Shout Out: Alterna Dry Shampoo

June 24, 2010 //

I know, I know, if you have to read another blog entry or article about “No Poo” you’ll scream. But I have to say I really like not washing my hair. It’s more manageable and soft if I space out the washes. Of course, I love washing it, too, especially when it’s been nearly a week and it’s really ready, if you know what I mean.

Enter dry shampoo… I’ve read about it on a couple mom blogs, what a lifesaver it is when you have a newborn and you’re sleep-crazed and can’t find time to pee, let alone shower. A more practical purpose for me, an outdoor-loving stepmom, was a couple weekends ago on a camping trip in the wine country. With no showers. We’d had a campfire the night before. And then we were going to a nice place for lunch. When my friend pulled out her handy bottle of Alterna Dry Shampoo, of course I wanted to try it. (P.S. It’s also supposed to be great if you get blowouts or do your own; it makes them last.)

First off, the ingredients in this are pretty clean and simple: essential oils, cornstarch and clay, some peptides. I’m impressed with this in a hair product, because I tend to think of that stuff as junky. This was just what you need to soak up oils and make your hair smell nice (I told my friend it could easily double as foot powder, it was that basic). Still, I’m amazed that it works as well as it does with no residue. It’s super easy to apply, since the bottle is a variation on those bottles that come with hair dye, and it’s a lightweight powder. You can either pour it directly on your scalp, or in your hands and rub in. My hair definitely smelled and looked better. I would totally buy it.

My only complaint is the ridiculous full name, which is so lame I refused to write it above. It’s actually called Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Dry Shampoo. Your hair is dead, so I have no idea how a product can anti-age it. Beauty marketing really is such a scam sometimes. But then again, who would buy it if they called it Cornstarch-Clay Powder for Foot and Scalp?

Categories hair care, Shout Out

Spa Day: Tassajara Zen Center

June 14, 2010 //

I love hot springs, and fortunately I have a friend who is similarly inclined. So, when I told her I wanted to visit the Japanese-style hot springs at Tassajara Zen Center, she was totally game. We were going to go up for the day, since you can use the baths by paying a small fee (and it even includes lunch!). Then we found out that you have to drive 16 miles on a dirt road that’s notoriously rough to get there. Luckily, they have overnight accommodations and a four-wheel-drive shuttle. The trip was on.

There are a lot of wonderful things about Tassajara. It’s down in a beautiful, narrow valley in the Ventana Wilderness (see my photo from a walk in the wilderness at left) and is laid out along a bustling creek with great swimming holes; there’s also a pool. Zen practitioners who devote themselves to the study of this Eastern religion live here year-round, which gives the whole place a mellow vibe, even in the summer season when non-practitioning guests show up in droves. Guests can even take meditation instruction from a monk in the center’s traditional temple, called a Zendo. The place is well known for its delicious, comforting meals (the lunch, with hearty soup, fresh salads, premixed iced lattes and tea, and plenty of warm-from-the-oven bread, topped off by homemade cookies for dessert, is not to be missed); they’re served communally and you’re guaranteed to meet nice and interesting people over your food.

But while all of this is great, nothing compares to the hot springs. It is the absolute best thing about the place. Open to the outdoors, it is the ultimate in relaxation, day or night, because you can watch the breeze blow through the trees or check out the stars while you soak. There’s no chlorine smell, just the scent of the forest air and the pools’ natural sulfur aroma. And it’s segregated by sex, as most are in Japan, so you can feel comfortable dipping in the nude (and everyone does).

There’s one very hot tiled pool inside, with huge windows on two sides, open to look out on the creek. Next to that is a big wooden deck with plenty of room for lounging in the sun or under the shade of an umbrella. Across the deck on the other side is a smaller, slightly cooler pool with a few rocks in it for sitting and relaxing. There is short path from there down to the creek, where you can soak your feet in and splash yourself with the cool, rushing water after taking a turn in the hot pool. There’s also a sauna. Shower facilities are as modern and up to date as any spa, with great smelling biodegradable toiletries from Marin’s EO. There are chairs and yoga mats to lay on and no one talks much, so it’s peaceful. We went four times while we were there and it was totally worth the rates (it cost about $240 each for overnight accommodations, transportation, and meals). Massage is available for guests at a rate of $125.

Categories Spa Day

Handmade Mondays (Post Holiday): Honey and Baking Soda Lip Scrub

June 1, 2010 //

I hope you all will forgive my little hiatus last week… I had to take a break and play a little in anticipation of summer! The holiday, of course, is also why this page is one day late. I’m still calling it a Handmade Monday though.

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on homemade lip scrubs around the net, and I was thinking that though I don’t use lip scrub often, when I really need it, I need it! Like those skiing and backpacking weekends when I practice lip abuse in the sun and snow, and then bits are flaking off by the time I get home. Yuck! I actually pay $10 for this lip scrub to have on hand, but because it’s a fairly natural product, it probably goes bad well before I use it all. To think I could just be mixing up my own for instant use!

So, I tried the simplest lip scrub recipe I uncovered in my search: 1 part honey to 1 part baking soda. Honey has some emollient properties, since it seals moisture into the skin, but since you don’t leave this product on, in this case honey just a nice non-greasy vehicle for the exfoliating power of baking soda. Baking soda is even used by some eco-minded salons for natural microdermabrasion (check out this skin care menu for a description).

Because of the honey, this scrub is a little gooey, but this texture works because you really want to keep it just to the delicate skin of your lips (it doesn’t work well on the face; trust me, I tried it and baking soda alone with a little water would be much better.) You do have to use it fairly soon after you mix it (the baking soda begins to melt into the honey eventually, and there’s no more scrubbing action).

Basically, you just stir it up, apply it with fingers (I prefer the gentler fourth finger) and gently move it around. Just do a half a minute or so. No need to rub or press, really. I followed up with my usual lip balm, which I was recently dismayed to discover contains a petroleum product in all versions except the SPF types, and those have a chemical sunscreen. Poop. Have to start a new search. It does work well, though, if these aren’t big bugaboos for you!

Categories Handmade Mondays, lip care

Guinea Pig: Yogi Skin DeTox

May 21, 2010 //

I got some samples of Yogi teas at work and one caught my eye: Skin DeTox. It got great reviews online, but I still wasn’t sure. I knew I had to save it for a moment when someone was truly in a fix skin-wise, and it took a couple months before I could tell my friend and client, L, needed a facial boost.

I found out yesterday that she’s been drinking the tea for a week and a half or so, after I complimented her on how good her skin looks lately. She had to admit she cheated a bit and went back on a popular benzoyl peroxide product for a couple of days, but it dried her out so bad (told you so), she quit. Lately she’s been double bagging the tea, as recommended on the website, to get more of the benefits.

I know I’ve been talking about healing skin from within in the last couple weeks and how supplements and teas aren’t regulated like actual medications (and often don’t have independent groups willing to research their success). But that doesn’t mean that they won’t work! You have to be willing to try them, which might be a waste of money—but not always.

Low in caffeine, this tea reduces inflammation and improves circulation, which is why it helps you glow from the inside out. It’s a blend of green tea, which is known to support healthy skin, and burdock root, yellow dock root, and red clover for their cleansing and detoxifying properties. But don’t worry: hibiscus, honeybush, and stevia give it a tasty sweet flavor.

On the one hand, some of the hype about detoxification seems to be just hype. You talk to most M.D.s, and they assure you that your body does a fine job of getting rid of toxins on its own. But I do know that we’re exposed to more than ever these days, and that what you eat and drink does show up on your face. So if a little Skin DeTox tea means less using caustic chemicals to prevent breakouts, pass me a cup. My friend L is going to buy another box now that she’s through the free samples!

Categories facial care, Guinea Pig

Shout Out: Zia Natural Skincare

May 15, 2010 //

I used to swear by Zia Natural Skincare; the products were gentle, had little scent, and left my skin feeling clean, refreshed, and hydrated. Then when I started learning more about toxic ingredients, I nixed them from my list. They were using parabens as preservatives. I recently picked up their products again and noticed their formulations are now paraben free!

So, a friend bought their Everyday Moisturizer recently and is loving it, which gave me the idea to give them a shout out. She wasn’t using a nightly moisturizer at all, even though her skin is dry, and of course it is really making a difference in her skin. The product does have some ingredients that are currently in debate among natural skin care experts (phenoxyethanol, a preservative, and dimethicone, a silicone derivative, both of which I’ll write about soon), but in general the formulations is pretty good.

I also like that they have reduced sizes in their products. I find large bottles are prone to spoilage when they contain a lot of natural oils, especially when it comes to products like cleanser, of which most of us use a small amount. You can get Zia’s cleansers in 1.6 ounce sizes for around $6.

If you have dry, sensitive, or mature skin and are looking for an affordable skin care line you can pick up in the natural foods store, I would definitely check them out.

Categories facial care

You Should Know: Offset Your Cosmetics

May 12, 2010 //

The other day, my coworker brought in a sunscreen she uses every day to have me tell her how natural (or not) it was. I had to admit it had some nasty stuff in it, which she wasn’t surprised about. But she had a really good theory about compensating for a can’t-live-without-it but not-exactly-natural product.

You know about carbon offsets, right? I know many greenies think these aren’t perfect, but the idea that you can take a flight and invest in clean energy to offset the environmental damage applies even better to your skin care. For example, my coworker is really attached to that sunscreen—it’s the only one that’s never made her break out. So, she picks other greener products to use in the rest of her regimen.

You might think everything I put on my body is totally natural, but I offset, too. I dislike the freckles on my hands (too much like age spots), so I apply an affordable drugstore vitamin A cream to the tops of my hands every night (and sunscreen during the day). It’s definitely not a very clean product, but I haven’t yet found an effective, more natural vitamin A cream (if anyone has any tips, send ‘em to me!). To compensate, I use a one ingredient product as my body lotion: sweet almond oil from Acacia. You can get it in gallon sizes! It’s a pretty good deal, too (but oils can spoil, so make sure you use enough to buy this much).

You can offset in other ways besides ingredients, too. Say if one of your must-haves is poorly packaged (small, non-recyclable container), you can buy something else you use all the time in bulk (my husband’s shower gel is classic Castile soap from Dr. Bronner’s, and I can refill our 32-ounce bottle at my local natural food store).

Categories Uncategorized

My Regimen: Healing Skin From Within

May 8, 2010 //

We all know that eating right and drinking plenty of water is great for our skin, but supplements to heal skin from the inside are all the rage. Lots of skin care companies have added to their lines pills that supposedly improve your skin, intended to fix everything from acne to aging. The beauty store Sephora has a whole section of skin supplements on its site, including ones from well known skin-care company Perricone MD.

In turn, supplements companies have also come out with their own spa-friendly products. Fish oil seller Nordic Naturals has a beautifully packaged spa line that seems to be more or less what it normally sells, fish oil. Even beverage companies have gotten into the game, creating skin detox drinks and the like.

I believe taking fish oil and other supplements can be good for the skin, but I don’t think you have to necessarily buy them in a shiny or pricey package. Daily, I take evening primrose oil caplets from the big natural foods store I shop at (I pay extra for the ones that are super-clean, but other than that, they’re just evening primrose caplets in a plain bottle—they’re the big brown ones pictured above left). Evening primrose is recommended topically for dry and aging skins, and medically as a treatment for eczema when taken internally. It’s also believed to smooth the hormonal ups and downs of your menstrual cycle and be good for dry and aging skin. It’s high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Fish oil is another one for skin-softening, and has high omega-3 fatty acids that are also good for your heart. Even though we’re not legally supposed to give nutrition advice, lots of esthies recommend zinc to their clients with acne, and vitamin K is supposed to help with the blood clotting that can cause dark circles. I think it’s worthwhile to try these more natural, internal solutions over harsh products, but remember that because these are supplements, they’re not evaluated by the FDA in the same manner as actual medications, so you want to be careful about what you buy.

Categories facial care, My Regimen

My Regimen: Proper Zit Care

May 5, 2010 //

What’s the first thing most of us do when we get a pimple? Start touching it, picking at it. It’s always so hard to forget it’s there. We think everyone is staring at it, so we keep putting our hands on it. Then it gets worse: either scabby, or bigger and pinker.

So what’s the better thing to do? Well, first of all, don’t touch it! I like to put a spot treatment on it, something with salicylic acid or willow bark extract, the natural version. Burt’s Bees makes one now that’s part of their new acne line. (I haven’t tried it, but the ingredients list looks good.) I usually cover up the pimple, with concealer over the spot treatment. If it’s such a new pimple that there isn’t even a head on it or any pink spot, but you can feel it starting, you can put an ice cube on it to cool the infection.

If you absolutely must, must, pick at it or pop it or just see it gone, Dr. Oz. has this great video on his site that shows the difference between pushing it until it breaks and the doctor’s technique, which you actually can approximate at home. Follow the instructions exactly because there is always the possibility of infection when you break the skin.

I personally prefer not to pop them (and I’ve technically been trained how to do it). I find they heal better with regular use of a spot treatment. For me, twice a day for a few days usually works wonders.

Categories acne, facial care

Shout Out: Peppermint-Free Lip Tint

April 30, 2010 //

I’m not a lipstick gal. I just mess it up if I have to wear it, smear it and get it on my teeth (although, I admit, I wore this lipstick at my wedding and used up the entire tube in the months after, since every time I applied it, I thought of that day). Instead, I love lip tints. They moisturize like simple lip balm and give the sheer color of gloss, minus the stickiness (you know, when your lip-gloss laden smile sticks to your hair… )

Recently, I noticed a number of natural lip tints popping up on drugstore shelves. So, I picked one up from a brand I trust. I applied it throughout the day, even keeping it next to my computer at work. Then I noticed my lips were getting more chapped than usual, even uncomfortably so. I actually had to heal them back to suppleness with this. Looking at the ingredients list, I figured it out… must be the peppermint oil! I started searching for a peppermint oil-free natural lip tint, and every single one had it. Even natural lipsticks have it, too.

I guess this is because peppermint lip products taste good when you apply them, and I admit it lends a refreshing feel (and maybe plumps lips a bit, too). But peppermint is stimulating; too much can even burn. And your lip skin is sensitive. It’s very thin, which is why it’s red—the blood vessels show through to the surface. It also lacks oil and sweat glands, which help protect the skin elsewhere on your body.

Fortunately, I just found a natural lip tint with no peppermint oil by Colorganics! It was actually the first lip tint I ever tried, and even though the company is from San Francisco, I originally bought a tube in Australia. I encountered it again in Arizona recently, noticed it was peppermint-free, and bought a new color, a super girly pink.

I know most people like to try lip color in person, so if you can’t find Colorganics where you live, look for Badger’s new lip tints. I was introduced to this company by my client, NaturesBasin.com, and the natural beauty blogs are abuzz about this new product, since the brand is trusted for its cocoa butter–based lip and body balms. I promise that neither of these two products will cause chapped lips!

Categories lip care, Shout Out

Handmade Mondays Announcement

April 27, 2010 //

Hi fans… I hope you’ve been enjoying all the great at-home skin care ideas on Mondays on my blog. It’s been a great way to blog more often, but I’ve discovered there are loads of other topics I’d like to blog about, so I’m going to reduce the Handmade Mondays posts down to once a month, on the last Monday of the month! So, look for my next Handmade Mondays post on Memorial Day, May 31. If you have questions about cosmetics you can make at home, or great ideas for products in the meantime, email me at kendralis[at]gmail.com.

Categories Handmade Mondays