Naturally Bare

Ok, I admit it. I was totally sucked into a product greenwashing experience this last week. You see, sometimes I'm not totally game or have time to make my own sugaring solution for waxing my parts and I succumb to pre-made products. I really like Moom, but it's hard to find, so occasionally I will cheat and buy the pre-wax strips. There's a lot of waste, so I really don't like doing this.

Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a new product that touts that it is "pure, all natural honey, sugar, chamomile and lemon", just like the simple ingredients in Moom home sugaring! Not only that, but the spatulas are made of natural birch wood and, the clincher, the removal strips are made of biodegradable corn recyclable packaging! There's a happy photo showing the four main ingredients all encompassed in a circle: honey, turbinado sugar, chamomile and lemon.

The product is actually by Sally Hansen and is called Naturally Bare Honey Wax Hair Remover for Body. Had I found the holy grail of sugaring? A product that was readily available in stores and, as they advertise, "gentle on your skin, gentle on the environment"? Um, no. First of all, the product stank. Moom smells like honey and not much else. This stuff smelled like a chemical lab explosion. It spread on easily, but was difficult to remove.

And those corn based biodegradable removal strips? Really hard to use, got gunked up fast and generally resulted in a painful, ineffective experience. When I bought the product, I was under the impression that the entire ingredient list was the happy 4 products shown in the circle, based on the packaging. But, when you read the small print, the main ingredients are: corn syrup, fructose, glucose, sucrose and saccaride hydrolysate. Then come the more herbal ingredients. Finally, to top things off, are two nasty customers: methylparaben and propylparaben.

In case you don't remember, parabens are synthetic preservatives and antimicrobials used to extend shelf life. Studies have found that parabens mimic estrogen in the body and disrupt normal hormone function, and they have been found in breast-tumor biopsies. So, while Moom uses naturally occurring preservatives, this product has resorted to something potentially cancerous. And, how is this "good for you, safe and effective. The ideal wax for a healthy, natural lifestyle"?

The "soothing aftercare gel" also includes sodium methylparaben, sodium ethylparaben and sodium propylparaben in case you didn't get enough from the wax itself. I'm highly disappointed in this greenwashing. If the product were actually effective, I could overlook the awkward corn based removal strips. But, since it wasn't easy or useful and it contains ingredients I would like to avoid (and was duped into thinking weren't in the product), I give this product a huge two thumbs down.

The sad thing is that most people will be sucked into this product, much like I was. So, the take home lesson is that, if it is too good to be true, it most likely is.

Physicians Formula Organic Wear review

When I saw these products in my local drugstore I was extremely excited. I can't say that I've ever used Physicians Formula products before, but their Organic Wear line looked very promising. [Disclaimer: I have in no way been contacted, in contact or compensated by this company.]

What drew me in was the fact that it is the first ECOCERT Certified Organic line of makeup in the U.S., which means it contains 100% certified organic ingredients, and the packaging is fantastic - most of it is recyclable or made from recycled materials. Since I'm doing some makeup recon for the green makeover show, I took the liberty of buying a few products to test out. And, I needed a few things anyway.

Let me back up and also confess that I've developed an allergy to commercial lipsticks and lipbalms. I don't know what the ingredient in them is, but every time I've used a conventional product in the last two and a half years, my lips would burn and lightly peel for about a month afterwards. Not pretty. Then I'd forget and apply something or other and it would begin again.

So, part of my mission was to find a lipstick that didn't make my lips irritated. As such, I tested out the lipstick first. Since it's 100% free of chemicals, synthetic preservatives and parabens, I was hopeful. And, since it has no fragrance, the smell isn't exactly welcoming, particularly since ones lips are so close to your nose. It smells strongly like crayons.

They advertise it as being ultra-moisturizing, but I found the lipstick to be almost impossible to apply without already having a lipbalm on first. But, aside from the smell and texture of a crayon, I had no reaction to it. Woohoo!

Next up was a concealer stick. Again I was excited because the packaging on the tube was so cool and it comes it color corrective shades as well. Unfortunately, the "ultra-smooth" was not as advertised.

The concealer was essentially rock hard and, try as I might, I couldn't get any to actually go on my skin. And I wasn't about to rub the crap out of my under eye to get it on there. The stick is so hard, it snapped in half when I tried to get some concealer off onto a tissue just to see if I could. So, for the concealer, I'd say that this one is a huge failure and totally unusable.

Last up was the mascara which, even though it was ranked highly by Allure magazine, I've been kind of afraid to try given my experience with their other two products. With its cool packaging (see image at top left) and 100% recyclable eco-brush, it certainly is a super stylish looking product. So, I don't really have a review on this product - if I get the gumption to give it a try, I'll let you know what I think.

Burt's Bees Aftershave for Men

My husband has never been one to use many personal care products. When I met him, I'm pretty sure he used a bar of Ivory soap for everything - shampoo included. Add in antipersirant and toothpaste and that about rounds it out. So, lately, when he's been having more issues with razor burn when shaving, he was at a loss as to what to try.

Since his skin issues are somewhat related to his stem cell transplant (one of the "side effects" is the donor immune system attacking your skin), he wanted to make sure that whatever product he used was gentle and non-irritating. Figuring something like Aqua Velva would be appalling on a number of different levels, I went in search of an aftershave for him that was naturally based and soothing.

Now, I know that some of you get your panties in a twist now that Burt's Bees* is owned by some unfriendly conglomerate, but the ingredient list on their Natural Skin Care for Men Aftershave included mostly innocuous ingredients, with the main ones being sunflower and coconut oils.

Not only does it have a nice smell to it but, according to my husband, it seems to be working well for him. Since he tends to (these days) have a violent skin reaction to anything with chemicals in it, the fact that it not only doesn't bother his skin, but seems to be helping it is a good enough endorsement for me.

I asked him if he would buy more when it ran out and he seemed interested in seeing what else is out there, so if any of you have a good suggestion for a natural men's aftershave, let me know!

*I have in no way been contacted by this company nor have I been paid for this review.

Vivesana Organic Sun Care - Product Review

A few months ago I was asked to try out and review Vivesana Organic Sun Care products. Since I'm always on the lookout for more natural products and I'm a sunscreen crazy lady this sounded like a perfect fit. The only snag was that, well, it's Seattle and there's no sun in the middle of April. Or May.

So, it's taken me a few months to get around to really testing the product, but here's the scoop. Vivesana is the first 70% organic baby and high performance sun care on the market and the first 100% natural sun care with strong protection – the highest all-natural SPF (40 & 42) on the market. And it's the first sun care (as far as they can tell) to use exclusively US-grown organics and domestic, sustainable, BPA-free packaging. Are you noticing a trend here?

What does it all mean? To start, they use photo-protective organic botanicals to triple the SPF provided by natural minerals while providing deep moisturization. They also claim to use potent antioxidants to aid skin before, during and after sun exposure. They also state they removed water, fillers and all synthetics from the products. That means no phthalates, parabens, nanotechnology, plastic tubes, or anything at all from China.

Now that you know all the specs, I'm sure you are wondering about the product itself. I wanted to love this product, even though I'm not exactly sure how the 70% organic version really stacks up to something, say, like Banana Boat, as far as the ingredients go. The products are packaged in those old school metal (aluminum) style tubes and from the get go I was less than enthused because it's really difficult to squeeze it out. I don't consider myself to be lacking in forearm strength but perhaps I need to get back to working out with a squeeze ball or something because it was a struggle. Like shaky arms struggle.

Once I managed to extract some sunscreen, I went to town on my arms and was impressed by how creamy the product is. When they say it provides moisturization, they aren't kidding. Unfortunately, the product never really felt like it was fully absorbed and I was left with slick arms that left stains on my wood dining table when I rested them on it. I certainly didn't overapply and maybe I'm just used to sunscreens for the more finicky type that get absorbed rapidly, but this product did remind me of something we had when I was a kid - sure it provided coverage but at a cost of feeling like I had on a heavy moisturizer.

I must also state that I hate having greasy sunscreen on any of my appendages to the point of distraction. So, between that and the grease marks I was leaving behind, I ended up washing my arms. I must say that I was impressed because, even after washing my arms, the water still beaded off. Truly a water resistant product here.

I would definitely recommend this product for someone who has very sensitive skin or allergies to sunscreen or is very concerned about what is in their sunscreen and doesn't mind the tackiness, er, moisturizing. The biggest drawback, however, is that it sells for $30 for a 2.25 ounce tube. If I were to use 1 ounce a day (as recommended by the AAD) for coverage, well, you can do the math - that's about $400 for a month's worth of sunscreen.

What's your favorite sunscreen? Do you consistently use it or only when you are planning a day outside?

SpaRitual Nail Polish - Product Review

I recently had the chance to check out a salon in my neighborhood that offers nail care services using a blend of their own skin care products. Zerene Salon exclusively uses a nail polish called SpaRitual, which is vegan, DBP, formaldehyde and toluene free.

Why avoid these ingredients? Well, for starters, DBP, or dibutyl phthalate, is a plasticizing ingredient that has recently been banned for use in cosmetic products in the European Union. DBP is a potential developmental and reproductive toxin that may cause a broad range of birth defects. Toulene is a toxic volatile organic compound often used as an industrial solvent and formaldehyde is great if you want to preserve yourself. It is used as an embalming agent.

How well does it work? Initially, the nail polish is a little more liquidy than the "standard" polishes and you might find you'll need an additional coat to get the coverage you like. But, as the product ages and gets exposed to the air, it will thicken up. I found it lasts just as long and is as chip resistant too.

I'm pretty excited to see that there are tons of nail polishes on the market that are removing some of the more insiduous or, at the very least, questionable, chemicals from their products. Is it as good as not using nail polish? Well, no, but if you like to have your nails painted, make sure you buy safer products. And, if you get your nails done and they don't carry these types of products, ask them to start stocking them. Or, better yet. Bring your own.

Green Beauty Guide - Book Review

One thing that is gaining quite a bit in popularity among environmentally minded (and cash strapped) Americans is looking for natural alternatives to beauty care products that not only reduce their impact on the environment by using less packaging and less chemicals, but also reduce the impact on their pocketbooks.

In the new book, The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances, author Julie Gabriel goes into great detail discussing not only the effects that synthetic products have on your body but she also shares with her readers organic alternatives that are affordable. She details how to spot organic frauds and gimmicks since those are abounding like crazy with everyone jumping on the greenwashing bandwagon.

This book is chock-full of recipes for making your own cleansers, toners, facial scrubs, skin care, shampoos, conditioners, baby care and even sunscreen. Interspersed between the recipes is information on off-the-shelf products which lets you know the inside scoop on not only their ingredients but their effectiveness.

This book is a real keeper if you want some advice to help you wade through the sea of organic beauty care products out there or if you like to dabble in making your own beauty concoctions. Here's one to get you started:

Hand Rescue Cream

1/2 ounce beeswax
Juice of one freshly squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
5 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil

1. Melt beeswax in pan. 2. Add lemon juice and oils and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. 3. Transfer to a jar. Shake occasionally until the cream is cooled and uniform.