DAILY DANNY

CONTEST! Win a Jurlique skin care set

Well, it's been a while since I've had a contest on this blog, so here's a new one.   The prize?  TWO---yes, count 'em up, two whole boxes--of Jurlique skin care products.    They were sent to me as gifts by Jurlique, but I'm re-gifting and recycling by giving it away to one lucky reader on this blog.  (I must admit: I am rather fond of this packaging.  It is a lovely gift).

Anyway, to win the prize, send an answer to DANNYBLOG@AOL.COM for a chance to win.  In your email, answer this question:

"What would you like to see me cover in my debut column in Better Homes & Gardens in August?"

I need some help deciding what green topic to kick-off my new monthly column in Better Homes & Gardens.    Best idea wins the prize! 

GOOD LUCK!

Homemade Beach Soaps

I just arrived back from a quick trip to Atlanta where I had a few business meetings.

When I was a child, I remember bringing a box of soaps that my mother had given me as a holiday gift for my school bus driver.  I remember her excitement receiving the gift (the only holiday gift she received as far as I could tell) and, well, the experience stuck with me: it's a nice thing to bring a handmade gift when you meet people.   So, before I headed to Atlanta, I decided to make some homemade beach body scrub soaps.

Over a double boiler, I melted blocks of olive oil glycerin soap over a very low, simmering heat.   The soap melted slowly, so I stirred it around with some leftover Chinese food takeout chopsticks.   Then I added some seafoam green dye and about a 1/4 cup of sand.   I did a green batch and then I did a rose colored batch.

I used empty juice boxes that (yes) i fished out of the trash can at a restaurant.  I know... but I didn't feel like buying orange juice boxes to simply empty them out to recycle them for this project. So I shamelessly took them out of the trash at a Wegman's supermarket...   But after they are washed clean, they make the perfect forms for soaps.  They took about 2 hours to cool completely.

Here are the sliced soaps tied together with red/white bakery twine and put into inexpensive wood gift boxes.   Each slice of soap has sand embedded inside, so when used on the body, it gently exfoliates dead skin.

And here they are all wrapped up with this wood grain ribbon I found in a clearance bin at the store.  I almost never buy new ribbon (you can find so much vintage ribbon for sale at flea markets for, like, $1 for 60 yards), but it was so inexpensive and good-looking, that I made one exception.

I hope those who received it enjoy it!

Medicine Cabinet Organization

Here's a peek inside my medicine cabinet.    I thought it would be interesting to share with you some of the green and reuse ideas I've been using...as well as a few products I love.

• Chipped glassware.   Old glasses are a great way to keep things organized inside the medicine cabinet.  Tall skinny glasses can hold toothbrushes (mine is Recycline; www.recycline.com) , a roll of toothpaste (can't remember what I use...but it's a natural salt-based one) and other personal care items.
• Stripped tins.   Old metal tins can be stripped of their enamel paint with just some citrus-based paint stripper and a metal scraping brush.   The tin on the top holds a variety of First Aid items, but I think it also looks handsome on it's own inside the cabinet.
• I keep ther pumice stone inside the medicine cabinet.   A lot of us keep the pumice stone in the shower, but leaving the stone wet for extended periods of time encourages bacteria growth.  Yuck!  So it's best to let it air dry and keep it someplace dry, too.
• Finally, I love Prada's new fragrances.    The cool part about their fragrances is that the bottles are refillable in Prada stores.   A bit pricey, but I think it's a splurge I can handle right now!

Coffee Scrub

This morning, as I brewed a cup of organic, fair trade coffee at home, I thought...what can I do with these old coffee grinds?

I scooped some in my hand, pumped a little liquid soap too, and scrubbed away.  My hands have never looked better.   The grinds actually buffed the dead skin away and I swear the caffeine did something, too.     The leftover grinds went to the compost bin outside.

Just a quick tip: give it a try.... I think you'll be amazed too.

Aveda Secrets

Another segment we shot was at the Aveda Institute in NYC.   Here's a great tip: When you're in NYC, definitely take time to visit the Aveda Institute.  It's right outside Soho on Spring Street.  Not only is it open to the public, but you'll be able to browse from the latest in Aveda's all-natural offerings, and treat yourself to some amazing organic hair treatments (from cuts to colors) to spa facials, massages and much more.      Sound expensive?   Nope.    Haircuts are $20.... and facials are $40.  Why so cheap?   The trained students need real world experience, so while you're with someone who is totally competent and trained at their job, they need folks like us to practice on.   What a great way to save money and do something natural at the same time! 

Above are new hairbrushes from Aveda.   They are made from 100% recycled POST CONSUMER recycled plastics.   That means, the plastic you put out for recycling is recycled into these brushes!   

Some more pics of the institute:

And here's a new product perfect for travel: a powder hair gel.    It is a powder when you shake it out into the palm of your hands...but when you rub it around, it becomes hair gel!   It's amazing and you can bring in-flight, too!

The Master of Organics

Right now, one of the projects I'm working on is the next green issue of ELLE Magazine.    Since I needed a haircut (correction: I desperately needed a haircut), I decided to try out New York City's John Masters Organics.

When I was at Organic Style, we did a big feature on John and his line of organic hair care products.  I think most of don't realize the amount of chemicals in traditional shampoos and conditioners; it can actually take hundreds of years for shampoo to biodegrade once all the sudsy soap has gone down the drain.    Remember: anything that goes down the drain, goes into our water.   One thing we can all do is try to use organic products in the shower.

Anyway, the space is truly a zen-ful oasis.    As my haircut wrapped up, the stylist massaged some oprganic hair cream all over my freshly cut head.    "This smells like orange sherbert," I said outloud.    "Well, it should... there's a lot of real citrus oil in this product," he explained.

Here are some photos of the salon. If you want to check out the product line, visit www.johnmasters.com

Don't you love the wide length hardwood floors?

The rock wall station is pretty cool, too.  If I was five-years-old, I'd be climbing it.