Nothing goes together like a recession and a paint brush.

If you can’t afford to remodel (and who can?) and are stuck with a peeling, fiberglass clawfoot tub, tap into some ingenuity and resource non-toxic paints and supplies, pure shower curtains, an organic floor mat and go to town.

If you’re opting to go the DIY tub redux route you will want to bone up on stripping off the old finish first. You can visit many good how-to tutorials at sites like ehow. Or,  if you have the budget, hire a tub refinishing service, like Bay Area Coatings. Either way, you are salvaging an old treasure that adds oodles of character to the modern bath.

Here are a few cool designs to inspire:

Steal this teal kids’ bath design from Canadian House and Home.

Basking in blue is oh-so-country French. Eating a baguette in the bain is nice, too. From Apartment Therapy.

How succulent is this cool citrus desert palette from Decorology?

Some lemon aid to brighten the old friend from Country Living.

Basic black is tres chic and sleek, from Happy Living Design.

Stripes to center the mod energy of the citified clawfoot, from Apartment  Therapy.

Check out other DIY ideas at this cute site.

Main Image: Fixer Upper

A few years ago, a dentist told me I’d need dentures by the time I was 50 – that’s how bad my teeth and gums were. Granted, they didn’t look bad – my teeth are strong, straight and pearly white – but my gums were already declining. I was brushing twice a day, but I wasn’t flossing and I was eating plenty of sweets.

After two root canals (and I’m only 30!), I take much better care. I still don’t floss as often as I should, but at least it’s more than I used to. I’d like to save my teeth, and save money too. Here are my natural dental care tips:

First and foremost, use a tongue cleaner. I know, it sounds icky, but the slimy stuff on your tongue when you wake up is plaque. It’s ickier to leave it on.
You have to floss. There’s no way around it. Do anything to make it fun! My husband and I have made a pact to remind each other to floss every morning. Do we always remember? No, but it’s a start!
Use ayurvedic toothpaste for the best blend of warming, astringent and detoxifying herbs. These herbs will promote gum circulation, tightening and cleansing.
Sprinkle baking soda on your toothpaste for extra cleansing and whitening.
Brush a few times a week with a paste made of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Rub this on your gums too.
Rinse with green tea for a natural fluoride wash.
If you get a toothache after all that, clove oil works wonders. Apply directly to the painful tooth with a Q-tip so you don’t get the burning oil on your gums. A paste of ginger and cayenne powder also works.
Check out Pristine Planet’s dental care page for a variety of natural products for teeth and gums.

May as well green up the routine, too! Use a Preserve toothbrush made from recycled plastic.

I often grumble about all the work and time it takes to care for my teeth, but I suppose it’s better to have teeth to take care of in the first place! Let us know your own dental care tips in the comments below.

Image: ninette_luz

Here’s our final Mother’s Day giveaway: this organic and functional loofah luxe gift set. While you cleanse your body with a natural body brush and moisturizing vegetable-based soap, the decorative sponge they come in can be used to store your favorite beauty products. The sponge is sustainably harvested. A $98 value. Leave a comment to enter to win. Good luck!

It’s ideal for that teeny-weeny hotel room in Tokyo or the mod green apartment that’s tight on space but big on water solutions. Yes, if you don’t mind straddling the bowl or facing a faucet sideways to wash up, you will love The Profileâ„¢ Toilet Suite with an Integrated Hand Basin.

I’m flushed with inspiration just looking at this unique dual system from Australia, the first of its kind. It incorporates a unique integrated dual-flush push button and spout combination designed to lower total bathroom water usage. It looks pretty cool, too, I suppose because it offers the unexpected.

How does it go?

Number One: It lowers water consumption in the bathroom by allowing water to be used for two purposes. Fresh water is first used for hand washing (thank goodness) and then it flows into the cistern to flush the toilet.

Number Two: The ergonomic space saving design of the compact unit features a landing at the back to accommodate a liquid soap dispenser and at the same time is configured to ensure the lid and seat will remain upright when lifted. Hear that, husbands?

Worried about soapy water in the bowl? The company says tests have been conducted to guarantee this will have no adverse effect on the operation of the suite.

This combo is already catching on down under and will soon be available to North Americans.

Last week I wrote about Anti-Body’s line of natural bath and body products. Since then I’ve had the liberty of testing out the peppermint lip balm known to rival Burt’s Bees and I must say that I’m hooked. It’s not as pungent as Burt’s and leaves lips feeling silky and soft, rather than sticky and tingly.

Anti-Body wants you to see for yourself, and so, right in time for the holidays, they are offering EcoSalon readers 10% off a total online order. This special coupon will be available through December 31 when you enter the “EcoSalon” code upon checkout. These products make great gifts, so buy away. Thanks, Anti-Body!

We probably could smell our way to becoming better green citizens, especially when it comes to conventional shower curtains and other vinyl products that off-gas toxic odors. If they reek, they’re probably bad for us and the planet.

But will cotton coverage keep you dry? Not as much as the nasty plastic, so just be careful where you aim your shower head.

You might try the Pack Cloth liners, $50 from Pristine Planet, which are made from durable urethane-coated nylon, a fabric which doesn’t off-gas chemicals.

For curtains, check out these options:

The Birch Shower curtain from Eco Bathroom is understated in its damask weave neutral pattern, but offers a healthier way to keep that bathroom floor dry while rinsing off. Made of organic cotton and linen, it’s $98 and very washable.

Hemp is another way to go clean in the shower. Did you know a vinyl shower curtain releases more than 100 different volatile oganic compounds into the air during the first month hanging in your shower? This natural material is soft and pretty and will arrive much bigger than advertized at Green Home. It shrinks to its actual size after several washings. Also, pretty hemp selections are available from “Eco wise” along with natural brass rings.

A touch of pastel lines these cotton chenille curtains from Land of Nod, $50.

Sohpisiticated for an eco option, the metrobrown organic twill curtains  come in two-toned brown or moss, from $75 at No Feathers Please.

Of course the rings make a difference, too. Avoid plastic and find cool twine and hemp designs, like these colorful ones from Rawganique.

Image: House of Sims

What’s the difference between hand soap and body soap?

My opinion is that there shouldn’t be any. I respect the skin of my hands just as much as that anywhere else on my body (after all, finger-tips are in charge of one of our five senses). But conventional wisdom seems to be that liquid hand soap should be harsher, more aggressive. That doesn’t sound very wise to me.

In Sarah’s words, what we need is a soap that feeds the skin – natural, sustainable, effective but gentle. (Feeding, yes – intoxicating, no). So we’re talking about Castile Soap, produced purely from vegetable oils. Dr. Bronner’s range is a market leader in the States, with a tagline that confirms everything I think about good soap – “All-One”. Reviews? Glowing (here’s Adam’s, over at Life Goggles).

In the U.K., we’re big on two brands of eco-friendly liquid soap – Ecosoapia and Ecover. I’ve no hands-on experience with the former (which enjoyed a lot of media attention in the first half of 2007) but I’m a fan of Ecover, which leaves my hands feeling and smelling like they’re freshly laundered.

Don’t take my word – test them yourself! A stockist of both Ecosoapia and Dr. Bronner’s is EcoHip – for example, the peppermint Ecosoapia variety costs around $12, and 16 oz. of Dr. Bronner’s Pure Almond Castile Liquid Soap is around $13 (note: this soap is better value than it looks, since it’s thick enough to water down and still remain useful).

Image: B.G. – Oodwin

You might wonder how the young founder of Envision Beauty decided to pursue a miracle solution in skincare. Having traveled the world to learn about traditional beauty practices, Kimberly Snyder, already a natural health advocate, felt called to deliver a potion to the masses that would fulfill facial product desires everywhere.

After a short gig at a major cosmetics company, Kimberly became even more frustrated with bottom-line beauty and knew that she could create something better. The result is The Solution, a one-stop shop for your face that will have you saying goodbye to the bottomless beauty kit collecting dust in your bathroom.

Kimberly’s concoction is a formulation of botanicals like goji, acai and grapeseed extract coupled with scientifically proven compounds that work together to keep skin radiant. The product is lighter than most creams and avoids mineral oils, fillers, harsh synthetics, and chemical preservatives that other beauty products use to fill in lines and mask problems. The lighter the cream, the more your skin can breathe and let the real you shine through.

Envision also donates 10% of its profits to charitable organizations around the world.

Have you tried Envision? We’re curious to know if this product is worth the purchase!

Are the green gatherers of EcoSalon up for the Navy Shower?

Ten-minute hot showers might feel like a slice of heaven first thing in the morning, but it’s really not doing much for the environment. And it sure doesn’t help with keeping the utility bills down. Those ten minutes in the shower equals around 60 gallons (230 liters) of water being wasted. Take one shower a day for a year and your water usage equates to well over 20,000 gallons. That’s a whole lot of water going down the drain.

There are many ways of reducing your shower water usage, ranging from water saving shower heads to shorter showers (get a

digital shower timer to help with this). But for a unique and enticingly extreme way of reducing your water footprint, why not take up the fine art of the “navy shower“ once a week?

Frequently used by the military, especially on naval vessels where conservation of fresh water is extremely important, the navy shower consists of the following steps.

Turn water on and quickly wet your body.

Turn water off and apply soap to body and shampoo to hair.

Turn water on and rinse off.

Grab towel and dry off.

It’s simple. It’s quick. And only uses about 3 gallons (11 liters) of water.

But I have to admit, it doesn’t sound like much fun, especially in winter!

Image: Phil Romans

Who would have ever imagined the day when Clorox, makers of the ubiquitous chlorine bleach, would come out with a line of eco-friendly cleansers? 

But here they are, 7 Green Works natural products such as bathroom cleanser, dishwashing liquid, and glass  & surface cleaner. Fragrance comes from essential oils, there is no phosphorus or bleach, and cleaning agents are coconut based.
Green Works has been endorsed by both the The Sierra Club and the Design for the Environment Program. It will be very interesting to see over time if Clorox is merely testing the marketing waters or committed to cleaning them.