Did you know that a lot of what you use to make ourselves look better is actually doing the exact opposite? A lot of the time they contain toxins and preservatives (everything from synthetic fragrances to petrochemicals to formaldehyde) that are bad for you and even worse, bad for the environment. The Green Beauty Guide is a book that tries to show you the way to a natural beauty. By reading this book, you will learn how to decipher product labels without needing a masters degree and avoid the really bad chemicals (check out the toxic ingredient list). I especially learned a lot in Chapter 3 about understanding what you are paying for. They completely breakdown who all gets your money when you buy a product and how much the ingredients for said product really are. It will floor you when you realize how many middleman there really are. Not only does this book tell you what not to use, it lets you know what products are good and safe for you and environment. It has all the latest research on the best organic products including makeup, hair care, tooth care, skincare, sun protection, and baby products just to name a few. There are even some DIY recipes to try out.

This is a book all women should get their hands on. It is very scary to see what ingredients our makeup has that is doing harm to both us and environment. However, this book can also send us to a better path for makeup and other items that are green. It is definitely a good, informative read.

Even though we are heading into winter in the United States, you really need to think about sunscreen.  My husband would not listen to me yesterday when I told him to put on sunscreen before the Chicago Bears football game, and guess what?  He came home with a sunburn.  Once there is snow on the ground, it is even easier to get a sunburn even in the middle of winter. You always need to wear sunscreen no matter what the season is.

Now, my husband has a lotion issue.  He cannot stand touch lotion, having it on his skin, or applying it to our children.  No, he is not trying to get out of sunlotioning our children — it just really grosses him out.  That is why when I came across Kinesys I knew we had to try it.  What I found is that this is a winner in our house.  The microspray formula is super easy to apply.  You just spray it on your arm (or whatever body part you are applying it to), and that’s it!  You don’t have to rub it in at all.  However, it was easier for us to apply to our kids faces (since my kids are little) by spraying it on our hands first and then applying it.  It is super awesome for applying to their scalps, because it didn’t make their hair greasy (and I personally think that is the worst sunburn ever, because until that sunburn goes away, it hurt to even comb your hair).  It is free of four important things – oil, alcohol, preservatives, and PABA.  This won’t irritate your skin — even if you have sensitive skin.  It also is water and sweat resistant which is great for kids too!  It is also non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog your pores, so you don’t have to worry about acne breakouts).  It also gives you broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

I found that my kids could handle the few seconds it took to apply this.  There was no fighting, because it was so easy to apply.  It was on before they ever even knew it, and it recently won the Parent Tested, Parent Approved Award.  It was also chosen as the #1 spray sunscreen for high efficacy and low hazard ingredients by the watchdog group Environmental Working Group.  The bottles also come in awesome bright colors that make it much easier to find in your house and the kids love.  Make sure you check out Kinesys for your sunscreen needs!