Winner! Organic Sugar Scrub Giveaway!

Congrats to Kirstin A. from NYC! She's the winner of an Artistic AYA Organic Sugar Scrub. Kirstin selected the fabulous Organic Cotton Poppyseed scrub.

To view the selections, visit http://www.organicallyhappy.com/m21/Artistic-AYA/index.html.

Giveaway! Win one of Artistic AYA Organic Body Scrubs

Last night I was using one of Artistic AYA's organic sugar scrubs (I love the black sesame rose), and thought it was time to share the magic and give away some scrubs to lucky readers. These amazing scrubs are brought to you by Organically Happy from DC-based (local for us) artist and designer, Dana Ayanna Greaves. Artistic AYA Sugar scrubs are packed with an exotic recipe of organic ingredients and essential oils that produce powerful results.

“Artistic AYA Sugar comes from my love of art, theater, and experimentation. From the intense aroma to the texture, I’ve created a sensory experience in a jar” ~Ayanna.

The organic sugar scrubs (100ml) are handmade and come in: Black Sesame Rose, Cotton Poppyseed, and Sweet Coconut.

Featured on NBC's Today Show and Lucky magazine (July 2008)

"...ingredients and scents that not only leave the skin clean and smooth but also evoke a sensory response." -DC Magazine

GIVEAWAY! WIN ONE OF THESE SCRUBS!
We're giving away one scrub of the winners choice (a $30 value). To enter, send me an email (debra@organicallyhappy.com).

Want extra credit? Earn up to 3 more entries:
-Subscribe to my blog.
-Follow me on Twitter (debrasb).
-Blog about this giveaway or OrganicallyHappy.com on your blog.
If you do any of these, be sure to let me know in your entry email/tweet!

I'll announce the winner on Monday, Nov. 24 so stay tuned.

Hey Green--Time to Lose the Granola Edge

Why must the green movement continue to present itself as fringe? Sure, for years the greenies have been mostly the granola crunchers. But now that the rest of the world is finally catching on, Green is still presenting itself as only for the hardcore.

An example, you say? No better example can be had than the food area at the Green Festival in DC. Green Festival open to all, lots of cool stuff--and great, 100% vegan food?? Must Green be synonymous with mystery-TVP loaf and soy cheese? My parents came to the festival--as it is I have a challenging time convincing my dad to do Green anytime. But lunch--this was a true deal breaker. When we hit the spinach cheese lasagna that wasn't, lunch was over before it started. No way was he gonna eat that--he ended up with fruit (note: it was delicious!).

Of course there were options and plenty we could find--but why set an unattainable expectation that everyone Green should eat vegan? There are many green farmers and dairies out there, in fact several were exhibitors! It's time to show the world that it isn't a huge sacrifice to go green, it can be easy changes that make a big difference. Sure, the serious devotees may always do more. But don't turn off those that are harder to convert. TVP has a way of doing that.

Green Festivus for the Rest of Us!

The DC Green Festival was this past weekend, and it was just wonderful. I didn't see nearly as much as I would have liked--the place was packed and there was so much great stuff. It was just amazing. My 5-year old was in heaven with all of the kids programs. He is now on a personal mission to build a rain barrel. It must be decorated.

OrganicallyHappy.com represented well with a packed booth and lots of great organic, chemical-free products. I was so amazed at the response to what we're trying to do. There is definitely a need and appreciation for chemical-free, organic products and companies like us showing a commitment to the products. Our focus on microproducers also seemed to be a big deal for folks. Here's what got people talking:

Adara Coconut Oil
People just loved this! It's just pure organic coconut oil with essential oils to fragrance, and it feels so nice on the skin.

Artistic AYA Sugar Scrubs
These are handmade by a DC artist and come in yummy flavors. Attendees wanted to support the local talent, and enjoy these special treats.

Eco-Listening
There seemed to be a huge desire for meditation music and learning CDs.

Raw Gaia--the living ingredient line
People were very intrigued by this hip, raw line. They cold-press everything, so none of the ingredients are heat treated. Great stuff like their Raw Chocolate Face Mask.

Trevarno Organic Skincare--good for troubled skin
Many folks popped into the booth looking for solutions for eczema, extremely dry skin, and needing something soothing. This line was perfect--there is nothing in here except great ingredients.

Other items were popular, but these were some of the hits. I'd love to hear what you need so that we can work to include it in the store.

The Race is On!

In this digital age, there's a group for everything. Startupnation.com is having a contest for the top 100 home-based businesses this year. OrganicallyHappy.com is entered and hoping to win! If you have a chance, click here to vote (once a day!): http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/contestant/2230/index.php

Your support is appreciated. Gotta help the little guy!!

Time to Zoodle, Baby!

Hip hip hurray! www.ZoodlEarth.com is finally here. This is a brand-spankin' new social networking site for the greenies out there. I love the blend of YouTube and Myspace features. I hear there are plans to release a consumer carbon credit trading program in the next month or so. This is incredible, I can't wait!!

And now it's the monkeys!

So, now Bill Nye the Science Guy has a show on Planet Green. I gotta say--I do think that his ol' buddy Ed Begley Jr. likely called in a few favors to hook him up, but in any case he's got his thing happening. Earlier this week, he ran a piece about the effect of sodium laurel sulfates (SLS) on the orangutans of the world.

Not surprisingly, no one he asked knew what the heck he was talking about. It turns out that not only is SLS a major toxin that is in almost all conventional beauty and body care products, but it's based from palm oil (who knew?). So what, you ask? Apparently the world's dependence on palm oil has caused major rain forest teardown which is replaced with palm plantations. The orangutans that live in the rainforest normally end up losing their food sources, so they eat off of the palm plantations. You could guess that the plantation owners don't love that, so they end up killing the orangutans. So, if the toxicity of this junk isn't enough for us, we are also killing monkeys--and of course no one wants that!!

Why is SLS so appealing? In the quest for great products to feature on www.OrganicallyHappy.com, we have found tons of great items sans SLS, sans cocamidopropyl betaine and other chemical yuck. My latest fave? Eden's Kiss Anti-Aging Facial Balm. Obviously my days of using department store products are over, so I was thrilled to find this gem. Made by hand in California, this balm is very rich but isn't greasy on my skin at all. I definitely feel dewy! And I didn't kill any monkeys to get that way.

Goodie Goodie Gumdrop

I've been a blog slacker! So sorry, but I went to San Diego for work and enjoyed the sun too much to write about products :-( The only problem with San Diego is the long flight--I took the red eye home to MD and I think I'm still working my way out of it. Oh well, that's what spas are for.

My most recent test has been with nature girl's face wash. This brand is billed as super hip (out of LA) and ultra natural. I'm sorry to say, but I am not so impressed. I really like products that look, feel and smell wonderful--I like to feel like I'm giving myself a facial. This face wash is odd to me, it's kind of a gummy gel. This does not delight the senses, as you might imagine. So while it washes fine, I don't like how it feels on my hands and face. My skin is left a bit dry as well. Survey says---X.

Isn't She Lovely

The last few nights I have used the lovely anti-aging night treatment from Eden's Kiss. I noticed a difference right away--my skin looks great. The oil is lightweight and smells very mild and calming.I used the anti-aging night treatment for normal to dry skin. Can't wait to try the balm! Best of all--I have gotten complements on my skin. Enough said.

The Better to Toxify You With, My Pretty

This could also be titled "Things aren't always what they seem." I think my mom must have taught me this lesson by age 4, and yet I am still sometimes amazed. Specifically, I am shocked and annoyed by the number of products I'm seeing that claim to be all organic, natural and such but are actually full of chemicals! In the eco-field, there's now a term for this--greenwashing. Stop telling me your product is green when it isn't. I don't appreciate being taken advantage or knowing that less knowledgeable consumers are actually using these products and thinking they are dong great things for the environment.

What the world apparently hasn't caught yet is that something organic, or of natural origin, can include really harmful stuff! Uranium is a natural substance that I sure as heck don't want in my face wash. So is petroleum. You get my drift. Even more annoying are the "derived from natural source" chemicals popping up everywhere. My current non-favorite is cocamidopropyl betaine. This is listed as "derived from coconut." Well, yes, in the same way that Splenda is derived from sugar. It once was a part of a coconut, and now it's a syntheic chemical after all of the molecules got mixed around and changed to create an entirely new substance altogether. (In case you are missing my sarcasm, this is no longer anything remotely related to coconuts).

These types of substances are all in the safe cosmetics database, many with serious issues (cocamidopropyl betaine is a known irritant of grand proportions). So why put it in things that claim to be chemical free? At a bare minimum, don't lie to me.

Why am I ranting about this? Not only is it an obnoxious problem, but OrganicallyHappy.com is deciding not to carry these products (some of which are really nice, but chemical-laden). Vincent is really clear with suppliers about what he allows, they say "oh yes, we fit that perfectly" and then the samples arrive and low-and-behold....chemicals!! More annoying is that many suppliers are small producers and charge for samples. So now we're paying for samples of products I'll never try or use. Arg.

Ahhh...Kobo

So, I've just returned home from a week-long family vacation at the beach. Nice to get away, sure, but there's just something about coming home that gives me reason to take a deep breath and sigh a smile. Last nite, our first home in a week, I really wanted to relax and enjoy being back in my own home.

I am not a candle person, nor can I claim to have every been. So, when Vincent brought home a sample of Kobo's Pure Soy Candles for me to try, I set it out as something pretty. I never remember to light candles and when I do, I'm worried that my son will catch himself on fire or that I'll forget to blow it out before bed and catastrophe will ensue. Yes, I do realize that has never happened, but what can I say. For whatever reason, I went against this non-candle-lighting trend last night in an effort to prolong my vacation. I have to say that these candles are absolutely lovely. I've never been a fan of strong scents--I cannot walk into the yankee candle store without choking on the aroma. I also don't care for fruity smells (yes, picky picky, I know). These candles are really lovely--gently scented and they last forever. So far, I had it burning for hours last night and again tonite and it is still going strong. Plus, no smoke happening, which is a plus. It came with an extinguishing lid and matches (which I never can find, so that was fantastic). The packaging is absolutely beautiful--I enjoyed using this, but I know I'll end up giving these as gifts.

Gooey Green and Fabulous

I happen to be a huge fan of face masks, but I almost never make time for them. They seem to require a bit of nighttime planning that is beyond my current time management skill set. That said, I'm always happy when I do make the time.

So tonight, I tried out Raw Gaia's Sun-Dried Green Clay Face Pack. Raw Gaia's concept is really pretty terrific as far as products go. Everything is super unprocessed, no chemicals, nothing unnecessary. Sounded ideal for my very sensitive, occasionally cranky, combination skin. Their labels are so pretty--inside the jar is straight-up green clay powder. Nothing else. I expect I would get many masks out of this! A little powder mixed up with water, paint it on and wait for a miracle, right? All kidding aside, this is a nice clay mask that has nothin' but clay. While I happen to also enjoy things that smell pretty, I see that my skin has not gotten itself upset by anything funny, and the mask seemed to suck out a lot of yuck that was stuck (no, I am not the long lost Mrs. Dr. Suess). I finished up with my beloved facial hydrate from Sensatia and am feeling very clean and balanced. What I really like is that since it's just clay, which we all know is great for our skin, there's no insane label spelling out all of the skin types that should or shouldn't use the mask. It's just clay. And it seems to work.

My, What Nice Skin You Have

It's been about about two months since I switched over to fully organic and natural face products. I thought I had been using them in the past, but as Vincent discovered when creating OrganicallyHappy.com, most of those products actually had lots of chemicals too. I love the database offered by the Environmental Work Group at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. Actually, I don't love it. I find it frightening and do not enjoy finding out that so many of my beloved, everyday products contain apparently known toxins. Why am I resistant to getting rid of some of these is the real question, I guess.

For the last 2 weeks I have been trying to use one or two things exclusively on my face so I could really see how they worked. The soaps don't lather, which is fine, but it did take a bit to get used to the ones you use without water. That wasn't for me. I'll give you the end of the story first, which is that after a week of challenging breakouts, my skin looks younger and has a pretty glow. Love it! I had read that when switching to chemical-free, I needed to expect the initial breakouts while the gunk and toxic goo left. Not fun, but I did it and now am enjoying the benefits.

I ended up going with Trevarno's Rose and Jojoba cleansing gel (which is really milky, I have no earthly idea why they call it a gel--there is nothing gelatinous about it). I put it on to my face when it's dry, then wipe it off with a damp face towel. I have to say that I really like it--my face is settling down from reacting crankily to other things. The oily patches are more normal, dry patches going away and the red areas from my sensitive skin are not so inflamed. I'll definitely keep using this.

For a moisturizer, I've been using two things. I'll tell you about one today. I am absolutely in love with Sensatia Botanicals' facial hydrates (I use the one for normal skin). It's an oil with a little dropper and it lasts forever. I put it on every night as my moisturizer. I swear this has healed up sunburn, blemishes, scars, everything--plus I wake up and my skin feels so pretty. Not greasy at all, which I do realize is counterintuitive since it's oil, but it works.

I know I need to test other products, and I hope they'll work as well. For now, I'll enjoy all the complements coming my way. Gotta love that.