A reader recently emailed in asking what I use for hand soap these days, and I knew I needed this update. Nostalgia hit hard! Would…
What Hand Soap I Use Now (and Why I Still Avoid Antibacterial!) Read More »
This post was written by Angela Wills of Savvy Homemade. It was edited by Amanda Kay and fact-checked by Hailey Rose McLaughlin. A natural moisturizer…
8 DIY Natural Moisturizers That Will Leave Your Skin Feeling Amazing Read More »
I’ll never forget the first time my husband attempted to put tinted mineral sunscreen on his face. We were in Costa Rica, and he walked…
7 Tips to Find the Best Tinted Mineral Sunscreen for Faces Read More »
The best reef-safe sunscreens can be expensive! Here’s how to protect the reefs, your family, and not spend more than you have to with cheap mineral sunscreens. Plus, I have some sunscreen money-saving tips for you. The average per-ounce price of my top 7 recommended sunscreens from the massive safe, natural sunscreen review is (gulp)
I’ve done hundreds of hours of research on sunscreens. I’ve visited the local morning news multiple times to share sunscreen information. And most importantly, my family and I have tested over 120 natural mineral sunscreens over the last ten years, rigorously applying two brands every time we go out in the sun, examining each formula
If you just want the quick guide to the best reef-safe sunscreens, see my top recommended brands on my sunscreen review! If you want to know why it’s important to use reef-safe sunscreens and why you can’t trust the big brands to look out for the environment then keep reading! We all know that sometimes
I lend out sunscreen all the time. When you’ve tested over 120 brands, you have tins and bottles and tubes all over your house. We don’t travel anywhere in the summer without taking at least half a dozen. It’s funny though how poorly people listen to instructions these days. Case in point: Kris, my husband,
How to Apply Mineral Sunscreen | The Dabba Dabba Method! Read More »
Because my family has tested over 120 natural sunscreens to find the very best ones, and I’m known as the “Wikipedia of sunscreen,” I tend to get a little passionate when sunscreen hits the news. In this case, a very GOOD thing finally became reality that I believe may help more people embrace zinc oxide
In America, the land of excess, it’s been a surprising feeling to have anything in short supply, nonetheless completely out. When toilet paper was impossible to find, we discussed how to make homemade reusable toilet paper. When meat was absent from many store shelves, we talked about strategies to stretch your meat supply. I didn’t
Natural Hand Sanitizers: Best Choices and Dangers of Conventional Sanitizer Read More »
When it comes to mineral sunscreen versus chemical sunscreen, the winner is clear in my book. It’s not always easy to explain in a clear, concise way to everyone though. The other day I realized there’s a perfect analogy with landscaping. You see, I’m always frustrated when we have to repurchase and re-spread mulch every
Why Is Mineral Sunscreen Better than Chemical Sunscreen? Read More »
I’ve been passionate about healthy, non-toxic soap for YEARS. It’s so important to use regular soap vs. non-antibacterial soap. Remember Triclosan, the active ingredient in…
Parabens. You may have heard the word bantered about, but are parabens bad? Just what are those nasty little buggers anyway? Should you go paraben free? Parabens are a class of chemicals commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products. They help to inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold, giving products
How to Go Paraben Free – And What to Use Instead Read More »
What do conventional sunscreen, drugstore lipstick, and big brand snack cakes have in common…other than that hopefully they’re not in your house? 😉 They all have parabens. You better believe I don’t allow parabens in my top recommended natural mineral (reef-safe) sunscreens! But what are parabens? Are they totally safe, or are they going to
Dangers of Parabens: What They Are and Where They’re Lurking Read More »
This is a guest post from Carol Little, R.H. of Studio Botanica. Whenever I (Katie) have made homemade gifts with my kids, it’s always super sweet. The look on the kids’ faces when they present their creations to family members and teachers is priceless… Kind of like when they learned to cook and serve others
DIY Herbal Gift Recipes: Fun Ideas to Make With Kids {Guest Post} Read More »
Back when I wrote about non-toxic nail polish (important because of all the negative health effects of the chemicals found in conventional nail polish) tons of people had questions about all the brands I reviewed. Did the non-toxic nail polish last? How well did it apply? Did it still smell bad? My daughter, our neighbors,
Non-Toxic Nail Polish Review: Final Test Results are In! Read More »
If I go down in history as the Wikipedia of mineral sunscreens, I might be just a little proud of that moniker. Since 2010 my family has tested natural zinc-based sunscreens rated safe by EWG every single summer, and by 2017 we had reached a milestone of over 100 different tubes, tins, and sticks tested!
My family has tested over 100 natural mineral sunscreens over the years and inevitably, we’ve found some we just don’t love as much as our…
Zinc-Based Sunscreens People Love Asking Me About (and why I don’t love them back) Read More »
When you test over 100 sunscreens, some make the top recommended “best natural mineral sunscreen” tier which is highly coveted and quite a small group, some get on the “also recommended” list, and others get asked about a lot but just aren’t all that awesome. We all want reef-safe sunscreens to protect the environment, especially
Is your baby’s colon worth having pretty eyelashes? Would you trade your child’s ability to poop for a pretty smelling shampoo? Let’s make a deal: You get convenient spray sunscreen, your newborn gets bowel surgery. Sound like a plan? This is the trade-off pregnant women using conventional beauty products may be making every day because
I’ve been saying for YEARS that we must stop using conventional sunscreen because of its endocrine disrupting quality (and other reasons). As of last month, February 2019, the science is finally starting to get some momentum beyond the Internet and the FDA is paying attention. What’s an “Endocrine Disruptor?” Quite simply, it’s a chemical that
Sunscreen Takes a Hit – Only 2 Ingredients Will Be Left with “Safe” Status from the FDA Read More »
