Spiezia Organics Head and Hair Oil

There are so many hair treatments out there, lots to choose from! I wanted to try something different and new, and found this great Head and Hair oil by Spiezia Organics. I knew that oils are great for nourishing hair and thought I could give this treatment a try. Another thing that attracted me was the company itself and the fact that their products are 100% organic (that's right, 100%, certified by the Soil Association).
Lets hear a little bit about the company first. Spiezia makes 100% organic and natural products on an Organic Gear Farm based in Cornwall, England. They have a range of 34 products for face, body and hair care, mothers and babies oils and balms and a range of men products. It has been possible for Spiezia to make truly 100% organic products because they don't use water in their stuff: and if there is no water, there is no need to use any type of preservatives or anything else that may exist only in non-organic form. This means that Spiezia moisturizers are balms, not creams.
Now the treatment. The Head and Hair oil was created to stimulate healthy scalp and nourish hair. It contains lots of great ingredients, such as jojoba, sweet almond, apricot seed oils, and other healthy things such as burdock root extract, nettle leaf extract, rosemary leaf, sage and lavender. It is advised to massage into the scalp and along the hair and leave it on either for 20 minutes or overnight for a more thorough treatment. 
I have not had the courage to put it on my head... My hair tends to get oily quickly, and I do realize that the oil will not necessarily make it more oily, but balance it, but I just could not do it! The main thing I feel I personally need to get from a hair treatment is nourishing dry ends, so I happily just put it along my hair.
The oil itself is like any oil: pale yellow colour, no particular strong smell. I rub a little oil between my hands and spread it on my hair, then repeat a couple of times until I feel there is enough oil on my hair. Don't overdo it: the first time I applied the oil I thought I needed to put on lots of it for the hair to get moist, but you really don't, I would say overall about a tablespoon or a bit more for medium length hair. I then wrapped my hair on my head and pinned it up. I didn't leave it on overnight, although its very possible - just pop a towel on your pillow. I left the oil for about 30 minutes every time I used the product. 
The oil washes out relatively easily, although (perhaps due to paranoia) the first time I used it it did feel like there was something left on my hair. The second time, my hair felt completely fine and clean. The overall result without exaggerating is that after 2-3 uses my hair felt more nourished, silky, shiny and generally healthier. I was very impressed with the result. I have medium thickness hair, and this oil has definitely worked much better than any intense treatments that I have used on my hair for that extra nourishment. 

Live Native Exfoliating Cleanser

Well, it has been a little while.... The reason for my lengthy absense was not at all my abandonment of pure and green beliefs, but the fact that I thought it was a good idea to do all the big things at once (you know, the moving house, starting a new job, and also, being with no internet for 3 weeks). But now I am settled in my new place, so, lets see what new natural products there are in store!
I have, now not-so-recently, been kindly sent a sample of Live Native Exfoliating Cleanser, which lasted me a few weeks, using it every other day. My first impression was how natural and 'earthy' the cleanser was. It kind of looks like mud - its quite dark brown, textured, it looks like there is nothing artificial in it whatsoever, which there isn't.
Live Native the company specialize in making natural, handmade skincare products. Their products are all handmade on the =Isle of Skye, where the beautiful unspoiled landscape must have been an inspiration for Live Native creator, Vicky Ewbank. Live Native products contain only natural ingredients and are vegan. Not only that, but the ingredients in the products are all cold-pressed and the company uses heat-free-blending of ingredients to save the active properties of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. 
The Exfoliating Cleanser is based on Absorptive Moroccan Rhassoul Clay, which helps to deeply cleanse the skin as it attracts all the oil and dirt trapped in the skin. Organic oats in the  cleanser help to gently but effectively exfoliate the skin. I loved the other ingredients in the product, such as argan, coconut and calendula oils, which all help to cleanse the skin, but also nourish and calm it at the same time. The full list of ingredients, all natural and lovely stuff, is below. The product is 90% organic.

Oat (Avena Sativa) Kernel Meal*, Rhassoul Clay (Montmorillonite)*/***, Chamomile Macerate in Sunflower oil*, Argan (Argania Spinosa) Kernal Oil*/***, Coconut (Cocos Nucifera) Oil*, MSM (Dimethyl Sulfone) from Pine Trees, Chamomile (Chamomilla Recutita Matricaria) Flower*, Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Root Powder*, Kelp (Ascophyllum Nodosum)**, Marigold (Calendula Officinalis) Flower Oil*, Vitamin E (natural d-alpha tocopherol), Glyceryl Caprilate, Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis) Seed Extract in vegetable glycerin, Acerola cherry (Malpighia Glabra) Fruit Extract*.* organic   |   ** wild harvested   |   *** Fairtrade

The cleanser is gentle enough to be used everyday. I really liked that, as its quite rare to find a cleanser that is a gentle exfoliator as well, and to be able to use daily. As I mentioned before, when I opened the pot, the cleanser looked like rough mud. But with contact with water it forms a brown-grey paste, that starts to feel much more gentle than the dry product. When washing my face with it, it felt like I was putting 'food for skin' on it and I would leave it on for a minute before washing it off. I guess that would allow the clay and oils to work their magic. After washing off, the skin would feel soft and clear, without any residue of the product. I really enjoyed this cleanser, and loved the gentle exfoliating properties of it, as well as its interesting and natural ingredients list! Highly recommended!

Winter Lip Saviours: Hurraw! Lip Balms

It is that time of year again (if you live in the northern hemisphere): cracked and dry lips due to cold, wind and general weather nastiness!
I have never been a fan of lipbalms: to me they taste strange, make my hair stick to my lips and their smells could be over-powering.  Also, if you get a tube lip balm, they always roll off the table somewhere and take a journey of their own...
That was all till I had particularly dry lips this winter. I saw my friend use this strange-looking, slightly squashed red tube of Hurraw! lip balm in Black Cherry. I borrowed it for a couple of sweeps, and was hooked! 
The lip balm made my lips soft and moisturized, completely got rid of dryness and cracked feeling. And importantly it improved the conditions of my lips in the long term, not just for a few minutes, which often happens with lip balms, and actually makes you crave them more. 
In addition to being great at nourishing lips the Black Cherry balm is an amazing subtle red tint, adding a healthy colour and glow to your lips without being over-powering. The colour is achieved by adding the alkanet infusion to the balm.  And of course, the balms are all-natural, vegan,  raw and contain organic components! Here is the list of ingredients:


***Alkanna tinctoria (alkanet root)  infused *Prunus dulcis (sweet almond) oil; ***Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax; **Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, *Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil, **Theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, *Ricinus communis (castor) oil, *Olea europaea (olive) oil,  organic black cherry flavor; Tocopherols (vitamin e)
*cold pressed / organic  **raw & organic ***wildcrafted

Hurraw lip balms are available in a great many flavours and colours. The Black Cherry and Cinnamon balms are tinted, while most of the others are not, so you can choose what suits you. Conclusion: highly recommended for winter... and it won't roll of your desk!

Interview with Steffany Boldrini from Ecobold

This is the first (hopefully) in a series of interviews of lovely people who dedicate their lives to creating or distributing natural and safe products. Steffany Boldrini, the CEO of Ecobold has kindly spent time to answer my questions!

Ecobold

We may know that we want green and natural products, but the question is where does one find them, and if you are making such products, where does one sell them? That is where Ecobold comes in: it is a US-based market place for people to buy and sell natural, green and non-toxic products. Ecobold currently has over 3,000 products from over 130 sellers and is growing fast! You can find anything green on it: products in categories like skincare, cleaning products, books, gardening, food and much much more! It is a great way to shop for everything green under one online roof. At the same time it is great for manufacturers to have such a website where they can present their products. If someone wants to sell their product on Ecobold, it undergoes thorough checks to ensure that it meets all the health and environmental requirements. Ecobold team consists of experts on green and non-toxic products, who do research, investigate the ingredients and also provide the very handy video reviews of different products to educate the customer. Ecobold was founded by Steffany Boldrini, who I have the pleasure of asking a few questions about her experience with her business as well as green products.  

Steffany Boldrini

Hi Steffany, thank you for taking time to do an interview for Core Beauty. How did you come about in being interested in green and non-toxic products and wanted to make this your job? 

The person who influenced me the most has been my mom, she always made sure that we read the ingredients of the food we buy and she keeps feeding me information on why our products are much safer for our health than convenient products out there. The most amazing part of all this is that even if you pay 10% more for a non-toxic product, it ends up being much cheaper than the pain you might go through when they get all kinds of diseases that ingredients in “bad” products can cause. Plus the vast majority of the products on our site have a price that’s the same, if not cheaper, than conventional products!  

How was the idea for Ecobold born? 

Ecobold was born out of my personal mission to teach people how to shop better, I initially wanted to be a consultant and go to people’s houses, wipe out all nasty products, go to the grocery store with them and teach how to shop better. Later I decided that the one-on-one basis of consulting wouldn’t make such a big impact as having something where everyone could access online. Helping manufacturers of these awesome products sell online was also another driver to make the switch.  

What was the process of setting up your own business like? 

Setting it up wasn’t the hardest part, the hard part is getting the word out to the people who care and have them come back for more, a.k.a. marketing!  

What would you say was the biggest challenge you faced in developing Ecobold?  

Everyday there is a different challenge! In the beginning it was finding the right co-founder, then it was launching, and now we are in the process of looking for investment - the hardest part at this time.  

What was the most difficult thing about switching to non-toxic products? Were there some products that you found most difficult to find a natural substitute for? 

It’s actually not hard at all. If you look you’ll find that there’s a safe alternative for almost everything you use: lipstick, makeup, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, cleanser, body lotion, perfume, anti-aging lotions, and the list goes on and on. There are a few products that I still sin with because I haven’t found an alternative that works yet: nail polish, nail polish remover, deodorant and the things that my hairdresser users for my highlights – that’s it!  

Can tell us about your favourite natural skincare and cosmetics brands?  

There are so many good ones out there, it’s hard to choose! I’ve used these serums before, gave to friends and family and we all love them: http://www.ecobold.com/shops/anthoorganic I also can’t wait to try this makeup and lipsticks: http://www.ecobold.com/shops/FreshFace For soaps, I love these: http://www.ecobold.com/shops/blueridgegypsy and http:// www.ecobold.com/shops/Beecology  

What is the morning skincare routine of the Ecobold’s CEO?  

Wash my face with water, spray a fruit mist that my mom gave me the other day, put on my mineral makeup and I’m out the door! I also sometimes I use olive oil around my eyes which I heard works really well for a beautiful skin.

John Masters Organics Bare Unscented Shampoo

Well, as some of you may have noticed I have not done a post in a little while... The reasons are the same as always: work, general business etc. etc... But now I am back! I have not been completely out of the natural and organic loop, as during this time I have tried and used various interesting natural products which I will now be reviewing.
I thought I'd start with a review of a natural shapoo. It seems to be quite a basic part of the personal care regime, and some may be surprised that I have not done review of a natural shampoo already. The reason for that is that until now I have not used a natural shampoo that I was satisfied with. That changed after I tried the John Masters Organics Bare Unscented shampoo.
I have gone on about John Masters as a brand, and my other favourite of their products (and perhaps of all products in the world!) the Blood Orange and Vanilla body wash here. 
As the name of the shampoo suggests, it was created for someone who is not so keen or is allergic to overly-fragranced (even if natural) products. I am not such a person, I just wanted to try it as all the other shampoos did not really fit my hair description. The biggest difficulty with natural shampoos that many of you may have experienced is that it is hard to find one that actually cleans hair thoroughly, without leaving that slightly oily residue at the back of your head. The JM shampoo came the closest at giving me a fresh and clean feeling after washing my hair. I won't lie, it is not exactly the same as if I washed my hair with a  'dirty' shampoo, but the difference is really negligible. I am prepared for this in order to avoid the nasty chemicals in other shampoos. But that said, JM shampoo was significantly better at giving me a clean hair feeling compared to some other naturals that I have tried. After blow drying, my hair was soft and full of volume, which I really like, it was not weighted down at all. 
The shampoo contains organic extracts of chamomile, white tea and jojoba in order to gently cleanse the hair. In addition it contains wheat amino acids that add shine and smoothness, and evening primrose to nourish and moisturize hair. 
It is suitable for all hair types, which I liked a lot. I have relatively normal, quite fine brown hair with a tendency to become greasy in a couple of days, and this shampoo has been great at cleaning and nourishing hair and scalp, without over-stripping. 
In all honesty, you have to give a natural shampoo a few tries, before you make a decision about whether or not it is suitable for you. If you judge it from the first wash, you will be putting lots of bottles in the bin. Give it a few washes and see your hair and scalp adapt to a more gentle, less harsh shampoo, and if you are looking for one, I would highly recommend the JM Bare Unscented shampoo! 

Skincare Chemicals to Avoid: 1,4-Dioxane

                    

I dont know if anyone has noticed, but it has been a little while since my last post on the nasty chemicals we should try to avoid in skincare. So lets try to take a peek into what is really going on in our products behind the branded facade.
Today's victim is 1,4-Dioxane, a clear liquid that dissolves in water. It is usually used as a solvent in chemical processing. For example, it is used in things like adhesives, cleaning and detergent preparations, varnishes, polishing compositions, and after all this it is also used (wait for it!...) in cosmetics and deodorant fumigants. 
People can be exposed to this chemical through inhalation, oral (food/water consumption) and dermal contact through the use of contaminated products such as cosmetics or shampoo. 
1,4-Dioxane is considered to be a probable human cancerogen. It has been shown to easily penetrate skin. In addition, 1,4-Dioxane is listed as an animal cancerogen by the National Toxicology Program. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics highlights that perhaps using one contaminated product once in a while may not cause serious harm, but considering how many products we use each day and every day, it all adds up... 
You may think: well that does not sound very pleasant, I shall avoid it! The problem is that 1,4 Dioxane is actually a by-product, it is formed as an impurity in the manufacture process of alkyl ether sulfates or other ethoxylated substances used in products like cosmetics, detergents and shampoos. The process of ethoxylation involves adding ethylene oxide (a known canerogen!) to other chemicals in the product to make them less harsh. The funny thing is that because it is a contaminant by-product, 1,4-Dioxane does not have to be listed on the ingredients list, so it is quite hard to know whether it is present or not. In terms of personal care products, it is reported that it is likely to be present in products that create suds, like shampoo, bubble bath and some soaps. It is reported that high percentages of all products from these categories contain 1,4-Dioxane. Horrifyingly, an independent test in 2007 revealed that many popular brands of children's bubble bath and body wash contained the chemical. 
It is possible for companies not to produce 1,4-Dioxane. For example, they can vacuum-strip it from the ethoxylated product or just not do the ethoxylation process by using non-harsh ingredients from the start. It is not allowed to ethoxylate under organic standards. So if you purchase a certified organic product, it should be safe to know that it does not contain 1,4-Dioxane. It is also possible to search for products that contain no known impurities on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. 

Lip Colour Variations: RMS and Ilia Beauty

I found that the most difficult thing about getting new natural and organic products instead of the 'dirty' ones is that many of the brands are only available online. So, that makes  it a bit difficult in deciding on the right consistency of a cream, but even more difficult in deciding on the suitable colour when buying make-up. 
So I decided to do a little post on the colours of my favourite brands, RMS beauty and Ilia. 


RMS beauty Lip2Cheek:
I was in love with RMS Lip2Cheek in Modest for a while now. I was not too afraid of buying it online, as it seemed a soft dark pink colour that would suit pretty much everyone. I was however quite intrigued by their Rapture colour, it seemed to be an intense, dark, almost brick-red colour. But how can you  be sure, and how will it look on you? I got a sample of Rapture, and it is truly a very deep dark red colour. Initially I thought I would not be able to wear it. What is good about RMS products however, is that you can play around with how much you put on. With Rapture, you can dab a tiny amount on your lips and it will give life and warmth to your lips, apply another sweep and you will get deep, dark red evening look. 
Then I thought, well I really like Modest, but sometimes it would be nice to add more depth to it. Easy! Just add/mix up Modest with Rapture (depending on what effect you would like to create). Here I have a photo of Rapture on its own at the top, followed by Modest, and then about 50/50 mix of the two:

RMS Lip2Cheek in Rapture, Modest and mix of the two

No matter how hard I try to get an accurate picture of the real colours it never looks quite right. This is as close as I could get it. It does look similar, maybe Rapture is a little more brick-red and Modest is a little bit more 'dark pink'. 
If you are more interested in a lighter, more pinky and less intense lip colour, check out the lovely RMS lip shine in Bloom: gives your lips a little bit of a sheer pinky glow:

RMS Lip Shine in Bloom

Ilia Lipsticks
Finally, if you are looking for a real wonder-product, check out Ilia lipsticks. One sweep gives you a little bit of colour,  while moisturizing and nourishing your lips. And a few more sweeps provide an intense and beautiful stain. I have Ilia in Bang Bang, and when you open it it is bright red. I put one layer on in the day just to moisturize my lips, and then if I want more colour, just sweep some more on! So, it is a moisturizing lip tint and a proper red lipstick all in one!

Ilia in Bang Bang

                         
The above colours show the difference between just one sweep (above) and a few. The real colour is a little bit more scarlet red than what it came out on the picture. I hope it was useful anyhow, despite all the 'but the real colour looks more...'.