simple.green.organic.happy.

Author: Robin Strong Elton

  • Safer Fun in the Sun: Road Testing COOLA Organic Sunscreen

    Safer Fun in the Sun: Road Testing COOLA Organic Sunscreen

    The best sunscreen is the one you wear, but I have strict rules about what works for our family. Here’s what we thought of COOLA’s organic sunscreen products. Discount code at the end of this post!


    I’m gonna soak up the sun
    I got my 45 on
    So I can rock on

    -Sheryl Crow

    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    “Soak Up the Sun” is one of a handful of songs that, for me, ARE summer. (Others: “Santa Monica” by Everclear, Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” “California All the Way” by Luna, “2” by Blur…)

    These are songs that I associate with the long drive to the beach with friends, from my college years and beyond. We always went late at night so as to miss beach traffic— I still do this with the kids— and on Friday nights you could (and still can) find a station that’s bumping hits live at some dance party at a club. Depending on who was driving, we’d put the top down, open the sunroof, roll down the windows… and sing along to the radio at the top of our lungs. 

    Then we’d get to the beach, and watch the sun rise, and most times fall asleep on the beach. There’s nothing like a nap on the beach, especially in the morning; the sand is cool beneath you, the sun warm on your skin, the breeze in your hair, the sounds of the surf and people laughing seeping into your subconscious. 

    I’ve only been sunburned a handful of times, and that’s exactly how I did it.


    One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

    Just one or more blistering sunburns before you turn 18 more than doubles your chances of developing a potentially-deadly melanoma later in life. White women who had over five blistering sunburns between ages 15 and 20 have an 80% increased risk for melanoma.

    I still love to nap on the beach, but you’d better believe I wear sunscreen when I do it now. I also tend to avoid the beach entirely between the hours of 10 and 2. I do not like to be sunburnt, and I don’t want my kids and husband, who are more likely to burn, to get any more sun exposure than strictly necessary. I am militant about sunscreen and limiting time in the sun. 

    I am also super picky. My oldest suffered from severe eczema as a kid, and to a lesser degree still does. Mav, although fairly dark like me, just finished up a round of Accutane and so has to be careful about the sun. Cass is fair and burns easily. I am sensitive to fragrances.

    I require a sunscreen to not cause a skin reaction, that isn’t full of chemicals, that doesn’t reek to high heaven, that has the staying power to hold up to sweat and surf (and often, the pool). 

    Most importantly it has to work.


    Getting sunburn— any sunburn— every other year can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer.

    Sun damage is cumulative. Only about 23% of your lifetime exposure has taken place by age 18.

    Moms Meet sent me a package of COOLA organic sunscreen products to try out and review, and I was excited. Sadly, the package arrived after we’d already left for our beach vacation, but we managed to put them through the paces at home. 

    I’ve actually used COOLA before, during obstacle and mud runs (I’ve acquired some wicked tan lines using other sunscreens at races, presumably I sweated it all off), and my fair-skinned husband has been using it all summer at the beach. We had the unscented variety, which does actually have a scent which I don’t love, but also doesn’t particularly bother me. Neutral and effective.

    This time, we got to try the:

    I wasn’t sure how much I was going to love the Guava Mango scent, but it actually smells fantastic. It’s not subtle, but it’s not overpowering either. Eco and luxe. I’d wear it as a perfume.

    Everything else also smells nice and clean and not overpowering. That’s kind of rare with sunscreen, so 10 points to Gryffindor for that.

    As you can see, the sunscreens rated well with the EWG, based on efficacy and the safety of the ingredients (on a scale of one to ten). The spray rated higher because it’s a spray: there are relative concerns about inhaling a spray, plus with spray sunscreens there’s always the possibility that you’re getting more on everything around you than actually on your skin, but you think you’re well protected.

    This spray is thorough, though.

    organic sunscreen

    As you can see, Cass is well saturated even before rubbing in. In addition to being awesomely scented, the Sport SPF 50 Guava Mango Sunscreen Spray is:

    • ultrasheer and antioxidant-rich, not greasy or drying
    • water resistant for 80 minutes (as are the lip balm and mineral sunscreen we tried)
    • Broad Spectrum SPF 50 protection
    • “Farm to Face” sourced, with 70%+ certified organic ingredients like Cucumber (anti-inflammatory
      and soothing), Algae (improve the production of skin’s collagen and promotes skin firmness and tone), and Strawberry (rich in Vitamin C to help fight and protect against environmental damage) Extracts
    • not cheap, at $36, but it’s a fairly large bottle and although I can’t give exact numbers I know our other bottles have lasted a long time.

    If you’re not into spray sunscreen, though, the tinted sunscreen stick glides on easily, rubs into the skin well, and fits handily in your pocket or a small purse. Cass and I both tried putting it on and then going out in public for the day;  it felt like it stayed put, even more so with a little powder and then a spritz of the setting spray. It seemed fine for both of our skin tones, as different as they are.

    I love the idea of keeping powder and the setting spray on hand, to soak up oil and boost your SPF throughout the day. This is an idea I hadn’t encountered before and one I embraced pretty quickly, as I have super oily skin.

    The lip balm is emollient and lovely and smells delightful. People tend to forget about protecting their lips from the sun, including me.

    The best sunscreen is the one you wear, and these products were all a joy to wear: not heavy or sticky or overwhelmingly fragrant. As I mentioned, I’ve had good luck with COOLA organic sunscreen before, and these new products are only an improvement on the original. I’m pleased as punch to add them to our pool bag.

    Just remember:

    • Apply your sunscreen liberally and reapply often, especially after sweating or being in the water
    • Don’t leave your sunscreen in the car! The heat can impact efficacy. I’ve heard a TON of people say this summer that their usual sunscreen left them burnt and I suspect this is why.
    • Check the expiration date; I usually see this more as a guideline when it comes to food but when it comes to your skin, better safe than sorry.
    • SPF refers to a sunscreen’s sun protection factor:  the amount of time needed to burn sunscreen-protected skin versus unprotected skin. So fair = 10, olive = 15, dark = 20. With COOLA Sport SPF 50 Guava Mango Sunscreen Spray, my olive skin is good for 750 minutes. Cass or Jeff would need to reapply at 500 minutes, which is a nice long beach day.

    You can find COOLA Sport SPF 50 Guava Mango Sunscreen Spray at Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom (full list of locations here). Online, head to coolasuncare.com or Amazon. Check out their other cool organic skincare products too, like their sunless tanners and sampler or travel sets.

    Discount!

    Save 20% off until September 30th at coolasuncare.com with code Elton20.

  • “Wandraiser” – Donate Mascara Wands to Help Rescued Wildlife

    “Wandraiser” – Donate Mascara Wands to Help Rescued Wildlife

     

    What the duck! Yes, that is a mascara wand being recycled to help clean off this little orphan🐣 #WandsforWildlife #SavingWildLives

    A post shared by Appalachian Wildlife Refuge (@appalachianwild) on

    “Wherever there are wild animals in the world,
    there is always an opportunity for caring, compassion and kindness.”

    ―Paul Oxton

    I maybe have a little bit of a… mascara problem. I don’t wear makeup normally; if I’m going out I’ll quickly brush on some blush and mascara. That said, I love mascara. Obsessively so. Since it’s pretty much all the makeup I wear I have high standards for it and I do tend to shop around and try new brands whenever possible.

    As a result, I have a LOT of mascaras hanging out in my vanity, in travel bags, in my gym bag, on my bathroom counter. And now, I’m happy to report they can be put to good use.

    The Appalachian Wildlife Rescue is a volunteer run wildlife rehab in North Carolina. They provide care for injured and orphaned wildlife, and your old mascara wands can help. The small bristles are close together, making the wands an ideal tool for combing fly eggs and larva out of animal fur.

    All you have to do is fill out the donation form, give your mascara wands a good soapy wash and dry, then stick them in a mailer and address it to:

    Appalachian Wildlife Rescue
    P.O. Box 1211
    Skyland, NC 28776

    Even better, you could do one of these things:

    1. Hold a Wandraiser of your own and send all those wands in together. The Appalachian Wildlife Rescue has a poster you can print out for this.
    2. Check with your local wildlife rescue and see if they could use mascara wands at their facility, or any other easily donated items.
    3. Send a monetary donation, to this wildlife rescue or one near you. Don’t buy mascara just for the purpose if sending in the wands!
    4. Volunteer at your local rescue.
  • Healthy Lunch Option: Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    Healthy Lunch Option: Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    It’s back to school time! Time to start stockpiling ideas for kids’ lunchboxes. Here’s one that kids will love: organic fruit snacks and fruit strips that include a full serving of whole fruits and veggies in each package.

    organic fruit snacks
    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    Fruit snacks are pretty much a lunchbox staple, right? They qualify as a treat without being a candy, cake or cookie (which many schools don’t even allow anymore in school lunches). 

    The thing is, a lot of fruit snacks really should qualify as a candy. They carry a “health halo” for being fruit flavored, or maybe having some fruit juice as a main ingredient, but they still hold a lot of sugar and not much else in a tiny package.

    You can make your own fruit snacks and leathers to control the sugar levels, and if you have a dehydrator you should totally go for it, they’re delicious. Buttttt they are also a lot of hassle if you don’t have a dehydrator, plus they’re best with done with fresh, in-season fruit. Not really practical for the school year.

    Enter Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    Lisa— a certified nutritionist— and John, Veggie-Go’s founders, lived and worked on organic farms before they were inspired to create a new slant on snacking. Their snacks come in two varieties: strips (think fruit leather) and bites (think fruit snacks). All are USDA organic, non-GMO, and gluten free with NO added sugar.

    AND, each package contains one full serving of whole fruits and veggies. 

    To put that in some perspective, let’s compare a strawberry fruit roll-up to its closest Veggie-Go competitor (Strawberry, Chia + Beets). The ingredients of the roll-up are:

    Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Pear Puree Concentrate, Palm Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Fruit Pectin, Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Dextrose, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Acetylated Monoglycerides, Natural Flavor, Color (red 40, yellows 5 & 6, blue 1).

    The ingredients of the Veggie-Go?

    Organic Sweet Potato Puree, Organic Concentrated Apple Juice, Organic Concentrated Apple Puree, Organic Concentrated Strawberry Juice, Organic Concentrated Beet Juice, Organic Chia Seeds, Citrus Pectin, Cellulose, Natural Flavor.

    The flavors

    As I said, Veggie-Go’s come as strips and bite-size snacks. And the flavors are sort of wild.

    Veggie-Go’s strips come in:

    • Berry, Apple + Spinach
    • Sweet Potato, Apple + Spices
    • Beet, Apple + Cinnamon
    • Carrot, Apple + Ginger
    • Tropical Fruit + Kale

    Veggie-Go’s bites come in:

    • Strawberry, Chia + Beets
    • Orange, Cocoa Nibs + Carrots
    • Berry, Rice Crisps + Greens

    Not something you would normally leap to grab off the shelf, right? But for the preschool set especially, it’s a more natural transition from all those wholesome baby purées and meals they ate as toddlers. I’m not one to shame anyone for giving their kids the occasional not-even-pretending-to-be-good-for-you snack, but for an everyday lunchbox item these are a fairly healthy option in a fun package.

    How do they taste?

    I will be honest and say I don’t really like fruit snacks of any kind, myself. I’m not into chewy/gummy candy or fruit. That said, I gamely gave all the flavors a try and I liked them fine. My favorites were the Strawberry, Chia + Beets and the Cocoa Nibs + Carrots. They have a bit of crunch to them reminiscent of strawberry seeds, which I sort of liked better than traditional fruit snacks. My husband, who does like fruit snacks but does not like things that are clearly good for you, liked the berry apple and sweet potato varieties best (he placed them in order by favorite here, from right to left). 

    I left all the boxes on the windowsill, first at home and then at the beach where we had several families visiting with us for the weekend. I didn’t mention to anyone that I was reviewing Veggie-Go’s, I just left them with the rest of the communal food.

    The result? I overheard one set of kids recommending their favorites to one of the adults as they all sat down for lunch. Another set of kids asked if they could take some to the beach as a snack. I think I came home with three left over. 

    So yes, kids will totally eat these and ask for more. And some adults, who aren’t restricted by “one treat a day” rules will maybe eat them all day long if you don’t chastise them.

    The verdict

    Seemingly rogue apostrophe aside, I really like Veggie-Go’s. I love that the cartons are fully recyclable and made from recycled paperboard, which is fueled by local wind energy in Denver. I love the designs on the wrapping and the fact that the cartons present themselves attractively like store displays. I think they would do well as natural energy boosters for hikers or when working out, or even just working— to get you through that afternoon slump. But especially I think they’re great for lunchboxes for littles. They look just like regular fruit snacks (cuter, even) but they sneak that little bit of extra veggies into a kid’s diet, which is a win in my book.

    Obviously, real fresh fruit and veggies are the best option, but they’re not always in season, don’t necessarily hold up well in a lunchbox, and most importantly you’re not there to wheedle them to finish up their meal. If you have a kid who doesn’t love their veggies, Veggie-Go’s are an easy way to incorporate some without a fight.

    Where to buy Veggie-Go’s

    I can buy Veggie-Go’s organic fruit snacks at Whole Foods, our local natural foods grocery and our co-op— enter your zip code in the store locator to find a physical store near you. Or, you can buy online at Amazon or directly from the Veggie-Go’s website.