Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products by Sophie Uliano Page B
Authors: Sophie Uliano
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large knots on top of her head and secure with clips.
5. Pull down the first section of hair about ½ inch above the hairline and cut straight across. I start with one side, then continue around the back and the other side. This is where you determine the correct length, so make sure it’s right before continuing.
6. Get your child to sit up straight, legs uncrossed, and pull down the two front pieces of her hair on either side of her face to see if they’re the same length.
7. Draw the next section of hair (1½ inches above hairline) out of the topknots, and cut to the same length as the layer below. Continue until you have pulled all the hair out of the knots.
8. Add a few layers for bounce by pulling 2-inch sections of hair away from the crown of the head, straight up toward the ceiling, between your index and middle fingers. Snip off the ends at an angle.
Making Shoes Last Longer
When I was little, getting a pair of new shoes was a huge treat and an adventure. I remember the excitement of having my feet measured and walking out of the store in a brand-new pair of shiny party or school shoes that I could show off to my friends. I’d love to say it’s the same with my daughter, but sadly, things have changed and her shoe shelf is crammed with flip-flops, tennis shoes, and sequined ballet slippers. Footwear clearly isn’t the extravagance it used to be. However, when I buy her a more expensive pair of fancy shoes, I teach her to take care of them by using the following techniques. She knows that if we take care of them, we can then hand them down to a smaller friend who may need them.
SOCK-STUFFING
As it’s hard to find good shoe trees for kids, I just ball up odd socks and stuff them into the toes of the shoes when Lola’s not wearing them.
Leather Protector
How annoying is it when you splurge and buy your child a pair of smart, expensive leather shoes, and after just one outing, they come back scuffed and scratched? It’s a great idea to apply this nontoxic leather protector as soon as you get the shoes out of the box. Keep in mind that regular leather and suede protectors contain chemicals that are toxic.
----
YOU WILL NEED
1 oz. beeswax
½ cup safflower oil
----
HOW TO
1. Place the beeswax and the oil in a bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water and warm until the beeswax has melted.
2. Apply to shoes with a clean rag while the wax is still warm.
3. Buff with another clean rag.
SHOE POLISH
As almost all shoe polishes contain horribly toxic ingredients, the best thing you can use to keep your kids’ shoes gleaming is olive oil. Just pour about ½ teaspoon of oil onto a clean, dry rag and buff up until the shoes shine.
CLEANING TENNIS SHOES
The best thing for cleaning up an old pair of tennis shoes is to make a paste of baking soda and water. Scrub the canvas, toes, and soles by dipping a toothbrush or old nailbrush into the paste. Rinse with water and leave to air dry outside in the summer, and on top of your dryer in the winter.
Baby Skincare Products
Most of the mainstream baby skincare products that we were raised with have that ubiquitous “baby” smell—a scent that conjures up images of pink, fluffy bunnies and daisy-filled meadows. The truth is that the “meadow sweet” scent you are filling your baby’s nostrils with is likely to contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals. It’s vital that you start recognizing that smell as totally fake. In the same way that apple-flavored candy tastes nothing like an actual apple, there is nothing in nature that is anything like that baby scent.
As a society, we are obsessed with cleanliness and we’ve taken it a bit too far. We obviously want everything to be clean and sanitary, especially around our babies. However, our fixation with antibacterial products is not healthy. Most antibacterial products—wipes, sprays, body lotions, and hand sanitizers—contain yet another cocktail of toxic ingredients that you would
5. Pull down the first section of hair about ½ inch above the hairline and cut straight across. I start with one side, then continue around the back and the other side. This is where you determine the correct length, so make sure it’s right before continuing.
6. Get your child to sit up straight, legs uncrossed, and pull down the two front pieces of her hair on either side of her face to see if they’re the same length.
7. Draw the next section of hair (1½ inches above hairline) out of the topknots, and cut to the same length as the layer below. Continue until you have pulled all the hair out of the knots.
8. Add a few layers for bounce by pulling 2-inch sections of hair away from the crown of the head, straight up toward the ceiling, between your index and middle fingers. Snip off the ends at an angle.
Making Shoes Last Longer
When I was little, getting a pair of new shoes was a huge treat and an adventure. I remember the excitement of having my feet measured and walking out of the store in a brand-new pair of shiny party or school shoes that I could show off to my friends. I’d love to say it’s the same with my daughter, but sadly, things have changed and her shoe shelf is crammed with flip-flops, tennis shoes, and sequined ballet slippers. Footwear clearly isn’t the extravagance it used to be. However, when I buy her a more expensive pair of fancy shoes, I teach her to take care of them by using the following techniques. She knows that if we take care of them, we can then hand them down to a smaller friend who may need them.
SOCK-STUFFING
As it’s hard to find good shoe trees for kids, I just ball up odd socks and stuff them into the toes of the shoes when Lola’s not wearing them.
Leather Protector
How annoying is it when you splurge and buy your child a pair of smart, expensive leather shoes, and after just one outing, they come back scuffed and scratched? It’s a great idea to apply this nontoxic leather protector as soon as you get the shoes out of the box. Keep in mind that regular leather and suede protectors contain chemicals that are toxic.
----
YOU WILL NEED
1 oz. beeswax
½ cup safflower oil
----
HOW TO
1. Place the beeswax and the oil in a bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water and warm until the beeswax has melted.
2. Apply to shoes with a clean rag while the wax is still warm.
3. Buff with another clean rag.
SHOE POLISH
As almost all shoe polishes contain horribly toxic ingredients, the best thing you can use to keep your kids’ shoes gleaming is olive oil. Just pour about ½ teaspoon of oil onto a clean, dry rag and buff up until the shoes shine.
CLEANING TENNIS SHOES
The best thing for cleaning up an old pair of tennis shoes is to make a paste of baking soda and water. Scrub the canvas, toes, and soles by dipping a toothbrush or old nailbrush into the paste. Rinse with water and leave to air dry outside in the summer, and on top of your dryer in the winter.
Baby Skincare Products
Most of the mainstream baby skincare products that we were raised with have that ubiquitous “baby” smell—a scent that conjures up images of pink, fluffy bunnies and daisy-filled meadows. The truth is that the “meadow sweet” scent you are filling your baby’s nostrils with is likely to contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals. It’s vital that you start recognizing that smell as totally fake. In the same way that apple-flavored candy tastes nothing like an actual apple, there is nothing in nature that is anything like that baby scent.
As a society, we are obsessed with cleanliness and we’ve taken it a bit too far. We obviously want everything to be clean and sanitary, especially around our babies. However, our fixation with antibacterial products is not healthy. Most antibacterial products—wipes, sprays, body lotions, and hand sanitizers—contain yet another cocktail of toxic ingredients that you would
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