natural products

Jan

2023

5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives for Your Daily Items

Reading Time: 2 minutes

There are many ways that we can help reduce environmental pollution. Eventually, a lifestyle change is needed if we really want to maximize our efforts. We all know that will take some time. In the meantime, we can start by using eco-friendly alternatives for our daily items.

Reusable Water Bottle

A reusable water bottle is the first eco-friendly alternative that we all should switch to right away. Make good use of them to replace disposable paper cups and having to buy mineral or distilled water in plastic bottles. Not only will you be saving money from buying less beverages when going outside; you can also help reduce the number of plastic bottles ending up in landfills and in the ocean. Remember, plastics are forever.

Reusable Straws

Since we’re talking about beverages, reusable straws are also easily available as a sustainable replacement to plastic straws. There are bamboo straws, metal straws, glass straws and even silicon straws for you to choose from. Bamboo straws are the most eco-friendly. Metal straws and glass straws come in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your needs. Silicon straws are more portable and convenient to pack for everyday use.

Rechargeable Batteries

Batteries can cause water and soil pollution when they get thrown into a landfill as they have many toxic chemicals as their main components. Use rechargeable batteries as an eco-friendly alternative. Aside from being more long lasting; they can also help you save on storage space and money since you don’t need to keep buying new batteries. You only need to recharge them every time they run out of power. Also, remember to dispose your electronic items properly to help reduce toxic contamination into the environment.

Natural Personal Care

A lot of the products we use for personal care have ingredients like microplastics that do not decompose and end up polluting the oceans and killing marine life. They may also contain chemicals that are toxic to the soil and can kill vegetation. If these can harm the environment; how can it not be harmful to our bodies as well? So on your next shopping run for personal care items, look for products with natural ingredients as they are also biodegradable. You can even create your own beauty remedies at home. There are many shampoo and conditioner bars that are great eco-friendly alternatives to bottled shampoo. They are also very convenient to pack when traveling.

Reusable Shopping Bags

Nowadays, eco bags are easily available as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic grocery bags and paper bags. Invest in a good eco bag that’s made of sturdy material such as canvas which are also washable. Or you can opt for one that’s easy to clean with just the wipe of a washcloth for grocery items that tend to be moist or wet. There are also biodegradable trash bags for lining your garbage cans at home. Plastic bags are one of the most common plastic wastes collected in landfills and making their way into the oceans, poisoning marine life.

These are just some of the item swaps that you can implement right away as your first step into a more sustainable lifestyle.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Anna Oliinyk on Unsplash.

Nov

2020

5 More All Natural Beauty Tips for Your Beauty Routine

Reading Time: 3 minutes

If you’ve tried some of our all natural beauty alternatives, here are 5 more all natural beauty tips for your beauty routine. All natural ingredients have many benefits for our skin and overall health.

One major benefit of substituting commercial beauty products with natural ingredients is that you can save a lot of money. Most of these natural ingredients are in your kitchen. In fact, you can DIY and even customize them to your liking to boost your beauty regimen.

1. Baking Soda to Exfoliate Skin and Whiten Teeth

Get rid of stubborn black heads with baking soda. Wet your face with warm water. Pour some baking soda into your hands and massage unto your face for at least 3 minutes. It might sting a little so be sure to do this gently.

Don’t do this if you have a huge pimple or a painful acne breakout or a wound as it may aggravate your skin’s condition. After 3 minutes, rinse your face with water and pat dry. Your face might be a bit red after this but it will definitely be brighter. Follow with a moisturizer.

This is one of the natural beauty tips that can also be used as alternative to your commercial toothpaste to whiten teeth. Be gentle when brushing so you don’t irritate your gums. Instead, brush your teeth for a longer duration to get rid of stains. You won’t get the bubbly texture of toothpaste and you might not like the taste but doing this will help whiten your teeth.

2. Cocoa and Cinnamon as Natural Bronzer

If you can never get the shade you want from commercial bronzers, then this recipe is a good opportunity to create your own.

Mix cocoa powder and cinnamon powder until you get the shade that you want. Store in a jar or container and brush on your skin for that bronze look. Get a liquid version by mixing into your moisturizing cream or your lotion. This is one of the all natural beauty tips that is cheap and smells good too! Integrate into your daily beauty routine for healthier skin.

3. Sugar and Oil to Exfoliate and Moisturize

Say goodbye to dry skin with this easy recipe that you can enjoy in the shower.

Blend together a cup of sugar (any kind will do), half a cup of oil (olive or coconut oil) and store in a wide mouth jar. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance. Gently massage unto skin and rinse well. Enjoy silky, soft skin after!

You can use this all natural beauty tip to focus on dry spots too, such as your elbows and knees.

4. Coconut Oil and Baking Soda as Deodorant

Prevent body odor while taking care of your under arm skin with this recipe.

In a bowl, mix 4 tablespoons baking soda and 4 tablespoons cornstarch. Add in 6 tablespoons coconut oil and blend well. You can add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. Store in a glass jar or old deodorant container for easy use.

It may take several hours for the mixture to cool and harden completely. You can pop it into the fridge for a few hours to harden faster. Store in a cool dry place as it may melt in direct sunlight, which means it might also melt during summer months.

5. Orange, Lemon or Calamansi to Brighten Skin

Brighten elbows and knees by cutting an orange, lemon or calamansi in half and rubbing the halves into these areas. It will exfoliate and soften the skin in these rough patches and it will smell good too. Remember to be gentle with this process and rinse well when you’re done.

Show your skin some love with these natural beauty substitutes to your beauty products. Try out these DIY beauty tips and tell us your results.

Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.09.13.
Featured Image: Original Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash.

Nov

2020

5 All Natural Beauty Tips for Your Beauty Routine

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Refresh your glow with these 5 all natural beauty tips for your beauty routine. Taking care of our physical appearance is part of our daily routine. Looking good helps us to feel good and a healthy glow always boosts our confidence. When it comes to maintaining our heathy glow, what we put unto our skin is just as important as what we eat. Natural ingredients can give you more benefits than chemically-laden products.

If you are already starting or maintaining a healthy diet, then incorporating these all natural beauty tips into your daily routine should help you boost and maintain your natural, healthy glow.

The great thing about using natural products is that most of the ingredients can already be found in your kitchen or easily found in your supermarket or grocery store. Here are some of them that you can DIY.

1. Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Shampoo

Commercial shampoos usually have chemicals that can cause build-up in your scalp. Eliminate build-up by mixing 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (ACV) with 1 cup of water and using this as your shampoo.

Do this regularly to eliminate build-up which may cause dandruff. You can follow this with your regular conditioner or use a DIY natural conditioner. Make this all natural beauty routine a regular habit to maintain healthy hair and scalp.

2. Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment

Get super soft hair with coconut oil. Massage a small amount of coconut oil unto your scalp and work it through your hair. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes and rinse with warm water. For better results, wrap a warm towel around your head to deeply condition your hair and scalp.

Don’t put too much coconut oil as it will be hard to rinse out and you might end up with greasy, limp hair instead. You can rinse it out with your regular, commercial shampoo but it’s better to just use water and blow dry your hair afterwards for a soft, shiny mane.

You can also use coconut oil to condition the ends of your hair to prevent split ends.

3. Castor Oil for Longer Lashes and Thicker Brows

If you’re suffering from thin brows and brittle lashes, then castor oil is your hero. Since castor oil has a thick consistency, dilute it with a carrier oil like jojoba oil, almond oil, sunflower oil or coconut oil. This all natural beauty routine is the secret to healthy-looking brows and lashes.

Mix half castor oil and half carrier oil in an amber bottle and use a clean mascara wand to apply the solution to your brow and lashes at night. You’ll wake up with greasy eye brows and lashes but your sparsely-haired brows will be fuller and your lashes will be thicker and longer with regular application.

4. Olive Oil Nail Treatment

This is a simple process. Just put some olive oil into a small bowl. Dip your fingertips in it and soak your nails for at least 5 minutes. Wipe clean with a tissue or small towel and admire your pretty fingers.

So you don’t waste the oil, instead of wiping away, massage the oil into your fingers, palms and back of your hands to moisturise your hard-working hands. Or do this beauty treatment with a buddy so you can massage each other’s hands after.

5. Chilled Tea Bags for Tired, Puffy Eyes

Do your eyes tell the whole world that you had a late night out yesterday? Just steep 2 green, black or chamomile tea bags in hot water for less than a minute. Remove the tea bags from the hot water, place them in a small container and chill in the refrigerator. This all natural beauty routine is a handy solution for late movie nights.

Once chilled, place 1 tea bag over each closed eyelid and leave on for 5 to 15 minutes. This will freshen up your eyes and reduce puffiness so you look like you had a good night’s sleep instead of a hangover. You can drink the water where you boiled the tea bags to help cure your hangover.

As you can see, these quick beauty tips are easy to do and some can even replace your commercial beauty products. Aside from these uses, each ingredient on this list has other applications for maintaining your natural beauty. For example, you can use these oils as moisturiser and ACV can also be used as a toner to cleanse your face.

Have you tried any of these natural beauty tips? How did it work for you?

Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.09.11.
Featured Image: Original Photo by Chelsea shapouri on Unsplash.