Phenoxyethanol Anyone?

Happy Sunday! The sun is shining here in Ct, it makes me feel full of energy and purpose! Yesterday I had a 'blah' day, as Taylor called it. She was right. I've been seeing a pattern with my lower energy days lately. They signal a change, in both purpose and direction. Yesterday was no exception, and today I feel like I can conquer the world! But before I do that, I think I'll start with blogging... ;)

I've had a new bath salt scent in my head for several weeks now, and yesterday was the day to finally manifest it. Spearmint Eucalyptus. It's got the 'sweetness' of spearmint, with the menthol of eucalyptus. I seem to have an addiction to menthol scents, but I figure as far as addictions go, that one's pretty safe! :)


All natural & organic spearmint eucalyptus bath salts, now available in Simply Smitten!

 I have yet to sell one of my bath salts, and I'm afraid it's because of the steep shipping prices. Being as earth conscious as I am, I refuse to sell in plastic. It is harmful to manufacture and I want no part in that. So... that leaves me with glass, which I love, but which is also very heavy. (Especially when filled with salts! ;) So I decided to offer a listing for three bottles, which will be a savings on the bath salts, and an even bigger (huge)savings on the shipping costs. For my products, which tend to be very heavy  the flat rate priority boxes are a godsend. I shipped out an order the other day that included (5) 16 ounce bottles of lemongrass cleaner and (6) 4 ounce bottles of air fresheners. That box was HEAVY!! I can't even begin to imagine how much it would have cost me to ship that if the large flat rate box wasn't available to me. As it was, the cost was a mere $15.00, thankfully.


Bulk savings on my Bath Salts, also found in Simply Smitten

 Now, I'll wait and see what happens. The bottles are so gorgeous, and 100% recycled. I love to admire them, especially filled with the delightful pink Himalayan sea salts.

Now I'd like to discuss a topic that I find hugely important. If you've ever visited my shop, Simply Smitten, you'll see the very first page is loaded with products in my Inspiration Earth line. Several years ago, while on a mission to turn my life from panic and sickness, to perfect health and happiness, I discovered that the products in my home were toxic to me and my family. What happened was a complete overhaul from make-up to shampoo, from soap to toothpaste.  It was a mad flurry of research and self education. The result? Anything with chemicals was now out. Period. Many individuals interested in genuine health state that if you won't eat it, then it isn't safe to put on the skin, which absorbs up to 60% of what you slather on it. While I don't think I'd enjoy saponified olive oil with my lunch (mmm, sudsy!;), I get what they're saying, and keep it in mind when purchasing any skin care product.



Can be found on Amazon here

 There have been several books that have been indispensible to me on my journey. One of the first I read was "Easy Green Living" by Renee Loux. On page 168 of her book I found this disturbing bit of info:

" No federal laws require companies to test personal care products for safety before they hit the shelves. The Food and Drug Administrations Office of Cosmetics and Colors officially states that

"neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients, other than color additives, need to be reviewed or approved by FDA before they are sold to the public. FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing of their cosmetics before marketing."

Can you believe that? Scary stuff. But there is promising news. There is a website called CosmeticsDatabase, and it's a division of EWG.org. The Environmental Working Group does what I thought the government was doing for most of my life. Sadly, I was wrong about the gov't, but thrilled to find there are other groups out there dedicated to the education and safety of the public.



Another book that I read cover to cover. Find it on Barnes and Noble here

 Spend some time getting used to their site, it is newly revamped. Products are scored based from 0  to 10, 0 being the least hazardous, 10 being the most toxic. I pulled up a common brand (I shudder when I think that I used it on all three of my girls) Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotion Cooling Cucumber Melon. It has a terribly high rating of 8!!  This lotion has warnings for developemental and reproductive hazards, endocrine disruptors, organ system toxicity, skin, eye and lungs irritant... can you even believe that's created for developing babies? Big sigh.

EWG isn't for the faint of heart, but I encourage you to visit not out of fear, but out of a desire for a better, healthier you. I'm a bit concerned to find their ratings seem to be lower than they were when I first starting searching their site, but at this point I just use my common sense. I make many of my own concoctions now, but I realize that not everyone has that inclination. My mom has a shop, Blissfully Pure, that sells safe, organic products, and there are others to be found with some purposeful digging.


Visit Blissfully Pure here



Miessence is a great company, they sell the only toothpaste and deodorant that I'll use. Organic Excellence has a conditioner that we just adore. Dr Bronner sells the only organic bar soap, the scent is sublime!The list could go on, but this post is quite long enough! If you have any questions please, please don't hesitate to contact me through Simply Smitten. If I can help you out at all, I'd be happy to. It is my passion,  I'm on a mission to clean and green this planet, one bottle of bath salt at a time! ;)

Happy Sunday to all.

Peace & Blessings ~ Melinda