Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts

Friday, October 3, 2008

Preservative-free products


With the growth of Green as a lifestyle there's a trickle-down effect. Ten years ago I wrote a piece for CNN detailing the ins and outs of the organic label on food. Hard to believe now that it wasn't easy to find organic food or products outside of what we called a "health food store." Now I'm buying organic everything at my local supermarket. 

But back to the trickle-down idea. Originally you just had organic food, and you hoped the label meant something. But now there's a whole concept of Green that includes housing materials, for goodness' sake And jeans! The big blocks of how we live, really -- food, shelter, clothing. As for beauty products and skincare, there were hippie chicks who made their own face masks and scrubs, Laura-Ingalls style. And I do remember the occasional magazine article on beauty treatments you could make at home in Seventeen magazine, but not much more.

So it's interesting that there's been an explosion in beauty and skincare of natural products that you treat (significantly, I think) like food. You can't get away with a vague "herbal" label anymore. Take Boscia's skincare line: with no parabens (the usual suspect when you're preserving beauty products), it comes with a "use by" date. It's botanically-based, with no chemicals. What's not to like? But if you're like me you have loads of product in your bathroom cabinets.... so I tend to buy small amounts of these products so I use them within the expiration date. (Here's a link to a best-of-Boscia kit at Sephora.) 

What's your fave "natural" line of products?

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Au Naturale

I eat as organically as possible. But when it comes to beauty products, most of the organic products I've tried (with a few exceptions--love Weleda and Avalon!) haven't wowed me. But lately I've resolved to become a more natural beauty, so to speak--after all, who needs more chemicals? First on my list of changes: healthier hair dye. I'm going to try out the much-hyped Grace Heaven salon in NYC, which uses herbal, non-toxic products that are so gentle, pregnant women can even safely color their locks. Have you tried non-toxic hair dye?