31 posts from 2008

Christmas comes at a time when it’s just nice to get a break, a solid good few days away from work. It’s a time as well as we approach the new year that we look back on the last year and decide whether its been a good year, a bad year or a down right ugly year!

It’s been an odd year for me, I’ve had low’s, especially when one of my closest friends was diagnosed with cancer. It made me really see how fragile life is and how dear our loved ones are to us. It’s also been a time when I had new experiences in my personal life….I went on a holiday with my husband and kids for the first time in about 5 years. It was fantastic and awful all at the same time! Lost hotel bookings, lost tickets, upgrades, family arguments…argh!!! My husband lost his job with Lehman Brothers which was so stressful! But out of all these things that have happened there has been a silver lining to all of them. My friends cancer is nearly cured and the Chemo has been working, if it hadn’t have been caught in time she wouldn’t have been here now, my husband found another job, a better one! And as a family, the holiday made us closer and able to see our faults better.

This last year has been a closing for an old way of life, globally too. The false economy we’ve been living on has crashed! One of the biggest obstacles to doing something about climate change…George Bush, has been shifted. Barack Obama provides a new hope that has not been presented by any other for a long time. More and more people are buying eco friendly household products, green, organic and natural personal products, organic bedding and latex mattresses, despite the economic down turn, which shows an increasing commitment to what really matters. Hi fuel usage cars are not selling, but instead are being outsold by their green counterparts! This will force manufacturers to come up with viable alternatives or bite the dust.

So, this Christmas season seems different to me than most. I feel more contemplative, more hopeful and as if I’m on the verge of a whole new beginning.

Think of current painful situations as an opportunity for growth.

So if you have lost your job, like countless members of my family and friends, or business is tight, it will no doubt be a seriously worrying time. It may even be a sign that your old way of being was not right for you any more, and that however painfully its happening, its time to embrace something new. Whether it’s a new course, a new interest, a new career doing something that’s going to bring more into your life, than what you were stuck in previously, or re-evaluating how you do things currently.

Change is always painful, I know that, because I’ve been there, not once or twice, but many times, we are going through global changes, and personal changes all at the same time. I’m sure many of you have too. Even if you’ve not had a bad year, and have had a brilliant year, there it’s always good to re-evaluate your strategies and lifestyle. Is there another area of your life that could do with improvement, your friendships, love life, or health? James Ray Philosopher and Life Coach, likens this economic climate to winter, everything that is old and unwanted is dying. This is a time for contemplation so that when the new spring comes we are prepared to create a new spring in our own lives. Astrologically it is the end of the celestial Piscean age and the dawning of the Aquarian age, which is an age of greater spiritual awareness and growth. Whatever is created now will be deeper, more rewarding, richer and more fulfilling than ever before because it will come from a deeper level.

I wish you all the greatest happiness for the New Year

Sonia X

Christmas is wonderful but it’s important to bear in mind that hand in hand with our pleasure and excitement comes this favourite holiday’s fair share of suffering and cruelty. It’s not just turkeys which suffer (10 million are killed in the UK for Christmas dinners alone) but thinking about animal cruelty extends to other animals, animal products and animal by-products.

This means thinking not only about a meat-free Christmas dinner, but also alternatives to dairy, fish, eggs and even honey, plus of course, considering the amount of beauty, home and clothing products that we buy for presents every year, the ethical and environmental considerations behind those.

Animal by-products are used in so many items from soap, makeup, skincare and beauty products, to household cleaning products and also in clothing in the form of wool, leather, silk and even as far as the glue in shoes! A vegan way of life is often viewed as being difficult to adhere to and rather extreme, but one thing we at buyOrganics believe in, is making as many of our selected items available to buy online that vegans can use as well as everyone else!

Whilst a complete change to veganism at this late stage before Christmas might be just a little too dramatic, there are some great ways to cut down on the cruelty this Christmas by choosing certain products and swapping some items for cruelty-free!

If the idea of a typical nut roast puts you off (although you can jazz it up with a fabulous Mushroom & Brandy Sauce!), other meat-free Christmas lunch ideas include Kidney Bean Kievs, a Festive Layered Pie, Tempeh and Mixed Nut Plait or Moroccan Pumpkin Couscous. Accompanied with a Brussels Sprouts & Leek Puree, Sweet Potatoes with Coconut and Cranberry Glazed Cabbage, and suddenly a few slices of turkey covered in gravy starts looking really boring indeed!

Desserts need not be a problem either; Christmas Cakes and Puddings can easily be made without animal products at all, swapping honey for molasses or agave nectar, and suet for breadcrumbs or vegetable suet, and soya milk giving a lovely creamy consistency which actually surpasses milk. Dairy free custards, creams and yogurts are all readily available – try whisking brandy into soya cream for a delicious festive alternative to brandy butter… all the taste but much lower in artery-clogging saturated fats and in fact providing protein and vitamins such as zinc into the bargain (that’s the soya not the brandy, by the way!)

Gorgeous looks can come at a cost – for the animal kingdom. As well as avoiding products actually tested on animals, which are luckily now on the decrease makeup and beauty products are frequently chock full of animal by-products – mascara for example can contain guano (bird or bat faeces!) and tallow (animal fat), perfumes can contain castor from animal genitals, and another animal fat, glycerin, is often used in soaps, shampoos and cosmetics. Lanolin is also widely used in many beauty products, and as well as being from wool fat, is often quite allergenic to sensitive people. Gelatin (from animal bones) is often an ingredient in face masks and other beauty preparations, as well as uric acid (wee wee!). Do you really want all this stuff on your face, mouth and your skin?

Beautiful, professional quality performance natural makeup and organic skincare products are available to buy and wear – our particular favourites are the fabulous Inika range and also Nvey Eco – both are vegan containing no animal products or by-products, and Nvey Eco is also organic!

Organic skincare products we love include Spiezia’s bath soaps, Ecosoapia’s lovely range of scented hand and body washes, Green People kids’ and adult organic toothpastes, and Earthbound Organics mint foot cream…. to mention just a few!

And to clean up the post-Christmas mess, using Bio-D environmentally friendly cleaning products is the best option – not tested on any bunnies, and not containing any animal ingredients (yes! animal blood, fat and other nasty sounding by-products all end up in regular cleaning products!). Not only that, but Bio-D package everything in eco-friendly materials, so you can have a clean conscience as well as a clean house!

So spare a thought for animals and the environment this Christmas, it’s simple, fun and really worthwhile to be compassionate to everyone and everything!

By Lisa Jackson

Yesterday 10^th December, was officially the 60^th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although much has changed to move human rights forward over the last 60 years, issues still remain and atrocities still occur, but the fact that we acknowledge that we have rights as human beings gives everyone the right to dignity and respect.

Today we see the need to take this movement to the next level. As a Race, yes we have rights, but it’s also time to acknowledge our duty of care that lies beyond us - The Planet. The Planet that gives relentlessly, and is the one and only reason we are alive and able to live the life we currently enjoy. Global climate change, melting polar ice caps, dwindling resources, deforestation, desertification, water shortages, increased natural disasters, and animals on the brink of extinction, are all symptoms of a Planet in pain, a Planet whose rights have been abused and that could lead to our own ultimate demise. By giving the planet a bill of rights we are not being overly politically correct, it doesn’t need to get pedantic! But we are acknowledging that use of the land needs to be sustainable, we have no right to Rape the Planet anymore than we do other human beings.

Polly Higgins a qualified Barrister has set up a fantastic movement to fight for Planetary rights. The “Trees Have Rights Too” Campaign was introduced to the United Nations on 6^th November at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in a bid to encourage this uniquely placed organisation put into place the steps necessary to achieve this Universal Declaration. If approved this Bill of Rights could protect the Planet for our future generations whilst still allowing us to prosper as a race.

Says Polly Higgins, “What is required is a seismic shift in our consciousness, rather than a mere reduction of emissions. This shift should give full recognition of the duty of care that we owe to this beautiful planet. Just as the humanitarian crisis of the Second World War gave birth to the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60 years ago on 10^th December 1948, so we now have a planetary crisis that needs to be addressed with equal urgency. Let this be the date when we take those first steps to seriously address this problem.”

Official advice from NASA’s James Hansen urges us as a civilisation to reduce our green house gas emissions to 350 parts per million from the current 385ppm.

Polly Higgins extends this, saying “It’s not merely a matter of reducing emissions, but also formally committing at a meaningful global level to a duty of care to the planet. We have to provide an inspirational legal foundation to create the legal tools to remedy the damage, pollution and loss as well as to protect that which is precious and still exists. Just as The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has provided us with the tools to fight for human rights so now we need to do the same to provide the necessary tools to fight for the planets rights” "We must speak for the Earth - We are the Earth"
Polly Higgins

For further information go to http://www.wisewomen.me.uk

Don’t we all know it - Christmas is fast approaching and the chaos of splashing out on gifts for family, friends and colleagues is still often seen to be a really negative experience at this time of the year. Just think about the words we use to describe frantic Christmas shopping – “mad rush”, “flat out”, “beat the crush” – not to mention the effect on your credit card and bank balance! It’s easy to get weighed down at this time of year – not just with bulging carrier bags, but the frustration, tiredness and brain-achingly difficult task of buying christmas gifts for several people all at the same time!

It’s all too easy to lose sight of the main reason we endure all this feverish consumerism, and get sucked into the bright lights, teetering displays and attractively packaged gift sets cramming the shops at this time of year.

What this is really all about – is about the precious act of giving and receiving gifts, not necessarily the physical, “hard” variety, but the actual emotional reasons for giving a present to someone we care for - giving them a special thank you in the form of something you’ve picked especially for them .

As Charles Dudley Warner said, “the excellence of a gift in its appropriateness rather than in its value.” Nothing could be further than the truth – sometimes we get so hung up on the monetary cost of the gift we’re giving, especially when it comes to giving vouchers and cash, that it’s easy to forget who we’re buying for! And it’s not about how much you spend, as Granny used to say, “it’s the thought that counts” – something Shakespeare poetically summarised 500 years ago in his play The Tempest, when he said “rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.”

Staggeringly, well over £1bn will be spent on unwanted gifts this festive season – and we would hazard an educated guess that the bulk of these are “impulse buys” – rushed choices guided more by advertising, point of sale displays, monotonous nagging from kids and teens, incessant TV ads and the sheer pressure of having to choose, wrap and distribute gifts to the world and his wife (or her husband!) every year!
So before you take yourself, your credit card and your sanity into the mad world of the high street, just take a moment and consider what it is you’re really buying – and buying into. Every gift is a message from you to the one you love, or like, live, play or work with…. an extension of you and your personality and the item itself and the message it gives should last a lifetime – rather than be discarded into landfill or brushed aside from the recipient.

Whatever you choose, remember to select carefully, give and of course to receive – with love…..

Our pick of our very best products this festive season:

For Women: Raw Gaia chocolate face pack, Zoya nail polish collections, Inika vegan lipgloss pack, BAM bamboo shrug, Charme French fair-trade organic cotton lingerie, pink Eco mini fridge

For Men: Eselle Organics men’s wellness pack, Green People organic shaving kit, BAM long sleeve T-shirt, BAM bamboo socks, Pure Move Eco Plus compact DAB radio

For Children: Recycled cardboard play rocket, fortress and playhouse, Solar powered helicopter, BAM bamboo bath robes, BAM bamboo combat jeans, dungarees and pinafore dresses

And last but certainly not least – order some organic beers, vegan wines, spirits and even champagne for your parties and celebrations this festive season!

What do you get a loved one who spends most of their time up a mountain, on safari, out on location or generally miles away from home? It would be lovely to get them something really useful to make sure they can stay in touch with you come what may. Well we’ve found the most fabulous gift that will blow there socks off as well as yours too!

It’s a completely must have travel accessory and totally eco friendly!

In this day and age it’s important to be able to stay connected through phone or laptops, and the gadgets we take with us, require so much juice that it’s difficult to be far away from an electrical socket for long. That’s why we totally love the Solar Gorilla and Power Gorilla by Power Monkey. The first – Solar Gorilla - allows you to charge just about anything just using the power and energy from the sun and the second ( the Power Gorilla can be charged up by the Solar Gorilla or the Mains for added power to keep all your mobiles, iPods, PDA’s and laptops charged wherever you are.

Proof is in the pudding as Award Winning Photographer Nick Garbutt recently informed the Power Monkey Team about his amazing 4 weeks trip he used the Solar Gorilla and Power Gorilla for 4 weeks to run his computer without the need for a mains charge!

Not only have we got these fab items in store now, but we also have the Solar Monkey, a smaller solar powered charger just for all your handhelds that even works if the sun isn’t shinning so hard! And we have the Extreme Eco Torch which provides emergency charge for your phone and instant light all without batteries!

Hope you love it as much as I do, imagine how much electricity you’ll save.

For even more eco friendly gifts and gadgets visit buyOrganics.

Love
Sonia x

This is the question that rests on so many organic and natural shoppers minds, and takes hours to research; what are the ingredients, what preservatives are used, what’s the texture of the product, what certifications has it got? Am I going to like it, it’s a big investment and suppose I hate it? If it takes me that long to choose products for my site I can well understand the confusion, frustration and time it must take the day to day shopper to decide on the products that are best for them.

Endless hours analysing the small print, comparing the prices and product details - You’ve done the hit and miss orders, and been landed with products you hate! You’ve had the products that are good, but are looking for a change, or you simply want superior performance. Or you simply want to know if the products are genuine in their claims of being natural and pure. Where do you start?

If you’ve already launched yourself into natural shopping you’ll know that the shampoos, and creams all perform differently to regular high street products. You may have got the hang of a lot of the basics just through trial and error and you’ll already know that starting off with a real understanding of some fundamentals can make life a lot easier. We just thought we’d put together a quick checklist of things to consider. So sit back, grab a cup of herbal tea, and take stock of the variety with as little strain as possible, then take the decision about what might suit you best.

Herbal Potions compared with Scientific concoctions:

What grabs your fancy? A witch’s brew or laboratory test tube?

Two distinguishing features separate most natural and organic products. The traditional ones tend to be created on herbal lore, Earthbound organics, Raw Gaia, Eselle organics and Spiezia for instance, use time old recipes and blends based on ingredients that are known to have natural healing or beneficial properties for the skin and body, without the toxins but with all the benefits and time tested proof that they work. The newer breed of natural and organic skincare products such as Organic Apoteke for instance combine herbal lore with scientific research and cosmeceutical knowledge, this makes them similar in their placement on the market to top beauty houses, taking the preparation out of the kitchen and into the laboratory! Both lines are equally good.

Balms, Creams, Lotions and Oils

The consistency of a product can make a huge difference to whether you are going to like a product or not. We all have our preferences. What’s yours, rich and buttery, runny like hunny or creamy and dreamy?

Another key difference between many completely pure certified organic products and others that have additives lies in the formulation. 100% pure products tend to be balms or oils such as Eselle Organics, Spiezia organics etc. These don’t appeal to everyone as they are quite rich products, but if they do appeal to you, then you’ll find them packed full of rich nutrients and skin goodies that can really make a difference to your skin. They tend to be heavier and oilier and therefore aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Other people who prefer creams can go for the purest available which will still be slightly heavier such as Earthbound (beeswax based) and Raw Gaia (shea butter based). These formulations are all heavier because they do not contain any water hence bypassing the need for preservatives. The Shea butter and Coconut butter based products are mostly solid at room temperature and therefore need to be melted in your hand before being applied. The essential oils used in these products preserve them over time. Don’t be put off by their richness, as a little goes along way and after applying, any excess can be soaked off with a tissue.

Creams and Lotions that have a lighter feel to them inevitably have water as an additional ingredient. This makes it necessary to add a preservative. The majority of preservatives have an irritational element to them, so the Soil association for instance strictly limits their use. The popular ones that are accepted are Phenoxyethanol and Limonene the absence of a preservative could result in a more dangerous form of contamination from Nitrosamines which makes their presence necessary. Many of the newer organic products tend to be made in the form of these lighter applications such as essential care, Organic Apoteke and Miessence, although some lines have cleverly avoided even the accepted preservatives and used totally natural preservatives. Balms, oils, and heavy creams are better for normal/dry/ maturing skin types, whereas oilier skin types may do better with a lighter cream or lotion.

Biodynamics and Wildcrafted

Do you feel assured by knowing the ingredients are charged by Mother Nature or simply growing free range?

Products that contain Biodynamic ingredients contain ingredeints that have been grown in accordance with the lunar cycles and seasonal cycles that create the greatest benefit and achieve optimum results from the plants. May sound a little woo woo! But all of Weleda products are for instance bio dynamically based and therefore provide the benefit of optimum ingredients for health wellbeing and healing. Wildcrafted ingredients are taken from plants that have grown wild without the use of pesticides or herbicides such as Eyre Biobotanics.

Certifications and Ingredients to avoid

Do you need the security of a certificate or are you happy to check the ingredients and see there’s nothing really nasty in it, so its ok! Let's compare the standards.

Certifications can often make a product more expensive. That’s a fact. The common certifying bodies for products you will see being sold in the UK are Soil Association Standard (UK) , USDA (American), EcoCert (European), Organic Food Federation (UK), Australian organic, Demeter (Eurpoean), BDIH (German), Organic food Chain (Australian).

If you’re happy with going with a certificate then look out for the logos and verification that the product is certified. If you’re not too fussed about the certification but want to make sure it’s natural enough then check the products don’t contain any of the following:

AHAs – Alpha-hydroxy acids

(or ‘fruit acids’; incl. Glycolic acid and lactic acid) --

Why? Because it can penetrate the skin causing many reported adverse skin reactions in the US - May increase sensitivity to sunlight therefore increase photo-aging and risk of sun-related skin cancers

BHT

(butylated hydroxytoluene) - Preservative antioxidants

Why?

- Possible allergen

- Has been linked to possible behavioural effects, reproductive failures, not allowed in baby food

Fragrance

(Parfum, or Aroma.) Can exacerbate asthmatic symptoms.

Why?

May contain chemicals linked to cancer, damaging to the liver and kidneys and toxic to the nervous system.

Parabens

(Alkyl parahydroxy benzoates, or butyl/methyl/ ethyl/propyl/isobutyl paraben)

Why?

- Oestrogen mimics

- - Can penetrate the skin

Phthalates

(Dibutyl (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP))

Why?

risk to pregnant women and unborn children;

- DBP and DEHP on EU list of banned substances to be phased out by early 2005

- May disrupt hormones and cause birth defects

- Linked to asthma and allergic disease

P-Phenylenediamine

(PPD, or Para-phenylene-diamine)

Why?

Linked to cancer in workers

- - Linked to asthma and allergic disease.

- - Can penetrate skin.

- - Skin irritant

Triclosan

(5-chloro-2 (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenol) or Trade name – Microban

Why?

Bioaccumulative - builds up in fatty tissue and can’t be broken down properly.

has been found in human breast milk and fish

Dioxins (linked to cancer) are formed when it is manufactured, incinerated or exposed to sunlight.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

(Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)

Why?

Skin, eye and respiratory tract irritant.

- May damage liver, lungs and immune system.

- Some evidence to suggest reproductive effects.

Toluene

(Toloul, methylbenzene)

Why?

Risk to women workers of spontaneous abortions

- Skin irritant

- Toxic to central nervous system, eyes, blood, liver, kidneys and skin.

Propylene glycol

(propan-1,2-diol)

Why?

Humectant - used to maintain moisture.

- Can cause contact dermatitis

- Linked to depression of the CNS (Central Nervous System)

Source: WEN Toxin Tour Factsheet

Also check out what WEN – Women’s Environmental Network has to say on the subject of toxins

http://www.wen.org.uk/cosmetics/facts.htm

Go onto their resources page for a good non bias heads up on what’s what in the cosmetics industry.

Nails, unlike hair, aren’t dead: they’re living, growing parts of the human body, and whilst we may think nothing of slicking on the nail polish, gluing plastic falsies on and cementing them with acrylic, the issue of toxicity in our nail polishes, nail art and extensions is a serious one.

Nail polishes have traditionally contained a nasty mix of cancer and reproductive disorder containing chemicals; the top three being dibutyl phlalate (DBP), formaldehyde and toluene – substances you wouldn’t really want within yards of your body or home, let alone on your nails and being absorbed into your bloodstream!

Whilst cosmetic companies are savvying up to the nasties in nail varnishes and beginning to remove some of the worst offending synthetic culprits, unless you pick a completely naturally formulated polish, such as the new natural ZOYA range of toxin-free nail varnishes now stocked in all their glossy, beautiful glory on the buyOrganics site then you can’t be sure there’s not something unsavoury lurking in that colourful bottle of nail polish!

Not only is the range of almost 300 stunning colours and nine 6-polish collections available on the buyOrganics site the safest nail polish around, but they are also all super long-lasting! We tested several different colours and they all lasted at least four days – even with the amount of keyboard-bashing, cooking and cleaning and breaking up sibling fights us busy buyOrganics working mums do!

The brains behind these wondrous polishes is Zoya Reyzis, who created the range whilst pregnant and concerned about what effect absorbing toxic substances through her skin and nails would have on her unborn child. Top salons, health spas and natural organic spas, as well as many celebrities, swear by Zoya – and at just £8.95 each won’t chip into your makeup budget either!

Matching your nails to the rest of your makeup for a really professional look is perfectly possible with the huge range of bright, bold, shimmery or subtle colours in the Zoya range. These days matching nails to eyeshadow colour is a hot trend – choose from one of buyOrganics’ completely natural, organic and nasties-free eyeshadows from vegan minerals range Inika or Nvey Eco to get gorgeous for a party, work or even the school run for all you yummy mummies out there!

We created a stunning look using mineral Inika eyeshadow – ‘Gold Dust’ over the eyelid sweeping up towards just below the eyebrow, then with ‘Burnt Sienna’ across the lid and in the eyesocket - which teams beautifully with Zoya’s ‘Kaufda’ metallic bronze coloured nail polish. A slick of Inika’s mineral mascara in Chocolate finishes this subtle but tempting look. We also stock the Zoya collections, fantastic value with six complementary polishes for just £47 – the new Vibe and Pulse ranges are perfect for the festive party season, with metallic purples, deep reds and even black polishes to get you glammed up for Christmas!

buyOrganics chose the Zoya range for their site because of their performance quality, vegan status and toxin-free credentials. Nails are a living part of the body, growing about 3mm a month, and traditionally a window into the body’s health – as a diagnostic tool for inner and outer health and beauty. Nails can be affected by damage, dehydration and poor nutrition, so it stands to reason they will certainly bear the ill-effects of repeated coverage with ingredients which are banned in drinking water, food and in some household objects.

So don’t compromise your health – or your appearance! Indulge your inner and outer craving for natural, safe beauty and take a look at the buyOrganics range of healthy nail polishes in our body beautiful section:

http://www.buyorganics.co.uk/

Mineral makeup is THE biggest thing in cosmetics right now, and for once, the concept behind these flawless foundations, eyeshadows, lipsticks and even mascaras, seems to be going in the right direction, away from artificially produced chemicals and towards more naturally derived ingredients. Lowering our toxic overload from personal care products must be high on everyone’s beauty agenda right now, as we aim to create a flawless finish without clogging our pores, ingesting carcinogenic ingredients and polluting the environment with manmade chemicals. And what’s the point of spending all that time and effort using organic, toxin-free soaps, shampoos, deodorants and bubble baths when the moment we step out of the shower and get to the mirror, we start loading regular cosmetics onto our faces and nails?