I've spent most of the summer poolside, and the sun and chlorinated pool water have not been nice to my skin. To combat dryness, I've been moisturizing with Garden of Eve Hand and Body Cream for the past few weeks—it's the perfect after-sun, natural lotion because it's light yet it really sinks into your skin to deliver much-needed after-sun moisture.

Garden of Eve is a small, Virginia-based natural cosmetics company founded in 2003 by health consultant Eve Stahl. Garden of Eve offers natural personal-care products that are free of parabens, phthalates and other synthetic ingredients. Committed to safe personal-care products, Garden of Eve is a member of the Green Products Alliance, American Botanical Council, is a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and is Green America-approved. Garden of Eve products are also cruelty-free. Not every natural beauty company has those kinds of green beauty credentials!

Peace & Calm lotion is light and luxurious on your skin. Photo Courtesy Garden of Eve.

Garden of Eve offers 10 natural lotions and creams for all of your needs and tastes. I tested eight different hand and body creams (packaged beautifully in a fair-trade, bamboo-woven box), but my favorite was Peace & Calm Hand and Body Cream. It blends the essential oils of blue tansy, tangerine, orange, ylang ylang and patchouli with a hydrating base made of organic coconut oil, organic beeswax and vegetable glycerin. All of the hand and body creams slide onto and blend seamlessly into your skin. These natural lotions are great on hands, elbows, knees and other rough spots. Your skin is left feeling smooth, nourished and hydrated—but never greasy.

Try eight different natural lotions in the hand and body sampler kit. Photo Courtesy Garden of Eve.

A 3-ounce pump bottle of natural lotion costs $30. The hand and body sampler kit, which contains eight 0.3-ounce jars of hand creams, costs $37. While the prices are a little steep, keep in mind that you're also paying for the guarantee of natural, organic ingredients for your sun-beaten skin. I'm willing to shell out a little extra for natural beauty products that carry those kinds of green beauty credentials.

I’m continuing my search for the best natural shampoos. I’ve been using Eco Nature Care Natural Hair and Body Wash this week. 

Eco Nature Care natural shampoo appeals to the masses and is priced accordingly—$10.99 for 10 ounces. Photo Courtesy Eco Nature Care.

Eco Nature Care’s packaging is neat. This natural shampoo is housed in a thick aluminum, cap-topped container that adds an industrial look to your shower. The labeling is thorough, though the type is tiny. I appreciate Eco Nature Care’s willingness to list all ingredients on the label. 

While I admire the sleek design of the container, I do find the material choice inconvenient because this thick aluminum container is not squeezable—how will I get the natural shampoo out of the bottle when it’s running low? This also isn’t a container that is conducive to storing upside-down to let the natural shampoo slide to the opening for easy dispersal. The twist-off cap is a nuisance to me—it may seem hypercritical or lazy, but a pump would be more convenient than a twist-off cap. But, as Eco Nature Care points out on its website, pump tops are difficult to recycle, and making a product in easy-to-recycle material from top-to-bottom is more beneficial to the earth.

Eco Nature Care’s natural shampoo formula is pure. Eco Nature Care pledges that its products contain no parabens, phthalates, SLS or petroleum-based ingredients (what we like to call “the bad stuff").

“Natural aroma” is low on the ingredients list. This “natural aroma” consists of benzyl alcohol, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, linalool and citral. Benzyl alcohol is linked to allergy concerns and is a common ingredient in hair color, mascara and shampoo. It has a “high hazard” score of 7 from the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. (The EWG also scores products as a whole, but Eco Nature Care has not yet been submitted for review.)

Though this is shocking, Eco Nature Care makes no attempt to mask this—the ingredients that are potential allergens are marked with an asterisk. The other ingredients in the “natural aroma” are perfuming agents that may irritate sensitive skin. Use caution when considering products that contain perfumes and fragrances, but remember, even natural and organic essential oils can be irritating—and the ingredients in this “natural aroma” may occur naturally in essential oils.

Eco Nature Care has a convenient ingredients list and descriptions online that details possibly irritants. Eco Nature Care points out that benzyl alcohol is on the UK Soil Association’s list of preservatives approved for use in organic cosmetics. (Check out the Soil Association’s list of non-organic health and beauty ingredients to get an idea of what ingredients to avoid.)

Overall, I think Eco Nature Care Natural Hair and Body Wash is a good, green product for a new company (founded in 2008). This company’s puts the health of the planet and the consumers first.

How do you choose your natural beauty products? What ingredients are you allergic to? Tell me your standards for evaluating personal-care products.

Everyone needs balance in life. Whether or not scent plays a role in keeping you calm and balanced is for you to decide, but when I get a whiff of Golden Earth Chakra Wellness Therapy Roll Ons, I feel relaxed by the light, airy aroma.

 
Golden Earth chakra oils come in seven exotic infusions. Photo Courtesy Golden Earth.

I'm currently using chakra oil 4, which is supposed to inspire love and balance. The lovely essential oils of jojoba, rose, neroli and passion fruit make up this organic blend that is reminiscent of my childhood backyard: magnolias, fresh cut grass and honeysuckles. I was drawn to this chakra oil because of the light, homey scent and the idea of positive energies of balance, comfort and healthy relationships flowing to my heart. Who wouldn't want that?

Chakra oil 4 inspires love and balance to the heart chakra. Photo Courtesy Golden Earth.

Golden Earth Chakra Wellness Therapy Roll Ons are $24 for 1/8 ounce. The roll ons are made in the U.S. and the company is Coop America-approved. Golden Earth is also a member of the Green Products Alliance and is a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

Do you believe in the curative effects of essential and chakra oils? How do you use them? Leave a comment and let me know your favorite scents.

It's interesting how this is changing. We are going back to basics again: growing our own food, shopping locally and (aha!) mixing up our own beauty concoctions. In an effort to save a little and feed my skin a lot, I've been playing around in the kitchen some more. Here are my top three tips for detoxifying home beauty treats you can whip up in no time.

Nail Nourisher
Break out the olive oil, friends. This rich oil is loaded with moisturizing and skin soothing properties.

Fill a shot glass half full with olive oil. Dip a cotton ball or cotton swab into the olive oil and smooth it onto your cuticles and nailbeds (don't forget your toes!). This will soften your cuticles and prevent them from getting hangnail-ish or irritated.

Use a wash cloth and gently push back your cuticles, but do not cut them with a cuticle trimmer! Your cuticles are there to protect you from bacteria, and removing them heightens germs' chances of getting into your system.

If you have any olive oil remaining, keep it to use on the ends of your hair to soften and seal split ends (just make sure to rinse throroughly with cold water!).

Mini Facial
All you need is a mixing bowl, hot water and a couple drops of your favorite essential oil to get a fresh, steam cleaning for your face.

Fill a large mixing bowl with hot water. Quickly add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil (I like tea tree) to the water. Grab a towel big enough to drape over your head and the bowl. Put your face (if you have long hair, pull it back into a ponytail and use a headband) over the bowl, about 2 inches away to avoid scalding, and drape the towel over your head to trap the heat. Relax, and breathe in the calming or invigorating scents of the hot oils. The steam helps open up pores, and the essential oils are comforting for your senses. Stay under for about 5-10 minutes, then come up for fresh air. Blot your skin with the towel, and enjoy your freshly steamed, flushed face! Remember, reuse the water in your garden.

Natural Hair Rinse
If you have product buildup in your hair, strip it clean of its commercial toxins with our favorite cleaning product: vinegar!

We've all hailed the cleaning powers of vinegar time and time again, but did you know it works wonders on your hair, too? There's no special recipe for this hair detox, so simply mix one part vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar) with one or two parts warm water. At the end of your shower, pour the mix over your hair. Done! You should notice instant shine and bounciness.

What are your natural beauty secrets? Share them with other users here! The commenter with the best, most unusual beauty tips will receive an organic cotton Natural Home tote bag!

I am not a morning person. Never have been, never will be. 

My coworkers and I were talking about how we can be more efficient in the morning, so that we make it to our daily carpool on time (which never happens often). 

The first idea was to shower at night so we can get up and go in the morning. 

This will never happen, either. My morning shower is my wake-up call, and I look forward to it (minus the whole waking up part). 

Now, when I get in the shower, I also look forward to washing up with Kathy’s Family “Early To Rise” citrus body wash gel. I’ve tried many citrus- or mint-infused washes that are supposed to energize you at 7 a.m., but this one wins for many reasons. 

First, Kathy’s Family uses no synthetic detergents (SLES, SLS), so I’m not feeding my skin chemicals every day. Instead, I get a thick, rich foam of vegetable-based wash that cleanses my skin. Olive oil and organic alfalfa leave me soft and smooth. 

But it’s that citrus smell that really gets me going. Essential oils of lemon, lemongrass and organic sweet orange are like little drops of sunshine in my morning shower. Plus, the cute packaging makes me smile (when I'm usually unhappy so early in the morning). 

At $12.95 for 8.5 ounces, Kathy’s Family body wash gels are a medium-priced score. The other good stuff you’re guaranteed? 

• Vegetarian and organic ingredients

• Recycled containers

• Biodegradable solutions 

An added bonus: I’ll smell refreshing in my carpool every morning. 

How do you start your day?