Green Hair Dye

Can you imagine being that dedicated? I mean to dye your hair green for the sake of going green?? LOL. Seriously, I am not talking about the color green! I am talking about eco friendly hair dying!

Honestly, the best choice is to avoid dying your hair altogether. However, if you are a diva like me, there are a few other things you can do to at lest make a greener choice when dying your hair!

Green Hair Dye Tips

1. Stay away from hair dyes that contain ammonia and coal tar.
2. Do not leave the dye on your hair longer than directed. No exceptions.
3. Go for low impact hair dyes. Henna based dyes and semi permanent are best.
4. Do not dye your hair. Natural is best, so they say! LOL! It is certainly the best choice for the environment…if you are brave enough to be free and gray!

One green choice at a time will do wonders for making a difference and being a better steward of God’s planet!

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Green Tip – (06/25/09) – Green Bedding

We spend about 1/4 of our lives in bed. It would be a good thing to make sure we are greening up the bedroom!

Believe it or not, most mattresses and linens are still made with synthetics and chemicals that are bad for the environment. For most people, buying an organic mattress and bedding may be out of reach financially. Do not let that get you down! There are other ways we can at least make a greener choice in the bedroom!

Greener Bedding Choices

Buy cotton or wool linens. Avoid permanent press and triclosan.

Buy organic fabrics when possible.

Go for low impact dyes or none at all.

Save your money and invest in an organic mattress. Or at least one that is made to last a lifetime!

We can make a difference for God’s planet…ONE green choice at a time!

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Green Up Your Morning Tea or Coffee

I cannot even remember the last time I did not have a cup of coffee in the morning. I love coffee and my children love it because it helps me keep friendly in the mornings since I am not a morning person.

My morning fix got me thinking, can I be greener with it? Yes!!!

Coffee and Tea go Green

Back before money was the only important thing, coffee was actually made the way God intended. Naturally. It was grown under a canopy of trees and was helpful for the animals in that environment as well. It also required few synthetic materials and pesticides.

Sadly though, money became more important than good old fashioned eco friendly coffee. Now, trees are being cut down left and right and synthetics are a staple.

Good News!

There are many people waking up to the green facts and changes are being made.

What to look for if you want the green:

USDA Certified Organic Coffees and Teas

Bird Friendly Labels. This means they are practicing the old fashioned shade method under strict guidelines.

Fair Trade Certified. This means the company has met strict economic and environmental criteria.

Rain forest Alliance Certified. visit: www.rainforest-alliance.org for more info.

Changes you can do for greener coffee and tea

• Only buy coffee and tea that meets above standards.
• Use reusable filters for brewing coffee. If yo must use paper, use non bleached.
• For tea ditch the bag method and go for an infuser.
• Only go to coffee/tea shops that serve sustainably grown coffees and teas.

Like I have said many times, we can make a difference, one green choice at a time! We do not have to give up our morning tea or coffee. We can just make a greener choice with it and show the big companies we mean green business!

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Personal Care Products in the Green

Personal Care products are a part of our everyday lives. Most people use them…Skin care, cosmetics, sunscreen, deodorants, etc.

We can make changes and efforts to green them up!

Tips for Green Personal Care Products

• Use less. Many personal care products have cancer causing chemicals in them…not good for you or the environment. Limit use to what is absolutely necessary and opt for eco friendly when possible.
• Eliminate synthetics. Period.
• Buy in bulk. Saves you money, time, packaging and fuel.
• Stay away from harmful chemicals and ingredients. Placenta extracts, mercury, lead acetate, and phthalates to name a few. Seriously, if you cannot pronounce it…maybe you should not buy it??
• Avoid Petroleum by-products. They will be listed as petrolatum and petroleum distillates.
• Only buy personal care products from companies that have made the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics” pledge. (www.safecosmetics.org) Tip: Burt’s Bees offers many products that are safe, cheap and eco friendly.
• Contact the companies you buy from the most and ask them to make the above pledge.
• Do it Yourself. Making it yourself will really help you and the environment. If you have the time, energy and ability, make your own personal care products!

Research, be informed and make wise choices before you purchase personal care products. It is so much more than helping the planet. It is saving yourself and your family from the harmful chemicals and side affects caused by many of these products.

If we all stand firm in this, companies will be forced to make better choices in how they make personal care products and we will be making an impact for our children and be better stewards of God’s planet.

Be safe. Be smart. Be Green.

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Compost Anyone?

We just moved into a new house and with that comes a whole new yard. I told my Husband that I would really like to plant a garden, but he informed me that the soil quality where we live is very poor and that I would have to buy topsoil and other nutrient-rich additives if I was to have the hopes of anything actually growing. At first I was a little bummed out, but then I thought this was the perfect time to start that compost bin I have always wanted to start. If I start now, by the next planting season I should definitely have something substantial to add to the poor soil that is already here. My Husband likes this idea so a compost bin is in the works and will be placed out back soon.

I know you can add things like rotten fruits and veggies to a compost bin, but there is so much more!

Below is a lit of stuff that you can add to a compost bin…

…things I never knew before!

• Pet hair
• Lint
• Old herbs and spices
• Coffee grounds with the filter
• Tea bags and leaves
• Egg shells
• Kleenex tissues
• Old potato chips (stale)
• Moldy cheese
• Shredded cardboard cereal boxes
• Hair trimmings including those your Hubby shaves off his face
• Toenail and fingernail clippings
• Cooked rice
• Old plain pasta
• The liquids from canned veggies and fruits
• Pencil shavings
• Cotton swabs with the cardboard sticks (not plastic)

And those are just a few of the weird and unusual things I found that can be composted!  In addition to that of course you can all old kitchen scraps (as long as they don’t have meat products), grass clippings, pine needles, leaves, etc…

I can wait to get my compost bin started and along with creating some nutrient rich material for my garden I am also helping keep necessary waste out of the landfills – it is win win for everyone!

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved