Itching for Autumn

As my hometown of Houston moves out of monsoon season into a hopefully dryer summer, I find myself itching for autumn. Literally. The unusually heavy rains of March and April have left us with a surplus of mosquitoes. Every day more and more are rising up out of the flood waters, like ancient mongol warriors ready to pillage our fair city.
My poor pup can't even make it to our back fence (a vast stretch of 20 feet) without stirring up a swarm that proceed to savagely assail her. Our evening and weekend walks are an ordeal as I obsessively swat at anything with wings with one hand while pushing my stroller in snaking motions with the other, selflessly defending my offspring at all costs.
My pitiable toddler bumps along, quietly suffering in long sleeves, jeans, thick socks and high-top converse (a necessary but cruel infliction now that temps are already reaching mid to upper 80's and the humidity is higher than normal thanks to the added moisture.)
This is what inspired a search for a new and more effective bug repellent. Last year myself and my daughter endured the suffocating fumes of Burt's Bees natural bug repellent for roughly six months, a small sacrifice had it actually been effective. It was not. (Much to my disappointment as I am a huge Burt's Bees fan.) This year we are trying All Terrain's Herbal Armor Natural Insect Repellent.


But before I give my review, I'd like to say a bit about why I feel it is important to go natural when choosing bug repellent.

Chemical based insect repellents such as Off and Cutter contain significant amounts of DEET, which many claim to be a neurotoxin. The suspected side affects of DEET range from skin and respiratory irritation to birth defects, seizures and cancer. That said, no reliable studies can be found to prove (or disprove) these claims. The EPA and CDC do caution consumers about the use of DEET based products, especially on small children. They advise not applying it directly to the skin if possible, and if it is applied to the skin they recommend washing it off once you return to the indoors. They also recommend not spraying it directly onto the face, especially a child's, and not inhaling the vapors.
In their most recent review of DEET in 2007, the EPA was very clear that they did not find DEET to be a strong toxic risk, placing it in Toxicity Category III (the 2nd lowest of four categories.) They also did not find any studies that verified claims of it being a carcinogen (cancer causing substance) nor did they find studies proving it responsible for seizures in any small children.
Many would argue, however, that there have not been enough studies on the effects of DEET on human health. And many more would just prefer not to take the chance when there are natural alternatives that carry no risk. I am one.

Now for my review.

All Terrain's Herbal Armor Spray

What I love:

• It works. I put it on before my run and never had to swat away one mosquito. My daughter only had one bite during our 1 1/2 hour outing. (I was not as generous when applying it on her, worrying that she would stink all night. Lazy mom- I know.)
• It's not oily like the brand we used last year.
• The smell is not as strong as other repellents, including DEET based ones. It's not nice- but which ones are?
• It comes out of the spray bottle like a spray on lotion and absorbs into the skin quickly. You do have to smooth it out like lotion to get optimum coverage.
• Price! This is normally a negative point with natural products, but the price here is competitive.
• It's made of all natural ingredients and is non-toxic.

What I don't love:

• It does not having the staying power that it claims. You should be prepared to reapply every hour or so, depending on how much you are sweating.
• The spray bottle is not the highest quality. After ever few sprays I have to loosen the cap to allow air back in so that it works properly.

Over all I give this product an A-. I'm sold.

Free Decorating E-Book from The Nester!

You cannot get more eco-friendly than an e-book! No hazardous byproducts or precious natural materials consumed. Just 100% knowledge!
The Nester is generously offering her new e-book for FREE when you subscribe to her newsletter. If it's half as good as her blog, we're all in for a treat. Follow this link to get your copy!
Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful

MOP Lemongrass Shampoo

Two months ago a crazy idea popped into my head. My husband would argue that this is a regular occurrence, but this idea involved drastically altering my appearance- something we women tend to take very very seriously. After reading an article about donating hair to charities that make natural wigs for cancer patients my mind was made up. My hair- long, silky, straight and reaching halfway down my back- had to go.
Over cocktails my girlfriends, sister and I flipped through a hairstyle magazine in search of the perfect short cut for me. Two Mai-tai's later we had found the style- one we were all equally excited about (of course they had nothing to risk- it was my hair). I made the appointment with my stylist the next morning and three days later I walked out of the salon with my new hair. I loved it. A completely different me. Fun, playful- yes, it would do nicely. I needed some new shampoo- my old, gunked up half empty bottle sitting in a puddle on my shower floor would not do for the glorious christening of my new hair- so my sister and I stopped by the Ulta to have a look around.
Ahhh- product heaven. Isles and isles of beautifying serums, creams and suds. I am a beauty product junkie. It has been extra difficult to restrict my salon purchases in my ongoing effort to greenify my life. The supply of salon quality natural/organic hair care products has been surprisingly lacking- until now. Suddenly, as I passed the OPI spring promotional, angels sang and a bright light shone down from the ceiling. (Ok, so it was more like Sarah McLachlan over the store speakers and a flickering ceiling light, but inspiring non the less.) I had found the organic products. I decided to investigate, and found one that I liked the look of. I laid down my $15.14 (ouch) and took my 10.15 Fl. oz. bottle home. (Double ouch.) I comforted myself with the thought that my new hair would not require much shampoo. Perhaps I could squeeze a couple of months out of it. And it just so happens, I did. Here's my review:

mop Lemongrass Shampoo for Fine Hair

What I love:

• The smell is light and fresh.


• It is not heavy and does not way down my hair.


• Does not leave my hair dull.


• Leaves strands feeling squeaky clean.


• Is gentle on the scalp. I can have a sensitive scalp, yet have not experienced any flaking or scalp acne in the two months I have been using the product.


• A little goes a long way. Sometimes when my hair is extra dirty and greasy I have to wash it twice to get it thoroughly clean, but not with this shampoo. One wash does the job every time.


• They do not test on animals.

What I don't love:

• It does not live up to its promises of "plumping up hair strands" quite as much as other products do. However, I have experienced a notable increase in body and honestly, to me it is enough. The benefits of the above make it a fair trade-off to me.


• Price. This is a common negative point in most organic products and one I am going to have to learn to swallow. That said, many non-organic salon products cost even more so I suppose it could be worse. And you do get a lot of quality for the price. As with most things, you will save buying this product from an on-line retailer.

Overall? I give it an A. I am happy with it and will be trying more of their products soon.

Here are a few deals I found on line for this product:

$11.99 at SleekHair.com

$11.21 at beautydeals.net

$11.90 at beautyclicks.com or test it out before you commit- only $2.81 for 1.7 fl. oz. travel size.