(Courtesy of KneippUS.com)

Looking for ways to cool off without cranking the air conditioner all evening long? A cool bath can work wonder for stilling your mind while refreshing your body.

Here are a couple of different ideas for achieving that “ahhhh” feeling during the dog days of summer:

• While the tub is running, pour in about a teaspoon of invigorating peppermint oil, like Eden’s Garden Peppermint 100% Pure Essential Oil ($7.98). The lukewarm water will open your pores and the menthol in the oil will detoxify your skin, making you tingle from head to toe. Relax in the tub for 15 minutes and it will feel like a quick trip to the Arctic.
• Swiss company Kneipp makes the most luxurious Herbal Baths ($19), made from organically grown botanicals. They’re even more amazing if you have a whirlpool tub — the forced air creates a gentle foam that moisturizes your skin. Our favorite scents are Spruce (which smells like summer camp amid pines and lakes) and Valerian & Hops (better than chamomile tea for lulling you to sleep).
• Bring the bath with you on the road with Dr. Hauschka’s Aromatherapy Bath Kit ($19.95). Five glass vials contain enough herbal oil for 1-2 baths each, and they also make lovely foot soaks or facial steams. The scents include Lemon, Sage, Spruce, Rosemary, and Lavender, which you can use solo or custom mix, depending on your needs.

We have our theories about why shopping for fall makeup is such an event. Namely, after the blistering heat of summer starts to cool off, it’s nice to be able to wear cosmetics without fearing your entire face is going to melt by lunchtime. And with summer typically meaning tinted moisturizer and sheer washes of color if anything at all, fall wins by offering deeper shades and studies in contrasts, like bold lips or gleamy eyes.

(Courtesy of NeimanMarcus.com)

This fall, there are more eco-beauty options than ever as cosmetics companies have stepped up their game to meet rising demand. Best of all, our top picks all ring in at under $25 a pop, meaning you can stock up without blowing your whole back-to-school shopping budget.

Want to indulge in the latest trends? Here are some of the green tools you’ll need.

Healthy Flush

Love the subtle hint of color on the model at right? Fake a similar flush with Josie Maran’s Blush in Fever ($20), a rosy beige powder blush infused with organic argan oil. It’s finely milled so it will blend right in, and it’s just warm enough to define your cheeks while looking totally natural.

Gleam in Your Eye

Shine on with a little sparkly eyeshadow by Terra Firma Cosmetics. We especially like the Celestial Shimmer Loose Mineral Eyeshadow ($8.99), a pale bronze that will complement all eye colors (but really make brown and green shades pop). It’s eye-catching enough that you can forgo eyeliner.

Pair it with a generous coat of eco-mascara like Lavera’s Volume Mascara in No. 1 Black ($20). It thickens without clumps to give you big-time lashes. And it’s made with extracts of organic jojoba and wild rose oils (and no beeswax, so it’s vegan-approved).

Full-Volume Hair

Looking for hair care that works but is still formulated without parabens, synthetics, phthlates, petrolatum, and other bad-for-you chemicals? Alterna has the answer.

Our favorite is the Hemp with Organics line, and the Thickening Compound ($19) is just what you need to keep your ‘do bodylicious. It’s made with nourishing hemp-seed oil and can be used on wet or dry hair before styling, making it a versatile addition to any hair-care routine.

Luxe Lipcolor

Whether you want to rock the bold look or go nude, eco-beauty companies can hook you up. For rich, Old Hollywood lips, look no further than Dr. Hauschka’s Skin Care Lipstick in Fortissimo ($23.95). This deep garnet shade is more versatile than it looks. Push it onto lips over lip balm for a stained look, or swipe it on for full intensity.

Can’t pull off red lips? We also like Bare Minerals’ 100% Natural Lip Gloss in Wild Honey ($15). The nonsticky formula balances a creamy texture with loads of hydrating natural oils (like pomegranate, jojoba, and Vitamin E), and the peachy gold shade will light up any skintone with warmth.

Natural Moisture

Cold weather means weather-stripped skin, so protect your face with an antioxidant-rich barrier like RMS Beauty’s Lip & Skin Balm ($25). Developed by celebrity makeup artist Rose-Marie Smith, the balm is formulated with organic food-grade ingredients like coconut oil and beeswax. In vanilla and cocoa scents, you’ll want to use it on hands, lips, cuticles, hair, hands — everywhere.

Whether you’re enjoying a whirlwind summer fling or you and your husband are happily married, chances are you want to feel pretty when you head out with a hot guy on your arm. And lucky for you, eco-designers have caught on to the need for special-occasion dresses that will guarantee your date never looks away.

Here are our top three, in no particular order:

• Stewart+Brown’s floaty “Camellia” dress ($165) in organic crepe cotton is ideal for a daytime picnic or evening stroll in the park. And it’s double-layered so you won’t give your date a sneak peak at your unmentionables (until you’re ready to, that is).
• Gypsy 05′s “Emma” silk maxi dress ($219) has eye-catching movement and an ethereal hand-dyed grey print from natural pigments. It will easily transition from a high-end sushi restaurant to a beachfront bonfire.
• Pure by Justin Alexander’s organic silk dupioni sheath ($280) is billed as a wedding dress, but with its chic bateau neck, flattering length, and embellished neckline, we can easily envision it out on the town for dinner, drinks, and the theatre.

Over on Tesco’s U.K. website, The O.C. actress Mischa Barton is promoting 10 bags reportedly of her making.

However, we can’t help but notice the similarities between one of her bags and a design by a favorite eco-designer of ours, Novella Royale.

A key difference between the Mischa Barton Oversized Bowler (£45, or $70.25 in USD, pictured on the left) and the Novella Royale Mister Stud Bowler ($584, on the right) is that while Novella Royale prides itself on its high-quality recycled leather and organic cotton lining, the Tesco bag is made from polyurethane in Asian factories. Boo.

What do you think, E.S. readers? Is the similarity a coincidence or suspicious to you?

Having spent my formative years sopping up midday forehead grease with blotting papers, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the new skin-care oils that purport to do amazing things for my complexion. However, I’m so glad I’ve given them a shot — they feel amazing and my face is so much the better for it.

Here are our top picks for your skin type:

• For normal skin: Josie Maran’s Argan Oil ($48) is a miracle worker for all skin types, sinking in instantly and eliminating those dry flakes you might get from acne or anti-aging creams. It’s also fair trade and grown by a women’s collaborative in Morocco.
• For dry skin: We have a lot of love for Kiehl’s products (just check our medicine cabinet), and the Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($42) is no exception. A blend of evening primrose, lavender, and squalene oil derived from olives, this paraben-free natural oil comes packaged in recyclable glass.
• For oily and acne-prone skin: There’s a lot to love about Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil ($8.99). Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and it makes a great toner applied to a cotton pad and swiped over affected areas — not to mention its price is exceedingly reasonable.
• For anti-aging: Marie Veronique Organics makes a wonderful Anti-Aging Oil ($70) that is totally vegan and free of nut oils for allergic folks. It is a blend of grapeseed, tamanu, and borage oils with a healthy dose of Vitamin E to keep your skin looking its youthful best.

The peak of summer can be a hard time, scent-wise. Especially if you live in a city, the heat can turn scents that you could otherwise ignore — like a coworker’s perfume or the pizza place next to your apartment building — into an overwhelming sensory experience. And not a good one.

Luckily, there are an absolute ton of refreshing and eco-friendly bath and body products to look forward to at the end of a brutal day. Perk up your senses with one of the following:

• Start a spa night off on the right foot with a pick-me-up bath. We love One’s I Need This! Natural Bath Fizzer ($5.99) for its zingy scent of lemongrass and totally recyclable packaging.
• Love the energizing smell of crushed fruit? Then you’ll want to dig into the Cranberry and Pomegranate Sugar Scrub ($13) by Burt’s Bees. The exfoliator gets down and dirty on dry patches and calluses, and the ingredient list is practically edible.
• Work on your tan without heading to the Hamptons with a generous application of Lavera’s Self-Tanning Lotion ($19.86) — which gradually builds your healthy glow without the use of nasty chemicals or an even nastier fragrance.
• Lavanila’s products are already well-known among eco-beauty cultists, but now you have even more of a reason to buy up. For every product sold through its website, the company will plant a seedling through the Nature Conservancy. Our pick? The lushly floral Vanilla Blossom perfume ($58), which combines rose, orange blossom, and jasmine with Madagascar vanilla.

Fellas, know that we love you, we just have such a hard time finding well-priced eco-fashion for the men. But today, success!

Timberland’s “Chelsea” boots from its Earthkeepers collection are about to go on sale during Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale, starting Friday. (See Page 79 of the online catalogue.)

Timberland’s website describes the eco-features so nicely, we want them to come in women’s sizes too:

Our Earthkeepers™ range features tough, rugged footwear made with the environment in mind. Thanks to moisture-wicking linings made from recycled materials, organic cotton content, rugged outsoles made with Green Rubber™ material and the all-day softness of leather from a silver-rated tannery, they’re durable, lightweight and always a talking point. This is laid-back comfort — with a conscience.

What all that means is a sole made from 42 percent recycled rubber and an organic cotton canvas lining that also incorporates 100 percent recycled PET mesh fabric. And more urban-rugged style than you can shake a stick at.

Timberland Earthkeepers “Chelsea” Boots, $99.90 at Nordstrom.com (starting July 16).

We’ve had fleeting love affairs with a variety of organic or otherwise eco-friendly hair products over the years. It was hard to get used to shampoos that don’t make suds and conditioners formulated without the slippery, silky feel of silicones, but we were willing to make do for the sake of the planet.

But finally, we came across a luxury hair-care line that requires no such compromises. Alterna’s Hemp with Organics products have all the effectiveness of the brand’s famous Caviar line, but with organic ingredients as well. And none of the company’s formulas contain the parabens, synthetics, phthlates, petrolatum, and other junky chemicals you don’t want washing down the drain.

There’s a product for every summer-hair woe. Get perfect Blake Lively-esque beachy tresses with the Ocean Waves Texturizing Spray ($20). Restore shine and brilliance with the conditioning Repair Gloss ($19). Coax out great volume in your next blowout with the Thickening Compound ($28). Protect your highlights and scalp with broad-spectrum sunscreen in the Sun Recovery Spray Bi-Phase Leave-In Conditioner ($20). Love package deals? Save yourself $10 by buying the Sculpting Putty and Shine Spray set ($28.20).

We promise, you won’t be disappointed.

We know, we know: Summer’s technically only just begun, but when it’s this hot out, we start dreaming of crisp nights and cool afternoons. And a part that daydream, of course, is what we wear in the fall of our fantasies. So for the July edition of E.S. Eco-Over — our monthly feature where we take a blistering-hot trend and find a stylish equivalent from an ethical source — we take on the classic trench coat.

Burberry is pretty much synonymous with the concept, and if money were no object, a custom creation from the venerable British fashion house would be Stop No. 1 on our shopping spree. Yet we can’t help but be drawn to the impressive creamy confection from designer Richard Nicoll. And guess what? It’s 100 percent organic cotton, with a PVC belt and underlayer to keep you perfectly dry and toasty in a rainstorm. (Also check out the sweet buckles on the sleeves.)

Burberry Brit Double-Breasted Trench Coat, $895 at SaksFifthAvenue.com, versus Richard Nicoll Organic Cotton Trench Coat, $549 at TheOutnet.com.

The deliciousness of a three-day weekend looms just within reach, and the writers at E.S. wish you all a happy Independence Day.

On that note, want more inspirational stories on free-thinking designers showing serious moxie? We’ve got you covered for reading material:

• Indie rocker Morrissey offers his candid reasons for why he makes allowances for leather shoes, even though he’s a vegan.
• These small businesses are sticking to their ideals and succeeding at every turn.
• Help silk weavers in Thailand achieve financial independence by buying one of these fair-trade silk shirts and scarves by Kohtrad. Part of the proceeds support microfinance programs overseas through Kiva.org.
• Want to know what you’re really getting when you buy organic? Independent third-party certification is the way to go.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, our favorite independent movie star, also shows serious commitment to eco-ideals in fashion.

Enjoy the break, and we’ll be back at you on Tuesday.