Green Options

It seems as though every day I get news of another ‘great new this’ or ‘fabulous new that’, and I’ll be the first to put my hand up & gleefully admit it makes me just as excited as the rest of you to be in the know, to hear of things first, and to be updated on the latest & greatest - however, there’s something to be said for the ancient, the stoic, the classic, the tried & tested. Known and used for thousands of years by island cultures, coconut oil is one such legendary ingredient that falls squarely in that category. Not only has it properties that make it a staple in most organic beauty products as well as most natural skin & haircare collections,

Neroli Rose products are made with hydrating shea butter from Southern Sudan. Sudanese Shea Butter is thought to be the finest natural moisturizer in the world.

“In Sudan, shea butter is called Lulu, meaning ‘treasured pearl’. Sudanese women process their Lulu by hand, using an ancient, cold-pressed technique that retains the highest concentrations of Vitamins A and E. The butter is produced from the nuts of shea trees that grow wild, deep within the Sudanese forests, untouched by chemicals or fertilizers. This rare shea butter from the Nile Basin is so nutritious, it serves as a food staple for the Sudanese people during the dry season.”

The holidays are creeping up faster than any of us would probably like. Before Halloween is even over the stores are already putting up winter holiday displays. As always I try to start early though I hardly ever do. Time just flies by so fast.

But I have been keeping an eye out for great eco-friendly products that are reasonably priced (like $25 and under) that would make great gifts and stocking stuffers.

A couple days ago Emma wrote about Yes Personal Lubricants. I haven’t had the chance to try that one yet.

One natural lubricant that I have tried and adore is Sylk.

Sylk and Sensation by Sylk are personal lubricants made from New Zealand kiwi fruit vine extract.

Terri Bly, president and founder of The Nature of Beauty, LTD, discusses Kaeline’s Hammam Savon Noir, and its numerous benefits. Not only is the simple, ancient and powerful formula ideal for exfoliating, moisturizing and soothing the skin, it is also an amazing decongestant during cold and flu season.

I had the chance to sample some of the amazing products from Donah’s Passions, and while all the products are wonderful, my favorite by far is the Elemental Seaweed Body Scrub.

If you love a good body scrub this one is for you because not only will it make your skin look and feel glorious it will make you feel better inside as well.

Occupational Hazards

Always the intrepid investigative journalist, I braved crosstown traffic to respond to a tip about a salon using all natural hair color. Shades Natural Hair Color Studio was founded by Susan Henry in 2006. She was a very successful colorist, with hundreds of Hollywood A-list clients. But around 2001, she became so ill from ammonia poisoning, she could no longer work in a salon. Inspired by her daughter’s botany studies, she developed an ammonia-free, all-natural product in order to continue doing the work she loves.

Susan carefully selects each product she carries and uses in the salon, interrogating the manufacturers even as they avoid divulging their secret formulae. Her products are also sold online, and she just released a boxed version of the home coloring kit which may soon be available in stores. The colors I saw on other clients were lovely, and I immediately recommended it to a friend who is prematurely grey and has been coloring her hair for ages.

In the photo, Susan touches up the gorgeous red on a regular client.

Tina explained to me that many of their clients are cancer survivors who understand as few others do the traumatic effects of the chemicals in our lives. While the health of clients is important, I could not help but think about the health of the stylists who spend the majority of their waking hours inhaling all manner of toxic chemicals. Unlike other salons, I walked in and smelled nothing, even with color clients present. And of course they didn’t have the ubiquitous Prop 65 warning on the door. I recalled a nail salon I’d visited in Spain with such poor ventilation I could barely stand it, so this was a real treat. The nail polish Shades uses is free of toluene and formaldehyde, and the mani included a wonderful oil & sugar scrub.

In the past we’ve highlighted some green events from the Clary Sage Organics boutique, and now we’re here to share their line of healing wellness solutions. Each CSO wellness formula comes in the form of nutraceuticals, liquid tinctures and medicinal teas. Clary Sage emphasizes the proper use of nutraceuticals and they offer solutions to six of the most common conditions so you can self heal in the areas of:

• wellness/weight loss
• energy, mood and stress
• hormones
• digestive cleansing
• immunity

Here is a quick overview of how they can help in each of these areas:

Energy Enhance - “With its increasingly hectic pace, modern life can leave you feeling frazzled, fuzzy, and fatigued.” The Energy Enhance wellness line is designed to bring balance to your adrenal glands and will infuse energy back into your life.

Terri Bly, president and founder of The Nature of Beauty, dispells common misconceptions about natural and organic hair care, with the help of Wil Baker, co-founder of award-winning Max Green Alchemy.

Rodale recently published an article about the new FDA report concerning lead in lipsticks.

What did they find? Well, the FDA scientists found lead in every brand of lipstick that they tested, but they don’t consider the toxic metal a safety concern.

OMG! Seriously. Back in 2007 the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics first blew the whistle on lead filled lipsticks finding that 61% of the 33 brands they tested contained some levels of lead. Shortly after the results were released to the public the US FDA said they’d look into it. Gee, it only took 3 years.

Terri Bly, green beauty maven and president of The Nature of Beauty, offers some suggestions for prioritizing purchases when switching from commercial to non-toxic beauty products.