did you know… the zen priest eisai first wrote of the health benefits of green tea in 1191. eight centuries later, some researchers think he was on to something.

from tazo organic iced green with spearmint & lemongrass. this thing is good!

i just read something on the natural vs. synthetic debate. i totally agreed that not all naturals are good and not all synthetics are bad.

with that being said, i am making a conscious effort to use things that work for me and are more natural – including if they are cruelty-free, vegan friendly, etc. whether they are skincare, cosmetics, or household items. of course, what it all comes down to is which one works. i’ve tried (obviously) some natural products that doesn’t and some that did.

okay, so i returned some videos to ross and bought the new maybelline dream matte pressed powder in sand. tried it and it’s very soft and light. almost no coverage but i’m okay. i’ll give it a test for the next few more days and see if my thoughts change.

one thing i hate? looking way too made-up. yuck!

i then visited these sites, h2ouse.net and flex your power, which are very helpful.

i found out that one of the toilets in our house is a new model, at 1.6 gpf (gallon per flush), and the other toilet is an older model i believe because i can’t find anything on it. it’s a mansfield 160. oh well…it works and flushes great though so i don’t know exactly how much water it uses.

both our shower heads are not the slow flow ones so we’re using much more water than we need to. per the magazine article, pre-1994 shower heads uses 5-7 gallons per minute. i searched around and found this: delta fluidics adjustable shower head. it uses 1.85 gallons per minute! wow! i’ll probably be ordering it soon. it’ll cut down on the energy bill and help us conserve water.

i also found these for our sinks (kitchen and bathrooms): aerator for kitchen and aerator for bathroom sinks. they use 2 gallons and 0.5 gallon per minute respectively. i mean, how many times have i (or you) feel guilty about how fast the water run? especially in the bath sinks? i’m going to feel so much better once these are on. hmmm…although i don’t know how i’ll get the faucet aerator on my kitchen sink since i have a water filter installed???

organic shea butter can be all three! it’s all natural, non-greasy, unscented, and a little goes a long way. i use organic essence’s organic shea butter from whole foods as a multi-cream and love it! from their site:

“shea butter is a natural cold-pressed oil from the african karite nut. it is well known for promoting skin cell regeneration and capillary circulation, and is considered to be a superior healer and rejuvenator for troubled, dry or aging skin. [it] can be used directly on your lips or any dry area of skin. use it to help soften calluses and condition cuticles.”

i switch it around with my wei east night cream, use as my hand and feet cream and my hand and feet look and feel super healthy now. no more dry cuticles or rough heels. my feet has never look this good. i even use it as an eye cream since a lot of eye creams sting my sensitive eyes.

learn more about shea butter.

*Organic cotton is not finished with formaldehyde, which has been identified as a cancer-causing agent by the International Institute for Research on Cancer and which is used to finish non-organic cotton products

i use cottons too, and i am glad i bought the organic cotton. they’re actually the same kind that’s pictured in the linked post.