My Eco-Staycation

Ah July…the perfect time to get away and escape the stress of the eleven other months of the year. Typically, my husband and I take a week to ten days off this time of year and travel locally to Shelter Island, Nantucket or the Catskills. This year a variety of reasons kept us in NYC watching our pennies.

So to make the best of it, I planned my five day “staycation” to escape my day-to-day routine and pretend I was visiting a fabulous eco-spa.

Day One:
To get myself in the mood, I visited Priti Organic Spa in the lower east side of NYC. Since I rarely journey to this part of town, just wandering around this neighborhood felt like an adventure. It was a quick trip on the L train and then a short walk, on a gloriously beautiful day, to this special spa. Priti is an environmentally friendly spa that uses only organic products such as Pangea Organics, Stella McCartney’s all organic skin care line CARE and Dr. Alkaitis holistic skin food. Their facialist, Elina, took great care with my skin and made me look and feel radiant.

Next Marie treated me to an organic manicure and pedicure in a bamboo basin with floating flowers and no chemical, non- toxic nail polish. Priti’s eco-friendly, organic Priti nail polish comes in tons of standard and hip colors. How relaxing to go to a nail salon and not have to ingest toxic chemicals!

Day Two:
The food at an eco-spa is supposed to be fabulous, right? So off to Whole Foods I walk for some ready made organic treats and produce – who wants to cook on their vacation? Luxuriating in my open schedule, I explore Whole Body for an hour picking out organic bath soaks and mud wraps.

Day Three:
Time to try my in home spa treatments…I started with a good soak in Masada dead sea mineral salts - a combination of Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium that does eases both mind and body. Then my Ahava dead sea mineral mud wrap proved to be the messiest and most fun treatment. First you get the mud warm and then you slather it all over your body and let it dry for 15 minutes. You are literally wearing dark gray mud and as it cakes, your skin tightens. After a thorough rinse in the shower, I was ready for a deep nap as the toxics were sucked out of my now smooth and relaxed body.

Later I wrapped my hair in a warm organic olive oil drenched towel and let it penetrate into my roots. Another shower…

Day Four:
Feeling balanced again, I turned off my cell phone, settled into my favorite club chair in the sunniest room in our apartment and curled up with a good book. I didn’t move all day to do anything besides make more Numi organic green tea.

Day Five:
I woke up late to the sound of heavy rain and thought hmmm…what does one do on vacation when it rains? Send postcards? So I saved myself some paper and stamps and emailed individual notes to 10 of my good friends.

Then it was back to my book, my bed and my last day of bliss.

While I don’t have any vacation photos worth framing and even fewer mosquito bites, I did achieve my goal of escaping my routine and rejuvenating my body and soul in the most eco-friendly ways possible.

Is it Easy Going Green?

We know Kermit thinks it isn’t easy being Green but today, with the increased focus on the environment and the proliferation of organic, non-toxic natural products, is it really difficult to be Green? It is all relative. When I started on this path about 8 years ago, it wasn’t nearly as easy as it is now. I recall making most of my Green purchases over the phone from small companies who did not have websites yet and were not close to our NYC apartment. I would order whatever limited Green products I could over the phone: non-toxic paint and cleaning supplies, organic mattresses/sheets/towels, some organic food and personal care products.

We’ve come a long way in a few years. Today, Green and organic labeled products are everywhere. Our earnest, niche movement has gone mainstream. I’m pleased that more people realize the importance of being eco-friendly – for their own personal health, their family and the health of our planet. This increase in Green demand makes it much easier to find Green products. Yet I’m concerned that some “Green” companies are labeling their products as organic or natural when they indeed are not. How is a lay person supposed to know the difference?

Here, I seek to shed some truth on the products that are indeed organic and not harmful to you or the environment. I’ll embark on this mission thru a combination of my own personal experience and research, and I’ll share the discoveries of trusted medical and environmental experts.

Let’s start with an analysis of natural beauty products. With help from Skin Deep at , we all have access to the truth about how safe cosmetics and personal care products are for you and the environment. The lower the Skin Deep score on a 1 to 10 scale, the safer the product.

Who doesn’t have a friend who swore off makeup because it “clogged her pores”, “caused wrinkles” or “took too much time to put on in the morning or to remove at night”? Like many women, I was taught that wearing makeup harmed my skin and that a natural, no-makeup look was the best thing I could do to keep my skin young, healthy and clear. Then I learned about natural mineral make-up. Did you know that you can wear simple, natural mineral makeup and not only look good but also do good for your skin? I thought it was too good to be true so I put my face to the test and tried 3 natural mineral based makeup lines over the course of 3 months. I used each product for a month so I could see the effects through a complete monthly cycle and also gauge the reactions of others.

It seems that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. My best critics noticed that something was different, but they kept asking me if I had done something to my hair. I even tried wearing one makeup to bed one night because it was advertised to be so good for my skin that I could wear it overnight. I got more makeup on the sheets then I got compliments from my husband. But it didn’t matter because I was already hooked, line and sinker. I didn’t need to look in the mirror. I knew that I looked healthier, more natural and more glowing…if only from the inside out. Just knowing that my new makeup brands were natural, free of chemicals and preservatives (as well as not tested on animals) brought a rose to my cheeks. And while I wasn’t completely blemish free for 3 months, I did notice a decrease in periodic eruptions and overall redness.

My favorite natural makeup brands:
- Bare Escentuals: The most natural “bare” look imaginable with mineral makeup that actually heals and protects your skin. I sprung for the Introductory Kit because it was a great value with foundations, blushes and brushes as well as an easy to follow DVD showing how to get that gorgeous bare, natural look both day and night. Not only do you look like you don’t have makeup on (in a good way) but you don’t get that “I’m wearing makeup” goopy feeling. I also like their bareMinerals Lip Kit in Perfect Bronze that provides a 100% natural lip trio: lipliner, lipcolor and lipgloss with easy instructions. Skin Deep scores: 3-6

- Jane Iredale: Literally referred to as “The Skin Care Makeup”, this mineral makeup produces an effortless, flawless finish that dermatologists and plastic surgeons highly recommend. I’ve grown quite attached to her Amazing Base, 24-Karat Gold Rose blush/bronzer, Zap&Hide Blemish concealer, PurePressed Silver Lining Eye Shadow and PurePressed Cotton Candy Blush, UnderEye brightener and her luxurious brushes. For summer, I’m wearing DreamTint – a moisture tint with SPF15. Skin Deep scores: 1-6

- Dr. Hauschka: Combining mineral makeup with natural botanicals makes this makeup nourishing as well as beautiful. I found their lipstick with shea butter and carrot extract to be moisturizing and yummy too (important since the average woman ingests 4.4 pounds of lipstick a year) and I like their Translucent Makeup with carrot and witch hazel extracts that soothes and calms my skin while avocado and jojoba oils keep it moist and glowing. Skin Deep scores: 0-6
If you want to try the adventure for yourself and explore the world of natural makeup, I recommend that you seek out products that are paraben-free, preservative-free, fragrance-free and not tested on animals. I also suggest that you select one brand and then use their products exclusively as they work best together to enhance, balance and nourish your skin. Plus, then you just have one place to travel to get all your makeup (cutting down on carbon emissions). My favorite products above are also all available through their online stores where they often provide a retailer locator.

Now I’ll never wander aimlessly through a department store makeup floor again because I’ve found true natural beauty in a recyclable bottle. As Green continues to mainstream, I look forward to the day when I can find these superior natural makeup products as easily as I can now find organic milk at my local deli. However, for this to happen, we each need to do our part and raise the demand for more truly green products. We need to vote for Green with our dollars and support these companies as only then will going Green continue to get easier every day.

Getting Clean and Natural

We live in a pretty dirty world, and I’m not just talking about political mud slinging. Getting clean is a tricky subject. Many personal care products in the general marketplace use harsh chemicals that can harm you and strip your body of good bacteria.

Most of us take personal care products for granted, perhaps not giving them the same thought, in terms of green that we might give to our food. Soap is designed to keep us clean, right? Well, yes, the commercial cleansers we use (and our parents used) help remove the muck from our polluted environment that settles on our hair and skin. But we often don’t consider that many commercial personal care products may have a natural soap base, but contain synthetic and toxic chemicals used as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and perfumes. Many of these chemicals are fat soluble, meaning they are easily absorbed into the skin with systemic effects. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) for example, used routinely in soap products, has been linked to cancer. So now the very products we use to keep us clean may be making us, in some sense, dirty.

I sought out a wide range of natural personal care products to evaluate how well they could get the job done. My criteria: all organic, all natural, SLS and paraben free. Over 15 products were tested over several weeks in my personal bathroom laboratory. I also confirmed the product claims on Skin Deep where they rate environmental safety on a scale of 1-10 (1 = safest).

Here are my recommendations:
Body Wash:
Pangea Organics: Indian Lemongrass with Rosemary Shower Gel and Malagasy Ylang Ylang with Linden Flower. This wonderfully eco-friendly company makes a few highly concentrated, all organic shower gels smell divine and clean naturally. A little goes a very long way. $14 each for 8oz. Skin Deep score: 2 (They also make pure bar soaps in a wide variety of natural ingredients with healing properties.) Special October offer: 20% off online orders in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Checkout code: PINKRIBBON08

Pharmacopia: Rosemary and Citrus scents. This organic Body Wash is a gentle shower and bath cleanser (that doubles as a great shampoo). It contains organic herbal infusions, certified organic olive oil, vegetable glycerin and aromatherapy-grade essential oils. $15.50 each for 8oz. Skin Deep score: 3; Free shipping for online orders over $50

Dr. Hauschka Body Wash: Rose Floral Body Wash is mild for sensitive skin and feels silky on my skin. It combines a subtle, natural scent from essential oils of rose and jasmine. $16.95 for 5.2oz. Skin Deep score: not rated

EO: All Purpose Soap (made exclusively for Whole Foods): Organic Lavender with all organic ingredients that you can use on anything: your body, your kitchen for washing fruits and veggies, your dog and even your car. One product…so many uses…how much greener can you get? Using products with multiple uses drives down your consumption which limits waste and resources. 32oz. for $12.99. Skin Deep score: 2; October special: 20% off online orders

Hand Sanitizers:
I’m personally wary of the whole hand sanitizer concept and prefer a good hand washing with soap in warm water while singing a full verse of Happy Birthday, but I travel a lot and realize that there are occasions when water isn’t available. My hands waving in the air favorite is EO’s Hand Sanitizer in Lemon. $3.99 for 2oz. Skin Deep score: 2; October special: 20% off online orders

All this talk of trying to get clean is making me sweat. We can work ourselves into quite a lather about being clean. I try to remember that the more I enjoy using my natural cleaning products, the more I’ll use them and then the less I need to be concerned about being clean. How are you getting clean? Tell us what you use and love so we can all get smarter about the green clean.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

Natural Beauty Products Review: Shampoos, Conditioners and Hair Gel

Britney wants more, Paris needs less and everyone wants Jennifer’s. Hair tops the list of what women obsess about the most. A great hair day can give us confidence and a little bounce in our step.

But what price do we pay for gorgeous hair? Does great hair have to be a byproduct of rubbing dangerous chemicals into our scalp that seep through the skin and blood, to circulate to every corner of our bodies? Nature is on the way to save you and your hairdo.

It is simply critical to use natural hair products that don’t use sodium lauryl sulfate or other chemical surfactants. SLS is a manmade substance manufactured from a toxic petroleum derivative, ethylene oxide gas, that believe me is neither ecological nor sustainable. To bring nature back to my hair, I started experimenting and sampling months ago and used 10 different organic and all natural hair products on a random basis, switching brand shampoos/conditioners/hair gels each day. So when I developed a very itchy dry scalp and clogged hair follicles (nasty scalp pimples!) for the first time in my life, I had no idea which product I had reacted adversely to. So it was back to the drawing board with a strict 5 consecutive days of one brand experiment before I switched to another. I learned which ones I must avoid, which ones really worked, and now can say my hair has never looked so shiny and healthy and clean.

After weeks of experiments in my shower laboratory, I have discovered those hair products that are 100% natural and 100% gorgeous. And since I like a good lather, I prefer products that still allow me to make my soapy hair soup without sodium lauryl sulfate or other chemicals. I’ll confess that I am blessed with pretty great hair – dark brown, shiny, slight wave, normal to oily, shoulder length and overall easy to manage. So I don’t have major hair issues except that my hair is sensitive to change. It can lose its shape pretty quickly in a strong wind, after a good head tossing nap or 4 hours in an airplane. So I added these factors to my natural experiment and exposed my hair to the elements and as many naps as possible.

My recommended natural hair products:
- Max Green Alchemy: all pure plant origin products, certified vegan and cruelty-free
o Scalp Rescue Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair gel: shampooed into a great lather, conditioned well to strengthen and shine, gel is alcohol-free without waxy build up; 100% plant derived, chemical-free, paraben-free and this amazing trio cured my itchy dry scalp while proving gentle enough for everyday use
o Skin Deep score: 0.7!
- Dr. Hauschka: this company practices sustainable, eco-friendly business practices from recyclable and biodegradable packaging to organic and naturally derived ingredients, all free of synthetic fragrances
o Nasturtium & Lemon shampoo: for normal to oily hair; $13 for 8.4 oz.
o Apricot & Sea Buckthorn shampoo: for dry to damaged hair; $13 for 8.4 oz.
o Jojoba & Marsh Mallow Conditioner: $14.50 for 8.4 oz.
o Skin Deep score: not rated
- Burt’s Bees: an earth friendly, natural personal care company making a wide range of natural products formulated to help you maximize your well-being and protect your environment – and to make our busy lives easier, these winners are widely available in health food and drug stores.
o More Moisture Raspberry & Brazil Nut Shampoo: uses coconut and sunflower oils to naturally clean, raspberry extract antioxidants to protect hair from sun and pollution and naturally smell “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific!”; $8 for 12 oz.
o More Moisture Raspberry & Brazil Nut Conditioner: marula and brazil nut oils provide a deep conditioning without product build up; $8 for 12 oz.
o Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment: take the time to do this once a week for at least 5 minutes before shampooing, this treatment of avocado and olive oils soothe your scalp and rosemary, almond oil and nettle provides a glossy shine; $9 for 4.34 oz.
o Skin Deep score: 1-3

While conducting this experiment, my friend supermodel Carol Alt told me how she has washed her long luscious hair with a flower. Yes. Just flower petals and water. I’m sure that there are many other natural ways to clean your hair. Let us know if you have your own homemade solutions. Our chemical-free ears are open.