To tame your tresses without stressing them, skip the sulfates, silicone and synthetics and instead look for nurturing, plant-based products. Botanical blends work splendidly on hair and are usually much less harsh than preparations full of foaming agents and detergents. Jonathan Product is a premium salon line with a difference. Their shampoos are infused with a sugar-derived surfactant to cleanse gently and any water in the formula has been deionized and purified. Ojon's Volumizing Foam uses palm nut oil from the remote rainforests of Central America to deeply condition and coddle hair without weighing it down. And Weleda Rosemary Conditioner does its smoothing and detangling job with a mixture of rosemary extract, aloe vera and calendula. (This company knows its way around kinder, gentler products — they've been doing business since 1921.) Nature's Gate also makes a great line of value-priced (yet heavenly) shampoos and conditioners, so you can go green while saving some green.
In the Mane — Hair Care
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Primitive Beauty — Face
Can we get the same bang for our buck from natural products as we do from more conventional skin care? Absolutely — and without most of the synthetic chemicals like paraben, petroleum, preservatives and animal byproducts to gum up the works. Sensitive skins will truly appreciate the Avalon Organics line — they cleanse and moisturize with lavender, white tea, chamomile and other complexion calmers. They're a conscience soother, using only 100% vegetarian ingredients. The new higher-end collection, Care by Stella McCartney, also uses 100% vegetarian ingredients that are organic and grown under strict environmental controls that omit pesticides and chemical fertilizers. For a more affordable way to bag your botanicals, try Burt's Bees. This immensely popular collection eschews animal testing and uses folksy yet truly effective formulations made from down-home stuff like beeswax, sunflower oil, orange wax and rosemary extract. To top off all that healthy slathering, consider a mineral makeup foundation: Bare Escentuals covers flaws with pure crushed minerals that provide a natural SPF 15.
Scents & Sensibility — Fragrance
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Does wearing scent ever give you a whopper of a headache? Do even short elevator rides with perfume laden passengers leave you sneezing and teary-eyed? You could be allergic to very common ingredients in popular fragrances. And even if you aren't overly sensitive to phthalates, synthetic dyes or various petrochemicals, you'll probably love the more subtle effect you'll get from a scent that's primarily plant-based. Aubrey Organics eau de parfums are produced with organic essential oils and can be worn by those sensitive to other scents. (Even their powders are made from rice and tapioca starch rather than talc.) Caudalie offers an energizing fragrance overflowing with grape water, blackcurrant bud and bergaptene-free bergamot. A big plus — it's non-photosensitizing, so you can wear it under the sun without a reaction. Korres Body Water adds a bunch of vitamins to the mix (B5, magnesium and zinc) and leaves out silicone. Lavanila is also extraordinary — they've eliminated anything that could possibly irritate, and suffused their olfactory treats with active botanicals, antioxidants and magnificent Madagascar vanilla.
Plant a Kiss — Lips
Your skin can absorb up to 60% of the products you put on it, and since your lips are much thinner than the rest of your epidermis, you should seriously consider pampering that pucker. Look for balms, sticks and salves with a high concentration of botanical smoothing ingredients like plant oils, fruit essences, nut butters and mineral tints. Kiss My Face makes an irresistible lip balm infused with chamomile, goldenseal and peppermint oil. Avoid preservatives and petroleum byproducts. Beeswax and jojoba oil — both found in Boscia's Salve Stick — do just as good a job sans the synthetics. If you have a sensitive mouth steer clear of essential oils, which may be slightly harsh. Dr. Bronner's all-organic "Naked" balm is free of irritants. And for the ultimate in "green" beauty, Cargo's PlantLove lipstick is entirely biodegradable. The tube is made of corn and the carton is embedded with wildflower seeds that sprout when you plant it.
Feel Like a Natural Woman — Body
Let's start with the basics. If you're serious about product purity in any cosmetic or skin care offering, look for the USDA Organic seal. This ensures that the ingredients are at least 95% organic. ("Made with organic ingredients" on the label indicates at least 70% organic components.) Of course, you may simply be interested in products packed with a goodly amount of botanicals, or concocted without harsh chemicals. When preservatives are shunned and natural colors and fragrances used, I think the result is more vivid and fragrant than anything artificial. John Masters body milks and washes burst with certified organic essential oils and are sulfate-free for a decadent and healthy treat. Jason Natural packs 85% aloe vera into their soothing lotion, and Dr. Hauschka uses botanicals like almond and apricot kernal oils and bentonite clay to power-up their potions. And one of the pioneers of socially-conscious and environmentally-friendly skincare, The Body Shop, brings us shower gels, soaps, moisturizers and scrubs that invigorate and inspire with unbelievably luscious scents.
