The Shampoo Chronicles: Success?

I can hardly believe it, but it seems possible that my quest for a natural shampoo may be at an end.  For several years, I've been trying a variety of shampoos to find one that doesn't have a lot of health or environmental hazards, and doesn't make my hair look like Raylan Givens' in Season 4 of Justified:

AVClub called Raylan's hair the "Best Worst Haircut" of 2013's television
season so far. No girl wants hair like that ... or Natalie Zea's in this picture,
for that matter.

I've tried a huge variety of natural shampoos, walked around stores with my phone in hand, looking up products on the Good Guide or Skin Deep while trying to figure out what I should try next. Most purchases ended up being one time only, proving to quickly become ineffective. Some were so bad that I couldn't even make it through a whole bottle before moving on, wasting money and packaging.

Thanks to the friendly employees in the Whole Foods beauty section, I think I've found a keeper: Acure Organics.

The woman at Whole Foods recommended the "Lemongrass + Argan Stem Cell Shampoo" which is the line's clarifying shampoo for every day. I use Neutrogena's Anti-Residue Shampoo twice a week as well.

This regimen has proved to be great for my hair - it doesn't get too oily, and I'm even able to go more than one day without washing my hair, something I've never been able to do before.

The only problem is that I don't really like the smell of the shampoo, but it's more of a personal thing - I'm just not a huge fan of lemongrass. I'm going to try the "Pure Mint + Echinacea Stem Cell" next.

The Acure company uses certified organic, plant-based ingredients and a portion of profits goes to fight breast cancer. The prices are extremely reasonable as well ($9.99 for the shampoo). 

All in all, it's a deal that feels too good to be true. I'm just waiting to find out that the shampoo is actually made of unicorn tears or something. Until then, I think I have finally found my shampoo.

The Shampoo Chronicles

Ah... the 70's, when you didn't worry
about health hazards and chemicals
were a bright shiny tomorrow.

Hey -- where have you been?

Good question! Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. Work has been a little nuts. But really what's been eating up all my time? Shampoo.

I've begun to think that the ultimate green quest is finding a green-ish shampoo that doesn't make me look like I forgot to wash my hair. 

I had been using Burt's Bees Very Volumizing Pomegranate Shampoo. They seem to have changed the formula, however, and now it doesn't work for me.

So I've been trying out some different shampoos. I'm looking for something that:

• doesn't have a lot of health hazards
• doesn't have a lot of packaging
• is readily available
• isn't too expensive
• doesn't make me look like a wet dog

You'd think that, in this age of growing environmental consciousness, this wouldn't be too hard. Au contraire, mon frère. (Except if you're reading this, you're likely a soeur, but that doesn't rhyme.)

I've found shampoos that meet one of these standards, but not all - or even two.

The shampoo that is highest rated by The Good Guide, Burt's Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar, sounds wonderful. It's also out of production. Apparently, Burt's Bees has a personal vendetta against my hair.

Solid shampoo... isn't it cute?

First I tried Avalon Organics Lemon Clarifying Shampoo. I didn't do any research into this shampoo, but I bought it at a store that, at least, has policies about the kind of products they stock. (I won't name the store, but it rhymes with Mole Dudes). It's a very nice shampoo - smells lemonny, and it works. Sometimes, I can even go for almost two days without running screaming to wash my hair - pretty much the holy grail of shampoos for me. However, when I checked it out on Good Guide, I found that it didn't have a very high rating - which means it's not particularly good for health, the environment, or society. Nor is it the worst. Just ... meh.

Next, I tried the Lush Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo. This had been recommended to me by a greenie, and I love it. You just rub the bar on your head, and it lathers right up. It smells good, and it's completely packaging free. However, it also has only a moderate rating on Good Guide (the lather is from typical surfactants that are used in most shampoo). I still have a whole bar of this, so I'll be using it for awhile. 

Probably my favorite shampoo is Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, which receives a higher rating on Good Guide than the other two. It's got a sort of brisk, almost tarry smell (I know that sounds gross, but trust me on it). I love this shampoo and I always have a bottle around. So why not use it every day, you might ask? It's actually not meant to be a daily shampoo. It's meant to be used once or twice a week to clarify your hair - and as you might imagine from a product that's not meant to be used daily, it's slightly expensive for the small amount you get (6 oz.). It also has a lot of packaging - a bottle AND a box, which just seems excessive. If I was using it every day, I would be buying it all the time, and littering the world with tiny shampoo bottles.

So... I'm still looking for the shampoo to end all of my searching. I've heard some good things about organic baby shampoo... any other ideas?

Gala Girl

Last night I got invited to a real live Texas charitable event. A friend who works in development had an extra ticket to a gala dinner and so I tagged along -- it wasn't quite GCB, but it definitely was a full-on Texas philanthropical hootenanny.


The invite was for "evening attire, business formal, or cocktail." 
Eek!


Having no real idea what that meant (I mean, that could be ballgowns to suits, right?), I googled the event to find out more and came to a site called "Blacktie Houston", a clearinghouse for photos and info on all of Houston's fancy events. Luckily, there were photos from last year and people seemed to be going more in the direction of business suits and church dresses. Houstonians tend to be a little more casual than their Dallas counterparts.


I can't really pull together a look that will convince anyone I'm a native Texan, so I went full rockabilly (at least -- the Texas society version of that).  I also pulled out a lot of my Light Green beauty techniques:

 Hair:


I'd washed my hair earlier in the day and it was still a little damp -- perfect for my "Product-Free Party Hair". It's my default for any updo-appropriate occasions.


I used my Sonic Bloom to bejewel my 'do.

 Makeup:
I'm a big fan of Revlon's ColorStay Liquid Lipstick, because - as the name implies -- it stays on for a long time. It also has fewer bad chemicals than a lot of lipsticks. Revlon was also one of the first major cosmetics companies to swear off animal testing. 


I used some eye make-up that I've had for a long time. I realize that you're not supposed to do that, but at least I'm not wasting it! It was actually a pretty good smoky eye, although you can't really tell in this pic.


Daily I use a mineral foundation from L'Oreal. I just looked it up on the Good Guide and it seems as if their most recent formula isn't as good for me as the old formula, although it still gets a green light when it comes to the environment. 


Completed Look:I wore a dress that I never wear, because I bought it for work and it turned out to have a major slit ... just perfect for businessy cocktail and showing off my Fluevogs and Pisces tattoo.

:

Sonic Blooms

A friend got me one of these "guitar pick flowers" for my birthday (mine is purple, but I could find a picture of a purple one).


A Houston artist makes them out of guitar picks and recycled guitar strings. They are also available on Etsy.


The flowers have a magnet on the back, so the flower can be used as a hair clip or a brooch. I wore it out last night in my hair and it was definitely a hit.


This exactly the sort of gift I love: local, incorporating recycled elements, and creative.


Have you discovered any interesting local artists in your neck of the woods?

Shampoo Fail

One reason I think that people haven't fully adopted green products is that they've had bad experiences. Greener products usually cost a little more, and then if they don't work the way we expect products to work, people sometimes decide it's the fault of all "green" products.

That's why I like Burt's Bees. No, they aren't the greenEST, but they work, and they are cost effective. They are great starter products for folks who want to green their beauty routines.

That's why I was excited to see that Burt's Bees was launching a new line of products called gud. They have no parabens, pthalates, or petrochemicals, and are not tested on animals.

Perfect.

So I bought the "Orange Petalooza" Nourishing Shampoo. It smelled awesome -- like an Orange Julius. And it had a very pleasing neon orange appearance.

A few days later I noticed that when I tried to do no-heat headband curls, the next morning my hair looked stringy and unwashed. But it had been less than 24 hours since I washed it! I put up my hair and moved on.

I began to notice, however, that stringy hair was becoming a pattern. My new shampoo, like a lot of greener shampoos I've tried, left my very fine hair feeling waxy and weighed down.

So I'm back to my old stand-by, Burt's Bees Very Volumizing Pomegranate Soy Shampoo, with a weekly hit of Neutrogena Clarifying Shampoo every Saturday.

It hasn't failed me yet.

One Bag: Eco-Gift Idea #2 ... Beauty!

So, you take one cute Whole Foods reusable bag...

The other day I suggested how you could fill this bag with cheap eco-gifts that are easy to find -- gifts that a foodie friend might like.

So here's our day #2 gift bag, with ideas for how you might create a themed bag of goodies for a friend who loves her (or his) beauty regimen.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer

Available at Target, Whole Foods, and Walgreen's

Around $5.00

"I love this stuff," said a friend when I gave her some Lip Shimmer. Perfect for parties, this sparkly, moisturizing lip gloss is just what the doctor ordered for those dry winter days.

Bass Bamboo Hairbrush

Available at Whole Foods and Amazon.com

Between $7.00 and $20.00 depending on size and style

"I love my new brush. I just want to keep brushing my hair,"said another friend who received a Bass bamboo brush. It's a little like having strong manly fingers massage your head... without the dirty socks around your apartment.

Yes to Cucumbers! On-the-Go Facial Towelettes

Available at Target

Around $4.00

During this season of travel, who doesn't need to freshen up once in awhile?

Do It Gorgeously, by Sophie Ulliano

Available at Amazon.com and various bookstores

$15.00-20.00

Green guru Sophie Ulliano teaches you how to make your own green beauty products.

Speaking of making your own beauty products, you can make your friends a...

Salt Scrub

Click here for instructions.

The ingredients are cheap and available anywhere. This is on of the easiest DIY gifts out there, and it's a great project to do with kids.

Bamboo U - Bass Square Paddle Brush

Have you ever wished that you had a personal hair dresser with burly forearms to give you scalp massages?

Hmm... no? Maybe that's just me.

Well, even if you haven't, you can now simulate that fabulous scalp masseuse with a hair brush! It's the Bass Large Square Paddle Brush, and it can be purchased for about $10. Not only does this brush work wonders on your hair, but it helps the environment because it is made from 100% bamboo.

Bamboo is a super-cool member of the grass family (no, not that kind of grass). It has many benefits beyond providing the setting for kung fu fight scenes.

Even in ancient China, they understood the benefits of bamboo... for kung fu fighting!

Bamboo is a renewable resource that can be grown in conditions that would thwart many other plants. It can also be used to create products that are often made from petroleum products (like hair brushes).

This week, I'm going to be featuring some fun bamboo items, but take my word for it when I say that this hair brush is one of the best.

The Year of Living Beautifully

I am a girl.

I am not a "girlie-girl" or a "high-maintenance girl" but I'm most definitely a girl. I have always believed that a woman should not leave the house without lipstick, although I eschew most other make-up. I blow-dry my hair, use moisturizer, and am trying to be better about filing my nails, which look like an 8-year-old boy's and are just as dirty, sometimes.

I am also a girl who watches a lot of sci-fi, listens to a fair smattering of hard rock and rap along with her Lilith-Fair folk, and who just taught her nephew to say "Andy Lau" and "Takeshi Kaneshiro." Which is to say, I believe that being a "girl" is delightfully fun since the Third Wave of feminism opened up the possibility of both sparkly eyeliner and ass-kicking co-existing in the same universe.

So. What does this mean for my new year's resolution?

It means I believe that I should be able to look cute and kick pollution-heinie at the same time. Since my (very late, I admit) discovery of the Cosmetics Safety Database, I've come to realize that I'm slathering my skin with a lot of chemicals that I don't really understand. And thanks to the relentless work of columnists like Nicholas Kristof, I've come to be a bit scared about what such chemicals are doing to us. And to frogs. (Click the link. Read Kristof's column. Trust me.) And to our planet.

This new year, then, I'm resolving to begin converting my beauty products to ones that are safer for the environment and for me. This means that I will:

1: As each beauty product runs out (I don't want to replace them all at once, because that would mean a lot of extra packaging waste) I'll check the hazard level on the Cosmetics Safety Database.

2: I will replace each product with one that has a hazard level of 5 (out of 10) or lower.

3: I will write about product on these digital pages.

As I said, I am a girl.

I want to find products that are safe. But I'm not going to lie. I want pretty hair and skin. I want to be able to have blue eyelids if I choose to. It's my prerogative, as a lady. And I won't use a product that's environmentally-friendly but doesn't do its job.

After all. I'm worth it.

Mask

Halloween's over, but a girl can always use a mask - a clay mask.

My mom was a big fan of the clay mask once a week or so to tighten pores and clarify skin. When I was a teenager with bad skin, she recommended this type of treatement as well. But I have to say that lately it's been hard to find a good affordable mask. I don't know if it's just not the fashion anymore, or everyone now goes to a spa for their facials.

Luckily, I've found Burt's Bees Pore-refining Mask with French clay (ooh la la!). It runs between $8-10, and comes in a delightful little glass jar (perfect for future crafts -- tea=light holder anyone?)

The mask comes in a powder form, so you mix it with water to form a paste - which is a nice ritual - and then slather it all over your face, enjoying the minty smell as you do so. And of course, I love a product that does what it is supposed to -- and this mask does, tightening pores and making your face feel silky smooth.

Best of all, if you check out Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Data Base, this product receives a score of 2 (out of 10) for environmental and health hazards (that means low hazard). As a point of comparison, many of the masks listed on Skin Deep have hazard ratings of 8 or 9. And who wants an environmental hazard on their face?

Some Things I Like

Nothing fancy, just some Light Green stuff I'm liking right now.

First up, this notebook from greenroom.

I don't really need more paper products in my life, but I saw this at Target and I got it anyway. It's definitely only light green - 60-70% recycled content. It is, however, printed with soy-based inks. And it's lovely, with its chrysanthemum theme. I'm into chrysanthemums right now.

Next up, Burt's Bees Peach and Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub.

Do you know those old NBC PSA's, "The more you know ..." and a shooting star would travel across your TV screen (admit it, you hear the song in your head right now)? Well, the thing about being Light Green is, the more you know, the darker green you start to become. Once you glance at the back of a beauty product label, and see a line up of chemicals that you can't pronounce, it's hard to then slather that on your face.

So, I started looking for some more natural beauty products, although I haven't been particularly lucky quality-wise. I've enjoyed this scrub, however. It has ground peach stone for an exfoliant and willowbark extract, which is a natural alternative to salicylic acid. Back in our family's hippie days, my mom always used facial scrubs made with ground peach or apricot pits, so the scent of this product is nostalgic. And while many times you pay double for natural vs. conventional, the cost of this scrub is about the same as less-natural products, between $6-8 for 4 oz.

I also like this gift certificate from Kaboom Books, here in Houston:


Yes, it's the cover of an old book, and the gift certificate is handwritten on the back. What a cool and stylish way to reuse! I haven't used it yet, though, because I'm thinking about some books I might want. Any suggestions?

Finally, I like this:

When my neighbors moved, they left behind a bunch of cacti. I do nothing to promote the growth of these guys, figuring they get enough water in humid Houston. The last few weeks, one of the cacti has been blooming.

It reminds me of that old Joni Mitchell song "Cactus Tree." You can watch a live performance from 1970 below.