Blog

The 42 Second Rule and Other Nerdy Germ-Killing Facts You Need to Know

April 20, 2020

Sanitizing and Disinfecting: Regulation of the “Killing Claims” Way back in the old days when we got our ATF cosmetic alcohol license (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for you history buffs), we learned a few basic guidance rules, kept our formulas up to spec, and were able to make a sanitizing or disinfecting product claim for any surface cleaning product containing 62.5% or better ethanol. This all changed due to the Patriot Act which rolled ATF into Homeland Security. Homeland Security is great at killing terrorists, but handling germ killing claims is not their area of expertise. They passed alcohol sanitizing…

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Western Civilization is No Longer Confined to the West

March 30, 2020

Western Civilization is no longer confined to the West. That ship sailed a long time ago. As echoed by the obvious metaphor of the moment; what happens in one corner of the world can and does have life altering effects on people living all around the globe. Nationalism the old “my country right or wrong approach”, is just an expanded version of old school inter-town high school basketball team rivalry. My team is better than yours! The not-so-distant roots of this universal tendency are in the creation of mutual protection societies and tribal identities beginning at very least 300,000 years…

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Quarantined? Deep Clean!

March 19, 2020

Keep The Stir-Crazy At Bay The Green Old Fashioned Way! It has been quite the week friends. We’re all doing our best to establish thoughtful new hygienic practices in our personal and professional lives. As fears of Coronavirus sweep the nation drastic measures are being taken to contain it. Now, in this phase of social distancing we are left asking ourselves, “What am I going to do with all this time?” Here’s a quick list of safe nontoxic organic and natural spray cleaners to get things rolling. And to keep you from fretting too much about the news cycle. Implement…

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Why You Should Be Washing Your Vegetables – With Our Stuff

March 5, 2020

Here’s the thing: you really should be washing your vegetables. Even if they’re organic and you bought them from the farmer down the road. Keep reading to find out why. Our trusty organic farmers take generous precautions to keep their produce safe, and we’re grateful for their efforts. But consider how those perfect fruits and veggies traveled to get to your hands. Were they put on a truck? Stacked on top of other vegetables? Displayed in a grocery store produce section where countless people could have handled it, coughed on it, sneezed on it before you tossed it into your…

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Foamer Soap Primer

February 13, 2020

I love foam. I like it on my skin and I like it on my beer. Foam is both fun and cool and at the same time. Not everyone knows or cares that the bubbles in foam always have an odd number of sides in the presence of gravity. Or that despite being 95% gas, a glob of foam continues to act like a springy solid. Or that increasing the liquid to gas ratio results in flattened bubbles that might just mimic the true shape of our entire universe! People like to see large quick bubbles from their soap. It…

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Organic Shower Gel – Yes Naomi, USDA organic shower gels DO exist!

January 30, 2020

Organic Shower Gel Yes Naomi, USDA organic shower gels DO exist! And they are not going away. USDA certified shower gels are here in many forms and they will absolutely play an increasingly important role in the future of wash off cleansing products. Remember that the mantra for the future of personal care is Natural-Organic-Sustainable. This is the future. And that future is already a multibillion-dollar movement and industry. I like to think Natural-Organic-Sustainable is what pretty much ALL products will look like in 20 years or so. And if you are reading this you probably do too. What we…

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Feeling your Oats or… Aveno Sativa the Unexpected Superfood

December 19, 2019

Feeling your Oats or… Aveno Sativa the Unexpected Superfood When I think of superfoods (ingredients that are especially high in vitamins, minerals and other botanical goodies) I think of exotic red berries from Brazil or peanut like legumes that grow on vines in the rainforests of Peru. Trust me. Oatmeal is not what most of us imagine when we think about superfoods! And yet…the lowly oat, formerly relegated to the food of choice for one’s horse is now recognized as a valuable food and cosmetic ingredient. That’s right, plain ole ordinary low-cost oats are amazing for your health both inside…

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Oiling Up for Better Aging

October 14, 2019

  I have a big problem with the phrase Anti-Aging. It sounds so military. As if aging is the enemy and we must martial all forces against it. The new term circulating through the trade rags is Better-Aging and I consider it to be a much more appropriate moniker. After all, we are talking about the natural cycles of human existence here. If a thing is like gravity (pretty much inevitable) the best that you can do is to practice doing it with grace. Nature based Better-Aging actives generally include anti-inflammatory botanicals and plant seed oils containing essential fatty acids.…

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How to Tell if Your Personal Care Product is Actually Natural!

July 29, 2019
washing hands

It’s hard to pick up a bottle these days without being bombarded with “Natural” claims. Words like eco-friendly, sustainable, natural, biodegradable and even organic are all being shouted out. What’s real and what’s just BS marketing fluff? Here is a quick guide to help you navigate the claims. But First: What is Natural? For many people natural includes compassion and the minimizing of the exploitation of people and the planet. This human drive to empathy gave rise to modern anti-exploitation economic policies, private fair trade programs, cruelty free claims and vegetarian/vegan consumer products. Compassion is considered an intrinsic part of…

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Making Light of It

July 17, 2019
blue light

Today’s Ingredient of the Month focuses on light and specifically the blue/white light that is wavelength 483 nanometers; just before the UV (ultra violet) range. Several disturbing reports have come out in the past year about old 483 including one from the University of Toledo illustrating the mechanism of retinal eye damage from bright blue/white LEDs.  Here scientists clearly proved that blue/white light in the presence of retinal (a natural chemical produced by and present in the eye) caused physical and permanent changes to the structure of specific sensors in the back of the eye. (1) Even more disturbing is…

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