Ethical Skin Care – A Great Choice For Teens

You’re never too young to be concerned about the environment and other ecological issues. At a time when most young women are beginning to use skin care products and cosmetics, many companies are competing for their purchases. Many teenagers simply follow the mainstream and begin using products that are readily available and widely advertised. But others have chosen a different road: ethical skin care products.What is Ethical Skin Care?In general, companies who produce products using ingredients from only natural and sustainable sources can be thought of as producing ethical products. Another facet of ethical products involves not testing on animals. Packaging is important, too. Glass is a preferred packaging material as is recycled and recyclable plastic. The ingredients used in ethical products are generally certified organic, meaning that they are free from pollutants like pesticides and chemical fertilizers. In an era when irradiated and genetically modified ingredients are common, ethical products eschew these in favor of choices that are more natural. With no animal products, alcohol or chemicals or synthetics, ethical cosmetics and skin creams are less likely irritate the even the most sensitive skin.Ethical Skin Products for TeensTeenagers have special skin problems. Their skin is changeable and many suffer from oily skin and skin conditions like skin acne. Skin care lines like Face Boutique have completely rethought skin care and designed effective products that address acne and other skin problems. For example, some products contain prebiotics. Prebiotics help promote the growth of “good” bacteria and are thought to have a beneficial effect on some skin conditions. This makes them good candidates for use in natural skin care products for teenagers whose skin is often clogged and distressed.What’s Not in Ethical Skin ProductsEthical skin products generally do not contain petroleum products, parabens, sulfates or phthalates. Petroleum products like mineral oil clog the skin. Parabens are artificial preservatives. Sulfates are salts of sulphuric acid that can dry the skin. Phthalates are petroleum products that are used to make plastics like PVC. Finally, ethical skin treatment products do not contain GMOs. GMO stands for “genetically modified organism,” a substance who’s very DNA has be altered by scientific means.Using ethical skin care products is a great way for teens in the UK to support companies who choose to manufacture products in an environmentally responsible way.

Shopping For Boys Clothing

If purchasing boys clothing there are some things to keep in mind. It should be tough and durable but also be made so that the child in question will be willing to wear it. Avoid anything too fancy or with bright colors that might not go over well.Jeans are always fashionable and are great for boys so buying lots of them is usually a good idea. Basic colors like blue and black are good and always in season unlike fashion colors that may go out of style. Try and keep some khaki’s on hand for special events like dinners or parties.Footwear can usually be summed up in two words:Tennis shoes. Reebok and Nike are both good brands and should go with almost any casual outfits. For hot summer days a pair of sandals or flip flops can work wonders. Do not forget boots, essential for playing in the snow or going sledding in the winter.When looking for tops for boys clothing try and find t-shirts, both in solid colors and with cartoons or funny sayings, sports teams, or cartoons that the boy enjoys. Sweatshirts are a good choice for the fall and winter months. For hooded ones Nike and Champion both have high quality models. When slightly more formal attire is required polo shirts or button down ones should do the trick.For Winter gear be sure to get a coat with a removable liner. You can add it on the really chilly days and take it out when the weather starts to warm up. A hat and gloves are crucial too to stay warm. When you go shopping writing everything down beforehand ensures you do not forget anything and may help with over purchasing.Usually boys clothing will be handed down to next youngest child or given away to some other family members. If you have other children that will be wearing the clothes as the current grows out of them, be sure to keep this in mind and help keep your future costs for clothes down.

What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.