It’s a goal of the green movement: Everyday access to healthier elements we can incorporate into our lives. Health and beauty is no exception, and you are officially out of excuses for not buying alternative pure and natural products over poison-filled cosmetics when you have the chance.

Here’s the glowing skinny on some easy stops – even your neighborhood drugstore  – where you can evolve into that easy, breezy, and synthetic-free, cover girl of your dreams.

CVS Pharmacy

Getting that prescription filled? Shop cosmetics and skincare while you are at it through the Beauty 360 assortment at this large drug emporium. Many of the products included meet a growing customer demand for healthier ingredients without phthalates and other dangerous chemicals to add scent or other agents. Among the featured goodies: 100 percent Pure body scrubs;  Plant Love eye pencils and bamboo shadows; and Marina Cosmetics Hydrating Lip Gloss.

2. Whole Foods

If you aren’t buying the benefits of mineral cosmetics, listen to this Whole Foods podcast. It explains how synthetics interfere with the immune system and preventing nasty skin reactions. I love the selection of natural make-ups, creams and elixirs at this marketplace – an obvious natural source for everything wholesome. You can get it all here, from baby balms to pure shampoos.

3. Walgreens

There used to be two of these drugstores on the avenue near my home. That’s how ubiquitous Walgreens has become! And oftentimes, I have picked up a Neutrogena mascara or an Almay eyeliner in a pinch, knowing the hypoallergenic brands are better than the alternative for people like me with sensitive skin. The drug outlet has also introduced pure creams like the Noah’s Naturals line, free of sulfates, parabens, propylene glycol, petrolatum, phthalates or animal by-products (and made without animal testing). It also sells some mineral shadows, although since they are made in China I’m wary of the purity.

4. Pharmaca

Located in various cities in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico, the  Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy functions like the typical pharmacy, only it fills holistic and alternative prescriptions alongside the traditional ones. But when it comes to cosmetics and body care, you will only find the cleanest brands made with natural herbs and minerals – like Jane Iredale blushes and Dr. Hauschka ultra-fine bronzer with jojoba oil and carrot extract. Find locations here.

5. Shop Online

An obvious choice for consumers who find it hard to get unplugged, there are sites like Tartecosmetics which offer one-stop surfing for everything from natural lip stains to anti-wrinkle foundation, eyeliners, mineral powder, bronzers, self-tanners and eye shadows. Company founder, Maureen Kelly, says she started out peddling natural products in her one bedroom apartment in 1999 when she couldn’t access nourishing cosmetics sans the synthetic formulas. Her motto: Be green, be smart, be tarte. Apparently, she has a Hollywood following among those hip to the healthy. There are tons of other brands out there you can locate with your search engine.

Image: hattiesburgmemory

The sad truth is the carpets that hold up best to traffic are the ones coated with toxins. And we don’t want those in a place where humans dwell.

If you do have a healthy wool carpet in your home, you can still clean it without harsh chemicals like perchloroethylene – which the EPA has linked to kidney and liver damage. Naphthalene, made from coal tar, is also considered a carcinogen that can harm the central nervous system.

Ask cleaning services if they simply steam to lift dirt or apply shampoos to loosen those hard-to-clean coffee and wine stains. Treatments like Oxi Fresh use an oxygenated method by applying less water and natural ingredients. Some cleaners also use citrus-based products that smell much better than standard chemicals. Just check and see if their products are plant-based chemicals (Biokleen, NatureClean and Seventh Generation’s Natural Citrus Carpet Cleaner) or made with synthetics.

Here are some natural ways to go for maintaining cleaner carpet:

1. For daily maintenance, have guests and family members remove shoes when entering the house if you have carpet on the first floor. Otherwise, remove shoes before heading upstairs. Obviously there can be exceptions, such as when you are entertaining. Guests often complain about taking off shoes for a more formal event. They may have holy socks or need the height so their pants won’t droop.

2. ehow tells us to spot clean with vinegar and water by mixing equal parts into a spray bottle and applying to the stain, then blotting with a clean, dry towel. For tougher stains, you can make a paste of baking soda and water and coat the stain. Let the paste sit for about 30 minutes, then wipe away with a damp cloth. For deeper cleaning, they suggest going with biodegradable cleaners like AFM Safecoat added to a rented carpet cleaner.

3. Do It Yourself recommends regular vacuuming to prevent dirt and pet dander from settling into your carpet fibers, and to sprinkle on some baking soda before your sweep to eliminate potential orders. You can even add spice, such as cinnamon or cloves, in the baking soda before you spread it. Also, let the baking soda sit on the carpet to lift stains and dirt at least 10 minutes before you vacuum.

4. For spot removal, use a clean dry cloth or paper towel to soak up the spill and blot the stain rather than rubbing it. Once you blot it, apply club soda or soda water to dissolve and lift, then blot up the liquid. You also can use hydrogen peroxide and vinegar mixed with water or rubbing alcohol to lift the stains. You might also try making your own spot cleaner with a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent and one to two cups of water.

In terms of cleaning fiber rugs, such as sisal, it is best to just use water or soda water. These can be the hardest rugs to maintain because many products don’t work very well to get out the stains.

Let us know if you have some other tried and true green methods of carpet cleaning!

Image: adriagarcia