Beauty Out of Africa

How Does My Garden Grow?

Red Peppers, Tomatoes, Egg Plant

Rosemary, Basil & Thyme

Tolu rests after an afternoon of hardwork:)

Our Vegetable Garden Part 1

The rising cost of gas and food definitely added to my motivation to start a vegetable garden this Spring. Hubby and I have always done a few tomato plants every summer, but this year we decided to build a raised bed and really grow some serious veggies. The kids joined in on the fun this weekend. I am looking forward to a bumper crop of tomatoes, peppers, egg plants and lots of herbs this Summer

 

Put my 10 year old to work :)

He did a pretty good job too!

We're gonna have fun watching our food grow

Some Recommendations on How to avoid Exposure to BPA

The Washington Post Article listed the following ways to avoid exposure to BPA

• Look for BPA-free toys, baby bottles and containers.
• Reduce your use of canned food; eat fresh or frozen foods instead. Bisphenol A has been found in the lining of canned food tins.
• If you use hard polycarbonate plastics (Nalgene bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups), do not heat them or use them for warm or hot liquids. Heating plastics to high temperatures may promote the leaching of chemicals out of containers and into the food or liquid they hold. Freezing plastics poses no such risk.
• Instead of polycarbonate and PVC plastics, consider using alternatives such as polyethylene plastic -- also labeled as PETE or recycling code #1, #2 (HDPE) and #4 (LDPE). Polypropylene (recycling code #5, or PP) is also considered a safe choice. Recycling code #7 may mean the product contains BPA.
• Do not wash polycarbonate plastic containers in the dishwasher with harsh detergents.

Dangers about Chemicals in Plastics Confirmed Part 1

A few weeks ago I posted some information about Phthalates and baby products. Last week The Washington Post reported that a federal health agency acknowledged for the first time concerns that a chemical found in thousands of everyday products such as baby bottles and compact discs may cause cancer and other serious disorders.

The Post Revealed that last year, another expert panel using outside scientists minimized the health risks of BPA, but its findings were widely assailed after a congressional investigation found that a firm hired to perform scientific analysis was also working for the chemical industry, imagine that!

Used in the production of plastic since the 1950s, BPA may be linked in laboratory animals to breast cancer, prostate cancer, early puberty in females and behavioral changes. More research is being recommended to verify the chemicals health effects.

Part 2, how to minimize exposure to BPA

Shea Radiance Introduces Black Soap -Alata Samina

An Incredibly Exotic Cleansing Bar  -Natural, Organic Vegan Black Soap from West Africa

It is with much joy that I write this post about our new line of Black Soaps recently received from our producers in Ghana. The Alata Samina black soap is a little different from other black soaps because it is light brown instead of dark in color. The lighter color color can be attributed to the ingredients and the production process.

Sliced Bars of Black Soap

Why We Love Alata Samina
What I love about this soap is is the incredible rich lather it produces. It leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean.  I recommend slathering some rich shea butter based cream after bathing with this soap to complete the luxurious experience.

 

You  Can Get It Here
I have large Bath size bars available at Shea Radiance retail store. If you need bulk quantities check out Shea Radiance Supplies.

The Ugly Side of Beauty Part 1

It is true that we are a society obsessed with physical perfection. You may not realize how much we are programmed to think this way until we watch a foreign film and think the leading lady is 'plain'. Halfway through the movie you realize she is quite beautiful in a normal not 'Barbie Doll' perfect way. 

This obsession with perfection extends to how we eat and what we put on our bodies. Every fruit aisle in any reputable grocery store is filled with shiny perfect looking fruit. You take a bite of a shiny apple and you find it lacking in taste and worst of all, the wax on the skin leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

The quest for visual perfection has made us settle for image and not substance.

If this holds true for what we put in our bodies, it is doubly true when it comes to the products we use on our bodies. Well packaged creams that look and smell perfect. You read the ingredient list and there are so many additives you wonder where the real oils are.

What is the point of the additives you may ask - I'll tell you - perfection. There are additives to make the oils not so oily; Now that the efficacy of the oil has been reduced, we add more additives to give the lotion a silky feel; then we add something to reduce 'drag' and improve 'dry down'. We add more stuff to make sure the cream/lotion can maintain it's perfect look for another 20 years; More additives so that in the event of a nuclear melt down the cream will out live us.

The result of all this is that we are slowly poisoning ourselves in our quest for perfection.Why do the large bath and body companies claim to make Shea butter creams, lotions or body butters when there is very little Shea in their products. Why can't they produce a product with real Shea butter in  all of its healthy, lustrous oily glory? Why must it be refined and rendered ineffective with useless additives?

The biggest question is why do consumers buy these products. The big marketers know that we are a visual culture that likes things that look and smell good even if they are not real. This trend will  continue until consumers start reading labels and questioning what is in their products.

Next Week: Why on earth would manufacturers add chemicals like Phthalates to baby products?
 

Mobile Phone Recycling

I was listening to my local NPR station this morning and heard this really interesting concept of cell phone recycling. Collective Good will offer you a more socially responsible and environmentally conscious way of disposing of your old cell phones.
If you are like me, you have drawers full of old cell phones and their cords. You don't feel right about dumping them in the trash, but you know no one in your circle of friends and family want your old phone. Even my 2 year old knows the difference between a cool phone and an old phone.

Collective Good can help you dispose of your old mobile phone while helping charities generate funds to further their missions, they also refurbish your phone and pass some of them on to developing nations in an effort to bridge the digital divide.

Collective Good maximizes the benefits of mobile phones  while minimizing their environmental impact and that sounds really good to me.