5 posts tagged “clothing”

From concerns in our health to the environment, there are many reasons as to why we should use organic products. As more research is developing, it has been found that chemicals in many products we use can be dangerous to our health and put us at risk of developing diseases. Many people are beginning to switch over to using organic products because they are natural and better for the skin, and nothing spends more time against your skin than the clothes that you wear.

A product that is considered to be organic is made of materials that have been grown or raised without using chemicals, dyes, bleaches and is also allergy free. Natural compost, soil and fertilizers are used and natural pest controls have helped in growing the cotton. This has led to clothing which utilises this organically grown cotton; organic clothing.

Within recent years, new technologies have allowed bamboo fibres to be used in many fashion and textile applications. Bamboo clothing is typically made of a organic cotton yarn or a mixture 100% bamboo. Bamboo can also be combined with other textile fibres like spandex and hemp. Almost all types of clothing are available in bamboo fabric and organic cotton.

When people think of organic clothing they typically have visions of “eco-warriors” and “tree huggers” wearing dowdy long skirts, hemp jumpers and sandals etc. But these stereotypes are far from the actuality of it. Today organic clothing manufacturers are making stylish and fashionable clothing from these materials that rival many of the top fashion brands, and many are designer brands unto themselves. So you can be eco conscious and still look amazing.

Organic fashion has become more available in high street stores, but it is still something of a unique commodity and it is much easier to find online with websites such as www.buyorganics.co.uk stocking a large range of styles for all the family.

So why not give organic clothing a style and feel better about yourself and feel safer knowing your skin is being cared for as well!

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!

Newborn babies can start life as they mean to go on with purely natural organic products plus new mums can heal quickly and stay naturally gorgeous the organic way!

Pregnancy and coping with a newborn baby can now be safe and natural all the way with buyOrganics’ updated and improved Mother & Child store. New branded range additions for mother, newborn and child include MAMBINO ORGANICS and EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY skincare products. buyOrganics also continues to stock best selling Soil Association certified products by ESSENTIAL CARE, ESSELLE and EARTHBOUND ORGANICS as well as many other brands.

This revamp of the acclaimed buyOrganics site is part of the company’s socially responsible commitment to providing women with the safest, most natural care for themselves and their babies during and after birth, with the longterm view of encouraging women in the mainstream to choose more natural products as the norm.

Having a baby can be a daunting prospect and every parent wants the best for their child – all the buyOrganics products are safe, natural and respectful for the environment. Embrace an eco-friendly start to your babies’ life with organic cotton and bamboo clothing, organic cotton buds and pads by SIMPLY GENTLE, organic baby bedding, mattresses and sustainable wooden cots from PROLANA and ABACA, organic baby sleeping bags, sustainable wood cots, biodegradable organic baby wipes and maternity pads by NATRACARE and the most comprehensive, natural soothing products for baby’s medicine cabinet including organic eczema creams, scalp treatments and post-partum remedies – all completely organic and with ancient soothing and healing properties. Babies will have the trendiest, most eco-friendly bottoms around with the buyOrganics selection of non-disposable nappies in gorgeous colours and the softest fabrics – bamboo and organic cotton – with washable liners, are all available.

MAMBINO ORGANICS skincare products include for mother: Mommy Time Organic Body Wash, Oh Baby Belly Butter, Youth Glow Omega Face Complex, Kissable Lips Moisturiser, Moisture Me Body Toning Oil, Calendula Olive Nipple Butter and for Caesarian section patients – the incredible C-Section Regenerative Scar Therapy treatment. These products contain naturally healing and soothing ingredients which are 100% certified organic, including lemon balm, which fades skin discolouration and helichrysum oil, which promotes skin healing. Also the ancient Sea Buckthorn Oil used since the 8th century to improve skin elasticity, hazelnut, pomegranate and evening primrose oils, all valued for toning and smoothing skin, olive oil for natural nourishment, shea butter and avocado oil to enrich and meadow foam wax, a totally natural moisture barrier.

Many babies quickly develop skin complaints such as eczema and cradle cap, usually due to overuse of synthetic soaps and baby products, but choosing organic products will ensure natural drying, softening and healing remedies for precious new bodies.

EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY is a 100% organic range of products suitable for pregnant women and newborn babies, which contain no parabens or phlalates or artificial ingredients, and which contain natural healing and soothing properties. EARTH MAMA includes a range of herbal teas with magical properties such as the Morning Wellness blend, Peaceful Mama blend, Heartburn tea and Third Trimester tea. The EARTH MAMA New Mama Bottom Spray and Bottom Balm is formulated for the post-partum perineal area, and the Natural Stretch Oil helps with stretch marks. The Labour Ease Massage Oil and Labour Oil are must-haves for every expectant mother’s hospital kit.

The store also includes a range of beautiful, ethical gifts for new mothers and babies – perfect for relatives or work colleagues as a gift.

BuyOrganics stocks only organic, ethical and environmental products, conducts its own stringent environmental policies and is a member of the Ethical Junction.

For more information see the Mother & Child buyOrganics store at www.buyorganics.co.uk

Every time I read some media article or personal campaign geared towards saving the Planet, I cringe at the over generalisation! Sometimes I think people are so mislead or mis-communicated too. The real ‘thing’ that needs saving in my opinion is not really the Planet, it’s us the Human Race and life as we know it! Not only will we wipe ourselves out if we carry on as we are, but our wildlife will go before us, if we don’t reverse what we are doing. Time memorial shows us that the Planet has been through cataclysmic change and come through the other side just fine, Mother Earth may have had to wipe out the Dinosaurs or create an Ice Age to get through, but she’s still fine and dandy. The Planet will adjust itself to all the destruction we are causing, either through global warming, changing weather patterns or more natural disasters.

For every action we take there is a reaction, either negative or positive. This is where the issue of Social Responsibility comes in. It is everyone’s responsibility, not just the educated few to help preserve the environment we live in. What I mean by that is the water for drinking and bathing that we take for granted, the heating that keeps us warm in the winter, the energy that transports us by car, plane, train or bus to where we want to go, the weather that allows us to live safely without natural disasters and enjoy a pleasurable outdoor existence, rivers that don’t flood and destroy our homes, beautiful wild habitats and animals for us to marvel at: This is what people are trying to save! Can those of you who say you don’t care about green issues, really not care about these things? Would it bother you if hurricanes and flooding affected your home constantly? Would it bother you if food and water and fuel were too expensive for you to afford? Without your home comforts would you be happy? Until now, this has been a plight suffered by people far away, but it is threatening western suburbia now, so will you still not sit up and take note?

Now more than ever we need a sense of community that extends beyond just our family and friends, but to our KIND. Instead of fighting wars we should be uniting to work together to preserve our environment, not by overpowering nature, but by working with it.

Now it’s not possible for everyone to become completely Green. Unless you resort to living in a hut in the forest with no heating and running water and killing your own food, you really are not doing our environment any favours. We really cannot begin to wipe out the industrial revolution! So lets start by getting REAL! Everyone even me, is a hypocrite in some form or another. We can none of us be perfect, and it’s about time that the Green Perfectionists got off their high horse and actually admitted to the fact that they are not perfect either! I am not and I don’t expect you to be.

It is however important to do what you can as much as you can. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY means you too! Here’s the low down on how everyone can start doing their bit on being a little bit more responsible. It may be simplistic when the problem is in fact much larger, but hey…everyone has to start somewhere.

1. Turn off your computers and lights at work when you leave, if your companies policy is to leave them on, challenge them
2. Recycle everything you can at home and at work
3. Plant at least one tree in your lifetime – more if you can
4. Don’t keep the Tap on when you brush your teeth
5. Put the lights off when you leave a room
6. Switch off plugs when electrical items are not being used.
7. Get a low petrol consumption car, thick curtains, a fuel efficient boiler and home insulation – it’ll be better for your pocket too!
8. Car pool if you can
9. Think about the products you buy, don’t buy the cheapest or the best marketed, buy the ones that have caused as little pain and suffering to animals and the people making them, and as little environmental damage as possible
10. If you are in a business, look at how you can change your product or service to make things better for our future – eg, in your use of resources or materials.
11. Switch to green electricity.
12. Switch to environmentally friendly nappies
13. Don’t get the supermarkets bags for life that are made out of plastic – it’s the same garbage, just with you for longer, get the hemp ones or cloth ones that biodegrade.
14. Don’t buy degradable it’s a scam only buy BIO –Degradable!
15. Swap one or two meals a week to non-meat based – plant based diets are much less intensive and use far less energy, as well as the cruelty aspect. Apparently a vegan driving a 4x4 is still using less energy than a meat-eater who uses only a bicycle!
16. Do continue to have fun and live life to the full
17. If you have a dream fulfil it! Even if it’s something not socially responsible, make sure you make up for it in some other way.
18. If you think you’re doing good, it’s likely that you are.

Now even if you can only start with a few things on the list, it’s a start. Your list maybe totally different. Make your own. Not everything is possible for everyone all the time. But sometimes is better than never at all. We all have to accept the fact that some people will never care, but if you do that counts. You have the time to integrate these things into your life, make it before it’s too late!

Remember a good place to start is to think organic and for that why not try buyOrganics. We are an organic conscious website that sells products such as organic clothing, food, wines, skincare and health care products toiletries and much more.

For the deep greenies amongst us it is always great to hear the words “fair trade” and “organic” in everyday conversation and in the media, as it is a clear indication that ethical awareness is becoming more of a mainstream priority. Popping down to the shops for a bag of bananas or clicking on-line for clothing or cosmetics has never been so easy yet so fraught with eco-guilt - despite certifications it is easy to wonder if some producers are simply jumping on the latest green PR bandwagon. Seeing logos on our produce such as the Soil Association and Fair Trade is certainly instrumental in ensuring good practice as well as informing and encouraging even the most cynical consumer to choose fair trade and organic products over their standard counterparts, but it is equally vital for us to know that we are really buying what is best for man and planet.

The organic movement was pioneered over 60 years ago by The Soil Association and the Fairtrade Foundation 18 years ago. Both organizations and their certifications are now seen in everyday use in supermarkets and on mainstream products. Organic farming prohibits the use of certain toxic pesticides and fungicides, and the farming methods themselves are less aggressive in nature for both the land and its workers.
The Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) which has 21 members and has been largely responsible for stopping exploitation of thousands of workers across the globe. Their certification covers small farmers, ensuring they receive a fair price for their produce, as well as workers on larger plantations and factories so they receive decent basic wages and have employee rights, plus health and safety and environmental standards.

Sonia Kalia-Sagoo of organic on-line store www.buyOrganics.co.uk makes the point, “Fair trade is an important concept for ensuring that as human beings, we treat the people who provide us with our goods with the integrity and the treatment they deserve. I believe that organic products also do this as most are grown in line with fair working laws. Organic production however takes fair trade a step further by ensuring that manufacturers, growers and the end user are also released from exposure to chemicals that can injure health. It further stops the unnecessary pollution of ground water and poisoning of animals. By growing and producing products in harmony with man and nature and not against it, integrating fair trade and organic produce should be the primary choice for shoppers globally.”

Workers involved in growing key imported commodities benefit from being certified fair trade, but choosing organic as well ensures they receive a higher standard of health and safety. Non-organic bananas are the second most sprayed crop in the world; cotton the first, with the World Health Organisation estimating over a million deaths every year from cotton pesticide poisoning, and something many people are unaware of as they buy up clothing made from un-organic cotton, which is also less likely to be fairly traded. Another area fast embracing both fair trade and organic principles is cosmetic ingredients such as shea butter and essential oils, where companies are catering more and more for the organic marketplace as well as striving towards fairly traded ingredients, to keep consumers happy about not only what they put into their bodies, but on them as well.

To forge ahead, the only way is surely a strong and positive union of both fair trade and organic movements with common ideals, striving for a world where whatever we put in and on our bodies has only positive implications for ourselves, workers, manufacturers and ultimately the planet.