Kiss My Face is possibly one of the oldest established organic/natural body care companies around. Not all their products are completely organic, but all are natural. They don’t test on animals or use ingredients that are, no artificial colors or unnecessary chemicals are used in their items, and they even use 100% biodegradable packing material.

Following are products I’ve used and liked from Kiss My Face:

Olive Oil Bar Soaps: I’ve used many of these and like them all. Such as, Olive & Green Tea, Olive & Honey, and plain old Pure Olive Oil. I like how all of them leave a clean feeling for so long, and how soft the soaps are. Plus they all smell amazing. Price: Under $3 a pop.

Fragrance Free Moisture Shave: I like this shaving cream, but my ex says it’s not the best on his face. So, maybe good on legs but not face. I like it because the bottle is recyclable. I’ve recycled the pump, when I’ve used this, but I worry that it’s not recyclable. I think they should have used a pour top container. Price: $6.99

Liquid Moisture Soaps Olive & Aloe: Great hand soap. The best part is that they sell big refill bottles online. Which still creates a bigger issue than say, refilling at the co-op, but if you don’t live near a co-op, or store with refill pumps, this is a good option. You can buy the big bottle and fill your own container. Price: $35.90 for 128 oz.

One product that’s ok:

Honey/Calendula Moisturizer: I’m not the biggest fan of Kiss My Face Moisturizers. You can make better yourself, or buy better. They have organic lotions too, but those still aren’t great. The KMF moisturizers aren’t terrible, they just don’t seem to last long, and some of the scents and really annoying. I think this honey scent smells nice though, but I wouldn’t buy it again. Price: $10.99

Products to avoid:

KMF makes a bunch of deodorants and they smell ok, and have other perks like:

• No Parabens
• no artificial fragrances
• colorless

However, I’ve never found one that works really well. For that matter my ex, who has maybe tried every natural deodorant known to man (he’s got a big deodorant cause cancer complex) places them near the bottom of the barrel so far as working well. He says there are MUCH better options. I agree.

Overall, this is a good company with a full natural and organic line, but some of the scents are funky, as in they don’t smell like you’d expect, others are better. The scent issue of course depends on your nose. I haven’t used their facial care line, but my best friend gives their face wash a hearty thumbs up. The prices for almost all products are lower end for organics and naturals which is a big perk.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I thought I’d bring them up, because today I got a new lip balm from their company – Cranberry Orange Lip Balm, Kiss My Face – 15 SPF. I really like it. Sometimes lip balms, or lip glosses fade super quick, but this lip balm stays on for a long time. It feels nice and silky smooth too, with a light, but nice scent. Of course being Kiss My Face, there are other benefits.

• Recyclable packaging.
• Organic ingredients
• Never tested on animals
• No extra chemicals or artificial colors

Other organic lip balm flavors with SPF include:

• Vanilla Honey
• Strawberry
• Ginger mango
• Sliced peach
• Mint

I’d have liked the ginger, but the only other one at the store was peach (blah, good for eating, not for wearing). The cranberry orange is nice though. And at only $2.50 not a bad price.

Kiss My Face makes oodles of items, many that I’ve tried, and all are well priced. I’ll round those up and post a list later with good KMF buys and not so good. I am recommending this lip balm though. My lips feel smooth and if it wasn’t 4am, I could go out and still be protected from the sun!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Supplies:

1. 2 cups sugar – I like a mix of coarse natural brown, and basic white; it makes a good scrub worthy feel. You can use just coarse brown or just plain white though. Do not use soft brown baking sugar.
2. Oil: I like apricot or light olive best. Any oil that’s natural and from a nut or fruit will work. Baby oil (non-scented) will also work. Do not use cooking oil like corn – that will make a funky smell and a too-slick feel.
3. Vanilla beans: Use whole organic, or in a pinch I’ve used organic vanilla extract (seriously, I was hard up). However, extract will darken your mix – no biggie though.
4. Organic lavender essential oil.
5. Any old container with a lid.

Instructions:

1. Place vanilla beans in dry sugar. Cover and let sit for a week or two – the longer it sits the better the smell. If using vanilla extract, skip this step.
2. Remove vanilla beans. Cover sugar until saturated (but not over saturated) with oil. Short on oil? You can also use a mix of oil and water – I know the two don’t mix, but in sugar it will work.
3. Add a few drops of lavender oil. If you’re using vanilla extract add a few drops now.
4. Use to scrub down your body either before you start the shower or during. Rinse well. Do not use on face or hair.
5. This last a long time – i.e. it won’t mold or anything before you use it up. You can keep it in your bathroom. Also, contrary to what you may think, you won’t be sticky. You don’t need to wash this off with soap; plain water is fine.

One, you will feel smooth and smell delicious. Two, your bathroom will also smell great all day long. I’ve been reusing the same container for years. If you want to give this as a gift, look for short, squat, wide glass containers at thrift stores. You can also mix this up with various herbs and essential oils.

Other nice mixes I’ve tried include:

• Grapefruit and peppermint
• Orange, clove, and lemon
• Tea tree
• Basil and lemon
• Cedar and lavender
• Coffee (I ground a bit of espresso) and grapefruit
• Almond and orange

Really the sky is the limit. The best thing about homemade body scrubs is how versatile and cheap they are. If you mess up, no big loss. It’s natural and degrades so no worries. If you don’t have essential oils around they can be a be more costly to get started with. I use oils for everything though so I have many. Also, one small bottle of organic lavender oil will make tons of this stuff. TONS. I saw some sugar scrub at the store and it was $22 – holy. I can make batches for that much money. Plus mine has no artificial anything in it.

Give it a try, you’ll love it.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family