On a recent trip to Bolinas I stopped into Judith’s Herbals and purchased the following products:
- Jojoba Hair Conditioning Oil
- Organic Avocado Oil
- Morningdew Moisturizer
- Golden Seal & Myrrh Mouthwash
These products are great but what I fell in love with was the packaging. I am a total sucker for beautiful blue glass bottles and old school labels. Not only does colored glass block UV rays, which helps increase the product’s shelf life, but they can be redeemed at Judith’s when you are done with them. Organic ingredients, Glass containers and bottle deposits might seem right out of the 1920’s but these three things makes Judith’s Herbals an amazing eco-friendly find, even more so if you are willing to ride your bike from San Francisco to buy them.
When possible buy local and from the source
Locally made products and ingredients have a much lower environmental impact than purchasing the same thing from another continent.
Shop online
Buying online and using standard ground shipping reduces the environmental impact of shopping by utilizing about a third less energy than traditional retail.
Leave the car at home
If you live walking distance to your favorite stores or have access to public transportation consider leaving the car at home. Not only will you get your workout in, but since you can only buy what you can carry, it will help you from purchasing things that you don’t truly love.
Forgo the pretty packaging and spend the money on a higher quality product
Mainstream companies often spend more money on packaging then on the product itself. I often find that some of the best products aren’t in the prettiest packages and some of the earth friendliest products don’t come in any packaging at all.
Buy what you love and favor multipurpose products
If you only buy what you will actually use you will not only save money but reduce your overall waste. Also products that are multipurpose and/or can be utilized by multiple members of your family will help ensure the products don’t go to waste.
Do you have any eco-friendly shopping tips to share? I would love to add them to this list.
I used to be a big fan of a specific product called One Minute Manicure. It lived up to its name by literally giving me a naturally looking manicure in one minute. So why am I no longer a fan? I realized that this natural looking product was actually full of nasty toxic parabens such as isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, and butylparaben which aren’t good for me or our environment.
Luckily I have found something the works even better. Not only does this combination of products provide a better result but because these products are organic they are free of nasty toxins.
Step 1: Grab a small dollop of this Organic Brown Sugar Scrub and rub it into your DRY hands while holding them over the sink. Don’t forget to pay extra attention to your cuticles!
Step 2: Rinse your hands with water and pat dry with a towel.
Step 3: Since hands often age faster than the other parts of your body; apply a dime size amount of Organic Jojoba Sun Block. This will provide you the sun protection you need to keep your hand looking young and healthy.
Additional Tip: One of my favorite things about Sweet P’s products is how multi-purpose they are which means you can easily repeat the above steps on your feet, face and rest of your body. I guarantee you will be impressed with how soft your skin feels.
And don’t forget, I am running an awesome Earth Day Promotion this week you can read the details here.
![kellytirman.theopenskyproject.com?opensky[skcode]=61](http://www.kellytirman.com/wp-content/themes/thesis_16/custom/rotator/opensky.gif)
