid fatty oil made from the nuts of Karite Nut trees, also known as Mangifolia, that grow in the semi-arid savannah regions of West and Central Africa. Shea butter is sometimes called “women’s gold,” because extracting the butter from the nuts gives employment and income to hundreds of thousands of rural African village women. Shea butter is so non-toxic and beneficial that it is used in foods and cooking as well as soaps and beauty products.

It contains beneficial vegetable fats that promote cell regeneration and circulation, making it a wonderful healer and rejuvenator for troubled or aging skin. It also contains natural sun-protect ants.

Shea Butter is only found in the tropics of Africa.  It is extracted from the nuts of the Shea-Karite tree which begins to bear fruit after about 15 years; and can take up to 30 years to bear a quality crop of nuts with a high content of irremovable fatty acid.  It is this irremovable fatty acid that gives Shea Butter its unique healing properties and makes it far superior to cocoa butter and other vegetable butters.  Traditionally, Shea Butter was extracted by people who picked the nuts, cracked them, grilled them and pounded them. They were boiled in water for hours until the Shea Butter rose to the surface.  It was then scooped into gourds and left to cool and set.  Shea Butter is solid at room temperature although it quickly liquefies right around body temperature.  This Shea Butter is called unrefined Shea Butter or raw Shea Butter.  Since Shea Butter is an all natural product, it can vary widely in quality, appearance and smell depending on where it is produced from and how it is refined or extracted. 

Additionally, Shea Butter contains several natural anti-inflammatory agents and a minor sunscreen agent. Clinical studies have shown that this product transforms the skin in as little as 4-6 weeks, into a softer, smoother, and better looking skin. Those who routinely use Shea Butter report a number of other special benefits for skin ailments, including relief from blemishes, itching, sunburns, small skin wounds, eczema, skin allergies, and wrinkles. Because of an abundance of healing ingredients, and its superior moisturizing activity, Shea Butter is in a unique class, as a stand-alone personal care product.

Shea Butter has a natural smell, which is not unpleasant to most people.  The smell of raw or lightly refined West African Shea varies from nutty to similar to Crisco® or shortening.  Over time the smell of the Shea Butter will diminish. If an unrefined Shea Butter has almost no smell, it is probably getting old.  Shea Butter should not stink, not matter how old it is.  It is possible for Shea Butter to go rancid.  If it does, do not use it.  If you do not like the smell of natural, raw Shea Butter, you can purchase more highly refined Shea Butter that has been de-odorized and filtered through clay.  However, we do not recommend ever buying Shea Butter that has been refined using hexane or other solvents.

One of the great things about Shea Butter is its low melting point.  When you apply it to your skin, it literally liquefies.  However, one of the bad things about Shea Butter is its low melting point. It’s quite possible it will melt in a hot room.  It may even be melted when it’s delivered to you in the summer months.  If this happens, don’t worry.  The Shea Butter is good.  Just take the lid off of the container and set it in the refrigerator until it gets hard again.  As it begins to cool, you might want to give it a stir to bring the olein (liquid parts) back into contact with the stearin (solid parts) so that the Shea Butter is uniform throughout.

The color of unrefined Shea Butter depends on the Shea nuts used.  Shea nuts will vary in color from almost white to yellow.  Therefore, refined Shea Butter will vary in color. You will not be able to determine the authenticity or quality of Shea Butter based strictly on its color.  There is even a naturally golden yellow colored Shea Butter.  Shea Butter should never be green, extremely hard or greasy though.  Most Shea Butter is a creamy color.  Shea Butter that is pure white is highly refined and may or may not have its healing properties intact depending on how it was refined.

Shea Butter can provide relief from everything from just dry skin to many minor dermatological diseases (if you have a serious skin condition, you should see a doctor).  It has been clinically shown to provide benefits.  Here are some of the benefits of Shea Butter for the skin:

Shea Butter nourishes the skin with Vitamins A, E and F.  Vitamins A and E help maintain the skin and keep it clear and healthy.  They are particularly helpful for sun damaged skin. They help prevent premature wrinkles and facial lines.  Vitamin F acts as a skin protector and rejuvenator. It soothes rough, dry or chapped skin and helps soften dry or damaged hair.  Shea Butter is high in unsaponifiables (a type of fat).  Shea Butter has between 7-12% unsaponifiables.  For comparison, avocado oil, a well known skin conditioner, has between 2-6%.  This high level of unsaponifiables is one of the properties that make Shea Butter so invaluable in treating the conditions listed above.   Also, Shea Butter easily penetrates the skin allowing the skin to breathe and not clogging pores.  Shea Butter has a high level of cinnamic acid, a natural sun screen.  So, it provides some degree of protection from the sun.  Shea Butter is also anti-inflammatory making it useful in treating rheumatism. 

Shea Butter provides moisture to dry or damaged hair from the roots to the very tips, repairing and protecting against weather damage, dryness and brittleness.  It also absorbs quickly and completely into the scalp to rehydrate without clogging pores.  It is particularly beneficial for processed and heat-treated hair.  It is an excellent treatment for dry scalp. It restores luster to damaged hair.

The benefits of Shea Butter have been well known for centuries.  Africans have used Shea Butter for many generations to protect and rejuvenate their hair and skin.  Shea Butter is not only for those of African descent though.  Everyone can take advantage of Shea Butter’s benefits.  Today, Shea Butter is available in pure form and as an ingredient in many products to help with maintenance of the hair and skin and relief from many common ailments.

Well,   I finally got our new blog installed, and am ready to get posting.   This blog will be a companion to OrganicallyHappy.com that highlights ingredients and products, discusses health and beauty issues, and investigates issues in the topic areas of health, beauty, and natural products.    Pease feel free to comment or ask questions, and if you woud like to see us discuss a specific topic, please suggest it via email at info at organicallyhappy.net.

l8r

-V