A few months ago I turned 40, and with that event two things happened simultaneously: 1). my complexion went haywire, and 2). I became inexplicably convinced that everything in the world and perhaps beyond is conspiring to give me cancer. Yes, I have become one of Those People. :\
As such, I began a personal mission, nay, a quest, to find healthy and effective beauty products to replace the harsh chemical-laden stuff I'd always used. Cruelty-free has always been part of my repertoire, but natural/organic had not, so it's been very challenging to adapt this new way of thinking and shopping for products. And the word "effective" really is key for me; I'm not so committed to this natural stuff that I am willing to forego efficacy. If the product doesn't work for me, I'm not going to buy it, regardless of how much great healthy stuff is in it.
Anyway! I'm a total product junkie, so I've already tried a lot of products in the last few months. A. Lot. Some have been disappointing, some have been very pleasant surprises. I'll start with one of the latter.
A month or so ago I tried a shampoo/conditioner combination made by Avalon Organics, who produce cruelty-free products without synthetic fragrances, phthalates, parabens or sulfates. It's the Smoothing Grapefruit & Geranium shampoo and conditioner.
These products are, to put it mildly, fantastic. I have tons of very fine long hair, which tends to get a little dry, with lots of flyaywas (particularly during winter) and tangles galore in the ends. This stuff is magic on my hair. It detangles (and keeps it that way!), smooths, conditions beautifully without weighing down, shines, everything shampoo/conditioner always promises to do but never delivers. My hair feels like silk and I can't stop touching it and running my fingers through it, which is, for once, a delight because they don't get caught in tangles! The packaging is from 100% recycled materials, too, which is great.
Now, one big disclaimer to add here. These two products, while made with 70% organic content and not containing sodium laureth sulfates, do still contain some pretty iffy chemicals, unfortunately. However, I am more lenient with hair products than skin products on the chemicals thing because hair is dead and because even with the scalp/skin contact, most of it is getting rinsed away, unlike with facial moisturizers, for example. I would dearly love to find a truly natural/organic shampoo/conditioner that does a great job on my hair, but so far no luck (more on that later).
So. What products are the rest of you hippie-dippy nature types using and loving?
As such, I began a personal mission, nay, a quest, to find healthy and effective beauty products to replace the harsh chemical-laden stuff I'd always used. Cruelty-free has always been part of my repertoire, but natural/organic had not, so it's been very challenging to adapt this new way of thinking and shopping for products. And the word "effective" really is key for me; I'm not so committed to this natural stuff that I am willing to forego efficacy. If the product doesn't work for me, I'm not going to buy it, regardless of how much great healthy stuff is in it.
Anyway! I'm a total product junkie, so I've already tried a lot of products in the last few months. A. Lot. Some have been disappointing, some have been very pleasant surprises. I'll start with one of the latter.
A month or so ago I tried a shampoo/conditioner combination made by Avalon Organics, who produce cruelty-free products without synthetic fragrances, phthalates, parabens or sulfates. It's the Smoothing Grapefruit & Geranium shampoo and conditioner.
These products are, to put it mildly, fantastic. I have tons of very fine long hair, which tends to get a little dry, with lots of flyaywas (particularly during winter) and tangles galore in the ends. This stuff is magic on my hair. It detangles (and keeps it that way!), smooths, conditions beautifully without weighing down, shines, everything shampoo/conditioner always promises to do but never delivers. My hair feels like silk and I can't stop touching it and running my fingers through it, which is, for once, a delight because they don't get caught in tangles! The packaging is from 100% recycled materials, too, which is great.
Now, one big disclaimer to add here. These two products, while made with 70% organic content and not containing sodium laureth sulfates, do still contain some pretty iffy chemicals, unfortunately. However, I am more lenient with hair products than skin products on the chemicals thing because hair is dead and because even with the scalp/skin contact, most of it is getting rinsed away, unlike with facial moisturizers, for example. I would dearly love to find a truly natural/organic shampoo/conditioner that does a great job on my hair, but so far no luck (more on that later).
So. What products are the rest of you hippie-dippy nature types using and loving?
