How it is May already??  I’m enjoying the longer days and  sunshine.  This past weekend I worked on my container garden for a while and can’t wait to have some delicious homegrown food!

This month for our challenge we’re going to look at making more sustainable and Zero Waste choices for our body care products.

The Environmental working group recently looked at the average woman’s cosmetic and body care routine and determined she’s using an average of 168 different chemicals a day on her skin.

Since our skin is a carrier and not a barrier all of these chemicals are entering our bodies and blood stream.  So I’m super excited to have Renee Harris from MadeOn Skin Care Products introduce herself and her luscious products (Mother’s Day gift ideas!!) to you and encourage you to choose all-natural products that are even food grade since it all ultimately ends up in our bodies!

 

Photo copyright of MadeOn Skin Care Products

Photo copyright of MadeOn Skin Care Products

Without further adieu- meet Renee!

Hi Renee! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to starting MadeOn.

I’m Renee Harris, mom to 8, living with my husband and kids in beautiful Northern California. I started MadeOn in 2009 as a little side business to get involved in a local farmer’s market and get my then 8 and 10 year old boys involved in entrepreneurship.  I wanted to see if something that was completely unique to me and effective as a skin care solution could actually be something I could share with others. I certainly didn’t expect that it would take us where we are today, as a full-time family business that ships products world-wide.

 

Why do you think it’s important to use natural body care and cosmetic products?

It’s difficult for me to say that I would drop everything in favor of natural if it wasn’t effective. It MUST be effective, in my book.  In the case of this hard lotion bar (and other products we’ve since developed), I wouldn’t sell it if it didn’t work.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised that products don’t have to have extra additives and harmful chemicals in order for them to work. I’m finding this with not just lotion, rash cream and bug repellent, but even as I switch to natural laundry detergents and housecleaning products, it’s not difficult to find solutions that are healthy, natural, and sometimes even edible.

 

What’s your favorite product?madeonlotionbars

My flagship product, the Beesilk Hard Lotion Bar, is by far my most used product for my skin. I love it, especially when my husband grabs the bar and applies it to my skin. I continue to be
impressed that even 24 hours later, my once-alligator skin feels amazing.

 

What’s your best green living tip? 

With natural skin care, I’m always on the look-out for simple adaptations to something I want to replace. Looking at the main ingredient in my baby’s tube of Desitin (zinc oxide) prompted me to try zinc oxide in another medium of ingredients that were safe. That’s how Simply Soothing Rash Cream was born.  Another tip that was the result  of decluttering, but certainly fits a green living lifestyle, was a second business we started a few years ago. We started Drinkbands as a way to identify and lessen the many glasses on our kitchen counter. We no longer own that business but it’s an example of coming up with an “outside the box” solution to a common problem… and also happens to support a green living lifestyle.

 

What would you say is the #1 natural body care product/ ingredient everyone should have in their home?

Coconut oil would be an obvious answer because it’s used in so many ways: it’s an appetite suppressant, an eye make-up remover, oil/butter/fat replacement, tooth remineralizer, mayo ingredient, massage oil, whipped body conditioner, and of course, lotion.

 

Any other tips or words of encouragement you want to share with our readers?

Don’t be afraid to try something different when it comes to skin care or cosmetics. There is an overabundance of resources on the Internet and sometimes starting with something simple gives you the confidence to try new ideas. For example, if you want to try out a replacement for your store-bought cosmetics, it’s very easy to look up “edible skin care recipes” and come up with plenty of ideas to try out.

MadeOn's DIY kit

MadeOn’s DIY kit

 

 

Thanks Renee!! Make sure to check out her products at MadeOn (my personal favorite is the Chocolate Mint Lip Balm) Interested in making your own products? MadeOn also has a kit and eBooks that include recipes for most of their products to help you get started!

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivia lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 4 year old son.  She enjoys spending time in the mountains, studying about essential oils, natural remedies and herbs, as well as upcycling/ DIY projects.  Olivia’s family made the move last year towards becoming a Zero Waste household.  They have gotten down to one bathroom sized trashcan a month of garbage but hope to be totally Zero Waste by the end of 2015.

Make sure to enter below for a free Keeper or Moon Cup of your choice!  We’ll pick the May 31st and will do a new raffle every month of 2015

Giveaway rules: Giveaway ends May 31st, 2015 at 10pm EST.  Entries will be accepted until 10pm EST via the Rafflecopter widget.  Winner will be notified via email and winner will be posted on our Facebook page.  Winner shall choose either a Keeper or a Moon cup in either size A or size B.  The winner will have one week to claim prize at which point a new winner shall be chosen.  

Like this?  Check out the rest of our Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 series for more tips!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Responses to Waste Less and Be Green in 2015- Week 19
  1. Thanks for the great article! As part of a family of women at various ages, I never realized coconut was good for more than making cakes taste funny 🙂 I wish you many happy showers in the future!

  2. I am planing on using a lot of Baking Soda for a lot of things!

  3. This looks amazing. I need to tout.try these lotion bars. The AZ summers are unforgiving.

  4. I would love to join! I have already been trying to be more natural. I am doing “ok”… But I need ideas! Thank-you for this article. I enjoyed getting to know more natural products.

  5. Yes for sure!
    I have been slowly doing this over time, it’s always nice to learn more things and ways to reduce more!!!!

  6. Yes, I am slowly throwing way the chemicals and replacing with eco friendly and natural products.

  7. I have not made my own toothpaste or tooth powder and have really not thought about making my own so I am not sure if I will.

  8. No I have not made my own toothpaste before… I would possibly try it sometime. I would try a lot of things if I just had more time. Haha

  9. I like making my own shampoo and conditioners 🙂

  10. i’d rather buy shampoo than make it myself

  11. This is for coconut milk shampoo from The Wellness Mama 🙂 Love!!

    Ingredients
    ¼ cup coconut milk (homemade or canned)
    ⅓ cup Liquid Castille Soap like Dr. Bronners
    20 drops of Essential Oils of choice (I’ve used peppermint, lavender, rosemary and orange or combinations of those)
    For dry hair: add ½ tsp olive or almond oil (optional)

  12. I do not make my own shampoo and not sure which I will try first, probably one with coconut milk in it since I have heard great things about what coconut milk and coconut oil can do for repairing and moisturizing your hair.


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