In honor of Earth Day, here are tips to make your everyday life more eco-friendly.
Carmen Cherry, aesthetician at Zolton's Salon and Day Spa, is a vegan skincare expert that has shared recipes packed with natural ingredients from Mother Earth that are full of vitamins and antioxidants that naturally nourish skin. Become eco-friendly to your own body!
Here are some of her recipes:
1. Salad Greens Facial Mask
Use only organic ingredients in this facial rejuvenation mask.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup dandelion greens
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup romaine lettuce
1/4 cup watercress
1/4 cup sunflower seed oil
Half a ripe avocado (optional)
A few drops of lemon or lime juice (optional, for scent)
1/4 cup of fennel (optional, for scent)
Wash and dry all the salad greens. Pulse a few times in a food processor. Slowly add the sunflower seed oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Allow the mixture to set for at least 10 minutes before application.
2. Sunflower Seed Exfoliator
Use this recipe for gentle exfoliation and skin moisturizing.
Ingredients:
8 ounces ground sunflower seeds
4 -5 ounces sunflower oil
2 -3 drops of lemon, lime, fennel, or orange juice
Place whole sunflower seeds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Combine ground seeds with oil. Massage onto skin.
3. Cucumber Toner
Cucumber extract contains high levels of antioxidants and reduces the production of sebum in oily skin. It inhibits dark spots and it good for acneic skin.It can be used as a toner or for eye and facial compresses.
Ingredients:
2 organic English cucumbers
24 ounces of warm water
Lemon/lime
3 sprigs of fresh mint
Wash cucumber and pat dry. Slice cucumber (with peel on) paper-thin. Add slices to sterilized container with warm water. Cover and shake container. Let steep for 10 minutes. Make fresh daily.
The same ingredients can be used to make a pure cucumber juice concentrate by running them through a juicer. The resulting concentrate should be kept in a sterilized container and can be added to many treatments, including clays and dry exfoliants. This should also be made fresh daily.
In addition to earth-friendly skincare, here are miscellaneous ways for a more eco-friendly life:
- Unfortunately, our junk mails at home aren’t paperless or easily discardable like our hundreds of spammed emails. Instead of tossing those pointless credit card mail, advertisements and unwanted coupons, cancel the subscriptions by calling them or just throw those papers in the recycle bin. Pay your bills online!
- One of the biggest products we waste, and that ironically holds the most essential parts of life, are water bottles. Cutting down on the purchase of the bulky Costco-sized bottles would do the earth a tremendous favor. Install a reverse-osmosis system in the home and go buy a reusable bottle. In the end, it will save a ton of money and plastic (And the water from reverse-osmosis is exponentially cleaner than most bottled water).
- Did you know the number one way to use less gas is to drive slower? We all know car emissions are up to no good on our Earth’s ozone. Actually driving the speed limit is not only safe, it saves you a lot of money and pollutes less emissions. For example, driving 65 mph in a 55 mph speed zone will increase fuel consumption by 20%, according to Union Privilege, a place that shares valuable consumer benefits.
- The EPA estimates that each homeowner could reduce home electricity by 30 percent by being more conscious about using energy more wisely. Unplugging all those electronics and appliances that go unused most of time will save money and the environment. Purchasing low-energy light bulbs will help too.
- An important way to stay green is making sure you’re staying green to your body. Keep a healthy diet and buy organic meats, vegetables and fruits, anything to avoid pesticide residue. Many stores now have meat from naturally grass-fed animals, and have organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Check out the local Whole Foods or Sprouts, they have everything healthy and eco-friendly.
It’s interesting and ironic how being eco-friendly usually entails a fatter wallet. The hard part is being aware of our choices and going the extra mile to make our everyday life habitually eco-friendly. Nonetheless, with a bad economy and increasingly bad environment, the best choice is to be better friends with Mother Nature.
