Many readers have asked me to share a list of my favorite personal care products. My criteria for choosing personal care products is primarily that they have to be 100% biodegradable and made with certified organic ingredients when possible. Additionally, I make sure that they are free of harmful synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, preservatives, petroleum products, parabens, phthalates, FD&C colorants or dyes, and other toxic chemicals. Here are a few my favorite products:

1. Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi by Desert Essence for face, hands and body. I’ve been using this for many years. I buy the 32 oz refill bottles to refill the soap dispensers I keep in showers and sinks around the house. The tea tree oil in it makes it a natural antibacterial soap, but it can also burn the eyes as a result of it. It leaves the skin clean and soft like.

2. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Castile Soap Lavender for face, hands and body. I love the smell of this soap, which I use alternately with the Thoughroughly Clean Face Wash. I buy the 32 oz refill bottles to fill up my soap dispensers. I don’t like using any one product exclusively as I think variety and moderation are important.

3. Aubrey Organics Camomile Luxurious Shampoo. I love the smell of this product. It’s not very foamy as it doesn’t contain toxic petroleum surfactants but it cleans hair well and leaves it nice and shiny.

4. Aubrey Organics Camomile Conditioner. It makes hair silky and soft as long as you use plenty of water to rinse the hair thoughroughly. Otherwise, it leaves residues in the hair making the hair feel sticky and hard to detangle.

5. Peelu dental fibers. It doesn’t taste very good but it cleans teeth well. To be followed by flossing and Peelu toothpaste or Burt’s Bees Toothpaste.

6. Ecodent Dental Floss.

The Easter tradition of dying easter eggs for most American kids is all about using toxic supermarket Easter-egg dying kits. But you can use organic foods such as juice, onion skins, paprika, cabbage, carrots, coffee and spinach to make your own Easter egg dyes. Christina over at the SoloMother blog tells us how.

Warda, who publishes the 64 sq ft Kitchen blog has a wonderful recipe for roasted garlic oil. The reciepe will produce, in fact, two foods: oily garlic (called garlic mash), and garlicky oil. The Vegetarian Organic Blog, as you know, is all about the most healthy, delicious foods. And I also believe that a little planning and common sense can make the preparation of great food quick and easy. Roasted garlic oil is a perfect way to plan ahead for health and deliciousness. Garlic is one of the most powerful superfoods around. Eat it often to avoid getting sick, and when you do feel under the weather, garlic will fix you faster than any other food. Olive oil is an extremely healthful cooking fat. As always, buy only organic garlic and olive oil. As Warda points out, roasted garlic oil keeps unrefrigerated for at least a month. The garlic mash lasts that long, too, but in the refrigerator. The garlic oil will make it easy to prepare other foods that call for olive oil and a mild garlic flavor. The garlic mash will supply you with an instant superfood replacement for unhealthy things like butter, or store-bought relishes and dressings. Enjoy!

If you're going to be bringing a giant plant into your home this holiday season, makes sure it's organic. Some Christmas tree farms use dozens of toxic pesticides and chemical colorants. Where do you find organic trees? EcoBusinessLinks has an incomplete list. Green Promise has a few more. If you don't find an organic tree seller on one of these lists, add the name of your town to this Google search, and hopefully you'll find one.

Here's how to keep cilantro (also known as coriander) fresh for two weeks: Cut the bottom off the stems, rinse and place in a glass of water. Cover it loosely with plastic, but not so tight that the leaves can't dry, and place in the refrigerator. Change the water every few days.

Baked sweet potatoes make a delicious snack all by themselves, or can be pureed to make an ingredient for baking. Bake in 350 F oven. Wash and scrub well. Use a piece of parchment paper big enough to wrap around sweet potato once just like wrapping a hard candy with the ends twisted. Place in oven and bake from 35 to 50 minutes depending on size but until completely tender. Allow to cool and remove spoon and mash. To store for later use, store sweet potatoes in the refrigerator without removing the parchment paper. They make delicious snacks.