Photo Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Public Affairs

No matter where you are, you can help the efforts to clean up the Gulf oil spill, and recycle at the same time. Matter of Trust is collecting donations of hair, fur and pantyhose to help with spill containment and remediation. Oily hair on your head may be bad, but hair’s affinity for oil also makes it a great tool for getting oil out of water and away from where it can damage ecosystems. The hair gets stuffed into the nylons to create booms that, when attached end-to-end, contain the oil and stop the spread. Hair is also made into oil-absorbing hair mats that can be used to remove the oil from the water and to line the enclosures of oil-soaked wildlife while the animals wait to be scrubbed and cleaned.

To help the cause, sign up for Matter of Trust’s Excess Access database. Because of limited warehouse resources, the organization is directing individual donations to separate locations where they can be used most efficiently. Once you’ve signed up for Excess Access, you’ll receive instructions and a shipping address for your donations. Anyone can donate clean hair. To keep the processing times down, the group prefers larger donations of bulk hair and fur from barber shops and pet groomers; if you’re not a salon owner, consider talking to your stylist or groomer about arranging to donate clippings from all customers. (continue reading…)

For over 100 years Beatrix Potter’s classic Peter Rabbit has been adored by parents and children alike.

Beatrix Potter started her career as a children’s author and illustrator in 1901 at the age of 35. She became a pioneer in product licensing related to books two years later when she created the first Peter Rabbit doll. Games, linens, wallpaper and other ranges Peter Rabbit of merchandise soon followed.

In the years before World War I the demand for her work was so great that she published an average of two new stories each year. For the last 30 years of her life, writing and illustrating gave way to a second career as a champion sheep breeder, farmer, and countryside conservationist. (continue reading…)

ⓒiStockPhoto - BVDC

Maybe you’re looking through the plant and seed catalogs and you’re intrigued by the medicinal herbs, or maybe you’re looking for natural alternatives to costly over-the-counter medicines. Maybe you’re just tired of paying an awful lot of money for a box of twenty tea bags. Many people these days want to tap into the ancient wisdom of herbalism, but find it overwhelming. There are so many different herbs, it’s hard to know where to start and what to do first.

There are a couple of good ways to test the waters without drowning. First, start simple. Literally. Simpling is the age old procedure of using only one herb at a time. Don’t worry about mixing special tea brews or finding the elixir of life. Pick one herb, such as chamomile, and make a tea out of it. You’d be surprised how new of an experience it is just to purchase a bulk bag of chamomile flowers and brew your own loose tea. Opening the bag and smelling the first puff of scent, feeling the crushed flowers between your fingers, and straining away the spent herb will give you a familiarity with the herb that store-bought tea bags won’t. Teas are a very easy way to experiment with a single herb, and there are many herbs that lend themselves well to this use; oatstraw, nettle, peppermint. Brewing and drinking a tea made from only one herb regularly will give you a chance to see how that herb affects your body. It can be interesting, after you’ve experimented with several teas, to see when your body craves which tea. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - OlgaMiltsova

After a long day, nothing hits the spot quite like a cup of chamomile tea. Many people are familiar with the cheery yellow flowers with their uplifting aroma whether they buy it as good old plain chamomile tea or as a component of blends such as Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. Both German and Roman chamomile provide the same effects. The main difference is which one is more accessible to you, or cheaper to buy.

Chamomile has many uses other than just as a relaxing tea, however, and a long history. It’s been used medicinally as far back as the time of the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians used it to cure fever, and people in the middle ages used it as an air freshener and a bittering ingredient for beer. There are so many uses for chamomile that it is much more economical to buy the herb in bulk rather than in boxes of individually packaged tea bags. Below are some of the main uses for Chamomile. (continue reading…)

Dilly Giggles Four Flavor Set

Green health and beauty products abound but how many are there that cater just to the younger ones? I found one that offers unique and eco-friendly lip balms created just for girls.

Dilly Giggles is an inspired creation by a mom who wanted to give her daughter a safe alternative to the chemical-laden lip balms commonly found at local stores. It all started as a mother-daughter kitchen experiment that worked so well it grew into Dilly Giggles Organic Lip Balms for girls. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - dmbaker

We’ve all seen celebs and models in magazine ads and TV commercials with gorgeous, shiny, voluminous locks. Whether their tresses are sleek and straight or curly and bouncy, these women have beautiful hair that makes us green with jealous envy. Fortunately, you can try some easy tricks at home – including diet, supplements and DIY hair treatments – to give you healthier hair naturally.

What’s Hair Made Of?

“Hair is made from a protein called keratin,” explains Helen Foster, author of The Beauty Book (p. 71) (1). The inner part of a hair strand is called the shaft, while the outer coating of a hair strand is called the cuticle. When hair is healthy and strong, the cuticle is smooth and reflects light. The result? Gorgeous shine. When your hair isn’t healthy – due to harsh styling, heated appliances or chemical processes – the shaft weakens and becomes brittle. Consequently, your locks become dry, dull and lackluster. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - Studioxll

Nourishing your skin from the inside keeps it healthy, but to truly shine, your skin also needs topical care. Exfoliating and moisturizing keeps your skin surface as healthy as the layers underneath and prevents the dry skin that is not just unsightly, but opens you up to infection.

These recipes for homemade skin care products are so insanely easy, you’ll never shell out for the high prices of commercial lotions, scrubs and body butters again! (continue reading…)