Feelgood Style

In a country where regulations of beauty products are non-existent, the Skin Deep Database was a revolutionary undertaking, providing access to safety information few others have the time or knowledge to decode.

The Skin Deep database, if you are unfamiliar with this resource, provides safety scores for an extensive range of personal care products and the ingredients found in them. Using a complex algorithm, ingredients for each product are entered into a database and, using the available research from around the world, a number from 0 to 10 is given for the product, based on the ratings for each of the ingredients.

As impressive and ambitious as the database is, the system is not perfect. Many reasons exist for this, perhaps none more important than the dearth of research on cosmetic ingredients, particularly regarding their long-term impact on health. The reality is that the Environmental Working Group has taken on what is essentially an impossible task, and they are doing the best they can.

My role as head of a natural beauty retailer has required me to become intimately familiar with the Skin Deep database. Through numerous experiences and conversations, I have come up with a system I believe makes the most of this resource. This Guide to the Skin Deep database is my attempt to help you make the most of the information the database provides, by outlining what to look for, what to ignore, and how to determine whether your favorite products are deserving of your hard-earned dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve read any of my posts about skin care products before you probably know I have issues with overly sensitive skin. Minor use of one tiny bit of the wrong thing makes me break out in all kinds of badness which could be anything from acne to hives.

Skin MD Natural may be just what the doctor ordered to solve my skin issues and give me radiant, healthy, break out free skin. Read the rest of this entry »

Aging is a controversial topic.  On the one hand, we hate the thought of wrinkles and age spots, not to mention disease and decline.  But, let’s face it, we all want to get older because the alternative stinks.

Since hitting 40 I have tried to embrace aging.  In general, I have always been of the “You are as old as you think you are” adage, but have noticed a few, albeit subtle, changes.  My once normal skin is getting drier (as is my hair) and there is a little more sagging and a few extra fine lines. 

But really, do we want to look 25 (or 30) when we are 40 and up, or do we want to look healthy for our own age? Read the rest of this entry »

Desert Essence is one of my favorite organic brands, mainly because I love their coconut and vanilla chai scented products.

Now in addition to their body lotions and other wonderful bath and body products they now have something simple for your sink – organic hand wash that comes in Coconut, Vanilla Chair, Lavender, and Grapefruit scents. Read the rest of this entry »

I think I am inadvertently on the quest for the perfect soap because lately that’s what I have really been sampling and testing.

This round of sampling has me trying out Pomega5 Oil of Life Cleansing Bar which has changed names since I first receive the product for review and is now called the Lemongrass Clarifying Cleansing Bar.

Lemongrass makes more sense because it smells like lemon not pomegranate.

So far I like the scent and the way it foams. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the chance to sample Dr. Dobbs‘ Tomato Complexion Soap and I have to admit I was skeptical. I thought- Tomatoes? In soap? And this is supposed to do wonders for my skin? I don’t know about all that.

And then I tried it.

I am no longer skeptical. In fact I am ordering another bar…or two, right now. Read the rest of this entry »

Odds are, wherever you happen to be this week, you’re cold. Personally, I had the good fortune of ringing in the New Year in Fargo, North Dakota. Yes, I’m serious. And yes, it was cold, the kind of cold that freezes your lips in place so that conversations can only take place indoors after a cup of scalding hot coffee. It’s also the kind of cold that wreaks havoc on your skin. After only one day in Fargo, running from car to store to car to mom’s front door, I had nasty little red patches on the corners of my eyes where tears appear in a desperate attempt to protect the eyeballs from turning into snowballs. I also had a little beard of white flakey skin under the corners of my mouth. Not sure what causes that, and don’t much care as long as I can make it go away.

Anyway, many years of experience battling godforsaken winters in Fargo, Minneapolis, Vermont and Maine have taught me nothing if not how to heal remarkably dry, chapped skin, and to prevent it from happening again. Fortunately, the best products I have found to combat the cold fall handily into the Natural & Organic Skin Care category. Read the rest of this entry »

When considering whether to wade into the experimental waters of eco-friendlier makeup and skin care, consequently taking on the hassle and expense that always accompany such decisions, you’ll likely find yourself creating a mental list of pros and cons. To complicate matters, misinformation in the beauty industry abounds on both sides of the fence, making it hard for a glamour-lovin’ gal to know what to do. From…ahem…creative uses of the word “organic,” to beauty writers poo-pooing the idea that anything could be toxic enough to warrant ditching semi-permanent lipstick, it’s no surprise many would-be green beauty consumers are confused and conflicted.

To help you sort it all out, I have outlined and, I hope, dispelled three common green beauty myths. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve had the chance to review a lot of natural/green bath and beauty products over the past year but none of them have compared in the long run to Indigo Wild’s Zum Goat’s Milk Soap. Read the rest of this entry »

Neroli Rose products are made with hydrating shea butter from Southern Sudan. Sudanese Shea Butter is thought to be the finest natural moisturizer in the world.

“In Sudan, shea butter is called Lulu, meaning ‘treasured pearl’. Sudanese women process their Lulu by hand, using an ancient, cold-pressed technique that retains the highest concentrations of Vitamins A and E. The butter is produced from the nuts of shea trees that grow wild, deep within the Sudanese forests, untouched by chemicals or fertilizers. This rare shea butter from the Nile Basin is so nutritious, it serves as a food staple for the Sudanese people during the dry season.”

Read the rest of this entry »