Suds Up for Less Than $7 With This Karma Free Shampoo

Kiss My Face is a staple brand in the natural cosmetics movement. I've seen it around for at least 20 years; my parents' friend owned a chain of health food stores in our area when I was growing up, and her store shelves and bathrooms have always been stocked with the products. For those who want a truly natural brand that really works: behold! This one is fantastic. Lathers well, cleans without stripping color, and rinses safely to wherever your water goes, biodegradable and paraben free. A real winner at $6.22 for a sizable bottle. Smells fresh and clean, too.

Again With the Arcona

Arcona's Tabula Rasa may just be the answer to my adult-onset acne. Basically, if I touch my face, I'm getting a zit. Sunscreens are really doing a number on me this summer, too. I am currently half-way through my first vial of Tabula Rasa (that's "blank slate" for all my non-Latin deciphering friends) and I am seeing vast improvements.  

I think it's really soothing, and it calms and heals inflammation that gone unchecked might otherwise erupt into Carbuncle City. Arcona directs you to squirt the product onto a swab, but I found too much of the valuable fluid was seeping into the cotton. Using my patented more is better approach to blemish fighting, I apply a squirt of Tabula Rasa to my clean fingertips and sweep it directly onto my icky areas. I get mine at Beauty.com. Click on the image above if you want to learn more about this product, or Arcona the brand.

Finally: a Truly Natural Skin Solution

    

     

     You may recall my disdain for most exfoliants; you may have read my entire rant regarding plastic nanobits polluting our waterways once we rinse so-called microbeads down the drain. I have found the ultimate solution for facial exfoliants and its name is Arcona!

      In a season of sunscreens, lotions, sweat, garden dirt and bad behavior (summer in Indiana), Arcona's Raspberry Resurfacing Pads rescue this dirty girl twice a day, and my skin texture is better for it! With ingredients like tea tree oil and salicylic acid, congested skin clears up as the textured pads help slough off pesky top layers of dead skin and makeup residue.

     Arcona products are are "cosmeceutically formulated with pure, natural ingredients cold-processed in small batches to keep them fresh, active and super-effective,"  according to Beauty.com. ARCONA products are formulated without petrochemicals, binders or fillers, parabens, SLS, perfumes, or dyes. Therefore, this product meets Kitty's approval for eco-friendliness and efficacy! Meow!

Fabulous Organic Conditioner

I had to go find a virtual version of this product because my own container is mangled, and therefore unsuitable for a photo shoot. The poor thing is already on its way to be recycled, having suffered all manner of extractive tortures.  First, I twisted and wrung the tube to get every last bit. The next morning, I squeezed and cussed and managed to harvest a small daub, hardly enough to do more than my bangs. The day after, I relied upon magical thinking and came up short until I thought to scissor off the top and scoop out the very last bit of John Masters Organics' honey and hibiscus hair reconstructor. A must for kittens of every stripe, except Muffy who naturally grows perfect wig hair and therefore needs neither highlights nor flat irons. Meow!

Beautorium: Cosmetics Cloud 9!

    

By their own definition, Beautorium stocks "carefully edited" product choices, "hand selected from the very best in natural and organic beauty from around the world." Beautorium picks the lines it carries according to criteria such as "Natural/Organic certification by the world's most reliable independent third party organizations." Indeed, with strong brands like Dr. Hauschka, John Masters Organics, Korres, Juice Beauty, and Pangea Organics, this joint is poised to become your Kitty's new natural beauty one-stop mothership! 

     Also, Beautorium aims for cruelty free and/or vegetarian products,  and "effective ingredients with proven benefits." Better yet, they list all the ingredients for all of the products they sell, in the event you are trying to avoid anything specifically in your formulas. Best of all, they don't skimp on the samples! Now get over there and do something nice for yourself now!

Beware of Greenwashing When Buying Cosmetics!

Nothing makes your Kitty snarl and growl like greenwashing. Greenwashing is what sheisty, shady companies (and industries, and governments...) do to sway modern consumers. By using slick PR campaigns and words like "natural," "botanical," or "eco-friendly," some manufacturers make caring, health-conscious and environmentally-aware people think that otherwise toxic/polluting products and practices are really "green."

Just because a product is labeled natural does not mean it's organic, good for you, good for the environment, or medicinal in any way. Botanical ingredients may have been grown irresponsibly with no regard for product purity; even certified organic ingredients can exist alongside toxic carcinogens and/or nonbiodegradable parts (yes, some of the stuff you use to exfoliate actually contains plastic bits).  

Take Archipelago Botanicals for instance. A nice brand, a luxey brand. Its attractively packaged bath, body and "aromatherapy"-type products line the shelves of fabulous boutiques and spas everywhere. According to one website purveying the brand, "Sunflower Oil softens and hydrates. Aloe Vera cools and calms. Vitamin E protects skin from damaging free radicals." Nice, right? And yet, there they are right at the bottom of the ingredient list where they often lurk: parabens. Parabens! Perish the thought! Skin-irritating endocrine disruptors are definitely NOT green!

That said, Archipelago doesn't tout itself as an organic, green brand. But some cosmetics emporiums who resell their lines do exactly that by grouping said products with so-called "green and natural" brands. I've seen it with my own eyes in a few boutiques. Many people don't think a few parabens to ensure product purity are a problem. After all, who wants moldy, spoiled products?

       Most people layer parabens (known most commonly as  methylparaben (E number E218), ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216) and butylparaben) on several times a day, since the vast majority of cosmetics brands still use the toxic buggers.  If you have sensitive skin, the proclivity to develop tumors when exposed to estrogen-mimicking compounds, endocrine/metabolism problems, or you just plain give a crap what gets washed down the drain along with your body gels, shampoos, detergents,deodorants, and conditioners well then, parabens are a big, huge problem.

I think the single most helpful and influential website on the web is the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database. I consult it daily to learn what poisons are out there waiting to be consumed by a product whore like myself. Keep using the products in your arsenal until they're used up (unless of course you consult the database and find your lipstick or what-have-you is a level 10 offender!). It's never hip to waste good makeup or money. But when you shop to replace those former staples or get the hottest new thing, do so armed with knowledge.

If you're behind the movement but you don't have the time for research and unlimited resources with which to conduct your own product trials, then you can cull resources (including this blog) to get some good, honest information. Check the Skin Deep website or go to Organic Divas dot com. They only carry the very healthiest products for your and the environment (I have no relationship with them, aside from admiration). Further, they have compiled a list of the "Dirty Dozen" chemicals in cosmetics, which you can download and take along to the store. Genius! Just be sure to print on recycled/reused paper!

If You Like Organic Orgy, You'll Love Kitty's Shindigs and Soriees!

Yippee, kittens! I've added a new Blogger blog, Shindigs & Soirees. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, your Kitty worked as an event planner. I've done it all in every venue, from huge corporate Christmas parties to lavish baby showers. Golf outings, charity events (including a concert or two), a state university's homecoming (OK, well I was only on the Steering Committee, so I had help). My own wedding cost only $3000 in 1996. It was fabulous. I consulted on several other weddings as well, and I relate to every budget.

Surprise wedding? No problem. Santa party with guest-specific gifts for 34 children? Done. Baby shower on a budget? Got you covered. Naturally, I focus on sustainability and eco-friendly ideas. Of course I'd love to hear from you! No, I won't come facilitate your event. I'm just here to help you imagine and procure. Love, kitty.

Get Some Arnica Lotion for Your Medicine Cabinet

     I was first introduced to Arnica by my massage therapist, Amy. I bruise easily and I'm pretty much always inflamed in one muscle or another. Topically applied arnica acts as an anti-inflammatory and assists healing processes by facilitating transport of blood and fluid. Its thymol derivatives have been clinically shown to be good vasodilators of blood capillaries. 

     In other words, it speeds healing by "breaking up" bruises and adhesions by enhancing circulation. A relative of sunflowers, arnica roots have been harvested for centuries for their medicinal properties. 

I'm thrilled to see it bottled up by one of my favorite natural brands, Jurlique. In fact, I'm so sure of its quality, efficacy and eco-friendliness that I'm ordering it right now. 

Football season is just around the corner, and this is just what I'll need for Little Man!

         During the summer and fall, when he is playing hard and taking lots of hits, I also use Dr. Hauschka arnica compresses inside his ankle wraps! I’ve used various homeopathic preparations with arnica, but they often contain ingredients I don’t love so much, like parabens (perish the thought). I’m hoping this Jurlique lotion will emerge as the ultimate muscle rub! I’ll let you know!

 

Caudalie Cleanser Doesn't Disappoint

 

 Soap-free Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser (clickable, above) offers a travel size for $10. If you don't like it (doubt it), you can always refill the awesome little bottle with something you prefer - perfect for green divas who don't use polluting foamy soap. I thought it was great for controlling oil, and Caudalie is a really luxe natural brand. My skin felt sufficiently clean, but I did need to call in extra products to remove my eye makeup.

  It's made in France (where cosmetic safety standards are tighter than in the US), not tested on animals, and comes in easily recycled packaging: a trifecta of cleanser bliss. According to Beauty.com, products containing Resveratrol improve elasticity while increasing skin tone. Firm, full skin cells make your skin appear more youthful and radiant, as Caudalie skin care treatments significantly lessen the look of fine lines and wrinkles. (I pretty much paraphrased that from their website, but ever since I saw Dr. Oz talking about Resveratrol as an anti-aging weapon, I've been trying to cram in and pile on as many grape products as possible! I tend to agree with the hype on this one.)  Good stuff that won't disappoint!

Three Great Natural Products You Can Get Anywhere

Hello Kittens, and Happy Wednesday! I apologize for the quality of the image; I shot it for you on the fly in my powder room/laboratory. I also realize I should be arrested for the horrible tilework. Haven't had time to jackhammer it away since I moved in, but I am planning to replace it with decorative recycled glass tiles soon. The orchid is my new little dendrobium. I picked it up at Trader Joe's this afternoon.

Today, I bring you three great natural products you can get practically everywhere. I remember when my baby was still a baby, in the last century, when I had to drive all the way across Indianapolis to a health food store that carried Burt's Bees lotion. Then the big box stores picked up lines like Kiss My Face, which I had heretofore only seen in my parents' friends' health food stores back in '83. You can probably pick up the products pictured above from your supermarket, but if you can't find them just go over to drugstore.com for the hook-up (plus free shipping, deals galore, and a heavenly natural products section... I even get my natural household products there - so convenient!)

From the left, Shikai moisturizing shower gel in cucumber melon. On the easily-recycled #2 bottle, it claims to be "rich in aloe and oatmeal to soothe dry skin...gentle and soap free for everyday use." And that it is. An American brand out of California, Shikai doesn't use animal ingredients, nor does it test on animals. The cucumber melon scent is light and natural. I love it.

The center product (which I admit is hard to see, but I had to include the blooms of the orchid, right?) is Kiss My Face "obsessively organic" Big Body Shampoo. It contains no SLS or parabens, works well and smells like natural lavender. It also has other yummy organic herbs like nettle, sage and calendula.  Fabulous stuff at supermarket prices!

Finally, on the right is Avalon Organics Ylang Ylang Hand & Body Lotion. Avalon pledges "safe effective, pro-organic body care without artificial colors, synthetic fragrances or parabens." I love the light scent of this totally awesome lotion. I got it at Kroger. Next time you're food shopping, why not practice a little conscious consumerism while treating your skin to the good stuff!

kitty's big red lips

Go ahead, click on it! It's the lipstick featured in kitty's kiss below, Dr. Hauschka lipstick #6. It smells like roses, glides beautifully, doesn't smear and bleed and make me look like a member of The Cure. Come to think of it, I don't think I've worn red lipstick since I stopped listening to them in 1994! Anyway, this is a lipstick that can be blotted down to a stain with staying power or left at full tilt to rock the night away. I love it!

Ingredients include beeswax, plant waxes and essential oils, not disgusting petrochemicals. It's safe enough to eat, which is a good thing if you believe the urban legends that the average woman eats/absorbs up to 5 tubes a year, or 6 pounds in a lifetime... lick by lick, drink by drink, bite by bite. The problem is, cosmetics are unregulated and mainstream brands are free to include all kinds of toxic ingredients, such as lead. Remember that scare from a few years ago? No, thanks. I'll stick to strictly botanical formulas! What do you use on your lips?

Kisses For My Kittens!

Kisses to my kittens, loyal readers Marinik & Mextacy!!! I made this lip print for you with my new red Dr. Hauschka lipstick. It's been years since I've worn lipcolor this bright, but I am absolutely in love with it....and you two for loving yourselves enough to learn about healthy lifestyle choices. Thanks so much!

Yours, kitty.