If You Like Organic Orgy, You'll Love kitty's "Zen of Homekeeping!"

I just can't control myself from branching out to spread the word about greenwashing and natural home products! At kitty's "Zen of Homekeeping" I'll be telling you everything I have learned and experienced in the world of green cleaning! You know how I do it! Brutal honesty about what we're inhaling, bioaccumulating and washing down the drain. Goodbye migraines and allergies, hello healthy cleaning! Peace and Love, Your Kitty!

Natural Beauty Deal

Aloha, kittens! As I plunge into football world, and the testosterone practically drips from the walls of my house (just cleaning up from the Madden 10 tournament last night - did I really bring in an entire team of dudes?!?), I wanted to pass along this link to get you a deal the next time you shop for your organic/natural beauty products from Beauty.com. One thing I like about this joint is the availability of hard-to-find brands, like my beloved Arcona. I am soooo into it! Now get over there and love on yourself a little with some nice cosmetics!

Spend $75 on Beauty.com and get a $15 Gift Card! While supplies last.

A Rant About Stinky Smells

     I come from a long line of perfume wearers, and I myself have a list a mile long of favorite scents. Smell is so evocative; I remember the scent of people long after I have forgotten more important things about them. I recall events, thinking of what perfume I was wearing at that particular time in life (Amarige by Givenchy on my wedding day; Elizabeth Arden's True Love the day Hubbs proposed; Lolita Lempika the day I became a Godmother, Clinique Happy the day I found out I was pregnant - and promptly became nauseated by that late 90's scent).

     So let me be clear: I love perfume ... it just doesn't love me anymore. I can't handle the fumes of colognes, eau de toilettes, dryer sheets, detergents, hairsprays, candles etcetera. Unless a scent is totally natural (ie: coming directly from the petals of a flower, essential oils, or real baked goods), I can't survive without getting sniffly, sneezy and itchy. Often, I'll get a migraine headache, and sometimes cloying smells will actually make me barf.

     About a year and a half ago, I began phasing out toxic chemicals in my life in hopes of managing my allergies, headaches, and endocrine/immunological problems. I found out that most synthetic fragrances in cosmetics, perfumes and household products are chock full of things that make my body go haywire. As I subtracted things, and greened up our home, I noticed many of my symptoms disappeared. 

     Now for my rant: does Abercrombie & Fitch want me to keep dropping hundreds in their stores, even in this crappy economy? I have a young man who insists on dragging me into this store, then proceeds to bat his big brown eyes at me as he makes off with a huge loot of overpriced leather flip flops, tight polo shirts and plaid shorts. He looks fantastic, but my oh my do those clothes STINK!

     A case in point: after school shopping there and practically taking one of everything in every color, I found myself with a throbbing headache. It wasn't the ridonkulous block rocking beats they're blasting in there. It wasn't the staggering bill. It was the smell of those damn clothes, which their employees feel compelled to douse every 10 seconds with their awful cologne!

     It's not enough to stink up the entire Fashion Mall. It's not enough to be bowled over by the smell inside the store. Once the motherlode of late summer fashions came into the house, the scent was overpowering. Even after I removed all the clothes from his closet and ran them through the wash, I could smell that awful cologne. His whole room smells like it now, and even he is sick of it. Why, oh why is this necessary?!?

     A friend told me the brand is trying to create a total sensory experience. Rather a total sensory meltdown. Maybe all the girls want to smell teenage cheapo cologne, reminiscent of their first date (Oye, who can forget God-awful Drakkar Noir or Polo Cologne - the smell of puberty in 1985), but enough already! 

     I've discovered one way around this quandry is to get the clothes from their website, shipped directly to the house in nice factory wrappings sans stink. But that's bad for them, because I am always more restrained from the confines of my office without brown eyes blinking up at me begging for just one more shirt!

Buyer's Remorse

     I want to like these products. But I don't. Well, for the most part, I don't. Let's just say I won't be adding them to my cart again any time soon. Let's begin from the left with the Juice Beauty SPF 30 Mineral Sheer Moisturizer.

     Pros: Readily available, works well to protect skin from the sun, easily recyclable in a glass bottle. Cons: It's expensive at about $29, works too well to grease up my skin,  and it's not nice on my face under makeup. I use it off-label, so to speak, saving it for my neck, chest and arms. I confess I used this last summer, as well and I'm only about three quarters of the way down into the glass bottle. Sephora now sells it in a tube instead, so that is an improvement. This is a product which scored relatively well on the Environmental Working Group's 2009 Sunscreen Guide, so it is better than many on the market. If your skin can handle the oil slick and you don't intend to put makeup over the sunscreen, it's OK I suppose. Meh.

     Next on my list of things I wish hadn't bought is Caudalie's Creme Contour. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? It comes in beautiful packaging, boxed, foiled and shiny. It's French and fancy. I love French and fancy. This stuff is OK. I thought it would be economical to spend over $50 on this product because it is packed chock-full with anti-aging ingredients, and it is formulated for eyes and lips: double duty. I want so badly to love it. But I don't. My sensitive skin gets little tiny pimples when I use it by my lips. Perhaps I should apply with a swab; maybe it's my fingers (doubt it, though because you know I wash my hands every five minutes and before I touch my face). My disappointment stems from its outrageous price more than anything. You'd better believe I will use it on my eyes till it's gone, but I don't plan to buy it again. I feel moisturized, but unprotected from Father Time.

     Cost brings me to the Alba Botanica Mango Moisturizing Conditioner. Although I don't often shop at Walmart, I found myself there after a friend told me our local store had been revamped. She said they had cleaned it up, reorganized and made shopping there a much more pleasurable experience. I stopped by and was excited to see a "natural beauty" section. I found the Alba conditioner, and thought it might make a less expensive alternative to my favorite John Masters Organics Honey and Hibiscus conditioner. At about $8.50, the Alba stood to save me about $20 over my preferred product.

     Alba gets some decent marks from the Environmental Working Group, but this conditioner clocks in with a rating of "5," which is right in the middle of the road. Better than a lot of products, but not as good as many. It seems as though the vague ingredient, "fragrance" is what concerns the EWG. See, "fragrance" is considered proprietary and therefore doesn't have to be broken down into its constituent parts. That means the delightful scent in question could contain gross stuff like formaldehyde fixatives and other gross stuff that can be toxic to our immune systems and inflammatory to allergy sufferers. 

     In my experience, manufacturers who merely list "fragrance" as an ingredient are probably using something yucky. When cosmetics companies use natural essential oils to fragrance their products, they are very proud to say so. And the cost of such products is going to be higher because essential oils are expensive. I like the smell of this Alba conditioner, but my foray into natural cosmetics began because I was constantly battling irritation, inflammation and headaches. Until Alba Botanica begins disclosing what's in their "fragrances," I'm not buying it again - even though this is a decent conditioner. In fact, I hopped over to the Beautoium (see sidebar above) to get the aforementioned John Masters. 

Everything's Coming Up Roses... and Vanilla!

     Hello, kittens. I've been remiss in posting my adventures in green cosmetology for you; I've had house guests who don't dig the blogosphere as much as we all do! I've missed you all and thought of you often as I stole moments at my Mac, but I never managed enough time to post anything other than comments on others' blogs. Rest assured, I've been diligently field testing natural cosmetics for your consideration, so let's get right to it, shall we?

     First, Lavanila's Healthy Body Wash. Love, love, love Lavanila Laboratories! This body wash is indeed la-la-lovely. I've used every precious drop of this 12 oz bottle of the "pure vanilla" flavor. Layered with the perfume of the same name, I smell like a delicious sugar cookie at all times, without overpowering others or giving myself a migraine. 

     Lavanila products do not contain anything toxic (click here if you want the complete low-down) such as parabens, pthalates, or sulfates. That means the products are safe for you and the environment once they rinse down the drain.

     They have a really cool interface on their website that allows you to search their ingredients for safety, efficacy and origin. The products are readily available on their site, the beauty warehouses, and QVC (did you hear that, Mom?). I have mine shipped with my monthly beauty.com order. Lavanila is now making a natural deodorant, so I'll let you know as soon as I have tried it!

     I've raved on and on about Dr. Hauschka skin care. I can't live without Moisturizing Day Cream. According to the bottle, it "activates and balances." It also "enlivens pale, lifeless skin without leaving an oily film." Affirmative. It smells like roses, which to me smells like a million bucks. Further, it comes in a glass bottle which can be easily recycled. 

     Here's the only thing: it contains no sun screen. And that's a no-no-no! I use the product at night and wake up with a fresh happy face, which is the best foundation a girl can have. My dear Mextacy asked some time ago if I could recommend a good natural night moisturizer, and this is definitely it! Mex, darling, the cat is out of the bag: your Kitty uses day cream to sleep off the fuglies! Dr. H is a little expensive, but as is the case with all well made products, a little goes a long way. My 3.4 oz (100 ml) bottles last every bit of 2 months. I will, however, be on the lookout for less expensive, more available options.  Until we meet again, toodles! Love, kitty.

UPDATE: If you're thinking of getting the Dr. H moisturizer, you'll want to buy from Beautorium (see the sidebar, above left). This particular product is half as expensive there right now as it is at Beauty.com! I just scored 4 free little Dr. H tubes and saved a bundle on my refill! Sweet!

     

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.