1 Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Spray and Wipes ($7.99 for spray, $5.99 for wipes)
2 Honoré Des Prés Eau de Parfum Love Coconut ($98)
3 Smart Girls Who Surf SPF 30+ Sunscreen Lotion ($14.99)
4 Skincando Combat-Ready Balm ($25)
5 Pratima Healing Neem Oil ($29)
6 Skinny Skinny Organic Clementine and Clove Body Scrub ($30)
7 Sula Paint & Peel Duos ($9)
8 Coola SPF 30 Matte Finish Cucumber Natural Mineral Sunblock ($36)
9 Thymes Essentials Face Mist Toner ($18)
10 Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use Blush ($28)
11 Beauty Without Cruelty Waterproof Mascara ($23.95)
12 Frais All-Natural Towelettes ($10)
13 Clark's Botanicals Skin-Clearing Face & Body Wash ($46)
14 Yarok Feed Your Sunshine Hair Serum ($25)
15 Goody Spin Pins ($5.99)
16 Organix Tea Tree Mint Hydrating Treatment ($6.99)
17 Intelligent Nutrients USDA Certified Organic Bug Repellent Aromatic Spray ($28)
18 Pacifica Take Me There Travel Set ($18)
19 Jurlique Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer ($6.50)
20 Noblo ($14.99)
Summer is the season when you most want to look easy, breezy, and naturally beautiful, right? To paraphrase Dolly Parton, it can take a lot of effort (and products!) to look effortless, so today I've got a roundup of the 20 best organic, natural, and eco-friendly items that have crossed my desk this summer. They'll make you look better, feel better, and smell better as you coast through the heat. Listed in no particular order, they are broken up into categories for body, face, hair, and general use.
FOR BODY
Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Spray and Wipes - The only thing ickier to me than seeing dirty feet in sandals is smelling dirty feet in sandals. Avoid either calamity by carrying the wipes for a quick refresh on a long day and spritz shoes and feet for a fresh, minty feeling anytime. ($7.99 for spray, $5.99 for wipes)
Honoré Des Prés Eau de Parfum Love Coconut - Most perfume makes me wheeze and sneeze, but not this fresh, all-natural, 80% organic beauty. I feel downright tropical wearing the scents of coriander, vanilla, coconut, and other spices even if I'm just schlepping to work. ($98)
Smart Girls Who Surf SPF 30+ Sunscreen Lotion - Natural, water and sweat resistant, UVA/UVB protection without the icky whiteness of most formulas, to you I shout hooray! No parabens, octinoxate, or oxybenzone to irritate you or the ocean, either. ($14.99)
Skincando Combat-Ready Balm - I'm told it's a favorite of soldiers at war who use it for everything from dryness to cuts to razorburn to sunburn to scarring, but I love this organic balm because it really takes the itch out of mosquito bites. Every purchase supports sending care packages of the stuff to US servicemen and women abroad. ($25)
Pratima Healing Neem Oil- This blend of pure neem, basil, avocado, sandalwood and lavender oils is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory. Whew! All I know is that if you put it on your skin post-shaving, you avoid any red bumps and as a bonus it also seems to repel mosquitos for the night. ($29)
Skinny Skinny Organic Clementine and Clove Body Scrub - This organic scrub exfoliates and refreshes, leaving your skin smooth and ready for display in the summery ensemble of your choice. ($30)
Sula Paint & Peel Duos - Color and a topcoat in one tube, and you just peel it off when it chips (or you're sick of it) with no remover required. It comes in 10 colors and all are free of the "big three": formaldehyde, toulene, and phthalates. ($9)
FOR FACE
Coola SPF 30 Matte Finish Cucumber Natural Mineral Sunblock - Coola's water-resistant, all-natural UVA/UVB sunscreen looks great under makeup, plus it offers a slew of vitamins, antioxidants and herbal extracts to keep your skin moisturized and healthy. ($36)
Thymes Essentials Face Mist Toner - This brightly scented, light, alcohol-free toner is great to keep in the fridge and mist over your face whenever you're feeling not-so-fresh. ($18)
Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use Blush - One product for lips, cheeks, and eyes makes summer travel just a little bit easier, and this one's 70% Certified Organic and 30% mineral pigments & vitamins to boot. ($28)
Beauty Without Cruelty Waterproof Mascara - Whether you plan to swim or sweat, this natural, cruelty-free mascara will stay put all day. ($23.95)
Frais All-Natural Towelettes - These essential oil, shea butter, and vitamin-infused towelettes are a big step up from swabbing down your face with a baby wipe on a hot day. ($10)
Clark's Botanicals Skin-Clearing Face & Body Wash - When it comes to getting sweat, dirt, and sunscreen off my grimy mug after a day out and about, nothing beats this stuff. Pricey for body wash but a good deal if you use the 7.4 oz tube only for your face. ($46)
FOR HAIR
Yarok Feed Your Sunshine Hair Serum - A few droppers of this natural oil blend rubbed in before a day at the beach or pool will protect your hair from dryness and discoloration, and as a bonus, it smells nice! ($25)
Goody Spin Pins - Terri turned me on to these DNA-like spirals that can mold hair into a loose bun in about five seconds with only the slightest of effort. I will be forever grateful, especially as I sweep my hair up and away from my neck all summer long. ($5.99)
Organix Tea Tree Mint Hydrating Treatment - After a day of sun, sea, chlorine, or just plain overprocessing, you'll love the way this budget cream puts smoothness and shine back into your locks. ($6.99)
FOR OUTINGS
Intelligent Nutrients USDA Certified Organic Bug Repellent Aromatic Spray - This DEET-free essential oil blend keeps the bugs at bay whenever we grill in my backyard, and my guests always comment on how much they like the woodsy, flowery scent. ($28)
Pacifica Take Me There Travel Set - Perfect for travel or a hostess gift, Pacifica's sets of natural body washes, body butters, and roll-on scents capture summery smells in convenient sizes. ($18)
Jurlique Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer - This natural, mint-scented hand sanitizer won't dry your skin or expose you to harsh chemical anti-bacterial agents. ($6.50)
Noblo - So simple, it's genius: Noblo is a reusable bag that you fill with sand upon arrival at the beach, velcro onto your umbrella, then relax knowing that it's now weighted down and will not be sent flying with the next passing breeze. It was created by two moms who happen to vacation at the same beach town as my family does, and they manufacture and package their product in a nearby New Jersey community. ($14.99)
From: Nancy osborn | 7/30/11 at 6:37 am
I loved all the nice ideas on this site, especially wonderful was the NOBLO product. I love going to the ocean often, and this will be a real treat to us on our Umbrella, as we get winds almost every day. Thank-you so much!!! Martha, you do so much good for so many people.What a blessing you are to the World, and I am thank-ful that you are in it !!! (*,*)
From: sue b | 1/24/12 at 12:08 pm
I love this idea!
From: Cake | 1/26/12 at 4:09 pm
Cake
From: roni W | 2/21/12 at 3:47 pm
I have purchased over 6 brands of exfoliants (including $50+ tube of Kiehl's and the cheap over the counter Apricot Scrub) and Made From Earth has the best one!! They have the Rooibos Tea Face Scrub -it is the best!
I use it every other day to exfoliate and my skin feels soft and looks bright and vibrant. What sets this scrub above all is the right amount of abrasive and there is no reside left once you rinse. In fact, my skin is left squeaky clean. I don't know what the old formula is like but I love this one and I hope they never change it. I will use it for life. BTW, it smells great!