Review: Integrity Botanicals

I'm a sucker for great design and remarkable customer service. So I have to share a quick story of my shopping experience with IntegrityBotanicals. 

Things they are doing right:

1. Instant delivery of coupon code for signing up for their newsletter.

2. Very well curated product selection.

3. Free samples with every order.

4. Gorgeous design and usability.

5. Responsive on social media.

6. Free shipping with minimum order.

7. High quality products at fair prices.

8. Fast shipping.

9. Careful packing with branded materials.

10. Hand-written note and coupon with order.

I was able to try a few Lurk and Strange Invisible scents, as well as a lip stain and Acure argan oil. I bought 100% Pure body wash, W3ll People lip gloss, skinnyskinny dry shampoo and Theodent chocolate toothpaste for the kids.

Excited to try everything and will definitely order again from Integrity Botanicals.

What's in My Makeup Bag, Part 1: Mascara

Finding Beautycounter's super clean skincare line has given me a renewed energy to be stricter with the cosmetics I'm using day in, day out. Until the time comes that BC debuts their makeup line, I am content with a some decent options I've found that are also good performers and not too expensive. 

First up, mascara. I have to admit my favorite is Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes (everyday). The waterproof version—Lights, Camera, Splashes is also in my bag. I have also often used Korres B5 & Rice Bran mascara, which is safer but harder to find. They also seem to change the formulation and name constantly.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

What I like about these Tarte mascaras is the performance. LCLashes seems to actually curl your lashes even without an eyelash curler. It has no discernible scent, doesn't flake, comes off easily with cleanser, doesn't irritate my eyes and isn't too expensive. LCSplashes is much the same, though it can get clumpy. It's tougher to get off, but that is true of most waterproof mascaras. 

The downside of these mascaras is that they rate a "4" and a "6" respectively on EWG's Skin Deep Database (SDD). They contain four different parabens that I prefer to avoid (and phenoxyethanol, which is a safer preservative, in my opinion).

So how did I end up with a moderately toxic mascara? Through experimentation. I have tried roughly a kajillion mascaras over the past decade or more. Everything from Dior Show, which is expensive and delivers an amazing result (but is a "5" in the SDD) to Honeybee Gardens mascara, which rates an impressive "1" in SDD but didn't work well for me. I also tried Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara, which is available at drugstores, and scores a nice low "1" in SDD. But I didn't like it. It was thin and the wand was plasticky. 

Jane Iredale Longest Lash Thickening
and Lengthening Mascara

Ecco Bella Flowercolor
Natural Mascara

Beautycounter's creative director, Christy Coleman, has recommended Jane Iredale's line for the time being, and that mascara also scores a healthy "1" in SDD as well. Another I have not tried but scores well is Ecco Bella Botanicals Flower Color Natural Black Mascara ("1" on SDD). Please let me know if you have used either of these and if you like them.

Up next, BB cream.

Introducing Beautycounter: OOTF Approved Skincare!

www.dori.beautycounter.com

I've tried more beauty products than I can count. Some that tout natural ingredients, some claiming to be organic and, many times, it's hard to know what's in products because the brands refuse to share ingredients. That is a huge red flag to me.

I'll be honest, it's been so hard to find good stuff that I have knowingly bought toxic products because I didn't like the so-called healthy beauty brands I found.


I'm a realist and I'm particular. Oh, and I have sensitive skin. Products have to work well, first and foremost. They need to be free of harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances and all potentially unhealthy substances because, let's face it, I'm using them every single day. Ideally, they are also not too expensive.


Until now, I found very few beauty products that met all this criteria. And most that were close looked unprofessional, or smelled funky, or were often unavailable.


But now there is Beautycounter. And I could not be more excited to share it with you, my friends, my family and anyone in my extended network.

Check out my site: http://www.dori.beautycounter.com/ or message me with questions. I'd love to help you host a social or just help you pick the best products to try.

To a beautiful healthy you!
Dori

Startup of Note: Healthy Beauty Project

My good friend, Todra Payne, an incredible makeup artist/author/generally great person, has decided to do something about toxic cosmetics. If you've tried to figure out what's good, bad and ugly in this space, taking into account what also works and looks good, you know the challenge she's up against.

Check out HealthyBeautyProject, where you'll find videos, articles and more. Trust me; you will learn something. She's also very accessible. Do you have a question? Do you have feedback on a product you've tried? Have you found something you think is great? Ask her, share with her, tell her.

Best of all, she understands your dirty little beauty secrets. She does not judge you for using Dior Show mascara even though it's not "healthy" in any sense of the word. You evaluate products, you make the best informed choices for you, and you do not obsess. And that's cool.

Hope you like the site. Let me know what you think!

Eco products I'm digging right now

I've been a little quiet on the posts. Shame on me. I've been doing a lot of reading and participating in social media. It's fun...and time-consuming. Anyway, in my travels, I'm come across some brands I've never heard of before and also report on some of my favorite products right now. Please comment if you've got any favorites I should try.

First, a site I just found through their Facebook ad: sweetpeaproducts.com. They don't have the best website or lots of products, but they do have something called boo-boo balm that is free of harmful chemicals and seems to have quite a loyal following. And it's only $6. Gotta get me some of that, especially considering my boys' tendencies to acquire boo-boos. Their gift basket would also make a very nice shower gift. The founder is an infant massage practitioner, so she has a massage oil and a book on how to massage your infant in the basket. This can be especially effective in soothing fussy babies.

Second, a lot of new alcohol-free hand sanitizers seem to be cropping up. I use CleanWell, both the wipes, which are great for the diaper bag, and the spray, which I keep at work. It smells a little, well, antiseptic, but it's got no triclosan and no alcohol and it's proven to work. My friend, Cobie, turned me on to Grandma Minnie's Hand Sanitizer because she tired of using Giovanni's expensive lavendar-scented wipes. I have not tried this stuff, and it's $30 a bottle! Also, it contains alcohol and triethanolamine, which scores a "6" in the Cosmetics Database. I also shy away from lavendar for my boys, after reading that it *might* be an endocrine disruptor. That research from 2007 has been disputed, however new research has come out just last month on this topic. Read my post about the Endocrine Society's report.

I'm really loving a Korres summer beauty promo package I bought with Face Primer, Watermelon Tinted Foundation SPF 30 and Bronzer (though I've used this the least of the three). I already use their Ginger & Vitamins Foundation SPF 10 and love it. And their mascara is great. Though it's gotten quite gloopy the longer I've had it, which is not long. Still, it's easy to wipe the wand off as I'm pulling it out and it doesn't clump on my eyelashes. Also liking my NVEY ECO Organic Erase and my Tarte Cheek Stain. These all happen to be available at Sephora, which is convenient. They have lots of "natural and organic" products, but some are better than others, so be sure to read the description and ingredients.

Another thing I'm loving is Bubble & Bee's Pit Putty. I cannot say enough good about this product. If you've tried a natural deodorant before, it probably didn't work. Now, I'm not a super sweaty person, and this is not an antiperspirant, but I don't find that I sweat much when I'm wearing it, plus, it does deodorize the pits. It's white and it can get crumbly if the stick gets too warm, but I don't mind as long as it works and I'm not putting aluminum on my body. They also make a Geranium Lime Spray Deodorant that is quite nice and tucks neatly into a purse, as a refresher or backup or "oops, I forgot my deode this morning" (which happens to me!). This product is not officially launched, but you can get it with the "buy two" deal. It's really very lovely smelling. I've also tried the Bubble & Bee Root Beer Lip Balm, and it's yummy and emollient. I also got an Orange Organic soap, and while I liked it, we went through it too quickly for the price, so I'm going back to my basic big olive oil bar soap. I plan to try their hair products and the Geranium Lime Pit Putty when this one runs out. Thanks, Stephanie, for a great bunch of products!

Eco-fabulous skincare straight from...Iowa?

I don't remember where I bumped into this brand, but I immediately liked Aguacate & Co.'s branding and the sensibility. So I checked it out and it seems to be the real deal in terms of safe ingredients. Most products are Certified Vegan (honestly didn't know there was such a thing, but now I do). As a company, they are approved by Green America, are a member of the Organic Trade Association, are a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and participate in 1% for the Planet.

Billed as "premium skin care with organic ingredients," Aguacate offers cleansers, exfoliators, toners, moisturizers, replenishers, gifts sets and -- best of all -- trial sizes. I've been to the site a few times and they are frequently sold out of the trial sizes, though.

You can buy it online at the company site, or a handful of other eco sites. If you happen to be in San Diego you can shop for it at The Hidden Spa. Or if you find yourself in Fairfield, Iowa, stop by the At Home Store.

There's not much in their About Us section, but a little research shows that the company has been around since 2007. It's hard to confirm, but I'm fairly sure they are Iowa-based. In case you're wondering, aguacate means avocado in Spanish, which references the line's key ingredient, avocado oil.

Dial down on the 1,4 dioxane

Would you be surprised to find out that a "contaminant" known to be a carcinogen since at least 1988 could be lurking in popular personal care -- and BABY CARE -- products at relatively high levels? And it does not have to be listed because, technically, it's a by-product of a manufacturing process and not an ingredient.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) reported that "EPA May 7 released a draft Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of 1,4 dioxane that includes a new cancer slope factor that is 17 times more potent than the agency's 1990 IRIS assessment."

OCA did their own 1,4 dioxane testing on personal care products, both "natural" and big brands, and detected 1,4 dioxane at 18 ppm in Dial Clean & Soft Aloe Antibacterial Hand Soap. So-called natural products were not exempt, with biggest offender -- Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap -- registering a whopping 204 parts per million! Testing was conducted in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and some products, like Method's Dish Naturally Derived Ultra Concentrate, have been reformulated to dramatically reduce levels (though it still contains 2.9 ppm).

"The chemical also shows up in nearly half of the personal care products that EWG includes in its 'Skin Deep' database, which compares more than 42,000 personal care products with some 50 toxicity and regulatory databases, the EWG source says."

So what's a safe level? That's up to the EPA to determine, but it's up to us to then calculate all our exposure sources and add them together. That's the part the EPA can't seem to factor. With this toxin showing up in so many products, you have to imagine that your aggregate exposure is 20-50x that of any single source it's in.

Speechless. The more I learn, the more I want answers! Get angry, people, and demand answers.

Hair today: a fungus among us

Nontoxic haircare is one of the most difficult things for me. I've always been worried about how my hair looks, since it's so, well, noticeable. First, there's the products. Kenra works but it's full of sulfates. I tried a Shikai everyday conditioner, but it gets a "4" in the Cosmetics Database, plus I didn't really like it. Giovanni conditioner is rated better but I didn't like it either. I am now using Avalon Organics Biotin B-Complex Thickening Conditioner, which is still a "3" but I do like it. The search continues. If only I liked Dr. Bronner's. It's one of the safer ones and super concentrated (read: economical).

For the kids, I use California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Body Wash (comes in gallon jugs so it's not only super nontoxic, it's also earth-friendly). Sometimes I use it, too. I've also started to use Kiss My Face Orange Shampoo & Conditioner (not the exact name) for Gregory.

I seek out great stylists (my all-time favorite is Christina Liberatore in NYC at Salon Chinois) and I always color it or lighten it to get rid of that dishwater ashy brown-blonde color it's become. I used vegetable-based dyes while I was pregnant and living in Connecticut. Pia at Noelle Spa did my color and it looked and felt great. Was it really healthier? I don't honestly know. I can tell you that the other demi-permanent color she used on my hair would burn my scalp, so I'm guessing that stuff wasn't so great. She used to add Sweet-N-Low to it and it would not burn as much. Evil calmed evil. Bizarre.

Single-process brunette is easy, but I'm always toying with the idea of going back to blonde, so this article caught my eye. A Japanese company is working on an alternative to the standard hydrogen peroxide bleach based on a type of white-rot fungus. While it's better for your hair, for salon workers and the environment, I have to chalk this up to one organic idea that's going to need some serious marketing magic to sell! Sorry, but I'm not easily able to associate "rot" and "fungus" with something I willingly put on my head.