Beauty Maven Meets Eco Beauty

Whether it’s dipping into latest Sephora finds or scanning through celebrity looks, my heart has always fluttered just that much more when it comes to beauty. And with being an eco writer, I figured I pretty much knew all there was to about eco beauty.

That’s why when I heard about holistic nutritionist and eco expert, Rachel Avalon’s Lecture on Eco Beauty, I was curious to see what the green “it” girl would be discussing. Knowing there is at least one natural makeup product that meets my approval, and often putting pestle and mortar to use in my kitchen for new facial concoctions, I wondered what the eco industry’s freshest face would have to say about beauty that I didn’t already know.

I walked into the lecture room, paper and pen in hand and ready to soak up what I thought would be new beauty tips. I also got a chance to have a quick meet and greet with Rachel, who was absolutely charming and a natural host. With people pouring in, we quickly took our seats and the presentation set sail to what was going to be a revealing look at the beauty industry.

Moments in, I was capsized by own limited perceptions of beauty. Rachel began with where our beauty products are coming from, what’s in them, and how detrimental they are to our health. The virtually self-regulated cosmetic industry is saturated by politics and hazards, even though one could argue the two were never really mutually exclusive anyway. Though we all know about lobby groups, Rachel’s knowledge of what exactly comprises the beauty industry which policies so easily saunter past the red-tape (and why), and how they affect us, is absolutely horrifying. In short, I learned that just like the IRS, we should never really trust the so-called “safety” regulations.

But to learn what was actually in all those lovely pressed powders, tubes and jars left me thoroughly disgusted. So what’s in it exactly?

Think Gemma Arterton’s scene in Quantum of Solace, where she’s covered head to toe in oil, and then you’ve got a very small picture of what you’re actually spackling on yourself everyday. The trauma of what Gemma’s character goes through varies disfiguringly with our own experience – after all, with that much toxic waste on her she inevitably died. On the other hand, we go about our day with ten fold more and think we’re glamorous. Put on, rinse, and repeat.

Considering we toss ourselves into a daily beauty gauntlet with questionable (and sometimes cancer-causing agents), you can only imagine how much damage we’re doing to ourselves in the long run.

If you factor in that our skin absorbs 60% of what we put on it, and with the average girl wearing makeup at 14, by the time you’re 85 you’ve been exposing your body to harsh chemicals and toxins for over 70 years! It’s no wonder that we have such a high rate of cancer in society, with 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men now being diagnosed with it. The role of cancer in beauty was another interesting component of Rachel’s lecture, and got me questioning about how many chemicals I expose myself to daily without even thinking about it – all in the name of beauty.

And beauty isn’t just for women. Conscious care is definitely something both men and women need to think about (because almost everyone uses shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc.). I brought my fiancé who was absolutely astounded by what he learned from Rachel’s lecture. According to Avalon, women use over 186 chemicals a day, but men use a competitive 85 chemicals per day – and that’s not including if they’re overly metro sexual with a bathroom stash able to beat that of any beauty maven’s.

If you consider the basics, (like shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc), it’s easy to see how the average American uses about 10 products a day – which exposes them to about 125 chemicals!

This beauty maven, however, went home and started tossing products away and recycling the containers – despite their cost or how much was still left in the bottle. Applying the tips I learned from Rachel’s lecture I read the labels of all my products – getting rid of anything I knew to be toxic, cancerous, and/or made from products I wouldn’t be within range of if I saw it in its unprocessed form, such as petroleum and placenta.

The result, I took Rachel’s many fantastic tips and alternatives, and am now putting them to use as I test the market for truly eco-friendly beauty products that are both earth-friendly and fabulous. Much like every other beauty whore who hawk-eyes every new beauty product or fad on the market, my new approach is to hone in on the ingredient labels to see if products are really what they appear to be. The result – gorgeous intelligence, as Rachel would say.

Many thanks to Rachel Avalon for such a great lecture! Luckily for us, she hosts repeat lectures and is able to serve you as a holistic expert even if you’re not based in Los Angeles. Her website is www.RachelAvalon.com.

Shireen Qudosi is a freelance writer specializing in the green industry. Visit her blog, The Logical Native, or check out her writing, link building, & social media marketing services atBabel Fish Communication. To contact her directly, email babelfish@qudosi.com and keep up with her work by signing up for the newsletter.

Image source: Arizona Foothills Magazine, Image Shack

What You Should Know to Protect Your Skin

Your skin is a layer of porous fabric, a living breathing organ exposed to free radicals and pollutants that act as hidden skin gremlins. In the case of most women, your skin is also exposed to all the harsh chemicals we keep lathering on it throughout the day in an attempt to secure some sense of beauty.

Most women want pure skin, but what most women don’t realize is that their skin is exposed to far more than they imagine. Read on to find out what acts as a skin gremlin and what you can do about it…

• YOUR COSMETICS

There are an alarming amount of toxic chemicals in the majority of cosmetics. The FDA does not review, nor does it have the authority to regulate, what goes into cosmetics before they are packaged and marketed.

Some things to watch out for are:

1) Lead in lipsticks

2) Neurotoxins in fragrances and perfumes

3) Formaldehyde (a well known human carcinogen) in nail polish.

If you consider that all these products are applied to your porous skin, you quickly see the effect of daily/weekly product use on your health. A great alternative is to learn what goes into the cosmetics you use, and to opt for mineral-based products

• YOUR BEDDING

Though your bed is seen as a sanctuary for rest and relaxation after a long hard day, you should take a moment to see the flip slide of it too. The average person is in their bed for between 4-8 hours a night.

And if you consider all the creepy crawlies, the dust mites scavenging across the plains of your sheets, you quickly realize that you’re not alone – and not in a good way.

Dust mites feed on your dead skin, which is continuously flaking off with every touch. As a natural organism, they produce excretions which go unseen and which most people are allergic to, making this not only highly unsanitary but it’s also an allergen.

Additionally, your face is squished up on the same pillow for hours on end and your body/scalp are excreting oils, which you’re then rubbing back against your delicate skin.

To make sure you have a healthy sleeping environment, change out your bedding at least once a week and vacuum your area often. However, your vacuum is not a black hole and you should take a moment to consider what's living inside your vacuum.

• YOUR ENVIRONMENT

While you may be able to control your home or what you put on your face every morning, you have very little control of what free radicals and pollutants are actually in the air. This is especially true if you live in an urban area where car exhaust slaps you across the face as each driver passes by…or where fast food grease sets up a perimeter on nearly every street corner. The fact is that your face is constantly assaulted with chemicals, fumes, and other pollutants.

To protect your skin, the first thing you should do is make sure your natural layer is clean and unclogged. Take the time to wash and exfoliate your skin, or simply use a cleansing toner. Then take a moment to wear sun screen or some other daily facial protecting cream or spray to act as a barrier between your skin and your environment.

Your Mother Was Right: Organic Beaty Tips that Pass the Test of Time

Everyone hates being told “I told you so”, and most women also hate thinking their mother was right. However, on stepping upon the threshold of 30, and with my South Asian mother now in her early sixties, I can’t help but notice that on a good day, she looks not more than maybe only five or ten years older.

And with each wrinkle, thinned out skin or spot I notice, I hear her quite literally echoing voice telling me “I told you so”. So what was it exactly that she used to always harp on about while growing up?

Quite simply - endless beauty tips that at that time seemed to have been carved on stone tablets alongside Moses’ 10 Commandments. But these then thought of as primitive beauty routines now seem charming and simple in an age where we’re constantly fed a barrage of beauty adverts and overly photo-shopped images of perfection.

In my own desperate attempt to look great, I have ventured down every possible winding road that ultimately lead me nowhere, pick-pocketing my hard earned dollars with daylight robbery rates and empty promises of youth and beauty. I finally decided to throw in the towel and revert to the ‘old ways’ of doing things…

Best Kept Beauty Secrets

Face

• For smooth skin, crush four uncoated aspirins and mix 1 cup distilled water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Use this 2-3 times a day for incredibly smooth skin and as an alternative to washing your face in the morning.
• Once a week, use a natural honey face mask for softer skin and cleansed pores. Honey is a natural anti-bacterial and the best type to use is a raw honey, which usually has a sugary texture and doesn’t drip like processed honey.
• If you have sensitive acne-prone skin, stay away from rich spicy foods, which only irritate and inflame your system.
• Sleep. Staying up too late or not getting enough sleep wreaks havoc on your skin, causing it to look dull, tired, and likely leading to breakouts.
• Use patchouli oil to quickly get rid of acne. Mix 10 drops of this strong smelling oil with 10 oz of almond oil as a nightly moisturizer and anti-wrinkle treatment.
  

Hair

• For soft hair, massage your head with rich coconut oil once a week, working it into your hair. Leave it in there for about 3 hours prior to washing it out with shampoo. Use just a dab of conditioner at the ends.
• For shiny hair, mix one egg with a mashed up banana and apply it as a thick paste to your hair. Leave it on for 10-30 minutes, depending on your hair texture. Then, wash it out as usual and use conditioner only at the ends.
• For natural hair dye, use henna and add in a bit of lemon to the paste. Leave it in your hair for about 30 minutes to one hair for a natural reddish/auburn tint.
• To eliminate build up, rinse your hair with one cup of apple cider vinegar, followed by a minimal use of shampoo.
• Washing your hair with boiled rice water is also a great alternative for shiny hair.

Body

• Use a mixture of pure olive oil with 1/2 parts sea salt as an in-shower body scrub. This combo completely eliminates the need for lotion and is great for winter weather.
• Make sure you get in some sort of physical activity. Our mothers and grandmothers stayed in shape with simple stretches, and not grueling hours at the gym. Try reaping the benefits of yoga as a way to maintain your girlish figure.

Josh Onysko of Pangea Discusses the Importance of All-Natural Body Care Products

"Our skin is the largest organ on our body and 87 percent of what we put on our skin goes into our body. We don’t need chemicals to grow the ingredients we put in our products. They are sinking into ground water and getting into our food supply — we’re finding traces of herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers all over the world. By supporting organic agriculture, we’re supporting a greener future. Go home and start reading the ingredients on your personal care products. If you can pronounce everything on a product’s label, it’s close to natural.

The average American woman uses more than 150 chemicals on her skin a day. A lot of people think that the health and beauty industry is regulated, but of 100,000 ingredients, only 10 percent have been tested for safety and none has been tested for safety when combined with other ingredients. If you want something natural, you should be able to eat every ingredient on the label. If you can’t eat it, why would you put it on your body? Many people are racing to create natural and organic products, but not working to create truly efficacious products (to make an ingredient claim you only need to use 100th percent of an ingredient). There’s a lot of science, technology and experience that goes into making natural products. When nature is used properly, in the right amounts, it can have amazing effects."

Source: MSNBC Today. View complete article

Image: CEO of Pangea, Joshua Onysko