Ilumina Organics Head-to-Toe Baby Wash

I am happy to introduce one of our latest product lines at Green and Chic – Ilumina Organics.

When I first stumbled upon Ilumina Organics a few months ago, I was immediately impressed with the purity of the ingredients in their adult and baby product lines and the fact that they only use BPA (Bisphenol A) free packaging:

“Our bottles contain NO chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA). Chemicals with EA have been associated with serious health problems, especially with reproductive functions, growth and behavior concerns, and certain cancers.” –  Head to Toe Baby Wash bottle.

Though most of the products listed are specially formulated for babies in mind, children and adults with skin sensitivities can benefit as well.

The Head to Toe Baby Body Wash is a great example of a product that the entire family can use.  This sulfate free formula is extremely gentle, does not contain synthetic detergents, lathering agents and is even safe for baby’s eyes.  The scent is essential oil based that’s light and refreshing.  When I use this soap, my skin is clean, but never dry and tight.

At Green and Chic, we have the Head to Toe Baby Body Wash, Bottom Balm, Baby Oil and Belly Balm.

Low flat fee shipping and free shipping options!

Dylan Crib from ducduc

This guest post was written by Marcy Tate, a blogger at Networx, Your Home Improvement Network.

Spring kicks off the unofficial baby nursery planning season. In the US, the highest percentage of babies is born in July and August, making the spring the perfect time for planning a nursery. All new moms and dads wants the best for their babies, and the best in baby nurseries is creating a healthy, green or eco-friendly nursery. Here you’ll read the basics of what you’ll need for a green nursery and where to find it.

Getting the Room Ready

The Walls
If you are planning to give your nursery a fresh coat of paint, choose paint without harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are emitted as gasses from paint and are unhealthy for you, your baby and the environment.
Almost all good-quality paint manufacturers produce low or zero-VOC paint. Check Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams for some of the best selections of zero-VOC paint. Alternatively, try a super eco-friendly paint option, like milk-based paint from The Real Milk Paint Co.

Lighting
Low-voltage and compact fluorescent lighting fixtures and lamps are the most eco-friendly way to go for your nursery. Select CFL (compact fluorescent) light bulbs with lower Kelvin ratings, as they will provide a warm glow. Ideally, choose wall or ceiling mounted lighting to keep electrical cords and plugs out of your baby’s reach.

Window Treatments
Selecting light-colored window treatments will allow natural-light into the nursery while still blocking enough light for your baby to nap comfortably. There are a few green choices for window treatments:

1) Natural-woven shades made from highly renewable grasses.
2) Drapes made from fabrics like hemp or organic cotton.
3) Roller shades made from PVC-free material, such as the good-quality
roller shades from Earthshade.

Carpeting
Consider using area rugs or carpet tiles instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpets can harbor dust mites and some synthetic carpets release off-gas VOCs. While there’s no way to predict whether your baby will be sensitive to dust mites, play it safe and avoid carpet. If you do choose carpet, make it eco-friendly and select wool or jute carpet. Check FLOR carpet tiles for a wide selection of carpet tiles.

Toys
While there aren’t too many toys your baby will need right away, using toys to decorate the baby’s nursery can add cheer and bring excitement to the room while waiting for the baby. Look for organic cotton toys, such as this set of organic cotton vegetables. Wooden toys are a timeless classic. Make sure they are from FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) forests. Check out Ecotoytown for just about every eco-toy out there. PlanToys is another excellent resource with a wide selection of eco-toys. Your local toy store will likely carry eco-friendly toys as well.

Bedding and Furniture Essentials

The Crib
Like most wooden furniture, most cribs are not eco-friendly. The problems with cribs are that many are made with unsustainable wood or formaldehyde-filled plywood and utilize VOC finishes. Fortunately, there are several green crib options. However, be aware that they cost more than a standard crib. Spend time doing some research when it comes to your crib purchase, as you may be able to find an eco-friendly crib, like this one from Babymod, at Walmart.
Sustainable wooden cribs can be purchased at DucDuc and Q Collection Junior. The cribs are made from sustainable woods, without harmful chemicals. Additionally, Pacific Rim makes solid maple furniture from sustainable forests. Your best bet for selecting nursery furniture is to purchase unfinished, untreated wood.

Bedding
Bedding is the most important part of the nursery when it comes to making it eco-friendly. Your baby will have direct, face-to-bed contact with the bedding. Start by purchasing an organic cotton mattress like those made by Savvy Rest. Savvy rest manufactures crib mattresses that are made with natural latex and certified organic materials.

Make sure to stay with natural fibers for the rest of your crib bedding, including the mattress pad, sheets and changing pads. Go for wool instead of vinyl when purchasing puddle pads: Those great pads that will protect the mattress against leaks. Organic cotton or bamboo crib sheets are an excellent green choice.

Putting together a green nursery is worth the extra bit of time and money needed to do so. Start early so that you can take your time pricing the items you need and budgeting out everything you desire. The reward will be a healthy, eco-friendly nursery for the most important item in the nursery: your precious baby.

Vegan Leather Handbag with Pleated Pleather

I am proud to officially launch Cherry Berry Handbags at Green and Chic!

I fell in love with Cherry Berry when I won a handbag from a giveaway hosted at  Be Blushless blog (which is also an eco-friendly wedding dress shop, by the way!)  I was first introduced to vegan leather handbags and accessories when I became an owner of my first Matt & Nat vegan leather purse several months prior. My initial fear was that “vegan leather” would look and feel too much like plastic, and it would be a compromise on quality.

Cherry Berry (and Matt & Nat) handbags is far from “cheap”.  The  materials on my “Vegan Leather Croc Handbag“ doesn’t look or feel much different than any of my leather purses.  When I first took the brown handbag out of the cloth sack, I actually had to smell it to make sure it wasn’t leather!  In terms of quality and durability, I know  it will stand the test of time – something that is very important to me when “investing” in a bag or purse.

When you order a handbag from Green and Chic, shipping is aromatically free!

Learn more about the brand, check out the handbag collection at greenandchic.com, and let me know your thoughts!

When it comes to buying environmentally friendly products, we generally think of cleaning supplies, other household items, organic clothing, and more.  But what about what we use to write with?  Though I personally prefer pens, I still use pencils from time to time, and I’m sure if you have children, they probably go though a lot of them in the course of a school year.

Though pencils are a way of life for many people, we rarely think about the environmental impact of conventional pencils.   According to Forest Ethics, there are still manufactures that clear cut forests in California and Sierra Nevada to get wood for pencils.  In addition to that, 14 billion of these pencils are made in polluting factories every year.  What is the alternative?

Earthzone is proud to launch the world’s first environmentally friendly pencil. Earthzone pencils are non toxic and made from 100% recycled newspapers. The erasers are even latex free. I was sent a few packs of pencils and sharpeners to try out, and I must say, I am very impressed!  I was skeptical at first. I was expecting them not to be sturdy since they are made from…paper, but they act and feel just like a regular pencil.  The pencils sharpen easily, and do not break.  They actually feel and write better than traditional wood based pencils. In terms of how they look, the recycled newspaper is incorporated in the design, which looks pretty cool!

Earthzone offers a variety of pencils, including, HB, colored pencils and a pack of “artist series” pencils.

Do you buy pencils for yourself and/or your children? I guess I assumed most pencils were made from “recycled wood”, but I was wrong!  Have you thought about where your pencils come from?