If you live in an area of the country that gets cold in the winter, even if it doesn't snow, then you need to protect your skin from chapping, and drying out. This is not just a cosmetic issue, it is a health issue, because your skin protects your body from catching diseases. Healthy supple skin is important, and of course it also feels good.

I am the kind of person who forgets to put lotion or creams on during the day, and I don't like the way they feel on my hands while I am working, so it was difficult to find something that I could use on a regular basis and that I would want to use. After several years, I found The Body Shop's Body Butters. When they first came out, there weren't too many choices of scents, but it seems like every year now they come out with more. I like to use them after showering in the morning over moist sking, and sometimes in the evening before bed. They come in different skin types all the way to very dry, and they are never greasy. My personal favorite is the mango, but they have many floral, fruity, and natural scents. Best of all The Body Shop is an ethical, fair trade, and eco-friendly company and has been since its inception. Definitely a product to have on hand and a perfect gift for anyone. Totally worth every penny I have ever paid for it.

Keeping Your Skin Protected Against the Cold Weather originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 6, 2012.

Burt's Bees is an "Earth Friendly, Natural Personal Care Company." They create natural, Earth-friendly personal care products formulated to help you maximize your well-being and that of the world around you. Burt's Bees got their start back in 1984 in Maine, when Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz teamed up selling candles made from the beeswax created as a by-product of Burt's honey business. Burt's Bees has grown up over the past several years and a lot has changed, but there are some things that never will: their recipes, their values and their natural way of doing things.

Burt's Bees has products for the entire family, but I just love their baby care products especially formulated for baby's precious skin. These gentle, creams, powders and lotions are packed with a bundle of natural ingredients for your bundle of joy.

Burt’s Bees Baby Basket originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 5, 2012.

Eco-Chic Gifts Under $25: Hand Carved Fair Trade Assorted Gourd Bowl originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 5, 2012.

The first choice is this wonderful handmade knit hat from Concious Clothing.

The hat is handmade from 100% all natural, hand spun, hand dyed lambswool, lined in polar fleece for a super warm and soft fit, and made in my favorite colors, blue, turquoise, and black. Best of all, it is only $20.00 and fair trade. Read more about this gift here.

Eco-Chic Gifts Under $25: Knit Hat originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 4, 2012.

One of the most clever companies I have come across lately in my research for eco-chic green products is English Retreads.

In their own words:

"At English Retreads, we turn recycling into a bold fashion statement with our unique handbags and accessories. Designed specifically for conscientious consumers and savvy fashionistas, each one-of-a-kind English Retreads product is handcrafted from reclaimed truck inner tubes—right here in Boulder, Colorado.

One hundred percent vegan, our materials are an ecologically sound alternative to animal products. And even though our bags are designed to keep on truckin' forever, it's always good to buy a spare. Following in the tire tracks of Henry Ford's original Model T, English Retreads are available in any color you want—as long as it's black!"

English Retreads gets the inner tubes from truck stops in the Boulder, Colorado area where they are located. And the bags are really cute, and can take a lot of wear and tear.

English Retreads-Recycling Rubber Tires originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 4, 2012.

Alternation reflects their varied talents. To purchase Alternation, you can link directly to the page on Lake Erie Artists Gallery's website, and I will ship it right to you, or you can buy it directly from Amazon in the U.S. or Amazon in the UK.

Both Shannon and Alexandra are very into recycling and reusing old materials in new ways. Shannon is an expert knitter and crocheter. She has written several other books on both topics, the most well known is the knitgrrl series. For more information on Shannon's books, click here.

Alexandra Underhill (also known as Xan) is most well known as a costume designer, dancer, and stiltwalker. She also is a proponent of eating raw foods. If you see a woman on a pair of stilts, and her hair is blond with other colors mixed in, chances are that it is Xan. This is her first book.

Alternation: The Perfect Eco-Chic Gift for Creative Sewers and Knitters originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 1, 2012.

These are the Eco-Friendly features per Samsung:

• The Samsung Reclaim is designed with environmentally-responsible components and fully recyclable packaging, including:
• Its bio-plastic material, made from corn, makes up 40 percent of the Reclaim's outer casing. Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR): three materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines.
• The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy-based ink.
  The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access at www.sprint.com/reclaimsupport.
• The charger is Energy Star approved for meeting the highest energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption and is equipped with a visible notification to alert you to unplug the handset once it's fully charged.

Additionally, $2 of each purchase will benefit The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world’s most beautiful and important natural habitats.

For more information on the technical features, click here.

I honestly can't decide what I think of this phone yet. I will have to do some research. Do you know anyone who has tried it yet?

Have You Seen the Samsung Reclaim Phone Yet? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 29, 2012.

I have long thought that although the Kindle is a wonderful device to have, that many people would prefer to read their books on a bigger screen or on a device they already own. While I understand that Amazon would like to sell as many Kindles as possible, in today's economy, some people would rather just buy the downloads of the books, instead of a new electronic device. Not only that, but people use computers every day in their work or at home, and if they love the Kindle app on their computer, they are much more likely to buy a Kindle.

So here it is folks! You can now download the FREE Kindle Reading Apps today, try out a book on your new app, and check out what all the fuss is about. I know that since I am an avid reader, I will definitely be adding the FREE Kindle Reading Apps to my computer ASAP. And why not? Who knows if it will be free forever, and I would love to save paper as much as possible.

Dare we call this Eco-Chic Green Reading?

Amazon Adds New Free Kindle Applications for Mobile Devices Computers originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 21, 2012.

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately exploring eBay's World of Good. It is a growing shopping mall for green gifts, and specialty items, and really fun to browse.

I recommend that you browse eBay's World of Good to see what they have to offer and bookmark some items for your friends and relatives. It is always good to know that you are contributing to the health and well being of your friends and family.

Here is one of my personal favorites this week:

Alex and Ani St. Christopher Bracelet
I think that I might have to get one of these for myself.

For my friends, this is a great gift:

Natural Handmade Balm for Dry Skin

To go directly to the World of Good website, click here.

Getting Frustrated Looking for Green Gifts? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 20, 2012.

Green Nest is a very interesting company that specializes in organic green products for the home with a special emphasis on products to make your home cleaner and pollutant free. Green Nest has an entire line of air purifiers and non-toxic building products as well as home decor, bedding, and other general home products.

Air purifiers are especially helpful for people with allergies, and other immune system compromising disorders but they are also really great for any family. In the winter, when we are cooped up indoors breathing each other's air, it is much easier to catch colds and the flu. With an air purifier you can reduce that likelihood immensely.

Organic Eco-Chic Green Bathrobes originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 19, 2012.