Posted by Darren | Posted in Eco Friendly Community | Posted on 03-03-2010
Hornet Mountain Natural Products (http://www.hornetmountain.com ) is an online store that specializes in chemical-free therapeutic skin care, natural makeup and beautiful eco-clothing in organic cotton and hemp. Founded by Astrid Kihl, a stay-at-home mom and self described “natural health freak”, Hornet Mountain began as a response to her search to find a remedy for her toddler’s chronic eczema. “I became really intense about my research. I learned so much about natural products during that time”. she says: “Just because a product is ‘naturally marketed’, does not mean the product is natural at all. I discovered that the personal care industry is fraught with deceptive tricks to make the consumer feel comfortable about using toxic chemicals on their skin. I could go on and on about this, but the bottom line is to educate yourself. The Environmental Working Group website ( http://www.ewg.org) is a great place to start .”
“We carry Keys skin care products because they use pharmaceutical-grade essential oils in therapeutic proportions. This means that the healing ingredients are of the highest quality and offer the best performance. Every batch of essential oil purchased by the manufacturer is tested to their ultra high standard for the active ingredient , as well as for microbiology, to insure that there is no contamination present (hardly anyone in the industry does this!). The list of ingredients (organic or wild crafted) on every product is under 10. The formulas are based on ancient healing remedies from various sources, like the Lakota Sioux and Ayurvedic medicine, among others.”
“We got into natural cosmetics because the cosmetics industry is even more toxic than skin care. While in an ideal society, women would feel no need to wear makeup, that is clearly not our current reality, plus it is an ancient tradition. What we are trying to do at Hornet Mountain is minimize harm. Women are becoming more educated, but still products are being deceptively marketed as ‘natural’, and there is more to it than that. MIneral makeup is a step in the right direction, however most brands use titanium as their main ingredient, which raises serious concern. Titanium in itself is not harmful, it is the dioxaine that is used to process it (titanium “dioxide”) that is a known carcinogen. Because titanium always makes a jagged particle, like fiberglass, whether on a macro or nano scale, dioxaine is leaching into your body. And that is not good”. Hornet Mountain carries a titanium-free mineral makeup line that uses wild crafted and organic arrowroot powder as its base.
“Because of my past career in apparel manufacturing for the outdoor recreation industry, I have seen an incredible amount of chemical treatments and processes that are used to make performance fabrics (nylons and polyesters). It is really not sustainable at all, and is toxic to us and therefore, to the planet. Unfortunately, conventional cotton is no different, having the distinction of being the most highly sprayed crop in the world. Working with eco-clothing is such a soul-nourishing change for me.”
Hornet Mountain sells several eco-clothing lines, such as Indigenous Designs, Itsus Eco, Nomads and Garden Kids. “I avoid wearing synthetic fabrics unless it is necessary, I also make that sure that my kids wear wear organic cotton pj’s to bed. I can’t imagine why anyone would let their kids sleep in sweaty synthetics, and/or fabric that has been treated with toxic flame retardant chemicals. If you are worried you kids’ pj’s will catch on fire, just make sure that they are snug fitting. That is just as effective, and, unlike the flame retardants, it won’t do them any harm. ”
Hornet Mountain can be found at : http://www.hornetmountain.com and on Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Hornet-Mountain-Natural-Products/196100952774?ref=ts
