Herbs and their benefits

Hi, SORRY THAT I’VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG!!!

OK, back to herbs..

Here are a (small) list of herbs and their benefits

• Lavender- Antiseptic, anti fungal, helps reduce scarring and speeds healing. Which means it is great for pimples. Also you can apply it to burns, scrapes, bruises, rashes and insect bites. It’s calming fragrance can help treat insomnia. 
• Peppermint- Gives a cooling-tingly effect. Nourishes dull and oily skin. It also increases circulation and is good for mental clarity. Treats athlete’s foot.
• Rosemary- GREAT for oily skin, improves mental clarity and memory. It often called ” the herb of remembrance”. Strengthens hair. Is an astringent, has anti-inflammatory properties, and can treat small cuts, insect bites, acne, eczema, dermatitis, and so on. Because of it’s antibacterial properties, During the plague in the 15th century, hospitals and commoners burned rosemary and wore little pouches of the herb around their necks as they traveled to breathe through to help protect them from the spread of the disease.
• Chamomile- Great for soothing dry and sensitive skin, and used in an infusion (tea) can help soothe an upset stomach and if the tea is poured over hair, it can lighten it.

I’m going to try going No ‘Poo … wish me luck 

Safe Cosmetics: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Health and to Motivate Change

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics announced today that 335 companies have been named Champions and met the goals of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, a voluntary pledge to avoid chemicals banned by health agencies outside the U.S. and to fully disclose product ingredients to consumers. The new report, Market Shift: The Story of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and the Growth in Demand for Safe Cosmetics, explores the story of how a coalition of non-profit organizations worked directly with companies to raise the bar of safety within the cosmetics industry — pioneering a shift towards increased consumer protection and transparency.

Efforts like those headed by the Campaign have increased awareness and consumer demand for products made without hazardous chemicals — making natural and safe cosmetics the fastest growing segment within the industry. Yet, there is still plenty of work left to do to ensure safe cosmetics are not simply a segment of the industry, but the standard by which all companies adhere to.

For this to happen, consumers need to care about product safety. Every time you shop, what you buy places a “vote” for safety standards. By making conscious decisions to support companies who raise the safety bar, the collective voice of consumer spending can have a tremendous influence on the industry, regulators and the safety standards for future generations.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

For many of you, product safety sounds like a no-brainer idea, but the truth is in the details. You may be wondering, what it really means for a product to be safe and why you should even care in the first place. After all, why would companies deliberately use chemicals that are dangerous? And, while we could debate the moral arguments related to safe cosmetics and companies who use hazardous chemicals, what you really need to know is that what you don’t know can place your health at risk.

Safe Cosmetics: A Reality Check

According to the Campaign report and research, did you know?

• The average American woman uses 12 personal care products per day, resulting in exposure to more than 120 chemicals, many of which are likely linked to cancer, birth defects, asthma, allergies and other health related problems.
• More than 1 in 5 of all personal care products contain chemicals linked to cancer.
• Products often contain hidden carcinogens that are not listed on labels, such as formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane, which are found in children’s bath products.
• Chemicals with the potential to disrupt hormones are found in a large majority of personal care products. A study of teenage girls found an average of 13 hormone disrupting cosmetic chemicals — including parabens, phthalates, triclosan and synthetic fragrance musks — in their urine.
• Dangerous heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium have been found in a wide variety of cosmetics products, including lip gloss.
• Campaign product tests revealed the widespread use of synthetic musks in perfume, cologne and body sprays. Some of the same musks identified in fragrances have also been found in the cord blood of newborn babies, as well as in blood, breast milk and body fat. These musks may interfere with normal hormonal functioning.

Start Protecting Your Health in 3 Easy Steps

The truth about cosmetics safety can be disheartening, but there are steps you can take to use what you know to take action and protect your health. Here are three steps to start:

1. Connect with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and download their new report. Pass this valuable information on to your loved ones. The right knowledge is power.
2. Do your research before purchasing personal care products. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database is a good place to start to find personal care products that are safe and effective. Be sure to support organizations like the EWG who advocate product safety, consumer protection and industry transparency.
3. Share your voice through your purchasing power. Support companies who adhere to the highest standards of safety. The Market Shift report includes the complete list of Champion companies. Each has met the highest standards, as called for in the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

Now that you’re in the know, spread the word and make a difference in the fight to raise the safety bar in the cosmetics industry, for everyone’s health. Learn more about the Market Shift report and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: http://safecosmetics.org/marketshift

Non-toxic homemade all purpose cleaner

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great thanksgiving weekend. Forget the Windex, here’s a recipe for a natural, non-toxic homemade cleaner. It is inexpensive to make and you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen! 

Ingredients:

1 cup white distilled vinegar

*optional- 20 drops antibacterial essential oil(s) of your choosing

Such as: pine, lavender, tea tree, grapefruit, peppermint, rosemary, lemon or eucalyptus.(The essential oil(s) add extra cleaning power, elimanate germs, and masks the scent of the vinegar. Plus it smells great too!)

After you added your ingredient(s) pour into a spray bottle and shake.

Ammonia and why you should avoid it as much as possible

According to the Internet - Ammonia exposure can cause serious health problems. It will irritate and burn eyes, throat, and nose when inhaled. In higher concentrations it can produce severe coughing and choking fits. Prolonged exposure to ammonia in gas or liquid form can severely irritate the eyes and skin, and result in permanent scarring of the cornea and chemical burns on the skin and lungs.  Using ammonia in enclosed areas is also dangerous, as is mixing the chemical with bleach, for the combination can produce extremely toxic chlorine gas.

Although ammonia exists in small quantities in the natural environment, chemical plants use sophisticated technology to extract it for industrial use.  As these facilities often have huge quantities of dangerous substances like ammonia, chemical plant explosions often pose an immediate and potentially fatal danger to the surrounding community.  Few people realize the daily risks of living next to one of these ticking time-bombs, and fewer still know what to do should the worst occur.

Ammonia spills:

Ammonia spills and chemical plant explosions are one of the realities of life in the modern world, but should these accidents occur it is the duty of those responsible to provide help for those they injure.  If they do not, the victims of these disasters need to take legal action in order to recover compensation for their pain and suffering.  If you or someone you know endured injury or loss due to an ammonia accident, you need to contact an ammonia exposure attorney right away.  The statute of limitations on your case is already running, and if you hesitate you could lose your chance for justice.  Don’t risk your future.

tumblrbot asked: WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

The rocking chair crushing my foot lol