Hump Day

Have you seen The Heat? I finally saw it last night. Good Lord was that FUNNY. I was actually howling during several different scenes in the film. If you haven't seen it, and the strong comedic work of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy aren't reason enough, here are two more reasons:  Joey. McIntyre.  

Back to business. I was on the Skin Deep database, checking out some of the skin care products recommended by Detoxinista, when I saw a cool feature that I'd previously missed: Build Your Own Report. 

The shirt off my back

First, a housekeeping item. I changed the name of yesterday's post. It was terrible.

Today we're looking at something a little different. I proselytize a lot about the chemicals in health and beauty products, but what about something that always in contact with our skin: fabric.

A new mentality

This one's a bit random. Bear with me...

I have a thing for interior design and home decorating magazines. So over breakfast I was flipping through the latest issue of House Beautiful and saw there, on page 3, a gigantic ad for Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 anti-aging miracle something-or-other.

Huh.

Company's coming!

It's Friday! Apologies for the extra light post, for I'm just about checked out for the week. We have company arriving for a weekend visit and I am still scrambling with last minute little everything to welcome them.

Arbonne, n'est pas si bonne

There I am, trying to throw down some French again. 

I recently went to my first Arbonne party. Y'all ever done that? It's a hard sell. A lot of verbiage about botanicals, natural, high quality, restorative blah blah blah. And THEN you get the pitch to become a sales consultant. I am a cynical b*tch, and thank goodness! for it saved me a butt load of money that night.

Soapbox

Nah, this post isn't actually about soap. It's just me, ranting about the state of things that I don't know what's in the products I use in my home and on my body, and that finding products that aren't totally synthetic or toxic requires nearly as much freaking investigation as an episode of Law & Order.

SMACK! Reviews: everyone face makeup removing towelettes

I bought these wipes a hundred years ago during a wee shopping spree at my local Whole Foods. At the time, I was in the market for three specific items: henna-based hair color, moisturizer with SPF, and lastly, something by way of eye makeup remover. You can read the original post here.

Buzz off

A multi-post day! 

Does anyone mind if I drop an F-bomb now and again? Because for f-ck's sake I have been sitting on this post for THE LONGEST TIME (and another one even longer) and just can't stand to see them in the queue anymore, gathering dust.

So, as I was saying, I am a firm believer in the complexity and fragility of Nature's ecosystems, but when it comes to mosquitoes, I am hard-pressed to find their value in this world. My childhood memories are chock full of the burning itch of swollen mosquito bites and the acrid stench of Deep Woods OFF!

Slightly less blog-challenged

How was your weekend? I did a lot of weeding this weekend (not the recreational sort); one sunburn and half dozen mosquito bites later, my yard doesn't really look any less like a jungle. The bottle of RoundUp is really, really tempting, but then the voice in my head says  'uh, you already had cancer, remember?'

But that's why we're here, right? To relearn the tasks of our everyday lives in new, chemical-free, or at least less toxic, ways. SMACK! hit new readership highs last week, which rocks big time.

What's in store this week? I'm trying to pre-write some posts for more continuity and just plain more of what you love. Speaking of that, I don't really know what you love about SMACK! because last week when I invited readers to share the goods I couldn't get comments working on Blogger. Smooth move, Exlax. 

But now it works! I think. I mean, I followed all the steps in the tutorial, but I'll make sure to double check it this time. I want to hear back from you! Comments are now open for constructive feedback.

Super thanks,
Jazzy

Blog challenged

Well done Jazzy, well done. Invite readers to post their feedback and comments but give them no where to do that. How's that egg on your face?

It's clear to me that I am blog challenged and will spend some time over the weekend figuring out comments on Blogger. Thanks always for your patience, enthusiasm and what I'm sure will be glowing feedback (next week)!!

Happy Friday,
Jazzy

Turning the tables

Friday! Trying something a little different here today...we've reached that point in the early lifespan of SMACK! where we want to hear from you! Comments are open today for your comments, constructive criticism, ideas, etc.

Have at it -- tell us what you like, what you don't like, what you want to see, all of it. Think of it as like a reverse performance review, where you get some say. How nice is that?

And duh, keep it clean and civilized. 

Thanks always for your time and interest...what a great couple months it's been!

-- Jazzy

The future...tastes like bananas?

Flashing my inner geek here with some news about a teenager who's developing a bioplastic made from old banana peels.

Last month, 16-year-old Elif Bilgin was awarded the 2013 Science in Action Award at the third annual Google Science Fair for her 2-year-long effort to turn discarded banana peels into plastic.

Jazzy, WHY are you making us read about 3-week-old news?

Because plastic is EVERYWHERE. Literally. It's time to find a better version that gives us what we need from the material without all the toxic business. Aren't we smart enough to do that?

Bilgin told Scientific American, "For me, this means that my project actually has a potential to be a solution to the increasing pollution problem caused by petroleum-based plastic."

Wow, she GETS IT.  What were you doing when you were her age? I was in the marching band and spent a lot of time whining to my parents to take me to Gap. I loved physics, but chem was NOT my thing. This girl's changing the way we look at chemistry, with super far-reaching implications across so many industries. She rocks, and deserves all the attention she can get!!!

Read about Elif's work and award here, and check out Wikipedia's page here to polish your bioplastics acumen.

-- Jazzy

SMACK! Reviews: Up & Up DEET-free Insect Repellent

What better way to get back into the swing of things than with a product review! We'll be covering mosquitoes, insect repellents and the like here at SMACK! a lot, because, you know, 'tis the season. And DEET is a serious, serious chemical. So during a recent Target run, I saw this new insect repellent made with citronella oil and was super curious to see if it worked.

Hello?

Anybody still there? OMG, I am so embarrassed that it's really been like two weeks since our last post for SMACK!

How's your summer going? We've already overindulged on campfires, takeout, boat rides, you name it. But I love it! 

I had to buy an emergency bottle of sunscreen this morning, so I stopped in my local CVS, figuring they would have a good selection. WRONG! Literally, the ONLY product containing something other than oxybenzone was Coppertone Water Babies Pure & Simple. Of course I grabbed it, because it's rated super low for toxicity in EWG's Skin Deep Database. But seriously, CVS, would it kill you to offer a few more items that appeal to us more informed consumers?

(BTW, the regular Coppertone Water Babies is exactly the same as the adult product, right down to the oxybenzone. AWFUL.)

I think this calls for a complaint letter, don't you? Haven't done one of those yet, and I think it's time. Stay cool, and stay tuned!

-- Jazzy

Just a friendly reminder...

It's Independence Day! Well, almost. 

Good timing for a recap of what we've learned so far here at SMACK! I mean, what's more patriotic than not accepting the status quo?

• Covering your skin (long sleeves, hat, etc) is the safest, chemical-free way to protect your skin from sun damage
• Avoid oxybenzone in sunscreens, especially for children
• DEET-based bug repellents are ok to use; wash exposed skin area thoroughly when your outdoor time is over
• The FDA does NOT regulate any of the chemicals or ingredients in health and beauty products. Read the label, every time!

Have a fun, safe holiday weekend, and we'll catch up next week!

-- Jazzy

How do you say 'awesome' in French?

I'm in the market for a housewarming gift for some friends, which made me think about a housewarming gift that we received after we bought our house. One of my husband's groomsmen got us a set of these glasses that are nearly indestructible, from Duralex. They're made in France, in cafe-inspired classic shapes and sizes and they rock!! I love them so much that I snatched up an extra set that I saw on One King's Lane last year. 

Picardie tumblers by Duralex

Fast forward a bunch of months and I'm having breakfast with a couple friends and I remark to my hostess that she has what appear to be miniature versions of the same glassware I have. Mais bien sur, she says (well, not really, but how cool would that have been, to break out in spontaneous French?), that's the tableware I bought for my kids.

Wha??? Duralex makes kids' stuff, too? C'est magnifique!

How stinkin' cute are these!!

Her daughter has many, many allergies and sensitivities. She wanted to reduce their exposure to plastic, and found the tableware lines at Duralex for Kids as a great solution.You may remember that I have a problem with itty bitty things...my problem being that I freaking love them!! 

Duralex for Kids is no exception. Cute little glasses, matching lunch plates and cereal bowls, OMG it's too much. I might have to plan a picnic.

So go, GO, buy some Duralex for you and yours. Ditch some of the plastic in your kitchen. And then serve some fancy French food to go with.

A bientot,
-- Jazzy

Scratchy scritch

Sorry for the technical difficulties! This post was scheduled to publish bright and early this morning...and it didn't.  

Another weekend away, in the woods. With the bugs. No see-ums, biting flies, mosquitoes.

Anyone who suffers more than a mild reaction to mosquito bites will appreciate this. Despite my many years of adulthood, I have never outgrown my allergy to bug bites, which also bring on flashbacks to the days when my mother would slop a homemade paste of baking soda and water onto my bug-bitten limbs and then cover them with facial tissue (yes, you read that right. Never, ever a bandage or gauze pad) and -- wait for it -- scotch tape. Only the best!

When I came across Afterbite for Kids some decades later, I was well-experienced in the burning sting of Original Afterbite, which is ammonia-based (!). Curious about what made the kids' product different, and if it was really gentler, I read the label. 

Active ingredient: sodium bicarbonate. 

Well sh*t, my mother was right all along. 

Oh, it gets better. Turns out Afterbite for Kids isn't as benign as it would seem. According to EWG's Skin Deep Database, the INACTIVE ingredients (vitamin E, fragrance, and other science-y things) almost completely negate any benefit to using a baking soda-based product. 

The moral of this tale: for truly chemical-free relief from itchy, burning, swollen bug bites, go old school with some plain baking soda and water. But for the love of Mary, use a bandage!

-- Jazzy