Recycling Clothes
There are many different options you can use when getting rid of your unwanted clothing. You can donate them, sell them, trade them, or reuse them.
Have ripped or stained clothing?Get creative. If you're good at sewing you can cut your clothing (cut pieces that have designs or nice colors) into squares and make a quilt.You could also cut them up and use them as cleaning rags. If you have any memorabilia t-shirts or shirts with really cool designs you can cut it out and frame it for your wall.You could also tie-dye some of your t-shirts.Think outside the box.
If you're interested in buying gently used clothing (it's a lot cheaper and a great way to recycle) you could always shop around at a thrift store. You may find really cool vintage tees or dresses. Look around for shops in your area that sell used clothing. Another option is to trade in your gently used clothes. Search your area for resale and consignment shops. There are also websites that you can use to trade your clothes. You can trade your clothes in for other clothes, credit, or cash depending on where you go.
Recycling clothes is also a great excuse to clean out your closet!
I'm Julia.I'm married and have two awesome kids. I'm a stay-at-home-mom. I've recently decided to start living and eating more naturally.I haven't gone completely green yet, but I have taken some steps in the right direction. I thought it would be nice to share some of the things I've learned on my blog and maybe help others lead a more natural life as well.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Simple Homemade Beauty Recipes
I've been experimenting with homemade beauty products recently. I've found it to be a lot cheaper, and I always know what's in them. Plus I have everything I need right in my kitchen. One thing that I've learned in the short time I have been making my own beauty products is this: Olive oil is the mother of all homemade beauty products. Seriously. You can use it for just about anything. Hair masks, face masks, make-up removers,face moisturizer, etc.In fact, almost every recipe I've tried so far that I like contains olive oil. I'm going to post a few EXTREMELY simple recipes with extremely simple ingredients that have worked for me. I'll be trying and posting a lot more recipes, but for now I'm only going to post a few easy ones that I've tried and like. I like to start simple. If you try any of these recipes let me know how they turn out by posting in the comments section or even on my face book page(http://www.facebook.com/LittleGreenKisses). Or if you have any homemade beauty recipes you'd like to share I'd love to hear them.
Make-up Remover: -Milk
-Pour a small amount of milk onto wash cloth or you can use cotton balls.
-Wash your face with the wash cloth (gently but thoroughly).
-Rinse your face with water.
-That's it. :)
Eye Make-up Remover: -Olive oil.
-Put a small amount of olive oil onto a cotton ball
-apply it to your eyes.
* Notes:Use it as you would any other eye make-up remover. Don't worry about getting it into your eyes because it doesn't hurt (although I don't recommend it).
Hair Mask: -2 eggs
-4 tbsp. Olive oil
- Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix well
- Apply it to your hair (Be sure to get ALL of your hair)
-Put a shower cap on
-Let it set for about 15-20 minutes
-Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water
* Notes:Okay, I know this gets a little messy, but it works. It makes your hair VERY soft.
Face Mask:- Cornmeal
-Water
-In a bowl, put enough cornmeal to cover your entire face.
-Add a little bit of water
-Mix cornmeal and water until it forms s thick paste. Add as much water or
cornstarch as needed
-Rub (gently) onto your face in a circular motion
-Leave on for about 15 minutes or until completely dry
-Rinse off with cold water
I've been experimenting with homemade beauty products recently. I've found it to be a lot cheaper, and I always know what's in them. Plus I have everything I need right in my kitchen. One thing that I've learned in the short time I have been making my own beauty products is this: Olive oil is the mother of all homemade beauty products. Seriously. You can use it for just about anything. Hair masks, face masks, make-up removers,face moisturizer, etc.In fact, almost every recipe I've tried so far that I like contains olive oil. I'm going to post a few EXTREMELY simple recipes with extremely simple ingredients that have worked for me. I'll be trying and posting a lot more recipes, but for now I'm only going to post a few easy ones that I've tried and like. I like to start simple. If you try any of these recipes let me know how they turn out by posting in the comments section or even on my face book page(http://www.facebook.com/LittleGreenKisses). Or if you have any homemade beauty recipes you'd like to share I'd love to hear them.
Make-up Remover: -Milk
-Pour a small amount of milk onto wash cloth or you can use cotton balls.
-Wash your face with the wash cloth (gently but thoroughly).
-Rinse your face with water.
-That's it. :)
Eye Make-up Remover: -Olive oil.
-Put a small amount of olive oil onto a cotton ball
-apply it to your eyes.
* Notes:Use it as you would any other eye make-up remover. Don't worry about getting it into your eyes because it doesn't hurt (although I don't recommend it).
Hair Mask: -2 eggs
-4 tbsp. Olive oil
- Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix well
- Apply it to your hair (Be sure to get ALL of your hair)
-Put a shower cap on
-Let it set for about 15-20 minutes
-Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water
* Notes:Okay, I know this gets a little messy, but it works. It makes your hair VERY soft.
Face Mask:- Cornmeal
-Water
-In a bowl, put enough cornmeal to cover your entire face.
-Add a little bit of water
-Mix cornmeal and water until it forms s thick paste. Add as much water or
cornstarch as needed
-Rub (gently) onto your face in a circular motion
-Leave on for about 15 minutes or until completely dry
-Rinse off with cold water
Buying Organic Food
When a brand or company slaps a label on one of their products that says "natural" or "made with natural ingredients" you can bet the price will be significantly higher than that of it's unnatural and chemical-filled counterparts. If you're going to pay the higher price it's best to make sure what you're buying is actually natural. Try to keep in mind that 'organic' and 'natural' aren't the same things when it comes to product labels. There are very few regulations when it comes to putting the word "natural" on product labels. If the product contains meat, poultry, or egg products and has a 'natural' food label it is required by the USDA to be "minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients' BUT,"There are no standards or regulations for the labeling of natural food products if they do not contain meat or eggs." The words in bold print and quotation marks are from the USDA website here: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPConsumers
So let's say I'm a company that makes fruit juice and I put some real fruit extract in my juice. That's natural, right? Well, yeah, so now I'm going to put a label on the front of my juice that says "Natural Fruit Juice" and of course, "Made With Real Fruit" (and jack the price up, of course). Now, reading that you'd probably think it was all natural, right? You'd probably think to yourself "Oh, that sounds really healthy, I think I'll buy that". Well, what you don't know is that a little bit of real fruit extract may be the only natural ingredient in that juice. There could also be lots of nasty chemicals in my juice, too. That's why it's best to also read the list of ingredients as well. But, even then you don't always know 100% that it's natural because there are some chemicals that don't have to be listed. Companies don't even have to label whether their food is genetically modified or not. And, unfortunately, a lot of the foods we eat are made with GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).
A better word to look for on labels is 'organic'. 'Organic' labels are held to much higher standards than 'natural' labels. To be labeled 'organic' the product must contain ingredients that are 95% organically made. For the product to be labeled "100% organic" it has to be made and processed with only organic ingredients (except for salt and water). To be labeled "Made with Organic Ingredients" the product must be made up of at least 70% organic ingredients and the product may also list up to 3 organic ingredients on the label. Products that are at least 95% organic may also have a USDA Organic seal on them. For more information about the USDA organic regulations and policies go to:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop
When a brand or company slaps a label on one of their products that says "natural" or "made with natural ingredients" you can bet the price will be significantly higher than that of it's unnatural and chemical-filled counterparts. If you're going to pay the higher price it's best to make sure what you're buying is actually natural. Try to keep in mind that 'organic' and 'natural' aren't the same things when it comes to product labels. There are very few regulations when it comes to putting the word "natural" on product labels. If the product contains meat, poultry, or egg products and has a 'natural' food label it is required by the USDA to be "minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients' BUT,"There are no standards or regulations for the labeling of natural food products if they do not contain meat or eggs." The words in bold print and quotation marks are from the USDA website here: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPConsumers
So let's say I'm a company that makes fruit juice and I put some real fruit extract in my juice. That's natural, right? Well, yeah, so now I'm going to put a label on the front of my juice that says "Natural Fruit Juice" and of course, "Made With Real Fruit" (and jack the price up, of course). Now, reading that you'd probably think it was all natural, right? You'd probably think to yourself "Oh, that sounds really healthy, I think I'll buy that". Well, what you don't know is that a little bit of real fruit extract may be the only natural ingredient in that juice. There could also be lots of nasty chemicals in my juice, too. That's why it's best to also read the list of ingredients as well. But, even then you don't always know 100% that it's natural because there are some chemicals that don't have to be listed. Companies don't even have to label whether their food is genetically modified or not. And, unfortunately, a lot of the foods we eat are made with GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).
A better word to look for on labels is 'organic'. 'Organic' labels are held to much higher standards than 'natural' labels. To be labeled 'organic' the product must contain ingredients that are 95% organically made. For the product to be labeled "100% organic" it has to be made and processed with only organic ingredients (except for salt and water). To be labeled "Made with Organic Ingredients" the product must be made up of at least 70% organic ingredients and the product may also list up to 3 organic ingredients on the label. Products that are at least 95% organic may also have a USDA Organic seal on them. For more information about the USDA organic regulations and policies go to:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop
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