Aluminum-Free Deodorant As an Alternative Option for Sweaty Stinky Armpits

UPDATE: Here's a special discount code MOMS1015 for 20% off and free shipping on orders from NutrexinUSA.com if you want to try this product or their other product line.

I'm not in the habit of talking about the business of armpits but I will admit, I'm a little obsessed at finding THAT effective deodorant without the controversial Aluminum ingredient in it that works for me. Unfortunately, it also seem like an endless pipe dream. For years, I've searched, tried and tested every possible alum-free deodorant available out there, but none truly passed my armpit's stringent demands - I don't need to go all TMI on you - you know what I'm talking about. So, what do I do when another product meeting the criteria comes my way? I give it a try of course. And pronto!

Generation Good: Saving Money and Energy by Being Smart about My Laundry

New Seventh Generation Energy Smart Laundry detergent / Photo +Maricris G 

Before I start "airing my dirty laundry" ( as in real dirty laundry ) on this laundry-inspired topic, and before you go saying, "oh it's just another totally fake, hyped-up review from another sell-out blogger/reviewer", I'll tell you now that I'm a believer of Seventh Generation for years and have been, and is, a regular consumer of their products. This is the reason I had no qualms accepting their offer, pronto, to test and review their new Energy Smart Liquid Laundry Detergent before it comes out in the market. And because why not -  it's new and I love the brand, so let me test it. Sounds totally fair, right?

Anyway, I'm not here to convince you - obviously, you're old enough to make your own decisions - but as you can tell, I'm here to share my personal experience of the said product. So, enough of the chatter already. Here's my take on the detergent.

Simple Steps to GREEN Your Workspace aka Mom Cave!

You asked: I have a small room I'm converting into my studio and wanted it to reflect my creative side and making it a "responsible" work area without spending too much money in the process. Where and how do I start?

My answer: I should tell you now that I have this personal mission to be "green" in every possible way I can. Call me Eco-freak but I love the principle of being green and living it. I'm not a tree hugger but I do have trees waiting to be hugged in my backyard -- maybe later. And then, I'm also frugal and I finally have a studio/workspace, all of my own, that I spent most of my daily, breathing life in since we moved. What's an Eco-freak gotta do? You got it babe, Green it frugally! How? Read on...

A Natural Way to Dye Your Easter Eggs { With Printable Chart }

Now that we've covered the sweet treats and a fresh approach to your Easter Baskets, let's tackle the business of dying your Easter eggs for that awesome hunt you have planned on Easter Sunday! And since you will have younglings handling and touching these rockin' eggs, I'm sure you will agree with me that splashing those colors on those hard-boiled eggs needs to be safe and chemical-free. And yes there are natural ways to do it. Some you may haven't even thought possible.

The Day in Photos: Incorporating GREEN during the Holidays

Holidays are done and over with but I was rather proud to have been able to incorporate my green initiatives during the Holidays in the form of cute upcycled tote bags created from previously displayed Toyota billboards.

The 3R's - Make THIS Your New Year's Resolution!

RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE.
I'm a huge fan of these three R's and it's neat that Toyota and Audubon compiled a very interesting infographic featuring great tips to make your after-Holidays GREEN based on these three concept and inspired by the Holidays. A timely tip if you ask me. 

EcoStore New Honey-Almond Shampoo and Conditioner Review

If you know me (well enough) and follow my blog (regularly), you probably know by now that I'm a big fan of Green products and anything ALL natural! What can I say? I want to stay healthy or at least achieve a rather healthier lifestyle which is not a bad idea of course! Though I'm not at a point of being called a green freak (yet), being green can be fun! Especially when you're not constantly factoring in the price of green products! Yeah you know what I'm saying.

Think Green. Green Works!

Green is no longer just a color. It is a statement. The new "Natural". A statement and a mission that I have been wholeheartedly embracing since the day I had my child. It is for this reason that you would understand me (and not give me that funny look) when I tell you how excited I got (I might have even squealed) when I received a box full of Green Works cleaning products by Clorox. Yup. No one else in this world gets quite ecstatic about a (not just any) cleaning products but me!

Are You Sure You're NOT Eating Genetic Engineering Foods?

I recently got this disturbing bit of information in my inbox. According to Gary Hirshberg, President and CEO of Stonyfield: "Genetic Engineering (GE) also known as GM (Genetically modified) ingredients are in 60-70% of non-organic processed foods. Most people don't know this, and food companies aren't required to tell you!" - Ok, that last statement is quite a shocker, is it not? If that was the case then we've been fooled for years eating un-natural food just because they can hide it from us!

The Quest to Conquer the infamous Stinky Kili-kili {Armpit}

Did you know that having a stinky kili-kili can be a lethal weapon?

Once I was inside a comfortably crowded bus in Singapore. It was Summer. It was hot. Everyone was sweaty. And you know what that means. Stinky armpits! Ugh. Mine was too. Sweaty I mean. So there was this lovely lady garbed in her traditional clothing standing just a little below where the AC was blowing air quite strongly. On a sweltering hot day like that day, it was a blessing to have a working AC inside a bus, but on that particular day, it was more of a curse. At each burst of cold air, comes this despicably strong pungent aroma, almost as offensive as a skunks' stinky scent. And I was the lucky one. I was standing next to this lady! I was at the verge of passing out. At the end of that 10 mins. bus ride, I had a headache. I was nauseous and was puky by the time I reached my destination. What a Lethal scent! Talk about armpit power!

FREE Energy-saving light bulbs from Duke Energy

Our box of Free Compact Flourescent Mini-Light bulbs

from Duke Energy

Isn't it nice when a company you pay bills to each month provide ways to actually help you save money? Unreal right? Well, Duke Energy thinks otherwise. And to me, anything to help me save money while also being good to the environment? I'm. so. on. it!

Eco-Friendly choices, Safer Environment : Eco Store Cream Cleanser and Toilet Cleaner Review

One rule in my house that I recently broke (hey, I ain't perfect!),  is to NEVER, ever use chemically-laden household cleaner. In my defense, it was hard not to when I was given a product to review as part of my association with the brand. Yes, my bad! But promise, I only used it once just because. And I tell you, I will never use it again after it stung my eyes and made it difficult for me to breathe! -The harsh reality of using harmful chemicals.

A Green Pledge for Earth Day

If there's anything else that matters to me besides my family, finances and life itself, it is the kind of future my daughter will have. April 22 is Earth day and it makes me think about what I've done so far to help preserve our dying planet for her. It brings shivers to my entire body just thinking what with all the trash and toxic we throw at Mother Earth that there may not be enough left for her to enjoy or see when she's older. Doesn't it just scare you? Horror movies don't scare me, this does.

Zen Recycling: Cash For Old Electronics

Photo courtesy of Target

If you know me, you'd know that I'm all for recycling and helping preserve the only planet we'll ever have. While shopping browsing Target online, I came across their Electronics Recycling Program. I thought it was an innovative idea to help Mother Earth and getting paid for it in return! A program definitely worth sharing. And looks so simple too!

All you do is trade-in your new or used iPod, iPhone, video games, GPS system or camera and you get a Target Gift Card for the trade-in value of your item which is made accessible via the calculator provided on site. The shipping label is also provided! How cool is that?! So similar with the Terracycle program of which I'm a trash brigade for Kashi. I say, get in to the program! Every little thing we do counts... And in this economy, every extra cash means a lot...

Saving the Planet One Garbage at a Time

If you could, would you? According to EPA, Americans generate trash at an astonishing rate of 4.6 pounds (2.1 kilograms) per day per person, which translates to 251 million tons (228 million metric tons) per year. The United States ranks about in the middle of the major countries (United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan) in landfill disposal. The United Kingdom ranks highest, burying about 90 percent of its solid waste in landfills. Do you want a future filled with Trash for your kids? Of course not! I already have one little stinker and that is all I can handle!

But God, I love that little stinker.

And this is why I'm very passionate about ensuring that NOT only my kid's but every kids' future is hazard-free, green and livable as well. And the only way I can help make this possible is to lay the foundation now by finding ways to protect Mother Earth for them, in every little ways I can! You know what they say, EVERY LITTLE THING COUNTS! Thankfully, Terracycle Inc. share the same vision. This is why I decided to sign up as a Terracycle Brigade for Kashi , Cliff Bars and currently on wait list for Stoneyfield Farms Yogurt .

These products are just a few of those consumed daily in my household and though they're subject to your usual recycling, courtesy of the City's local trash collector, Terracycle offered a better alternative by partnering with these companies and contributing $0.02 per package collected which will be paid to the school or nonprofit of your choice. The collected materials will then be upcycled by Terracycle into new eco-friendly, affordable products AND most of all, away from landfills!

I DO KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING, YES.

Terracycle has also eliminated the hassle of shipping the collected items back to them by providing prepaid shipping labels and bags via UPS. I received mine today and I'm ready to stuff it!

Shipping bags & labels provided by Terracyle


My Kashi Package collections

Ready to Ship!

Now this is one cool way to recycle! Not only does it help our environment, it also helps your organization in return and help Terracycle provide better products out in the market. Definitely a win-win situation. My daughter will start school soon, so her school will get the donations. To be a part of this new innovation in recycling, you can sign up at Terracycle and sign up for the products that you commonly consume in your household. I dare you to be a Trash Warrior today - to help Save our Planet one Garbage at a time - for a better world for your kids and mine...

YES YOU CAN DO THIS!

I practice what I preach: Some of my daughters' items as she starts school this fall. Pencil Case by O.P.P (Other People's Plastic), Ticonderoga's Enviro Sticks Pencil and Terracycles' Chip bag Pencil case - made from Sun Chips bag. And oh before I forget, FTC this is not sponsored nor a paid post - though I wish it was - just so it's clear, you know.

"Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place
For you and for me..."

-Heal the world by Michael Jackson
1958-2009

Ready to take the Challenge? And yes you can call me GREEN NUTS or TRASH LADY after this. I'm proud of it and I take it seriously.

Life in Asia Part II - Conserving H2O with Tabo and Balde

So what the heck is Tabo and Balde? - sounds really foreign! Is that a forbidden act or sumthin!? - well, it is foreign because it is Tagalog which roughly means in English, Tabo - "water scooper" and Balde - "water bucket" . It is not Tabooooo or forbidden. Actually, their main functions are very viable in conserving precious H2O if incorporated in your daily chores. Mind ya, when we had those water restrictions down here south, the Tabo & Balde options were award-winners in drought stricken lands!


My Tabo and Balde in Action!


Now as I've already mention in Part I, life in 3rd world Asia is not about luxury rather that of survival. Adapting to whatever available resources that's at hand and learning how to conserve it. As an example of humble living, bathrooms in Asia doesn't have the luxury of showers - if you're lucky you'll find faucets inside. Otherwise, you have to fetch the water with a water bucket, from somewhere else. Fill a big barrell situated in the bathroom for your consumption, then YOU can shower. For Americans who are used to all the amenities available to them, it is a dilemma or even utterly shocking entering a "bare" bathroom! Here's a classic example told to me by an American friend:

I went to thailand and stayed with a friend. It was time for me to take a shower so I went to the bathroom. The bathroom was situated apart from the main house. It was square and the walls were about 4ft high. There was a water bucket and a water scooper below the faucet and where to draw water, you have to pump the faucet. I didn't know what to do. I saw a big basin, filled it up with water, sat in and took a "bath". After a while, my friend checked on me and there he was chuckling and bursting into laughter. It was totally embarrassing. Needless to say, he taught me the lesson on "how to take a shower in Asia 101".

I conserve about 20 gallons of water each time my daughter wants to take a bath and about 5 gallons if she has to shower. The water bucket holds 10 quarts of water which is rougly 2 gallons. I use that to wash, shampoo her up, then refill it and use that same amount to fill the tub so she can play in the tub to her hearts content without wasting so much water in the process and safer for her. She's already 4 years old but I'm still paranoid about her drowning in the tub with so much water! In a gist, I'm conserving water and saving money on my water bills.

Here's what you can do: buy a water bucket and a water scoop ( i use a salad bowl - be creative. They're kinda hard to find but if you have an Asian market nearby, you're in luck!) and start experimenting. At the end of the month, see how much water you've saved and $$$ on your H2O bill. Don't forget to incorporate proper handling of water too, everytime you turn on that faucet.

Happy Tabo-Tabo showering!

Stay Tuned : Batya and Palangana - more on conserving H2O

Further Reading:
Part I - For women only

Don't be an inert energy : Be the first to comment or react to this post. OR burst!

Life in Asia - Part I : For Women Only

I have been impressed with Crunchy Chicken's take on one of her Eco-green challenges involving cloth wipes. It just bring smiles to my lips and brings back so many memories of me growing up. For this practice has been uncommon in Asia (Philippines). And it dumbfounded me that someone in the US have actually stumbled upon this ancient custom by women in the Far East. I particularly grew up a practitioner, if that is the politically correct verbiage for it, of this "feminine ritual". Life in a 3rd world country like Asia is hard, you make do of whatever you have or not have, which for the most part is the "not have" side of it. In this manner, growing up in Asia has made us more adaptable and attune to whatever available resources that's at hand which to this day and age is considered Eco-green living. To some it's barbaric, to others its' the fact of life!

Here's my expose' on the versions of "Eco-green living"...the Asian way...back then & now... And since this post is prompted by Crunchy Chicken's cloth wipes, it is befitting that I begin my exposition on that topic: The handy feminine "Punas" (wipes) :

Think about the boonies. What comes into mind ? Picture yourself living in it. The forest is your shopping mall. If you look at the picture above, that is the traditional house, Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut) & setting where I lived and grew up. Luxury doesn't exist in any form. It's like being Jane in Tarzan's world! And being a woman with feminine needs, it can get kinda rough (and gross). Think about when its that "time of the month". yuk! Feminine wipes, pads or even toilet papers are basically unknown & has not reached the mainstream market yet. So what's a woman to do? Our talented foremothers created one just for that purpose - and more - which was passed on to the next generation & beyond : Old white T-shirts were recycled into feminine wipes...

Dilemmas: What if you're a bloody Mess ? - Now even with cloth wipes being handy, it still gets tricky when you're a bloody mess- so, instead of using the wipe after each trip to the restroom, we resort to "kaw-kaw our papaws" -pronounced like cow(wash our delicate selves)- or moo-moo cows as how my daughter calls it - then we use the wipe to dry our "pretty flowers". Makes sense, don't it? Back then, the cloth wipes was one of the essentials you'll see stuffed in women's purses or bags. You won't catch one without it especially when they're away from their own turf. Ok this is starting to sound like a vagina monologue now, don't you think? :)

Care instructions: Depends on your preference. If you wash (cow-cow) yourself every trip to the restroom (which is highly hygienic) and using the cloth wipe to dry you up, then you can wash the cloth until you think it's necessary, especially when it doesn't pass the "smell" or "scent" test ! (",). Otherwise, hang to dry until next use. And if you must wash after every use, wash (or handwash) as normal but use delicate soap. Now, If you want to incorporate washing yourself every trip to the bathroom a habit , here is one handy tool that would surely do the trick: Peri Bottle! - I love mine! For any mother who has given birth in a hospital, you get them free. Make use of it. It makes for a wonderful feminine hygiene gadget.

... And more: In the absence of feminine pads, the same recycled shirt morphs into a menstrual pad. They're cut into the biggest square possible then folded several times into a rectangular shape, wide enough to fit onto an underwear then sewed. This are designated as "special" menstrual underwears. Like the cloth wipe, a spare one is always carried around for emergencies & attached with safety pins. Ouch!

Lunapads has actually captured the very essence of this idea - and they're very cute too!

Here is a funny excerpt from the past when Feminine pads finally permeated the market:

The 1st type of feminine pads that made to our store shelves was the ones with "belts". Strings are tied on both ends and are attached to a belt that goes around your waist. My Aunt decided to try this modern contraption - without the belt! She took me with her to the market. We walked since we live so close to the center of the city. She was busy telling me stories when all of a sudden, a man yelled for her attention. He was pointing at her bloodied pad on the ground with disgust & embarrassment! - Her pad fell out. - she must have been wearing really loose underwear. As for my Aunt & I, we both went crazy laughing! -Thank heavens for sticky glues on the feminine pads now!

So, say goodbye to toilet papers & more and save trees!- As you can see, I've already passed on this age-old tradition to my daughter. What about you? I am interested in finding out what age-old traditions or ritual you have growing up. From what country did you grow up? I would like to know how our different living conditions dictates the way each of our diverse cultures lives & adapts to survive.

dig this: Some motherly advice - If you must use toilet paper in public toilets, wet the paper slightly. This will soften the paper & saves you from those icky wacky paper scratches, not to say, those loose fibers that is also an irritant. If our "flowers" can sneeze, it probably already have everytime you use toilet paper!