Product Review: Badger Anti-Bug Sunscreen

I'm on vacation! And for me, that always entails heading to my childhood home on Cape Cod. Living in San Francisco, I never have to worry about sunscreen or bugs, but the Cape is an entirely different story. In preparation, I closely perused the Environmental Working Group's Safe Sunscreen Guide and headed over to my local Pharmaca.

I am a big fan of efficiency and multi-tasking, so I picked up this Badger Broad Spectrum SPF 34 Anti-Bug Sunscreen. Scented with citronella and cedar, it may be too fragrant for some but I personally like its light lemony aroma. Its power as a sunscreen is undeniable (I'm still as white as a sheet!) and so far, no bug bites. Score!

The formula uses the mineral zinc oxide as its sunscreen source, which is a safe and effective choice. When applying, the zinc creates a whitish cast that takes a bit longer than most sunscreens to rub in. If you can get past that annoyance (which you'll find in many non-toxic sunscreens), you'll find this to be a worthy contender for your beach bag. Surf's up!

Ingredients
Non-Nano Uncoated Zinc Oxide 20%
Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Certified Organic Beeswax
Certified Organic Castor Oil
Certified Organic Citronella Oil
Certified Organic Lemongrass Oil
Certified Organic Cedar Oil
Certified Organic Rosemary Oil
Certified Organic Geranium Oil

DIY Frizz-Ease Hair Serum

Summer is here, and on the East Coast that means humidity and crazy hair. Even the finest of hair can get frizzy in the summer haze. My mom stumbled upon this easy way to tame flyaways accidentally, and found that it worked better than any product she's tried. Here in San Francisco, we don't get too much humidity, but I've found that this simple serum doubles as a style setting serum - apply a few drops to the ends of your hair, curl away and voila! Your curls will set for DAYS. It's amazing!

Ready for the secret recipe?

Ingredients:
Oil, any type (my mom used Vitamin E oil w/ safflower, I use jojoba or olive or shea butter. Argan oil is all the rage at the moment for hair, but you really don't need to spend a fortune!)

Ummmm - that's it! Just go in your kitchen, take a few drops of oil & apply to the ends of your hair or wherever you need frizz control. Use sparingly - you don't want to be too greasy, and you can always layer it if you need more. If you want it to smell amazing, try using coconut oil or adding 1-2 drops essential oil to the mix.

Enjoy your newfound frizz-free locks!

What's So Bad About Parabens, Anyway?

Lately there has been lots of news about parabens - synthetic chemicals that are used as preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products. They're pretty easy to identify on ingredients labels - just look for the -paraben suffix, e.g., ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben. According to the FDA, preservatives like parabens are "used in cosmetics to protect them against microbial growth, both to protect consumers and to maintain product integrity."

According to the Environmental Working Group, parabens are endocrine disruptors, which means that they can bind to hormone receptor sites in the human body and interfere with normal function. Currently there is a controversy over what constitutes an acceptable level of exposure to these types of chemicals (Dowdle, H., 2012). With parabens implicated in health hazards ranging from breast cancer to fertility to birth defects (EWG), more and more consumers are choosing to avoid them.

Natural preservatives do exist (think about how food has been traditionally preserved: salt, alcohol, pickling, freezing, etc.). And many cosmetic lines are now producing paraben-free products. As with food, reading labels is essential in selecting safe cosmetics.



Dowdle, H. (2012). Outside Job. Whole Living, 67. 103-107.

DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner

Maybe it's just me, but I have to admit that I don't always clean my yoga mat after every practice. Those classes at Yoga Tree kill me, and after walking up 3 flights of stairs, I will often throw my yoga mat at the door only to pick it up the next day on my way out to my next class. Gross, I know.

Luckily, I found a great recipe for a yoga mat cleaner online and had an empty spray bottle lying around. I made a few tweaks to the recipe - I used eucalyptus instead of tea tree oil because eucalyptus is also antimicrobial. Now I have an easy, delicious-smelling way to clean my mat after every class!

Ingredients
A few drops eucalyptus essential oil
A few drops lavender essential oil
Filtered water

Mix in a spray bottle and voila! You're on your way to being a cleaner yogi. Namaste!

Product Review: Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Liquid Soap

I love making my own personal care products on the weekends. It's so fun to go into the kitchen and whip up a new deodorant, lotion or facial oil. But let's face it: like you, I'm a busy girl. As much as I enjoy it, I don't always have time to play amateur chemist in the kitchen. Purchasing products is a lot easier & more efficient. It's just figuring out whether they're non-toxic that can be annoying. One of the reasons I started this blog was to identify really good non-toxic products that actually work.

So I'm happy to report that Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Liquid Soap fits the bill. I love this stuff. It's all-natural and organic, contains very few ingredients, scores a 1 over at the Cosmetics Database, and best of all, it works. It has a nice lather when you use it with a loofah, and a little goes a long way. It's $16.99 for a 32-oz bottle - super affordable when comparing to somewhere like L'Occitane.

Dr. Bronner's also makes great scented liquid soaps - if fragrance doesn't bother you, I highly recommend those as well.

INGREDIENTS:
Water
Organic Coconut Oil*
Potassium Hydroxide** (lye)
Organic Olive Oil*
Organic Hemp Oil
Organic Jojoba Oil
Citric Acid
Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
*CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS
**None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin

Product Review: Blûm Naturals Daily Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes

I have a confession. I don't always do the right thing when it comes to non-toxic makeup. I try my best, but when I'm getting home at 2 in the morning after a rockin' gig, it's all I can do to remember to actually take off my makeup before I crash.

So, instead of using my awesome eye makeup remover, I usually reach for a towelette. I know, I know ... The waste! The parabens! Ugh! So when I ran across Blûm Naturals Daily Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes at Pharmaca, I was excited at the prospect of ruling out at least one of those problems.

The towelettes score a 1 at EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database - not too shabby. And the ingredient list reads more like a spa menu than a beauty product. But would they work?

Sadly, not so much. They smell good, and they do an OK job of taking off blush & base, but eye makeup? Forget it. Even after scrubbing until my eyes were red, I was left with big black raccoon eyes (and this was a light makeup night for me). Boo!

The good news? Looks like I'll be taking the extra 3 minutes to use my eye makeup remover before I go to bed - that'll eliminate the paraben problem AND the waste.

Ingredients
Aqua (Water)
Decyl Glucoside (sugar-derived)
Organic Chomomile Extract
Organic Aloe Vera Extract
Lavender Oil
Vanilla Oil
Patchouli Oil
Gluconolactone
Sodium Benzoate (naturally-derived; salt preservative)
Glycerin

DIY Eye Makeup Remover

One of my favorite times of year is May, when InStyle releases their Best Beauty Buys. Each year, I pore over the issue, ripping out the shopping list, pinning wish-list beauty items to my Pinterest boards, and otherwise drooling over the editors' picks.

Until recently, the issue didn't contain an Eco-Friendly section (mad props to the pub for adding that in 2012!). And before my eco-makeup craze began, I frequently referenced their regular ol' picks for every beauty purchase I made. One of the consistent contenders year after year was Lancome's Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover. I tried it, I loved it. Eventually I began noticing an imposter on the drugstore shelf: Neutrogena's Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. Similar blue packaging, similar mysterious separation between the compounds within. I tried it, I loved it (especially for its lower price).

Nowadays, as you know, I'm trying to use products that are as close to nature as possible. No preservatives, parabens, nasty additives, etc. Lancome's 2007 formulation of this eye makeup remover scored a 5 over at EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, and Neutrogena's scored a 4. Not bad, but I'd like a 0, so I made this simple, super-effective eye makeup remover at home myself.

Efficacy was important for me - I'm a performer, and I wear some serious eye makeup at my shows. When I come home, I need something that will remove it swiftly without scrubbing or tugging at my eye area. This one's pretty perfect. Try it, you'll love it!

Ingredients:
1 part sweet almond oil (or jojoba oil) - these are non-comedogenic and won't clog pores
1 part filtered or distilled water

Combine ingredients. Shake well before each application. Apply with a cotton ball and watch as even the heaviest eye makeup disappears.

Oh! And throw it in an old container ... I'm all for re-using bottles! :)