For Felix’s tenth birthday, we surprised him with 4-day trip to Disney World with his cousins (who are his favorite people on this planet—he was actually more excited to see them than he was to be at Disney World, if that’s possible!).My husband and I are not theme-park people, but we can appreciate the magic of Disney, and decided that we had one trip in us before the kids were too old to
Skincare & Haircare: Good, Bad, and Sneaky
Honest Review of Beautycounter Anti-Aging Products
Above is a photo of my nightstand, and on it you'll see the three Beautycounter anti-aging products I'm currently putting on my skin before bed. A lot of you have written in raving about Beautycounter's new Countertime line, so I was eager to try it myself--and to give you guys my honest review. (Spoiler: of the three you see pictured there, I love two and don't like one.)Are Beautycounter
Safe Bar Soap Guide
When it comes bar soap, the good news is that there are tons of safe options for organic soap. The bad news is that many of these soaps are difficult to find, as they are produced by small manufacturers and not sold in most drug or grocery stores.Thank goodness for Dr. Bronner’s (see review below), which you can find almost anywhere.Dr. Bronner’s is great option, although it does score a 1 on
Safe Baby Lotion Guide
I don't think you need to slather your baby in lotion after every bath, but sometimes a baby's dry skin will be screaming for a moisturizer. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of coconut oil, and we often put a little blob of the organic, unrefined good stuff in the bath with the boys.My Top Pick for Best Natural Baby Lotion If you're looking for a creamy (not greasy), basic natural
What’s Wrong With Blistex? (And What to Buy Instead)
It's currently FREEZING here in Brooklyn, and with the change in weather comes chapped lips--for myself and my kids (my husband is strangely immune).Shop safest lip balms.Blistex lip products definitely soothe super chapped, sore lips. Perhaps this explains why Blistex sells more than $100 million worth of their "medicated" lip balm every year! But is Blistex non-toxic?While Blistex
Toxin-Free Grandparenting: How to Support Your Children & Protect Your Grandchildren’s Health
This post is for all of the conscious grandparents out there - the ones trying to navigate this world of natural living so that a non-toxic lifestyle can be passed down to future generations!Of course, parenting has changed over the decades and will continue to evolve. What we thought was safe and healthy for our children may be very different from what our own children think is best for
July: Switch to the Best Natural Skincare Products
In January of 2018, instead of making the usual resolutions that we’ve given up on by the end of the month, we decided to break it up by dividing some big goals into manageable chunks.Each month, we invite you to overhaul one aspect of your life to reduce toxins, improve health, and increase your peace of mind. Our promise is that these changes will be easy to implement, helping you avoid
Safe Deodorant Guide
UPDATED: July 2018Let me start with the bad news: even the best natural deodorant isn't going to work like Secret or any conventional antiperspirant you may be using now. That said, the longer I’ve used natural deodorant, the better it works, and I actually seem to sweat less (a lot of you say this is the same for you).I now save my conventional, Bad Stuff antiperspirant for the
What’s Wrong With Sunscreen?
This blog entry is part of our “What’s Wrong With” series, which profiles a different and gives you the bottom line on its safety. Think of these as cheat sheets for our more comprehensive Safe Product Guides.I've written a lot about sunscreens, including a Safe Product Guide that reviews the Good, the Bad, and the Sneaky. Here's a recap of the major points:While dermatologists
Safe Baby Wash, Bubble Bath & Soap Guide
UPDATED: January 2018Guess what--you probably don't even need a non-toxic, natural baby wash. There is no reason you can’t use a non-toxic shampoo on your baby’s body as well as his head, and most products are labeled for use as shampoo and as baby body wash.That said, shampoos, even the ones I consider Good Stuff, generally has more ingredients than a simple bar of natural soap, so I
