Image from theleoafricanus.com: Zola Budd Barefoot

Have you seen the news lately about barefoot running actually being good for your feet? I just read about it on TreeHugger. Turns out, according to reserachers, that “runners who have trained barefoot tend to strike the ground with the ball or mid-foot, rather than their heel. Whereas runners wearing cushioned running shoes tended to hit the ground with their heel first.”

Though I only run periodically, I’m curious to try this barefoot method – assuming I can find a clean trail. It’ll also give me a great opportunity to really test the powers of some of the foot potions on our site. Who better to know what ache-y feet need  than an Argentine tango dancer, who’s spent hours dancing in 4″ stiletto heels? Barbara Todd, of Lumino Wellness fame, is just that. Her Himalayan Salt Crystals & Organic Coconut Oil Scrub “can transform your feet from rough and painful to smooth and beautiful.” And Peppermint Foot Serum from She Essential Beauty is a “therapeutic blend of certified organic oils and herbal extracts provide a cooling treatment for hot, tired feet.” Aaaahhh!

Stay tuned for a report on my barefoot running experiment….

Hey there, I’m Lisa.

I’m super excited to have an opportunity to reach out to you through my Abe’s Market Blog. If you are passionate about our Earth, living natural and enjoying personal care products then you and I have a lot in common.

I adore personal care products but I’m not a fan of artificial additives and toxic ingredients that are so commonly found in basic items today.

My goal with this blog (besides making new friends) is to introduce natural alternatives to luxurious products that make you feel pretty and fabulous.

I cringe at the thought of the thousands of beautiful ladies unknowingly applying Phosphates, Chlorhexidine, gluconate, Ethanol, Hydrogen peroxide and Methyl salicylate on their lips before their dates. Yes, those are just some of the ingredients found in popular lipsticks today. It’s a scary reality.

I love lipstick but refuse to ingest these toxins.  So, I’ve found a non-toxic alternative that looks fabulous and speaks my language of love, hope and compassion.

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics is unlike most cosmetic companies available today. Their beauty philosophy is to not act like a cosmetic company but to act as a movement for humanity and to create a beautiful c a u s e. Inspired by truth, health and individual growth, each lipstick has simple mementos about freedom, joy, wisdom, voice and self-esteem. Their products are created with natural, pure ingredients like beeswax, grapeseed oil and vitamin E. It’s their dedication to the beauty world, and I am thankful for that.

My red favorite: Paint me Compassionate

Be sure to always wear with a smile. It looks good on ya!

A simple way to share the c a u s e: I like to buy two: 1 for myself and 1 for a girlfriend who is in the dark about lipstick toxins.

We often try the products before they are offered on Abe’s or soon after. Because Green-Lullaby’s Multibox has been in such demand we only received one a few days ago. This coincided with our goal of starting to feature videos of products. Jon and I shot two videos, one with his kids and one with mine. Objectively, my kids love the Multibox and had a whole lot of fun putting it together. There has been a lot of opening the lids to put new toys in and Uri was trying to sit inside one of them early this morning.

Here is our first of hopefully many videos of us interacting with fun, useful and natural goods that can be found on Abe’s Market…

We at Abe’s Market are about feeling good. Feeling good about what you buy because it is natural and made by someone who you can get to know and hopefully feel their passion for what they do.

We try not to push fear. By fear  I am referring to the practice of focusing on how the less-than-natural elements will effect you and your family eg toxins in baby bottles. Fear is a fantastic motivator, think of what was going through your head when you last bought insurance, an electronics warranty or paid for a top notch lawyer.

Because of our excitement around feeling good, I felt great when I saw this quote from Liz and Holly, the co-founders of our new seller Bag The Habit “It’s not about hating plastic; it’s about loving your reusable bag.” A solid reusable bag makes me feel great about not wasting plastic or paper AND they are simply a better way to carry groceries – they handle more and have little chance of breaking. They are an improvement over how I used to function (this is where the feel good part comes in and we didn’t even need to mention that 300 billion plastic bags per year have to end up being buried somewhere;).

The eco-dough made by eco-kids has me feeling the same way, it is a whole lot of fun and an improvement over competitors- plus I have had a chance to get to know Cammie and her husband Kip and I feel good about supporting them.

We had a hunch it would find favor in your eyes but after appearing in Parents magazine Green-Lullaby’s Multibox has been selling like hot cakes (organic whole wheat hot cakes of course). Green-Lullaby has had the product on back-order as they replenish inventory and we have been trying hard to make buyers aware that their order will be delayed by up to a week or so.

It has been a pleasure dealing with the list of people who we have reached out to help explain the delay. It strengthens my belief that as long as people are informed they are willing to wait longer than they expected without holding a grudge. A genuine thank you to all of you who have been more than understanding about the delay.