Allie’s Answers

Everyone knows about the importance of wearing sunscreen.  Sunscreen good, sunburn bad, right?  Eh. . . it’s a little more complicated than that.  (more…)

A few weeks ago we talked about deodorant. Lots of people feel let down by natural deodorants, but the health risks associated with antiperspirants make it hard to feel okay about using them. Since our discussion, I’ve been trying something new, and it’s been working wonderfully.  Gray Matters just blogged about natural deodorants not working well enough, and it reminded me to write a post about it.

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I remember seeing an episode of 90210 at a sleep over party (I wasn’t allowed to watch it at home). Kelly was crying about something and there were black streaks streaming down her face.

“Ew! What’s on her face?” one of the girls yelled.

“Her mascara,” another girl, replied, shaking her head gravely.

Well, right then and there, my little pre-teen self silently swore it would never happen to her, and wore waterproof mascara for the next seventeen years. (more…)

I needed to get a gift for a certain special lady in our lives (Grandma, stop reading this).  I had to run an errand on the Target side of town.  Inspired by Mickey’s recent shopping trip, I decided I’d search the aisles for something fun and eco-friendly.  Here’s what I found:

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I wear make-up. I wish I didn’t feel the need to ever, but I’ve been wearing makeup since I was 13, and I feel like a little mascara helps me put on my brave face to take on the world. Big Green Purse has great advice for wearing makeup responsibly, and taking a break from it all. (more…)

A few weeks ago, while I was researching using lemon as an astringent, I came across a comment about another common kitchen staple that works well to keep skin clear. (more…)

It’s not feeling like spring around these parts.  There’s a few inches of snow on the ground and I’m kind of bummed about it, so I decided to paint my toenails as a pick me up. (more…)

Today’s tip is from Christie Matheson’s book, Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style.

Air dry your hair before you blow dry. According to Christie, using a hairdryer that’s 1875 watts for 12 minutes a day every day adds up to over 500 pounds of CO2 per year. If you cut your dry time in half by air drying or towel drying very well, you can cut your hair dryer emissions in half as well.

Christie says that this comes with the added benefit of saving your hair from damage.

Keep reading, there’s a giveaway! (more…)

There have been several comments about natural deodorants not doing their job quite as well as we’d all like them to.

Here are some things I forgot to add to my post this morning that may help: (more…)

No, I’m not saying you smell.  I’ve been reading You: Staying Young, and this is one of the health tips offered, so I thought it might be a good idea to talk about the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. (more…)