A couple months ago one of my Facebook friends was discussing how she was going to make a “threading” appointment for her eyebrows, which was supposed to be healthier than using a chemical wax. When I saw mention of this I was instantly curious and did a Google search to find out what this threading stuff was. After reading up I was instantly attracted to the concept and wondered if any place in my area offered such a service.

Threading is actually an ancient method of hair removal that originated in the east (Arab, Indian, and Persian countries). The last couple years or so it has really gained popularity here in the west. Not sure where in the heck I was all this time but I am on the boat now! Basically hair is removed at the follicle level with a thin, twisted piece of cotton thread. The practitioner holds the thread in a cat’s cradle position (anyone remember that string game from when they were kids?), settles it over a section of hair and then twists until hair is pulled out by the root.

While perusing the lovely Easton mall near my home I saw a salon called Exquisite Threading and I decided to check this out for myself. They have locations nationwide. Up until now I have been mostly been waxing. Tweezing is just not enjoyable for me because I have big black caterpillars above my eyes… they are quite thick and bushy. So about 3 or 4 times a year I get them waxed in a salon and “try” to tweeze in between sessions to keep them maintained. The drawback to this is that the wax has chemicals in it and I have yet to find a place that does sugaring or a more natural eyebrow waxing. It also creates a lot of waste I am sure with leftover wax and all the muslin strips that need to be tossed away. Threading seems to be a much healthier and greener way to go. No chemicals, no waste beyond a bit of compostable cotton string.

For my first appointment I settled in the chair and the gorgeous Indian practitioner asked if I wanted my eyebrows on the thin or thick side. I opted to play it safe and go for thick. The last time I had them waxed the practitioner made them so thin it looked like I drew them on with a pencil. I really should have looked at her own eyebrows and asked for another practitioner but I didn’t want to be rude and my eyebrows paid the price. I was VERY satisfied with my threading experience though. It was lightning fast, which surprised me, and my eyebrows look very satisfactory. It did not tickle by any means so I would say it hurts a bit more than waxing but my eyes were not red and puffy for more than 30 minutes though. Waxing usually makes my eyebrow area inflamed for hours and most times I bleed as well. Threading seemed to make for quick and easy healing. Perhaps it was the optional witch hazel they apply afterwards that helped. The only drawback was that I was rubbing my eyes for a good 30 minutes to get stray hairs out of them but that little annoyance will not keep me from future threading sessions. I am sold.

Have you tried threading?

Photo credited to Skampy on Flickr.

Came across this awesome nail polish set today and had to share. Nail polish is IMO one of the nastiest products you can buy but several companies are now marketing non toxic nail polish and this is good news for moms of little girls who love to wear nail polish. This particular nail polish is made by one of those companies (Keeki Pure and Simple) and I LOVE that they have bundled Halloween sets, the Franken-Keeki Gift Pack. I want one for myself! The green is awesome although they call it Sour Apple Slushie and the black is Midnight Snack. My daughter can testify to the fact that the name is just as important as the color. ;) Although not in the Halloween pack, the Sugar Plum Nail Polish is an awesome purple color that would be great for Halloween too.

The Candy Corn Gift Pack has Lemonade, Marshmallow, and Orange Sorbet.

These nail colors have no parabens, phthalates and other nasty ingredients. They are also gluten-free, toluene-free, vegan, made here in the US, and never tested on animals.

Anxious for Halloween yet?

Related: Ditch the Nail Polish Nasties

We had some good discussion on my safe sunscreens page recently. Much of it has to do with some recent studies regarding Titanium Dioxide which along with another mineral Zinc Oxide, has long thought to be one of the better ingredients in sunscreens. Much of this data is in regards to inhalation or nano particles though, which either doesn’t apply to sunscreens or is inadvisable anyway (nano particles). Still, there are options for those seeking to use a sunscreen without this mineral. Many brands offer Zinc Oxide based sunscreens. Here are a few of the better options. Some of them are repeats from the other list and some are new. None of them use nano particles.

All Natural Badger Sunscreen – This sunscreen has 20.5 Zinc Oxide amidst many other safe and natural ingredients like Jojoba, Cacao butter, Shea butter, ect. It  also is rated SPF 30. It is supposed to last for 40 minutes in the water so with frequent applications this should a family well for days at the beach or pool. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1, which mean low hazard.

Loving Naturals Sunscreen SPF 30 – This product blocks UVA and UVB rays and has natural ingredients with the active one being Zinc Oxide (24.8%). Other ingredients include Grape Seed Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, and Macadamia Nut Oil. It is certified organic and vegan as well. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1.

Soleo Organics Sunscreen, SPF 30 – The active ingredient is Zinc Oxide (22.3%) and other ingredients are natural… beeswax, sunflower oil, etc. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1.

Think Baby & ThinkSport – For a company that is already child friendly it is no surprise that they have great sunscreens. The Baby version uses 20% Zinc Oxide and the Sport version uses 25%. The SkinDeep Database rates it at a 1.

Enjoy! And for non-sun methods of sunscreen check out this older post.

The beauty industry is mammoth in size. They make billions each year selling to women the idea that beauty comes in a bottle. They tell us we need anti-aging miracle creams, moisturizers that will return our skin to the youthful state of our childhood, and numerous products that hide all our imperfections. And yet if they really worked why would women be so desperate to try the newest, greatest product on the market? Most of these products have us chasing after an illusion and worse yet they are usually harmful to our health. I am not dying to look good. Are you?

What the beauty industry does not want us to know is that the junk from their products may actually be a big contributor to why we are unhappy with the way we look. For one, they spend millions telling us we don’t look good UNLESS we use X, Y, or Z. Second, their products can make us sick with their cancer causing ingredients or the harsh  chemicals can aggravate our skin and make it look worse than it did before. I know that I did terrible things to my skin as a teen by wearing so much make-up and using so many different “beauty” products. Friends used to call me Barbie when I was a teen. It wasn’t so much because I had bleached blond hair and blue eyes, it was because I wore waterproof theater make-up. I could walk through a monsoon and my make-up would still be flawless. But after years of wearing that heavy make-up my skin looked so terrible I HAD to keep wearing it… or so I thought. I also wore contact lenses because I didn’t like the way glasses looked. I wore them so much that that the whites of my eyes turned red. An eye doctor told me I needed to stop wearing contacts immediately, possibly forever, or risk permanent damage to my eyes.

It was only when I had kids that I finally put things into perspective. I knew I didn’t want my babies to be harmed by industry’s that put profit above health and yet for years I did not care if I poisoned myself. Now though I had to be an example. I wanted my kids to see someone who made healthy choices. My big basket of beauty products left the building and they never returned. I haven’t worn any make-up more than a handful of times in over 10 years. I also don’t use hair sprays, gels, lotions, or antioxidant elixirs. And yet I love my skin. I think it has not looked as good or felt as good as it does since I was very young. Oh I still have visual imperfections and scars left over from abuse as a teen. I have surgical scars on my face, neck, stomach, and abdomen thanks to numerous surgeries. But despite all that, I see healthy skin again. Here is what my beauty regimen consists of now.

Green Smoothies – Hands down the biggest secret weapon in the natural beauty enthusiast’s arsenal is going to be a healthy diet. Green smoothies makes that as easy as pie. When I first started drinking them I noticed immediately that my digestion improved and my bowels moved more regularly. Frankly you don’t realize how irregular you are until you get regular… as in a visit to the bathroom almost after every meal regular. This is really important because this is how your body gets rid of waste and toxins. Shouldn’t you be helping your body take out the garbage? The second thing I noticed is that the cells of my skin seemed to plump up. They sucked in all that nourishment and water like they were botox injections. The skin LOVES green smoothies and all the antioxidants in them that protect against further damage. I also add greens powders to my smoothies so I can get a big boost of vitamins and nutrients. If you haven’t checked out my green smoothies recipe book, you should! I market it to parents who want to help their kids eat more greens but I drink the same stuff but perhaps with a higher greens to fruit ratio.

Dry Brushing - Ever heard of it? I had wanted to try it for years but never got around to it. Then after one of my personal inspirations, Kris Carr, mentioned it in her book Crazy, Sexy, Diet … I decided to try it. I went out and got a natural bristle brush meant for dry brushing and tried it that very day I started reading the book. Unfortunately it felt as though I was rubbing my skin off with low grit sandpaper. I went back to the book in a huff to see if I had missed something or if I was just a big baby. If I had continued reading I would have seen that Kris recommended using exfoliating showers gloves. That was MUCH better. It doesn’t exactly tickle but I wouldn’t say it hurts either. Anyway I have been using the gloves for 2 months now and WOW!!! As I sit writing this post I have been continually rubbing my arms.. smooth like a babies behind. My skin hasn’t looked or felt this good in forever.

Your skin is the biggest organ you have and it constantly regenerates itself by eliminating toxic and dead skin cells, as much as two pounds of this waste material each day. When your skin is clogged with dead skin cells and toxins that cannot be eliminated by perspiration, then your skin suffers. It needs air and sunlight so getting rid of excess waste through exfoliation is vital. In addition to exfoliating your dead skin cells and removing barriers to toxin excretion, dry brushing is also wonderful for lymph vessels and capillaries. This is why dry brushing should be done using strokes that go towards the heart, aiding in the body’s blood circulation. When you get out of the shower after dry brushing you feel amazing because your circulation has improved and then in a couple hours your skin looks and feels amazing. Dry brushing also massages the lymph nodes and gets them functioning better as well and they are a big part of our immune system.

Natural Products – I don’t use much by way of beauty products but I do have some solid lotion bars, a big tub of coconut oil, and magnesium oil. In general I find that I don’t need moisturizers and lotions with the exception of on my legs after I shave them but any of the three products I just mentioned help with that. I like to use coconut oil in my hair too but really only started to need that recently… after I start swimming in a gym pool.

Drinking Water – This is important for hydration and helping your body remove waste and toxins. Most of my water comes in the form of my 2 daily quarts of green smoothie but I also have a reusable water bottle on hand each day with pH drops and a lemon slice added to help alkalinize the water.

So there it is… pretty easy and minimal and yet the most effective I have ever come across.

What is YOUR preferred way to stay green and beautiful? Any tips to share?

Being in good health comes down to MANY things. One of those obviously is what fuel or food we put into our body. Another aspect is what we expose ourselves to… cleaners, home furnishings that off-gas, chemical air fresheners, etc. Yet another aspect that many often overlook is the beauty products that we may use on our bodies. What we choose in this regard is just as important as what food we choose to eat. It’s not enough to simply use an organic shampoo or homemade soap only to turn around and use hairspray or moisturizer filled with chemicals that can harm our skin or damage our health.

Sadly many of the products you find in the beauty department of your local WalMart or drug store are created with chemical ingredients that are linked to various cancers. Unlike food items, beauty products have no stamp of approval or disapproval from the FDA. Even if they did have a stamp of approval we see how well our government overseas junk food… NOT. Since we don’t truly know if the products we want to use are safe or effective, we have to do our own research. Always remember that whatever you put on (bath products, cosmetics, shampoo, soap) your body does absorb. So whatever materials are in that product could end up inside your body.

A Juice Beauty Product Profile

A good place to start when researching products is the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. By perusing this list you quickly see who is making products worth your time and money. One company that consistently rates very well is Juice Beauty. I was actually surprised by how well their organic beauty products score (low is good) because they are such a well known brand. For some reason I always figure the good stuff is some well kept secret due to low marketing budgets but Juice Beauty is highly visible (at least to me) and one of the safer choices we can make. Skin Deep tells that that most of their products score 1 or 2 which means low hazard.

They use certified organic ingredients so when you buy their Green Apple Peel for instance, you know the organic apple, lemon, grape, raw cane sugar and willow bark (sounds lovely doesn’t it?) in it, do not have harmful pesticides and agri chemicals. Same with the Cleansing Milk with raspberry and white grape juices, aloe vera, and nutrient-rich grapeseed oil. I love that they use ingredients that sound as though they could be a meal instead of a beauty product too. Their products do not have parabens, propylene or butylene glycols, petroleum, sulphates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, phthalates, GMO, silicones, artificial dyes or fragrances. You might pay a little more for organic, but isn’t your health and the health of your loved ones worth a few extra dollars? Of course it is.

Not only does switching to organic-based products help keep your skin and body toxin free, but it also can give your body some extra boosts. Did you know that many of the natural products contain vitamins and nutrients that help your body’s overall health? Just think about it… many of the ingredients are food/plant based and we know how rich they are in vitamins and nutrients and an estimated 64% of what you place on the skin is absorbed by it. It is fitting that truly conscious companies take us back to the roots of ancient beauty products. They were sourced from plant materials. From nature. Our ancestors knew that the best organic beauty products for your body were made from natural resources offered by the earth. Things really haven’t changed in that regard.

Another A+ for this particular company… they use recycled packaging, soy ink, and manufacture over 80% of their products with solar power.

For your best health, always buy organic. Look for the products that don’t contain preservatives, dyes or any other types of chemicals and preservatives. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your and feel your best, but your health should be non negotiable.