Posts Tagged ‘soap’

Why we LOVE Green Beaver (aside from their name)

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

According to Health Canada, there are over 10,000 ingredients used in personal care products in Canada, EXCLUDING flavours and fragrances.  So if on average, we use 7 products a day on our bodies (soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, lotion, moisturizer…you get the idea), and those products each have an average of 15 ingredients, then we expose ourselves to over 100 ingredients per day!  That math definitely makes us stop and take notice of what exactly those ingredients are; unfortunately, many of those “ingredients” are chemicals not great for our health.

Apple Mint Foaming hand soap

Apple Mint Foaming hand soap

After months of research and some good, bad and ugly personal testing, we fell in love with The Green Beaver Company.  Green Beaver was developed by a couple who have years of experience working in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.  They were inspired to develop more natural products after watching their son drinking the bubbles in his bath water, and knowing what he was actually ingesting.  We immediately related to that scenario when we recalled our own kids licking the bleach-cleaned fridge or eating the “ice (shaving) cream”, while silently wincing “that can’t be good”.  Green Beaver believes in Mother Nature to help us take care of ourselves and we do too.

We love Green Beaver because of their natural approach to product development.

  • Green Beaver formulates all of their products without the use of chemicals. They use only natural ingredients that can be eaten.  In their words “if it’s not safe to be swallowed, it shouldn’t be on our skin”
  • They use only vegan and gluten free ingredients.
  • They use wild and organic ingredients harvested on Canadian soil.
  • They do NOT use artificial, synthetic, or chemical ingredients.  Simply, they do not believe in ingredients that are foreign to the planet’s eco-system and our bodies.
  • They do NOT use ingredients derived from petrol. Ingredients derived from petrol are commonly found in conventional personal care products, however, petrol contains many toxic substances that should not be ingested or applied to skin.
  • They do NOT test their ingredients or products on animals.
  • They use responsible packaging material.
    • Biodegradable
    • Reusable and/or recyclable
    • Ecologically sound
    • And they have just started using vegetable ink on their packaging, in their efforts for continual growth.

The products all smell fabulous, and once you get used to the slightly reduced lather factor you get using natural hair care products, we’re convinced you’ll love this line of personal care.  It’s reasonably priced, Canadian-made and has fabulous ingredients.

Visit our Personal Care section to find all of our great Green Beaver products.  Every Little Bit carries a variety of Green Beaver products including foaming hand soap, body washes, facial cleansers, facial moisturizer, deodorant, shampoos, conditioners and toothpaste.  We also carry their beautiful new Lip Shimmers for a natural hint of colour.

Addicted to Bubbles

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Addicted to BubblesI admit it… I was addicted to bubbles.  I’ve long had the connection that bubbles mean clean.  Like Pavlov’s dog knows that a bell means food, I know that bubbles mean clean…looks like the dog and I were both wrong.  Just like it was not the bell that brought the food, it is not the bubbles that provide the clean.  In the end, it actually looks like the bubbles are working against us.

We have been trained to think that soaps need to bubble.  Bubble baths, suds of dishes, a foaming shampoo…no questions asked, soaps should bubble.  But why?  Sure, the bubbles are pretty, they fill the sink, they feel good in our hair and the kids sure like to play in them, but where do they come from and do we really need them?  Looking into the ingredients of my old favourite bubbling cleaners I find that we are better off being bubble free.

The most common ingredient found in hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, shaving creams and even toothpaste that offer us that irresistible lather is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).  However, in higher concentrations, SLS is also used in industrial products, including engine degreasers, floor cleaners, and car wash soaps.  Admittedly, the concentrations in our household products are considerably lower, but it still begs the question, do I want to wash my hair and my car with the same ingredients?  (My car is not that fancy.)

So let’s look at the benefits of SLS.  (more…)

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