Welcome

Welcome to Happily Green Ever After. My objective is to share with you easy natural healthier ways to do things. Chemicals and toxins are everywhere: in the products that we buy to clean our home, in the air that we breathe, in the food that we eat, in the beauty products that we use, etc. We consume endlessly, influenced by the ads and the marketing, spending money buying unnecessary products that endanger our health, when there are easy cost effective natural ways. These natural solutions are better for us, as well as for our planet.

We dot not have a second planet to go to. For the sake of our children, we need to make some changes. I want to help you to make these changes, these easy changes, by gathering all the recipes, solutions and remedies that I have gathered and tested along the years, all here in this blog.

All recipes, solutions and remedies can be found in the section Natural Solutions and are organized in different categories found at the bottom of the page. You can also sign up for the newsletter to receive all new posts via email also at the bottom of the page. I am looking forward to reading your comments, experiences, ideas, and questions either in the comment section at the bottom of each post, or in the contact section.

Natural Solutions

For a list of all recipes click here. To browse by category, please scroll down.

The best ecological, natural, universal cleaner for your home

Clay stone is a universal cleaner very popular in Europe, that replaces many conventional cleaning products. In French it is called “pierre d’argile.” Try it once and it will immediately become your favourite ally to clean your house, especially in the kitchen and the bathroom. The clay stone is basically a scrubbing paste with multiple uses: it cleans, …

About me

Who am I?

My name is Vanessa, I am married and have two wondeprofile picrful children, a 10 year old girl and 7 year old boy.

Where am I from?

I was born and raised in the French part of Switzerland. I am also half Spanish from my father’s side and an American citizen after having studied and worked in the US for over 12 years. I currently live in the North of Germany.

What do I do? 

I used to work in marketing in the music industry. But that was a long time ago, as I quit my job to follow my husband. I guess you can call me a homemaker now. I love caring for my family, cooking, gardening, yoga, reading and decorating. And I always look for a natural solution to any problem that needs solving. That began when the kids were born and I have collected and tested an incredible amount of remedies since then, either searching in books and websites, or learning them in herbal medicine, aromatherapy or naturopathy classes.

Why this blog?

I am a firm believer in natural remedies and solutions. I am also appalled by the state of our planet and I am convinced that there are natural better solutions for every problem. I educate myself daily and I test these remedies on myself and my family. This blog is about gathering all those solutions and remedies in one place, easy to find and easy to follow in an attempt to simplify your life.

Wordbook

This section includes terms and ingredients that are frequently used and mentioned in my blog. It will be growing with time.

It is essential that you purchase these ingredients in good organic quality for best results and also as our objective is to avoid dangerous chemicals at all cost. So do spend a bit more money remembering that you are saving a lot more by not purchasing those chemical based processed products. In other words, invest in your health and in the planet!

Baking Soda is also called sodium bicarbonate. It should not be confused with baking powder, which only contains 30% of sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is alkaline and can be used in baking, pest control, disinfecting, etc. Many natural solutions require baking soda and I therefore recommend that you always have it at home and that you directly purchase a bigger pack.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with our development and reproduction, and may cause serious neurological, immune-system effects, and cancerous tumors. They are commonly found in personal items, medicines, cleaning products, canned foods, non-stick cookware, etc. Always check the ingredients listed before buying anything. Unfortunately, these endocrine disruptors are everywhere, even in so called natural and organic products. These are a few very common ones that you should memorize and avoid at all costs: parabens, triclosan, phtalates, bpa, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, PEG, petrolatum, etc.

Epsom Salt is also called magnesium sulfate and looks like thick salt. It is 100% natural and can be purchased at Walgreens (USA), at the pharmacy (Europe) or in the Internet (amazon). My recommendation is to buy a big pack of it as it tends to be more cost effective. Also, the recipes call for a large amount of it.

Fluoride is a highly toxic substance and should be avoided at all costs. Therefore do not purchase any product that includes fluoride (examples: table salt, tooth paste, etc.) If you want to inform yourself about the dangers of fluoride, click here

Honey is of course always natural, as it is derived from the nectar of flowers. It is however very often heated and processed for pasteurization. It is therefore important that you purchase your honey raw, organic, unpasteurized and ideally local. Honey does not turn bad.

Hydrogen Peroxyde (3%) is the only germicidal agent composed only of water and oxygen, and is considered the world’s safest all natural sanitizer. It can kill bacteria, mold, mildew, and fungus. It is also a sterilizer. It can be used to disinfect all your surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom, remove stains, and even to clean mirrors and stainless steel. It is a safe alternative to bleach. Hydrogen peroxide is sensitive to light, so it must be kept in an opaque bottle.

Salt should be purchased unrefined as it is high in essential minerals and lower in sodium. Avoid table salt at all costs, and avoid any salt with fluoride added. You don’t need to spend a fortune to buy unrefined salt. It is not necessary to go for the Himalayan pink or Celtic sea salt. Go local instead, and keep it unrefined.

Shea Butter is an absolute must-have. It is thick and solid at room temperature yet has a buttery rich consistency. Shea butter moisturizes, reduces inflammation and smoothes your skin. It has anti-aging properties and helps the collagen production. Please purchase your shea butter unrefined, unbleached and organic. Store away from direct heat and light. Shea butter does not turn bad.

Contact

Feel free to contact me with any questions, ideas, or experiences. I am looking forward to hearing from you.