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What is A Green beauty A Green Beauty is your destination for the latest in natural and organic and sustainable living. This site brings you information from a wide range of sources to help make sense of the branding world of ‘Organic’, ‘Eco friendly’ and ‘Natural’.   We catalogue the best products and ingredients for the health of the planet and the body, mind and spirit. A Green Beauty believes that achieving a healthy planet and a healthy body comes from a holistic approach and tries to provide helpful information regarding all aspects of health, from nutrition and wellness to education, art and healing. Our goal is to help inspire change on a grassroots level, starting with the individual and moving towards a culture of conscious consumers that prioritize the quality, sustainability, and impact of what they buy. To help you on your way to a healthier, happier life and a smaller footprint, we have organic recipes, a constant stream of updates regarding new products and companies leading the green charge, and coverage of innovators in a variety of relevant fields, including experts in state of the art plant science, photography, fashion, design, beauty, nutrition, healing, wellness and more. The Art of living Green The art of living green consists of small, and larger choices we make on a daily basis. To live consciously or unconsciously is a personal choice. It is said that ‘Ignorance is bliss’, but what happens when ignorance caused you to become terribly ill from the unconscious choice of buying processed foods and a bad diet, the bliss disappears and turns into pain. To keep balance seems an ideal state. Balance takes a conscious effort, which is the beginnings of an awaked state of mind. To integrate whole foods and a sustainable way of life with the chaos of the world at large takes many tools, that if not inherited must be acquired. Knowledge is one of these tools, along with education, patients, persistence, dedication, faith and the list goes on. These are all tools to better our lives through nutrition, exercise, movement, pure air, clean water, organic foods, eco products and design, sustainable farming and self expression. So finding the balance between culture of Pop and consumerism, and the changes that we want to make to better our health, that of our children and the planet becomes an art form in itself. We hope time spent at A Green Beauty will help you value those choices, and feel informed and confident in every decision you make. Moving into a Greener healthier lifestyle Its hard...Allow me to say it for you. My personal experience and journey started when I was very young, but the battle to stay true to my beliefs has been the hardest road to travel. Plus if you haven’t always been convinced with the information in the media and health journals then it can be very frustrating. Let me set the scenario; you’ve read a bit on what is a carcinogenic chemical, you are savvy enough to know that buying a $1.99 cent shampoo or conditioner should not be habit forming, now you’re on the web surfing for more help on how to give your body and the environment some much needed love and attention. Our busy lifestyles make us stress and reach for the quickest and easiest solutions sometimes. And to be super ridged and obsessive can be added pressure, not to mention it can alienate you from friends and family. So we eat on the run, where we really want to to eat Organic and fresh, and we buy products that seem to have the right miss-information on the label, such as Pure, or Natural, or are they?! What you need is a trusting source, a guide by experts who have studied labels and ingredients as part of a career. A Green Beauty was designed for this purpose, to collect and provide the trusted information you need, from experts across the planet and locally. For instance Certified Organic hair care and personal care products are made from whole, natural, organic ingredients, such as plant fats, flower essences, nut and seed oils. A Green product differs from a generic synthesized grocery store product, by the omission of any synthetic chemicals, petrochemicals, artificial coloring or fragrances; these ingredients are proven to be harmful to the skin and internal organs. A basic rule is ‘whatever you can’t eat should not be put onto your skin’. So read the labels carefully and look for plant ingredients. The reason for the emphasis on all natural ingredients is that the skin absorbs whatever you put on it, and delivers straight to the blood stream. Continual use of a toxic chemicals can build up in the blood and organs, causing harmful diseases and affecting bodily functions. A Green Beauty provides the right information needed to a new greener, healthier whole body and beauty regimen. Including articles and links, recipes and ingredients for making your own home-made products. Save money living pure and natural.. Often the first obstacle one encounters in any attempt to green up is the added expense. Products that use natural and organic ingredients do tend to cost more. It can be less expensive in the long run to buy healthy, however when you buy a raw organic ingredient, most of the time, you will need only to purchase one product that will serve at least two beauty departments.  For example, you can use rich and nutritious coconut oil on your hair as a leave in conditioner and as a face moisturizer. This versatile oil is also a body lotion, a cooking oil and a nutritious smoothie ingredient! Natural Shea Butter from Africa has been originally used as a full body moisturizer for centuries in Africa and all around the world. Its high content of five essential fatty acids is beneficial for dry, flaky skin. It can also be used as a molding paste for hair, dually nourishing your scalp with its nutrients while creating shape with its texture.  Grape Seed Oil makes a beautiful hair shine product, and is also a very nourishing facial oil. Add essential oils to Grape Seed Oil and you have created a luxurious and therapeutic bath product. These ingredients can be bought in bulk, saving money, and then separated in appropriate bottles and vessels to distinguish them from your bath products to your face or even your kitchen products. On the road to thinking and acting more consciously, your body and mind goes through a detoxification. This starts you on an inner journey of knowing what your body needs and how to heal it, which will ultimately keep your health in your own hands and away from your doctor, saving you even more money. These are just some examples of how one can save by living sustainably and creating a quality lifestyle. There are a few amazing companies in the market place who have built their entire product line on these basic principles. A Green Beauty will constantly be introducing you to these inspirational people and their products. Becoming your own alchemist can be truly rewarding on so many levels. In the end, even your wallet will be happier! The bad stuff Imagine if the six billion inhabitants on the planet cut down on half of the ‘bad stuff’ they are using. It stands to reason that half of our waters would be clean and half of the earth detoxified. How nice! On our way to a cleaner, safer planet. Its really mind boggling how we are creatures of habit, and its for a good reason. We spend weeks, months sometimes years trying to find that perfect conditioner or shampoo for our hair, because we care, about our appearance and the attraction factor. Then finally Eureka ! We find it, except now we learn that this little gem is laced with some toxic substance that may maim or kill some far off endangered species, and in the least add to the possibility of some part of our bodies getting cancer (:0#<*(!!! Fortunately there are organic products being created today that are made from non-toxic plant nutrients that will do a great job and its my job to make your hunt easier :) So these are a few synthetic chemicals to check on the back of your product labels in your bathroom today, and on future purchases, so you don’t make that awful mistake of getting hooked on a toxic beauty product. Lets start with: Sulfates: In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to "foam up". Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents. Both are esters of Sulphuric acid and are very dangerous, highly irritating chemicals. Far from giving "healthy shining hair" and "beautiful skin", soaps and shampoos containing sodium laureth sulfate can lead to direct damage to the hair follicle, skin damage, permanent eye damage in children and even liver toxicity. Although sodium laureth sulfate is somewhat less irritating than SLS, it cannot be metabolised by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting. This not only means it stays in the body tissues for longer, but much more precious energy is used getting rid of it. The American Journal of Toxicology has a depressing list of animal test results that I chose not to print. You can do further research yourself if you like. Disodium EDTA: Penetration enhancer: alter(s) skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin, increasing the amounts of other chemicals that reach the bloodstream. Genotoxic to animals (cancer causing) EDTA is a compound found in many hair products. Although there is ongoing research on the effects on humans, tests show that it is harmful to the environment. The chelating agent EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is a compound of massive use world wide with household and industrial applications, being one of the anthropogenic compounds with highest concentrations in inland European waters. The applications of EDTA and its behavior once it has been released into the environment are described. At a laboratory scale, degradation of EDTA has been achieved; however, in natural environments studies detect poor biodegradability. It is concluded that EDTA behaves as a persistent substance in the environment and that its contribution to heavy metals bioavailability and remobilization processes in the environment is a major concern. Ethlene oxide: a known breast carcinogen - is commonly used to manufacture popular brands of shampoo. Ethylene oxide is a fumigant used to sterilize surgical instruments and is also used in some cosmetics products. Ethylene oxide is classified as a known human carcinogen and one of 48 chemicals that the National Toxicology Program identifies as mammary carcinogens in animals. Studies in which human breast cells grown in vitro were exposed to low doses of ethylene oxide demonstrated that the chemical exposure resulted in  a significant increase in damage to the cells’ DNA. Parabens: are a group of compounds widely used as anti-microbial preservatives in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics products, including underarm deodorants. Parabens are absorbed through intact skin and from the gastrointestinal tract and blood. Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors. The particular parabens were found in relative concentrations that closely parallel their use in the synthesis of cosmetic products. Parabens have also been found in almost all urine samples examined from a demographically diverse sample of U.S. adults. Phthalates: Pronounced "tha'-lates," these little plasticizer chemicals pack a punch to male sex organs. Whether it's sperm damage, feminization of baby boys, or infertility, a growing number of studies link phthalates to problems in men and boys. Pregnant women should avoid it in nail polish ("dibutyl phathalate") and everyone should avoid products with "fragrance" on the label, chemical mixtures where phthalates often hide. Propylene glycol: A cosmetic form of mineral oil found in automatic brake and hydraulic fluid and industrial antifreeze. In the skin and hair, propylene glycol works as a humescent, which causes retention of moisture content of skin or cosmetic products by preventing the escape of moisture or water. The Material Safety Data Sheet warns users to avoid skin contact with propylene glycol as this strong skin irritant can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage. Ethoxylates: Toxicity of Nonylphenol Ethoxylate Metabolites; Many countries, large corporations and scientific entities have classified NPE metabolites as toxic. Canada classified NPE metabolites as toxic, as they are “entering the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity.”(1-2) The European Union classifies NP as “very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.”(3) Procter & Gamble voluntarily stopped using NPEs in its high-volume applications as they also recognize that their use“might create long-term concerns for the environment. PVP/VA Copolymer: A petroleum-derived chemical used in hairsprays, wave-sets and other cosmetics. It can be considered toxic, since particles may contribute to foreign bodies in the lungs of sensitive persons. Triclosan and triclocarban: Found in most antibacterial products. Both of these chemicals are hormone-disrupting chemicals, they interfere with different hormone systems. Triclocarban is a unique type of hormone-disrupting chemical which has not been found to have any hormone-disrupting properties on its own but has been shown to enhance the activity of other hormones, such as the sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone. Boosting your sex hormones isn’t necessarily a good thing! For someone with a hormonally dependent cancer, that could mean more hormonal stimulation of cancer cell growth. Check Skin Deep (below) for the least harmful products on the market.  http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/browse.php?maincat=haircare
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