Over at TreeHugger today there’s a great article about African Black Soap. Apparently it can heal the world and fix a broken leg too. No but seriously, it sounds like this soap can do just about everything. I need something like that. A one stop do-all soap. It can be used on everything from your hair and body for general use to treating skin rashes as well. I have heard that it does wonders for acne and eczema so I did order a bar from Amazon today. I need something that is easy and not drying. I’ll let you know how it works!

Via Amazon

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Apparently PETA is not the only group that will get naked to titillate passers-by. LUSH employees staged a naked butt-a-thon, my title not theirs, in order to educate the public on the ills of excess packaging in cosmetics and personal care products. Personally I don’t want to see anyone on the street naked to promote anything. It just makes me want to wash my hands but you know different strokes. I can’t argue with the cause and I just love LUSH anyway so there you go. What do you think about it? Tacky or cute? Savvy or sexist? Why were there no shop boys with their bums hanging out?

Via Grist

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Okay I have something personal to discuss with you. It’s um about…um you know, your special lady time. Aunt Flow, “THE CURSE”, the rag, your menses orwhatever you want to call it. I personally find “the rag” to be the most offensive of the bunch. This might be delicate in nature so I will encourage those who are easily offended or skeeved out to leave the room now. So I got my period when I was 13 and then hid it for another year. I was mortified at the thought of it and believed that everyone would know when I was on my period.Then you have to carry around a pad or tampons in your bag praying that no one sees. I was a gymnast, so I really had to wear tampons, which was a nightmare. I remember crying in the bathroom while on the phone with my mother because I HAD to wear one and I didn’t know how to use it. Life Lesson: The applicator is not meant to stay in. Horrific.

All this to say that even though we have come really far as women, we are still offered the same few options under the guise that they are what’s best for you. And although they suck we still keep using them. So after much soul searching and thinking about all the gajillions of sanitary napkins (that are anything but) and tampons just sitting in landfills I am not going to contribute to it any longer. I am going to try dum, dum, dum the Diva Cup. If you haven’t tried it, it’s sort of like Instead except for it’s reusable. It’s similar to the Keeper but it’s made of medical grade silicone. The gist is that it collects the flow for up to 12 hours and then is emptied, washed and reused. This means your don’t have to carry anything, change anything every two hours or worry about all the chemicals in tampons and pads. I heard about it a while ago and was sufficiently grossed out and amused. I then thought why is this any grosser than tampons? I HATE tampons however I feel forced to use them, with a pad to boot. What a crock. It’s taken a while for me to get the courage to try it butI am taking the plunge and I hope some of you will take it with me. Or if you have used it please, please give us your feedback. I think this would be HUGE if more women used these methods as opposed to the conventional ones. I also picked up a few reusable cloth pantyliners so I can ditch that habit as well. What say you? I want lots of comments about this; I need encouragement. You can tell grandma to come back in the room now.

Via Diva Cup

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We’ve had lots of conversations here about hair removal methods. My husband and I have made a pact that if we ever get really rich, we’re going to start tipping hundred dollar bills and we will both get laser hair removal. As such I am always on the look out for fast,EASY methods to do the job. Shaving seems to win out every time even though I don’t really like the result all the time. Waxing you have to let it grow out a little and more than a few days is too much for me. However I just might change my tune after I try Shobha’s new Sugaring kit. It’s basically just lemon juice and sugar that grips onto the hair making it easier to remove. It comes with reusable denim strips, which I think is such a great idea. Has anyone tried the sugar removal method before? I know there are others on the market that supposedly work well.

Many years ago I tried Nad’s (unfortunately named) and I ended up with bloody, raw skin and an ant problem. I’m willing to give Shobha’s sytem a try though. My leg hair grows VERY slowly so I may have to give it a few weeks to try. Any rants or raves about it?

Via Future Natural

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I love to cook but more than that I love to eat, natch. Italian food tops the list in our home. We keep a lot of fresh basil around for that reason. Basil is actually a natural insect repellant so a little plant in the window helps with little pests especially in the Summer. It’s also great as an herbal tea. Since it’s in the mint family it helps with digestion and upset stomach. I swear by mint tea for those think so I’m thinking I may give it a try in the near future. Here’s a recipefor making your own herbal tea. I did get a reccomendation a few weeks ago from a friend to try it on my face mixed with honey. She said it would help with my oily skin. It’s also supposedly good for acne but it didn’t help me in that respect. Just throw some leaves, a good amount, in a jar with enough honey to cover. Let it sit for a couple days to a week and use it like a facial mask. I left it on for about 25 minutes and then washed it off with a gentle cleanser and warm but not hot water. It really did feel refreshing and take care of some of the oil. I’ve been meaning to try it again for maximum benefits but it requires a bit more forethought than I can seem to muster. What type of herbs do you use in your beauty regimen? I’m curious. Enlighten me.

Via Double Danger

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