I drink a billion glasses of water a day and live in a very humid climate but regardless, I’ve always had a tendency towards dry skin. That said, I have to depend on external things like lotions and oils to keep my skin looking not dry.

A long time ago, before I knew what baby oil was made from (mineral oil from petroleum—mmm sexy!—and synthetic phthalate-laden fragrance) I used it without a second thought but these days, I try to make more natural choices. I used to love Neutrogena’s sesame oil but again with the scent—it’s just not good to rub synthetic fragrances all over your body’s largest organ as it DOES get absorbed right into your system.

But alas, there are, thankfully, other options, one of which I use faithfully every day to keep from becoming too reptilian (full disclosure—I did receive a review sample of this product a while back). Nature’s Baby Organics makes an organic baby oil with nothing synthetic in it at all. It’s certified organic and comprised of olive oil, jojoba oil , tamanu oil and sunflower oil and naturally scented with mandarin orange and coconut oils. It’s thick and yummy and smells good enough to eat and believe me, if I had a baby, this is the oil I’d use on them, as opposed to that sketchy petroleum-derived stuff you’ll find in every baby products aisle in America.

Find It Here: Nature’s Baby Organics

What: YummyEarth Candy

Features: Gummy bears and sour gummy worms

Green Factor:  YummyEarth are the only gummies that are 100% USDA certified organic. YummyEarth candy is handcrafted with real fruit extracts, and contains no chemical colors, artificial flavors or corn syrup.

Bonus: In addition to being really super tasty (I’ve tasted the gummy bears), YummyEarth gummies are also gluten, peanut and tree nut-free and the lollipops and candy drops are kosher parve, as well.

Find It Here: Amazon.com

On Our Blog: Greener Organizing

What: Titi Collection

Features: A fashionable, functional line of clothing made exclusively for nursing mothers—blouses, hoodies and gowns are made from stretch silk and feature a built-in Italian lace bra

Green Factor: Each item is created using salvaged fabric

Bonus: As opposed to factory production, all garments are sewn by a local seamstress

Find It Here: Titi Collection

What: Wine.com

Features: Green wines made with sustainable, organic and/or biodynamic practices and a fabulous, very reasonably priced organic wine and food gift set.

Bonus: 1¢ shipping on orders over $99 for a limited time. Use promo code “1cent” in the shopping cart. in the shopping cart1cent

Find It Here: Wine.com

Bath and beauty products that are made using all-natural ingredients and come in completely recycled packaging, from a company that doesn’t test on animals. That’s not too much to ask, now is it?

Not if you ask Danny Seo, whose line of organic skin care and body products, called wholearth, is chock full of goodness. Created by combining natural ingredients like juices and essential oils, beeswax and plain ol’ water, wholearth’s perfume spray and body specifics (such as wash, lotion, scrub and soufflé) are good for you and your bod, and our beloved Mother Earth.

What’s not in any of wholearth’s products is the bad stuff: parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, sodium laureth sulfates, aluminum and synthetic dyes, to name just a few. The list of harmful substances found in some of the bath and beauty products out there is long and hard to pronounce, whereas all of the additives used to make up wholearth’s delectable wares are USDA certified organic. Check their web site for a complete list of what goes in to their products, along with what, thankfully, doesn’t.

Find It Here: wholearth

We don’t feature a lot of green stuff for the men here on The Green Mom Review. I’m not really sure why that is but I suppose it’s because we’re not men and what the heck do we know about guy stuff like power tools and beer and remote controls and cars? Do they even make green power tools and remote controls? Hell if I know… But Father’s Day is coming up yet again and we figure most men shave and most shaving stuff is toxic crap (no, really—it is) so why don’t we feature some yummy, non-toxic, organic, pamper-him-with-the-good-stuff shaving products. Hey, it’s better than neckties AGAIN or heaven forbid, a Billy Bass singing fish plaque. So anyway, I got my own husband to try  MiEssence shaving gel and after shave balm and while he’s not one of those metrosexual types that’s all IN to his  personal care and hygiene regimen, he really liked the MiEssence and I like it because I know he’s not introducing all kinds of toxic junk straight into his freshly shaven skin. Father’s Day is settled! He’s getting more MiEssence!  And just so you know, because only the best for my man—MiEssence products are pretty much the gold standard in USDA certified organic personal care products and are also guaranteed to be of organic food grade standard—meaning they are safe enough to go IN to your body, as well as go ON your body—not that you should eat them. But you could. Just sayin :)

Find It Here: Grand Strand Organics

Win It: We’re giving away a bottle of MiEssence Shaving Gel and a bottle of MiEssence After Shave Balm. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter MI6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What are three other MiEssence products you’d like to try? Enter by 6/24/09. $48 value. Open to residents of US and Canada. Winner will be notified by email.

Until a few years ago, bamboo was, to me, something that grew like crazy in my neighbor’s backyard and occasionally turned up in my Chinese food. These days, however, bamboo is turning up in all kinds of places like flooring, clothing, towels and sheets. Yes, I said sheets. Super soft sheets, in fact, because it turns out that bamboo fibers are very silky and yet strong and durable. But bamboo isn’t just soft and silky and durable. It’s also highly sustainable and renewable, requires no pesticides to grow, is fast-drying, hypo-allergenic and has remarkable natural antibacterial and antifungal properties. I’m thinking bamboo sheets are the ones I’d want to sleep on and the ones we want you to sleep on, too, which is why we’re giving away a set of fabulous, luxurious, awesomelicious Karen Neuburger bamboo sheets to one lucky reader!

Find It Here: BonTon

Win It: We’re giving away a set of Karen Neuburger queen/king-sized bamboo sheets to one randomly selected winner. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter KN5 as the giveaway name and answer the question: Do you have any other bamboo products in your home? Enter by 5/27/09. $130 value. Open to US residents. Contest Closed. Congrats to Michelle!

When I think of organic products, I don’t think hard liquor has ever sprung to mind—but lookie! Organic vodka brought to the masses by the good people at Square One Organic Spirits! Let it be known, however, that Square One is not your usual big name liquor company. Why? Well, for starters, Square One vodka comes from organically grown American rye—not mass-produced corn, potatoes, or grapes—and is made with a certified organic fermentation process developed especially for Square One. Additionally, founder Allison Evanow chose to start a company where the bottom line was not profit but social responsibility to the environment and a living a life of quality which is why Square One donates a portion of profits to environmental causes and encourages work-life balance through flex-time and virtual office options. It looks like high-spirited fun and sustainability can go together. Cheers to that!

Find It Here: Square One Vodka

We all deserve a little luxury once in awhile, don’t we?  What if that luxury came in the form of a delicious blanket made from super soft cashmere?  Oh, and even better, what if this one-of-a-kind gem was also eco-friendly?  No need to despair, dear reader, for you are most definitely not dreaming. Kistner Supply, a Chicago-based company, creates beautiful handmade cashmere baby blankets made from lush 2-ply recycled cashmere. Made in the USA and handsewn with pure silk thread by the mother of Elizabeth Brantley, each blanket is a patchwork of a color-combinations made of repurposed cashmere goodies that have gone on to live a second life as an heirloom quality blanket that your child (or you!) will treasure for years to come. Oh, and should your Kistner Supply blanket be, literally, loved to pieces, they will happily repair it for you!

Find It Here: Kistner Supply

This Halloween, think green. Naturally, that means monster skin, toads — and chocolate. Chocolate! How can chocolate possibly be green, you ask? It’s easy with Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates. The chocolates crafted by this California company are 100% organic and fair trade. Sweet Earth offers everything from wedding favors to green gifts and Halloween-themed candies, including their 65% chocolate, which is also vegan and lecithin-free and are available in “Very Scary Halloween Chocolate” (the skull variety, of course) which sounds wicked good. I can’t wait to tickle my sweet tooth with these boooo-tiful chocolates!

Find It Here: Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates

It seems as if every time I read the news, there is some new report about BPA in our plastics, oxybenzone in sunscreens and a whole bucketful of various chemicals in our mattresses, not to mention the beauty industry’s slack guidelines concerning what they put in personal care products and cosmetics. I’m fed up with all of it but I’m not ready to give up taking care of myself just yet, especially when I can make my own personal care products. Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles contains over 175 different homemade herbal formulas for glowing skin and a vibrant self. In fact, there’s a recipe for just about everything you could ever need: natural bug repellent, facial steams (yes, you need facial steams), makeup remover, body butters (great for stretchmark prevention!) In addition to the recipes, the book gives primers on essential oils and how to use them; harvesting herbs; basic information on hair and skin and nail care as well as a basic ingredient dictionary. In fact, it’s very likely you’ll already have most of the ingredients right in your cupboard. And no, you don’t have to use your chocolate stash unless you really, really want to — we know some things are sacred.

Find It Here: Organic Body Care Recipes

After running after my kids all day, the only thing I usually feel like doing when I finally get to bed is sleeping! However, I can often be persuaded to stay up just a bit longer for a nice back rub, especially when accompanied by a little Midnight Oil, my favorite new body oil. Developed by GratefulBody, a family-owned, green skin care company out of Berkeley, California, this oil is great for men and women, especially for those who need a little help de-stressing at the end of a long day. You might also like to know that Midnight Oil is a vegan product and gets a great safety rating from the Cosmetic Safety Database. Try it out and I can almost guarantee you that your body will be grateful.

(P.S. It works wonderfully as a baby massage oil as well!)

Find It Here: GratefulBody

Deal: Save 20% off your order from Grateful Body with code “GREENMOM20″. Expires 5/31/08.

Congratulations Stacey M., winner of a bottle of Midnight Oil!