Your Hair’s New BFF
Date: September 9, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Hair Care, Teens for Safe Cosmetics
Young ladies, a new line of haircare has just graced us with its royal birth, and they’re looking for the ultimate spokesgirl. The first face of Amourai Organique will represent a line of haircare fit for a young queen. The regal family of Natural Haircare, which includes the Silver Spoon Shampoo, Her Highness Conditioner and Knight in Shining Armour Treatment, are all made from natural (many of which are organic) ingredients without the harmful additions of things like parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrances that irritate the skin and have been linked to cancer. (more…)
Clean to the Max
Date: September 1, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Body Care, Hair Care, Skin Care
When it comes to filling your shower caddy, the trick is avoiding bogus claims and sketchy ingredient lists when combing through eco-friendly hair care that works. One of the best options is to stop at your local Whole Foods, where there are also numerous options, many affordable, like Max Green Alchemy products. They are derived from plants and are free of synthetics and the typical “natural” cosmetic repeat offenders: parabens and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate. Sourcing as many organic and wild-crafted ingredients as possible, Max Green’s line includes skin, lip, hand and foot care, as well as their acclaimed hair care products: Scalp Rescue Shampoo (a recent PETA Proggy Award winner), which combines essential oils including tea tree, lavender and geranium with ingredients such as solar sea salt to combat a panoply of scalp issues such as sensitive skin, dandruff and psoriasis. Many of the MGA products are available in travel sizes as well, so you can look great and be green on the go!
The Future’s So Bright, I Have to Wear Shades of Green
Date: August 25, 2008 | Category: Body Care, Featured, Hair Care, Makeup, Resources, Skin Care, Stores & Resources
If you’ve ever been frustrated trying to figure out what beauty products are as gentle on the planet as they are on your skin, futurenatural has come to your rescue. This online hub was founded by “Organic Glamazon” Emma Pezzak, an amazingly talented and qualified make-up artist who also believes that natural does not have to mean any sacrifices in quality or style… in fact - just the opposite. That’s why her site is stocked full of the best natural, organic, biodynamic, wild-harvested and artisan beauty products in the world, also providing full disclosure of ingredients, an onsite glossary and personal stories behind each brand. futurenatural only sells products from companies that have no petroleum derivatives, no parabens, no synthetic colors or fragrances, no formaldehyde or any other known harmful ingredient. And of course none of their products are ever tested on animals. So when you shop futurenatural, you’ve already got an eco leg up. What shade of green you want to go is then up to you! Live Well. Do Good. Look Gorgeous. - as they say.
Think Pink
Date: July 13, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Hair Care
We’re always excited when a trusted name in the green community comes out with an inspiring way to make our bodies and the earth more beautiful. Verikira Naturals introduced the Pink Grapefruit/Pink Ribbon Collection to help support breast cancer research and awareness. Naturally, we love the cause. But, we’ll be honest with you: Pink grapefruit reminded a few of us of breakfast. Then we brought home our shampoo and conditioner samples, and the verdict was unanimous: Ahhhhh.
The scent is a light citrus with a sultry undertone. The shampoo lathered just the right amount, leaving straight, wavy, curly and even processed hair clean without stripping out natural oils. The conditioner was enriching without being heavy. Verikira supports fair trade practices and cradle-to-cradle eco-consciousness. The vegans in the ecofabulous crew were happy to learn that all of Verikira’s products are animal-free. In sum, we wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful, eco-friendly line, which helps us live green and think pink.
Take the Bite out of Summer
Date: June 19, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Hair Care, Pets
No one told me how much work this dog thing was going to be? The other day my vet told me that I must use some flea repellent on a regular basis! Thankfully one of our writers discovered Animali Belli, Tutta Bella’s line of organic, non-toxic, and biodegradable animal products. They offer excellent alternatives to the typical chemical-based products. Animali Belli’s botanical goods, which come in recyclable packaging (hopefully they will soon improve this further), include a shampoo with insect-repelling citronella and raw, vitamin-rich shea butter (which even has some UV protection). If you don’t get the shampooing down, there is a First Aid Cream, designed for insect bites or skin irritations and contains delicious ingredients like mango butter and cranberry oil. It smells good, but if the air doesn’t, you can try the odor eliminator that uses an oxygen solution to clear the air safely and naturally.
Want Beautiful Hair? Widu!
Date: May 22, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Hair Care
After washing your locks with your favorite eco-friendly, organic products and then letting it air dry (saves energy!), make sure you choose brushes and combs that reflect the same standards. Designed by a hair stylist from Milan, Widu brushes and combs are made from FSC-certified wood. Native Italian artisans construct the brushes from a variety of wood, and the bristles are crafted from the hornbeam, which is known for its strength against breaking. Plus they come in a rainbow of colors, which should motivate even the most style-resistant, like my daughter, to brush!
Aveda Re-Cap
Date: April 3, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Hair Care
When you toss your empty bottles into the recycling bin you feel like you are doing your part, right? Unfortunately, plastic caps can’t be processed along with the rest of the bottle. So, often times, recycling plants just slice off the caps and throw them in the trash. To cut down on the amount of plastic bottle caps that wind up in landfills, oceans and the stomachs of animals, Aveda is collecting the culprits to do a little recycling of their own. The beauty company will use the plastic to make new caps for its Clove Shampoo bottles, which will hit shelves in time for Aveda’s 30th anniversary in September. Stop by an Aveda store (click here for locations) from now through May 10th and drop off your caps. If you hand over 25 or more, you’ll score a free sample from Aveda. Stuck in the middle of nowhere? Mail your caps to Aveda Re-Cap Program, ACA Waste Services, 40 EADS St., Babylon, NY 11704.
The Ecofabulous Guide to Gorgeous
Date: March 10, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Body Care, Hair Care, Makeup, Skin Care
Spring is almost upon us, so it is the perfect time to do some Spring cleaning of our own and update our beauty regimens. If the ingredient lists in your products contain hundreds of unrecognizable technical names, it may be time to swap them for some healthier, more natural options. After all, what we put on our skin is almost as important as what we put into our mouths, considering 60% of what we slather on us gets absorbed! These companies are our favorite luscious conveyors of natural beauty and work as well, if not better, than their toxic counterparts… so the only thing you’ve got to lose are the chemicals.
Skincare that is Beautiful Inside and Out!
Juice Beauty
is constantly making eco-strides in their business practices. Not only
do they source local, organic ingredients, they’re now using packaging
that’s 100% recycled and recyclable, and printing everything with
soy-based inks. Free from anything bad for both human and environmental
health, Juice Beauty’s wide range of products can wholly clean up your
skin’s act. To juice it up, click here.
Duchess Marden is the
total package. The splendid regal packaging is filled with gentle,
soothing and hydrating skincare that the ecofabulous team swears by.
All of the products are free of petrochemicals, parabens and chemical
preservatives… and they smell amazing. For more on making Duchess
your mistress, click here.
Pomega5
offers the first complete line of therapeutic skin care and nutritional
supplements made with biodynamic, cold-pressed Omega 5 rich pomegranate
seed oil. The pomegranate - from seed to packaged good - is handles
with impeccable care to retain its amazing health benefits! They use no
synthetics, fillers or preservatives - hence, it’s all natural. To get
the squeeze on Pomega5, click here.
All Farmaesthetics
products are 100% natural utilizing certified organic herbs, flowers
and grains from American family farms. Formulator Brenda Brock blends
her Texas farming roots, what she calls “kitchen chemistry,” with
modern cosmetic science for head-to-toe, sustainably luxurious TLC for
your skin. For a farm fresh face, click here.
NUDE’s chicly-packaged, sleek line is completely natural, organic and minimalist. Nude uses post-industrial recycled plastic packaging that is fully recyclable paired with non-GMO biodegradable cornstarch sleeves and they don’t test on animals. All of NUDE’s formulas (which include probiotics) deliver exceptional, comprehensive skincare. The presentation is so appealing you won’t want to hide it behind doors. If you’d like to get NUDE, click here.
This is another solution that you will want to leave out as bathroom art. Depending on where you live - in the mountains, cities, deserts, plains, seaside or the tropics - environmental conditions vary dramatically, and thus, affect the skin in unique ways. Solavie responds to such a notion through their unisex skin and hair line that has specialized options to each locale. For more on your “enviro-type,” click here.
The organic body creams and oils from Crema de Cacao will not only make you smell irresistibly sumptuous, they are free from chemicals, parabens and stabilizers, too. They’re also vegan and contained in recycled/recyclable packaging and printed with vegetable-based inks. Happily, their cacao is farmed sustainably in Central America and the Caribbean. This is a Daryl Hannah must have because it smells as amazing as it is good for you AND the planet. For more on sinfully sweet skin, click here.
Tashodi’s all natural bath and body products are made fresh (each in small batches) with raw ingredients that include post-consumed and fair trade espresso grinds, green tea, seaweed and avocado oil that’s void of nasty stuff like parabens, sodium laureth sulfate and other chemicals and fragrances. And, it comes all wrapped up in biodegradable corn-polymer cellophane! To bathe in eco-luxury, click here.
Mineral Makeup Is Where It’s At!
Jane Iredale is queen of the vegan makeup companies. Besides being animal friendly, there’s no oil, talc, chemical dyes or parabens used - so no human will be harmed, either. But we also love J.I.’s makeup because the line enhances beauty… naturally. And, it’s perfect for the most sensitive of skin types. To liven up your look, the mineral way, click here.
Mineralogie’s natural, mineral-based makeup is beautiful and actually nourishes and protects your skin,too. It goes on easy, lasts long and looks gorgeous. Not to mention, the company has recently undergone a green transformation with new biodegradable packaging, the purchasing of Green Mountain Energy and work from home options for its employees (among other eco-actions). Owner Mary Van even rides her bike to work. For powerful purity, click here.
We’re hooked on Alima, the second U.S. beauty care company to earn the “Certified Natural Cosmetics” seal from the BDIH, a German federation that developed comprehensive (and strict!) guidelines for “natural” beauty products. Buildable and breathable, Alima is lightweight, but actually has staying power. To check out their Jar Return Rewards Program, click here.
It’s vegan/cruelty free; it’s handcrafted; it’s made from healing ingredients found in nature; and it’s NOT made with parabens, dyes, sulfates, petroleum or any other commonly found toxic chemicals… It’s Gourmet Body Treats makeup and it’ll have you sitting pretty without all the crap - but with a whole lot of compassion. For makeup gone gourmet, click here.
Nature Does Haircare Mad Justice!
Beauty giant Aveda purchases wind energy to offset 100% of the manufacturing of their extensive line of plant-based products (90% organic with packaging made from post consumer recycled content). They’re one of the largest purchasers of organic ingredients in the world. Aveda’s so staunch in their resolution that “beauty is as beauty does” that they’re pursuing Cradle to Cradle certification. For beauty that really counts, click here.
Dr. Hauschka’s line of hair products recently stole our biodynamic-championing, 100% naturally-inclined (Certifiably) hearts. The Teens For Safe Cosmetics rave about the Apricot and Sea Buckthorn Shampoo for dry hair, and for damaged hair, you can’t go wrong with the Jojoba and Marsh Mallow Conditioner. For rinsing out all impurities, click here.
Everything within the Yarok (”green” in Hebrew) line of haircare products is organic, wildcrafted and responsibly harvested from plants. So, they’re free of synthetic preservatives and additives and formulated in small batches to provide your lovely locks with the freshest ingredients possible. For wildly green tresses, click here.
As a top New York City hairdresser (an accomplishment in itself), John Masters maintains his commitment to the delicious organic products he began concocting in his own kitchen sink some 18 years ago. The ingredients are all natural… and the results are sublime. You will have to get used to the less-lathering shampoo, but you certainly won’t miss the suds when you are fielding all the compliments on your hair. The deep scalp volumizer is an ecofabulous favorite for creating volume without creating environmental unpleasantness. For natural bounce from the haircare Master, click here. And if you are in NY, treat yourself to crop at one of the nation’s only clean air salons!
Using fair trade, handcrafted shea butter from a small West African Village Co-op in Togo, the indigenous ingredients from Alaffia work into hair to create soft and luminous locks that smell shea-alicious. We recommend it, especially, for the dry and damaged types. Proceeds from Alaffia help support West African communities to enhance self-reliance and sustainability. For humanitarian hair that shines, click here.
About EcoFabulous
Founded by green design guru Zem Joaquin, ecofabulous.com is the online destination for sexy, sustainable style.
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