Jeneration Eden

Tag: Safe

  • Shoo, shoes!

    Shoo, shoes!

    I have a bad reputation. Oh stop it, not in that way. No, my bad rep comes from my insistence that anyone who comes into our home has to take off his shoes. And wash his hands. And do a little jig. Ok, not that last one.

    But I’m hard-ass about the first two and for good reason. Leaving shoes at the door and washing hands can reduce toxicants in the home up to 60%. That’s 60% fewer carcinogens, neurotoxins and infectious bacteria in your home. That’s 60% fewer dangerous chemicals in your child’s bedroom.

    We started these practices on the advice of our pediatrician when our first child was born and 12 years/4 children later I’m still pretty adamant about it. And my friends know it.

    Yeah, people get annoyed at the no-kicks rule, even if they don’t have holes in their socks or chipped pedicures. But I don’t care! Because I’ve learned that sticking to this practice is an awesome way to:

    1) Keep pesticides, arsenic, lead and other hard metals off our bedroom floors (the EPA has found that pesticides on shoes is a real source of toxic exposure for kids)

    2) Stop dog excrement and other bacteria from getting on my kitchen tiles (and while we’re on it, scoop up after your pooches, people)

    3) Keep grime out of the mouths of babes (they crawl, they touch, they eat)

    4) Protect wood floors from getting scratched and carpets from getting muddied (yup, I care about aesthetics too)

    5) Avoid howling kids (someone with extremely pointy shoes once stepped on my daughter’s tiny toe and I swear, from the sound of it, she now knows the pain of childbirth)

    Same idea for hand-washing. Sure, you enjoyed that peach on the way over here, but I’d rather those pesticides on your fingers not muck up my fridge handle. So come on in, knock off your shoes, head over to the bathroom and wash pesticides, bacteria, BPA (from handling receipts, for example) and germs off your hands. And no shortcuts. Use the soap – that’s why it’s there.

    I’ve trained my kids well in both these practices and its all become second nature to them. They take off their shoes and wash their hands without even thinking.

    Now I readily admit that I bend the rules sometimes. For our big housewarming party, I really wanted to wear my new stilettos and the hostess in me couldn’t, in good conscience, make everyone else go barefoot. And frankly, flexibility is key, in many aspects of life. Although I did make everyone do a jig.

    But really folks, this one is easy. Adopt these simple, yet powerful habits and you’ll reduce toxicants and increase indoor air quality in your home. And, hey, let your reputation precede you.

  • The Gift of Healthy Skin

    The Gift of Healthy Skin

     

     

     

    There’s something kind of awesome about finding a skin care line whose products feel luxurious, keep their promises and are free of the chemicals and toxicants that fill the tubes, bottles and jars of most conventional lines. And if those products don’t break the bank? Well, I’m pretty sure that’s worthy of a celebration. Or at least a blog…

    Juice Beauty – the brand to which I now trust my face – is a beauty product line that was founded by Karen Behnke, a California mom  and “serial wellness entrepreneur” who, during her first pregnancy, realized that effective and safe skincare was of utmost importance and that the lack of regulation of the personal care products industry had led to some pretty unsavory and unhealthy offerings. Knowing that our skin absorbs around 60% of the stuff we put on it (in other words, around 60% of those unsavory and unhealthy products), her mission became clear.

    Karen’s goal was to create innovative personal care products that, unlike the more familiar ones, were not based on water (which is safe, but dilutes other ingredients) or petroleum (which is not safe due to potential hazardous contaminants), but rather healthy, organic juices. And, along with professional scientists and experts, Karen was successful, developing truly effective juice-based products.

    Many collections later, Juice Beauty has over 100 options, including cleansers, moisturizers for all skin types, blemish clearing products and body lotions, as well as the much touted Stem Cellular Collection and Green Apple Peels, all made with a host of safe ingredients (with a total USDA certified organic content of 98%). In fact, the list of ingredients that Juice Beauty will never use – including phthalates, pesticides, parabens and many other endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and skin irritants – reads like a Who’s Who of what not to slather on the skin.

    Juice Beauty facial products are now elbowing out many other products on my bathroom vanity. The clean, sleek packaging is chic and the products, as I mentioned, offer good bang for the buck. One of my faves is the SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer. This zinc oxide based moisturizer softens my skin well and provides very important protection against the sun’s skin-damaging rays. It goes on rather smoothly and, because it’s tinted, doesn’t cast that telltale white zinc hue.

    I’m also really enjoying my Juice Beauty nighttime regimen. I’ve been using the Daily Essentials Nutrient Moisturizer, which is very hydrating and full of vitamins and antioxidants. It’s so rich, that just a bit on the fingers goes a long way on the face. And my eyes are getting some Juice action as well. The Smoothing Eye Concentrate is good for all skin types and tends to the dark-circled and fine-lined area under the eyes (heck, age and parenting will do that to a girl) with grape and carrot juices, as well as other nutrient rich ingredients such as avocado.

    As holiday time is upon us, I’m thinking that some Juice Beauty products, stylishly wrapped, would be the perfect gift for my friends, my sister, my mom. I love the idea of being the benefactor of healthy beauty in the form of gift-wrapped boxes bursting with items that are luxe, practical and totally current in terms of the trend toward non-toxic personal care products. And they won’t be presents that are just powerful in the moment; they will be gifts that continuously take safe and excellent care of the skin of the people I love — inside and out.

     

     

     

  • Sun-shy (and Proud of it)

    Sun-shy (and Proud of it)

     

     

     

    Those who know me think that I’m just a degree shy of bonkers when it comes to protecting my kids from the sun. But because studies have shown that 1 in 5 Americans will develop some type of skin cancer in the course of a lifetime, I believe that I’m more sane than most.

    Even though fall is upon us and winter will soon be rearing it’s head, the sun still shines – and if you don’t live in subzero temps and aren’t walking around with your entire head covered, at the very least your face will certainly be exposed to the sun on a regular basis.

    The best way to avoid sun damage – whether in the form of sun spots, aging skin, sun burn and, of course, skin cancer – is to truly limit sun exposure. Yes, the sun provides us with Vitamin D which helps us absorb calcium, but those who are deficient can eat foods and take supplements in order to get those benefits, and excessive, unprotected sun exposure confers much more harm than good.

    In the warmer months, if you try to get your kids to avoid the sun’s dangers by keeping them inside from 10am to 2pm (when the sun’s at its strongest), dressing them in long-sleeve shirts and pants, and forcing them to wear sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats, you’ll have a mutiny on your hands. And in these colder months, kids enjoy plenty of winter sports activities and the sun’s reflection off of the snow right unto a young face can be a recipe for a painful sunburn. And, of course, if a beach vacation is on your holiday schedule, be aware that the sun reflects right off the ocean too.

    Unfortunately, it ain’t as obvious as grabbing any old sunscreen off the shelf at your local store. It turns out that the sun’s rays aren’t the only thing that’s messing with your children’s bodies as they build sandcastles or go snow tubing. It’s also the chemicals inside many bottles of sunscreen that should cause parents to lose sleep.

    So in keeping with reality and safety, I offer some basic  – but very important – info for safeguarding your kids from the sun. Committing these guidelines to memory is really a walk in the park. And the tips are sure to protect your family when you’re taking, well, a walk in the park…

    • AVOID oxybenzone and octinoxate, both of which are known hormone disruptors as well as allergens
    • AVOID vitamin A as well as retinyl palmitate and retinol (forms of vit A), all of which can hasten the development of cancerous tumors when exposed to UV rays
    • AVOID aerosal sunscreens, which can be inhaled into the lungs
    • CHOOSE sunscreens that offer broad spectrum protection. This means defense against UVA and UVB rays, both of which are implicated in causing sun damage, including deadly melanomas
    • CHOOSE mineral-based sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the main ingredients
    • CHOOSE sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 to 50, apply one ounce to all exposed parts 30 minutes prior to sun exposure and reapply every 2 hours or after swimming/excessive sweating

    Some great brands of effective and safe sunscreens are Badger, The Honest Company, Aubrey Organics and Vanicream.  These products might cost a bit more than the conventional sunscreen, but considering you rub the stuff into your kids’ skin regularly (well, you should be), it pays to make sure the product getting absorbed into their bodies is safe.

    Keeping your children from getting burned by the sun is of the highest priority. So when the outdoors comes calling and your kids grab a bathing suit or a pair of ice skates, keep them safe from the sun and from chemicals. It’s the rational thing to do.