Products I Love: Dr. Bronner's Soap

Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

This stuff is amazing. Not tested on animals. Completely biodegradable and vegetable-based. Made with certified fair trade and organic oils. No synthetic foaming agents, thickeners or preservatives. 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) cylinder bottles and paper labels.

In addition to all that, the castile soap has 18-in-1 uses:
-Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
-Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
-Peppermint is nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
-A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
-A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
-Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
-Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
-Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
-Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe - keeps cool!
-3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
-1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

From the Website:

For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth-loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh & clean.
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For other uses, dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs.

For shampoo, though we now recommend our new Shikakai soaps for this, many people are fond of using it as such. The method of application is to wet hair and scalp very thoroughly, squirt some soap into hands and work into a lather. Wash hair, then rinse well. Afterwards use our new citrus hair rinse and leave-in conditioners as directed.

For the laundry, use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load; adjust as needed depending on hardness of water. I've been told that adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.

For toothbrushing, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap, as you might start foaming at the mouth. Many people with sensitive or softer teeth like to use our soap as a toothpaste because it lacks abrasives.

My Organic Lip Balms

I'm reworking my organic lip balm recipe to make it vegan-friendly!

I'm also adding new flavors. So far I have Peppermint, Vanilla, Basil, and Lavender. I'm looking to add Vanilla-mint, Basil-mint, and a new Signature flavor.

In addition to this, I'm also working with my graphic designer friend, Randy, to come up with new labels!

Very exciting stuff.

Keep checking my Etsy shop.

Portfolio: Sceneasota Fashion Show Video

About a month ago I did makeup for a runway show, the second annual Sceneasota fashion show. Here's the fabulous video for it... Thanks Anthem Heart !

Sceneasota Fashion Show '09 VIDEO from Anthem Heart A/V on Vimeo.

Portfolio: The Melismatics Digging Deep

This is a music video I did makeup for (although I'm unfortunately not given credit for it). I think it turned out beautifully. The best part is that most of the makeup I used was organic.

Healthy Skin Tip - Vitamin D, SPF, and Premature Aging.

To keep yourself healthy, it is recommended to incorporate Vitamin D into your lifestyle. Of course you can find it as a supplement (just make sure it's D3), but your body can also make it directly from sunlight - except during the winter in the mid-west, where the earths tilt makes it exceedingly difficult. If you do choose to get your Vitamin D from sunlight, here's what I suggest:

To help prevent premature aging while still getting natural Vitamin D, always (and I do mean always) wear a mineral based SPF on the face, neck, chest, and hands - the places that show age the most. Let larger areas, like your back and legs, get 10-15 minutes a day of sunlight. Of course if you are going to do this, keep in mind "healthy sun" hours. UV light is strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. standard time (or 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. DST), so try to avoid or limit sun exposure during these hours.

This brings up another point: In general, bring your products down from the face, to the neck, decollete, and hands. Especially when moisturizing, bring your face cream all the way down your neck, onto your chest, and finish by rubbing the leftover product on your hands. Have you ever seen someone who has taut looking facial skin, but as your eyes travel a little lower, their neck or even chest is crapey? We can all hope to avoid this fate by taking care of our necks and chests, and even hands, they way we take care of our faces... by bringing our skin-care, especially the SPF and hydration, down to those other parts.

Tattoo Removal Part 2

Session one, complete. I can definitely say that the main differences between getting a tattoo and getting one removed are these:
1) It is much, much quicker to have a tattoo removed (per session) then getting one.
2) If getting a tattoo sort of feels like being superficially cut with a knife, then getting a tattoo removed feels like being superficially cut with a hot knife.

The whole concept is pretty neat. The laser can be on, and if it's not on an ink that it's targeting, you don't even feel it. But as soon as it gets close, you start hearing a popping sound, and feel the laser going to town on the pigment. Anywhere the laser targets the ink, it turns white. This is, I'm told, moisture in the skin being evaporated. I know the picture isn't the greatest, it was taken with my iPhone. But the areas I had treated look (and feel) pretty gnarly today.

I can't wait to see what happens after this first session :)

Tattoo Removal

Tomorrow I'm undergoing a tattoo removal session. I am not new to getting tattoos. I have something like 40 hours, which includes a full sleeve, both feet, my stomach, a 1/2 back piece, and a few randoms. But tattoo removal? This is definitely something new for me. I am anxious and excited... and, of course, I hope it works!

1 of the 3 things I'm starting to get removed tomorrow is pictured above. It was my second tattoo, the quality is poor, and I will not be sad to part with it. Luckily, everything I'm removing tomorrow is black, which is the easiest to remove.

I made my tattoo removal appointment at Northeast Tattoo in Minneapolis. While I have yet to be tattooed there, the shop is impressive and houses some talented artists. Aleks, the owner of the shop, is a tattoo artist and laser specialist, and will be performing my laser removal.

Of course, this brings me to another point... The way I understand tattoo removal to work is this: tattoo ink is suspended under the skin. It is not absorbed on its own because the particles are too big. A laser can break the ink particles into smaller particles that can be absorbed. Of course it is more complicated than that, but that's the basic idea. Tattoo ink pigments are made from iron oxides, metal salts, plastics, and vegetable pigments. I'm curious to see what will happen when the broken pigments are absorbed... if I'll feel any different, because the ingredients listed above are not necessarily things you want looking around your blood stream. I'm thinking about calling my naturopathic doctor to see if there's anything I should be taking to help with the side effects.

I'll keep you posted, wish me luck!

Naughty Products - Carmex

I'm on a roll today, folks! As cold weather approaches, we all reach for something to help with chapped lips. Thus, I feel it is downright necessary that I expose Carmex for the toxic mess they are.

The entire product lines is graded moderate to highly hazardous (5-9 out of 10). They are a non-signer of the Compact For Safe Cosmetics, and they keep their animal testing policy under wraps (which probably means they use animals in their testing).

Also, this brand uses ingredients known to cause developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity, irritation, and biochemical or cellular level changes.

Moving on: Today let's look at the basic Carmex Lip Balm. It's rated a 7, which is considered a high hazard. It contains Phenol, a highly hazardous, toxic, bioaccumulating irritant. Lovely. What else: artificial fragrances (neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity), and lanolin (immunotoxicy), among other things.

And you put it on your mouth! Which means a good percentage of it that doesn't absorb into the delicate lip tissue ends up being ingested. Not good.

AVOID PLEASE

Naughty Products - Aveeno

Hello again, it's time for another installment of Naught Products. You might notice a trend here... I'm targeting product lines that claim to be natural and safe, when in reality they are everything but.

Today's focus: Aveeno. Let's take a look at a few of their products, shall we? First on the chopping block: Aveeno's Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 30. Aveeno's website says the following of the product:

"...contains clinically proven Total Soy Complex to brighten and even skin tone, and natural light diffusers, like mica and silica, to reflect light to visibly smooth imperfections and immediately bring out skin's natural radiance. Now, skin is able to receive protection from both the sun and premature aging. Daily use leaves skin softer and smoother and "

Let's take a closer look at this product. This product is considered a moderate to high hazard. It contains Urea. Sound familiar? Yes, it is essentially urine. Or at least it's in urine as a waste product. Also, Oxybenzone, which is really nasty stuff that bioaccumulates and causes organ toxicity. Also in this gem of a product is PEG-100 Stearate and Methylisothiazolinone, which also contribute to organ toxicity.

Another highly hazardous product from Aveeno is the plain old Positively Radiant Moisturizing Lotion. This sham of a "natural" product gets a rating of 9 out of 10 (10 being most toxic). It contains BHT, DMDM Hydantoin, Methlyparabens, Propylene Glycol, as well as many other toxic chemicals that a smarty like you will want to avoid.

Again, this company completely downplays the dangerous chemicals it uses, and tries to highlight the very few "natural" ingredients it contains. This brand uses ingredients known to cause developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity, irritation, and biochemical or cellular level changes.

That said, let's all scoff collectively at Aveeno's "Active Naturals" line. Ready and....go!

Naughty Products - St. Ives

An important thing to consider is the type and quality of products you are using. As I posted earlier, avoid harsh and dangerous products.

The example I used earlier in the first Healthy Skin Tips was that awful St. Ives Apricot Scrub that everyone thinks is great. Why is it so bad? Look it up on Skin Deep: It scores a 7 out of 10 on the toxicity scale, and is considered a "High Hazard". 85% of exfoliation products had fewer concerns. That's pretty pathetic, especially since St. Ives wants you to think it's natural:

Your face comes first, and when it looks great, you do too. St. Ives Fresh Skin products - formulated from ingredients you know, like apricots, minerals and olives - give you the power to uncover your best you - naturally revealing fresh, glowing skin.

I'm sorry, what was that St. Ives? Formulated from ingredients I know? Natural?? Like Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Parabens, and Triethanolamine? Ingredients that are known to cause developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity, irritation, and biochemical or cellular level changes? Sure, you could say this is classic false advertising... but it's much more deviant than that.

Please steer clear!

Healthy Skin Tip - Keepin' It Clean

In addition to using clean washcloths every time you cleanse your face, you'll want to avoid some common, and sneaky, skin disruptors:

-Clean your phones regularly (this is also important to stay healthy during cold and flu season).

- Change your pillowcases often. Even if you wash your hair regularly, you'll still be rubbing your face on all the hair products left on your pillow.

- Don't mess with your skin with out washing your hands first.

- Don't pick at your skin. If you must pick at it, use two Q-Tips and squeeze gently. Whatever doesn't come out is not ready, or needs the attention on a professional (IE: an esthetician)

Healthy Skin Tip - Cut down on congestion

So, today I decided to flex my esthetician and health-nut muscle for the good of all man-kind. I have a lot to share! Periodically I'm going to post exciting entries on tips for skin health, nutrition, and also on Naughty (yet common) Ingredients... Dun-dun-dun!

But let's not get ahead ourselves here. Let's back the knowledge train up to the station.

Healthy Skin Tip - Cut down on congestion - the healthy way!

As a practicing esthetician, the most common problem I see (apart from dehydration - drink that water, people!) is congestion. There is an eco-friendly, reusable alternative to harsh products, that works effectively without breaking the bank! I suggest investing in a dozen or so washcloths (more if you don't do laundry regularly). Have enough on hand so that you can use a clean one each time you wash your face. (If you wash twice a day and do laundry once a week, do the math... you'll need at least 14 washcloths so you don't run out.)

Also... this stops you from buying products that may not be good for you (more on the chemical aspect later). And now I'm officially going to talk crap about something: That St. Ives Apricot Scrub that every beauty magazine says is amazing, and everyone and their sister uses. Harsh scrubs such as this do not work to your benefit, trust me on this. This particular product, like many others, has more than 10 dangerous ingredients (I stopped counting after 10), not to mention crushed apricot pits, which sounds healthy right? Wrong. They tear at your skin leaving microscopic fissures. What's the big deal? Well, if you have an acneic skintype or are prone to breakouts, this actually makes it easier for the bacteria to invade your precious skin, you first defense against infection! Plus all the crappy synthetic ingredients destroys your skins protective barrier, called the acid mantle, leaving you even more susceptible to problems and speeding up the aging process.

Anyway... moving on:

Back to the washcloths - I like to use these before I apply a cleanser. In the morning when I don't have makeup on, I'll still wet a washcloth with warm water and rub gently in a circular motion all over my face - even my lips- just like I would if I were removing makeup. This is particularly beneficial in the colder, dryer months to ward off flaking skin and chapped lips. Then I apply a cleanser, working that in for a few minutes before removing. This is gentle enough to do every day.

And wa-la! Clean, glowing, congestion-free skin! (Of course finding the right cleanser is imperative, more on this later!)

For super dry skin, once or twice a week try applying a heavy coat of your favorite moisturizer and using a damp washcloth to lightly buff the dry skin off until symptoms subside. This also works on other parts of the body ;)

Where to find the washcloths? Well, you can surely pick some up at your local co-op for all-natural or organic lovers. If you are on a budget, Target sells packs of 10 for just a couple bucks... in all sorts of fun colors! Pick up a few packs, and you're ready to roll!