I’m not really a lipstick person.  I always want to be.  I love the elegance of the idea of lipstick.  I wish I could be like those women in old movies who slide into the backseat of a taxi cab, quickly pull a fancy compact and a tube of lipstick from their purse, and voila!  All is right with the world again.

But I’m really more of a lip balm kind of person.  I adore eye liner, and I rarely leave the house without at least a little mascara, but I always feel too painted and formal when I put lipstick on.  And with all the talk of lead in lipsticks, it’s easier to keep lipstick as a special occasion thing.  Still, a little color is nice.

Andi from Good Things Green Things sent me a tube of Purple Prairie Botanicals Spearmint Shimmer Tinted Moisturizing Lip Balm, and I love it.

It has a light pink shimmer that would be flattering to any skin tone, and adds just a hint of color and brightness without looking fussy.  It’s has a super smooth, light texture that wears nicely.  The spearmint adds a lovely fresh scent and a pleasant tingle.  The ingredients are 100% natural and 98% organic, it’s made in the USA, and it carries a level 1 safety rating from EWG.

Ingredients: Organic Olea europaea(Olive)fruit oil, organic cera alba(beeswax), unrefined organic butyrospermum parki fruit(Shea Butter), coconut oil, mentha piperita(peppermint oil), mentha spicata(spearmint oil).

I’ve been blond for several years, but decided to go dark again. To keep my color from fading too quickly, I’ve resorted to a shower cap and washing my hair every three days instead of every day. It’s better for my color, and it’s better for my hair too. I’ve noticed my hair has more body and shine, and is easier to style.

But, of course, I still want to look like I have freshly washed hair. Dry shampoo has become my favorite beauty trick. On day three, I sprinkle a dime-sized bit of No Drought Dry Shampoo from Lush across my part and in any other areas that are feeling a little oily, and brush through. Then I twist my hair in a bun, cover it with my faithful shower cap, hop in the shower, and by the time I’m done, the steam has created some soft waves, the dry shampoo has lost it’s powdery look, and I’m ready to go.  Or, if I’m feeling fancy, I can style with hot rollers.  It’s also perfect for touching up post-workout hair.

It’s much easier than wrestling with the hairdryer every day, and much classier than running errands with wet hair. As an added bonus, I’m saving water, because on my non-hairwashing days, my showers are super quick.

No Drought has a light, citrus scent, and doesn’t leave my hair looking dull or powdery like some other dry shampoos I’ve tried.  The ingredients are simple, and it’s easy to use.  I’m also saving money. A 4.6 oz bottle of No Drought is only 12.95, and a little goes a long way.  I expect this bottle to last five or six months, and I’m using less of my pricier shampoo and conditioner.

You can learn more about Lush’s ethical and environmental policies here.

Do you use dry shampoo?  Do you wash your hair every day, or less often?

Please welcome today’s guest poster, Lydia Quibbin-Jones.

Everywhere we look, we see the promise of healthy, bouncy, and gorgeous hair — from TV commercials to prints ads to giant billboards in the city. They often feature models with luxuriously shiny tresses that make us wonder: “How do I make my hair look like that?” Before we know it, we’re dashing off to the supermarket to hoard bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and various styling products.

Many people don’t realize, however, that hair care products actually do more harm than good. Shampoos strip off natural oils released by the scalp, while conditioners (used to counter the drying effect of shampoo) block the release of natural oils. Because of this, our hair becomes dependent on these chemicals to look healthy.

While there are specialty products that claim to be milder, they are often more expensive and still contain chemicals. So how do we keep our hair clean and healthy? It’s simple, really: raid our pantry and kitchen cabinets.   Read more…

I’m not necessarily a no-frills person. Low-frills might be a good way to describe it. I don’t use heavily scented products and I haven’t had a go to perfume in over a decade. I have allergies and it takes work to find a scent that isn’t a trigger. There’s nothing fun or attractive about smelling lovely, and sneezing non-stop. But lately, I’ve been craving a little boost. This has been a long grey winter and I wanted something to cheer me up.

While shopping at the BFW (Big Fancy Wegmans), I noticed a display of Pacifica Perfumes. They’re made with essential oils, and don’t carry the nondescript “fragrance” ingredient on the label. Of course every nose is different, but I tested several in their line and none of them made me sneeze.

I decided on Tahitian Gardenia as my scent and chose the solid perfume, which comes in a recyclable tin, because I like the idea of being able to tuck it in my purse without worrying about spills. It’s a bright, natural scent that doesn’t over power. I love it!

It’s vegan, gluten-free, and made in the USA (Pacifica is based in Portland, OR) without animal testing.

At nine dollars on the website (although, I’m fairly certain I paid six at Wegmans) it’s a perfume indulgence that won’t break the bank, but it feels like such a nice little luxury.

The ingredients are:
Pacifica’s Tahitian Gardenia Solid Perfume contains organic cocos nucifera wax (coconut wax), organic glycine soja wax (soy wax), parfum (Pacifica’s own perfume blend with natural and essential oils), prunus armeniaca wax (apricot wax), caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut source).

Around here, it hasn’t really felt like winter lately. It’s been around 60 degrees in Atlanta, which feels great, but kind of freaks me out — I like the seasons to behave normally! Plus, it makes me worried that this summer is going to be more unbearably hot than usual. Ah, the joys of erratic weather patterns.

But even though it’s felt like spring, my skin still wants to believe it’s winter, and that means it gets dry and chapped easily. Here to help with some homemade beauty products today is Erica Katz, the author of Bonding Over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust. From product and styling tips, such as how to create the perfect ponytail, to at-home recipes for creating an organic facial scrub, Erika explores it all in her book, in which she includes her own experience as well as information from interviews with top beauty experts.

Here are a few beauty product recipes Erica has to share!  Read more…

If there’s one thing that gets a Greenist’s attention, it’s armpit talk. Do a search on this site for “deodorant” and you’ll get 20 posts that at least mention the word, most featuring intimate details.

Let’s make it 21. Blackjack!

The brave quest for inoffensive yet chemical-free and environmentally sound underarms almost seems like a right of passage for folks who already take their own bags to the supermarket and carry a reusable water bottle and are looking for the next step. But when it comes to B.O. as opposed to, say, shampoo or toothpaste, many people draw the line. I’ve gotten the sense over the years that there are a lot of people out there making their own yogurt and raising chickens in suburban coops yet steadfastly refusing to forgo the toxic cocktail they smear in their pits, because a hippie is one thing, but a smelly hippie is a whole different level of commitment and ostracism. Read more…

Please welcome today’s guest poster, Adam.

Did you know that store-bought lotions can contain chemicals that are actually harmful to your skin? Making your own natural lotions and body care products is safer and a fairly simple thing to do. Since many store-bought products are relatively expensive, making your own at home can also save you a lot of money. Here are five recipes to try.  Read more…

Image: http://www.me.boots.com/

Over the summer, I had the brilliant idea to start moisturizing my face with toner. I have combination skin, you see, which means it’s dry in some places (forehead) and oily in others (hello, chin). That can be a pain in the keester. It’s hard to find a moisturizer that’s strong enough to hydrate my forehead while not causing my chin to break out like I’m 15 years old all over again.  Read more…

Wow, you ladies REALLY like your organic hair products! We are blown away by how many people entered our SheaMoisture giveaway. Thank you all for reading!

After consulting the Random Number Generator, we’ve determined that the winner of our SheaMoisture Deep Treatment Hair Masque and Moisture Retention Shampoo is commenter number 53, which is Jennice!

Congratulations, Jennice! We’ll be in touch shortly to get you your hair products. Thanks to everyone who entered, and check back soon for more giveaways on The Greenists!

Winter’s coming, folks, and you know what that means? Dry skin. For me, it’s constant struggle during the cold months to keep my skin from getting dry and flaky, which means I rely a lot on lotion. If your skin needs a lot of help in the moisture department, have I got the lotion for you: SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Lotion.  Read more…