Organic Beauty Salons on the Up!!

You may wonder why I am blogging about an organic beauty salon that’s just opened in Newmarket USA when it’s a million miles from my home in London UK. The reason is because its one of a growing trend of salons that are deciding to go green.

The beauty industry professionals are the ones who are at the delivering end of beauty to people on an everyday basis. They’re the ones, who pluck and wax and tong and curl and straighten. For so many years now, they have been limited by the performance of regular products being superior over organic products which were unsophisticated and not performance orientated. Or maybe its just been ignorance about health and concern for glamour that has put organic on the back shelves until now. Now we see a change beginning to happen, the market is being flooded by organic and natural beauty products that are glamorous, science based and have superiority over their predecessors by far, and hence the slow infiltration into salons is beginning.

I for one am desperate for a facial. Not because my skins terrible but because I love being pampered, and it is really good for your skin and complexion to have the attention. But I feel so guilty. Every salon I go to has products that I would never use at home. Actually more than guilt it’s a feeling of it being not good enough. Having said that I wouldn’t want to pay £100 pounds for a facial. I tried that with a natural beauty salon not so long ago and although I loved the facial, lets get real, I’m a mum, with growing kids and bills to pay, supported by my ever forgiving husband who tolerates my need for green and lack of cash!

This beauty salon in Newmarket, Organic Bonita is led by ever inspiring people -Tammy Pierce to be precise, who realises that natural and organic beauty products are more healthy, she wants the looks, and the performance but she wants to be healthy and green.

“The entire well-being approach to life doesn't have to end with going to the grocery store and buying organic food” said Pierce. “That approach can be applied to everything that goes into your hair and onto your skin.”

“My goal is to get the word out there that organic products are so good for you and yet so cost-effective and, in this time of our economy, we all want something that's good for us, long-lasting and most importantly cost-effective.”

“It's not all about making money” said Pierce. “It's a business and I have to make a living and I'm happy with that and I want to be successful, but I also want to be a part of the community by giving something back.”

Now why can’t I find more salons and beauty therapists like that in North West London? The woman is an inspiration. I’m sure that my wait won’t last very long and bit by bit more salons are going to catch on. What do I love about this Newmarket salon – they don’t see healthy as an excuse to rip people off!!

Natural Health & Beauty Awards 2009

2,008 readers and a panel of dermatologists helped select the 25 winners of the 5th Annual Beauty Awards.

Votes were cast at www.naturalhealthmag.com for their favorite products. Out of the mass of nominations and submissions, 25 of the year’s best beauty products were chosen.

Some of the submissions and winners may seem suspect to those who appreciate products that are organic and natural from start to finish.

I’m not sure what the deciding factors were but I think they could have done with some help from Stacey and Jo Fairley and their Green Beauty Bible!

Here are the winners -

FACIAL CLEANSER
Olay Definity Penetrating Mousse Cleanser

FACIAL EXFOLIATOR
Skin 2 Skin Oatmeal & Pomegranate Scrub

EYE CREAM
Yes to Cucumbers Eye Love Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel

FACIAL MOISTURIZER
AVEENO Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

FACIAL NIGHT CREAM
Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Night Health Bedtime Face Cream

ANTI-AGING FACIAL TREATMENT
Aveda Green Science Firming Face Creme

LIP BALM
Burt’s Bees Sun Protecting Lip Balm SPF 8 with Passionfruit

HAND CREAM
The Healing Seed Virgin Organic Hempseed Oil Hand Cream

BODY MOISTURIZER
Avalon Organics Grapefruit & Geranium Hand & Body Lotion

BODY SCRUB
Aura Cacia Nourishing Body Polishes Fair Trade Certified

SELF-TANNER
Pur Minerals Get a Little

BAR SOAP
Dove Go Fresh Burst Beauty Bar

BODY WASH
Nature’s Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Velvet Moisture Body Wash

SUN CARE
John Masters Organics SPF 30 Natural Mineral Sunscreen

SHAMPOO
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lavender Mint Moisturizing Shampoo

CONDITIONER
L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care Moisture Conditioner

HAIR COLOR
Natural Instincts Champagne Indulgence Collection

HAIR STYLING PRODUCT
Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Smoothing Crème

BLUSH
The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Cheek Color

CONCEALER
Jane Iredale Zap & Hide

EYE SHADOW
Almay Pure Blends Eyeshadow

FOUNDATION
Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Liquid Foundation SPF 15

LIP COLOR
Aubrey Organics Natural Lips Sheer Tint

MASCARA
Kiehl’s Marvelous Mineral Mascara

NAIL POLISH
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color

Organic Beauty from the Inside Out

For all the gorgeous natural organic skincare and beauty products we sell I can still say that looking beautiful, and having radiant blossoming skin is something that also needs to be created from the inside out.

To have beautiful skin that radiates health:

Start with clearing negativity from your life. Write a list of all the good things in your life and what you want in your life and concentrate on it everyday. Let negative feelings go by exercising regularly, and create more faith in your life. Yoga is great for doing both. Love makes us glow, so by emanating a feeling of love for all people and all things we create a lot of positive energy in ourselves.

Detox your body, not through any extreme measures, things like fasting don’t suit everyone and can be quite detrimental to some. The key to good health is balance in all things. Make sure you drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Stop smoking if you do, cut down on caffeine such as coffee and tea, and also moderate alcohol. These things cut down your blood circulation and the release of toxins from your body.

Eat plenty of fruit and veg, organic if possible, and cut down on meat. If you can’t eat your vegetables, then drink them in the form of smoothies which make sure that not too much of the precious fibre is lost from your system. Fruit and veg contain all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your body needs to keep the body healthy.

Get plenty of beauty sleep as that’s the time your body renews itself.

Have a diet rich in probiotics or take a supplement if necessary; this will ensure your gut stays as healthy as possible therefore ensuring toxins are released from the body and nutrients absorbed. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to your skin. Also make sure your bowel movements are regular if you want your skin to stay clear.

Have a facial once a month, or alternate with a massage every other month, if funds are short. This regular attention to your face and body will help the body detox toxins and will also get rid of stored negative energy.

buyOrganics recommends Cavalliert Beauty who provide amazing Holistic Natural Facials as well as a complete consultation on your lifestyle and skin.

Beauty For Teenagers – Organic Skincare Is Safer For Them And The Planet!

Children these days, it seems, are all too keen to grow up quickly in so many ways, but one highly alarming and possibly health hazardous way in which young teenagers are hastening towards their adult years is through their use of personal care products. It is a horrifying fact that the majority of cosmetics, skin care and hair care products on the market contain ingredients which are allergens, hormone disruptors and neurotoxins, and with children every day exposed to on average 27 different personal care products which have not been found safe (according to the Environmental Working Group), there is much to worry about. Puberty is a very challenging time for the growing body, hormonally, and it is at this precise time where the body is developing and changing at an exaggerated rate, that the less noxious substances entering the bloodstream through the skin, the better, particularly as this is the time where in particular girls, are trying out new personal care products and cosmetics on a regular basis.

Children’s skin is 30% thinner than adults, and does not reach maximum thickness until around age 20, so well after the teenage years when girls in particular but increasingly boys, experiment with all sorts of cosmetics and other products. Teenagers use these products in a bid to form a sense of identity, fit in with their peers and to toy with different “looks”, meaning that their use of potentially hazardous products is high. And even more worryingly, children are starting to try out cosmetics at an increasingly young age. A recent report found that 80% of 11-14 year olds wear lip colour – but did you think about the effects of lipstick ingestion? According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the average woman who wears make-up will EAT about 4 pounds (that’s 1.81 Kg) of lipstick during her lifetime via drinking, eating and kissing. Last year, several very popular lipsticks (including those by L’Oreal and Cover Girl) were found to contain levels of LEAD – linked to a range of unpleasant side effects – higher than the recommended limit set by the FDA.

Makeup is not the only area where less should definitely be more, particularly when it comes to growing children. A staggering 58% of girls regularly wear perfume by age 14, which seems crazy with fragrance one of the top five allergens in existence. “Tweenagers” (children aged between 9 and 16) are increasingly visiting spas and tanning salons, having makeover parties, and having treatments such as waxing, hair dyeing and nail extensions. Hair removal company Nair recently launched a product, Nair Pretty, aimed specifically at this target audience, and other cosmetic companies are cottoning onto the lucrative tween market, which is estimated at £82 billion worldwide. Most of these products contain suspect ingredients, even those formulated for children’s skins which are marked as being “gentle”, “non-irritating” and even dermatologist approved.

There are products available to buy which teens and tweens use, such as hair dyes and shampoos which can contain lead and petroleum by-products, and even placenta, which is added for its deep conditioning properties – however this substance is so chock full of hormones that it has been claimed is responsible for breast growth in toddlers! . But there is hope – apparently girls over 15 listen to their mothers and follow their example, often using the same brands and products they do.

We’re not suggesting that growing children and teenagers shouldn’t be able to experiment with beauty products and express their identities through their appearance – simply that all of us need to pay more attention to the ingredients in the products before slathering our bodies with nasty chemicals.

There are so many wonderful organic skincare products and organic cosmetics available which would be infinitely more suitable for teenagers! The good news is – they are all pure luxury for adults as well, and so you won’t have any trouble setting a good example by using them yourself! Here at buyOrganics we have picked what we feel to be the best of the best:

BUYORGANICS’ TOP RECOMMENDED ORGANIC BEAUTY PRODUCTS:

Lipgloss – Nvey Eco’s Lip Lustre – several colours including a Nude and two shimmers

Lipstick – Green People’s beautiful moisurising lipsticks contain organic coconut, cupuacu and jojoba oil

Foundation – Nvey Eco’s Organic Moisturising Liquid Foundation – perfect for young skin with a dewy finish and 100% organic ingredients

Loose powder – Miessence’s Organic Mineral Foundation Powder – beautiful light reflective powder which contains organic rose essential oil

Mascara – Miessence’s Organic Mascara in Pure Black gives luscious, thick – but toxin-free lashes!

Eyeshadow/Eyeliner – Nvey Eco’s eyeshadow singles and cake eyeliner contain chamomile and antioxidants and come in a range of colours

Blusher/Bronzer – Miessence’s organic mineral bronzing powders and blushers do not clog the pores and give a healthy colour which truly is healthy!

Cleanser – Miessence’s Purifying Facial Cleanser is ideal for teenage skin, soothing oily and problem skin naturally

Toner – Earthbound Organics Orange Blossom Water – wonderfully gentle for oily skin, this toner is simply pure organic orange blossom water!

Moisturiser – Miessence’s Purifying Organic Moisturiser is a light lotion with organic extracts of Echinacea, plantain, calendula, witch hazel, tea tree and lemon myrtle which soothe inflamed complexions without blocking pores

Shampoo/Conditioner – Green People’s range of organic shampoos are perfect for all the family – try their no scent or natural vitamin shampoo and conditioners for healthy hair that shines!

Hair Styling – Miessence’s Shape Natural Organic Styling Gel is great for boys and girls to style wet or dry hair – moisturising and nourishing the hair whilst providing medium hold

Body Wash – Ecosopia’s unscented hand and body wash is ideal for sensitive skins and can be used by all the family.

And especially for teenage boys; starting to shave can be irritant and stressful to young boy’s skin – the perfect solution is Eselle Organics’ Razzmatazz Shave/Aftershave Oil – which can be used as a pre-shave softener as well as an aftershave treatment. It softens and protects the skin as well as containing healing and soothing properties.

All these organic skincare products are available at http://www.buyorganics.co.uk/

Not only will these organic skincare products be kinder to your growing child’s body and overall health – but the companies producing them are all certified to the highest standards meaning their production and distribution methods are respectful of the environment as well as our own bodies, and are generally not tested on animals, with many containing no animal ingredients.

NVEY ECO ORGANIC MAKEUP – TOP SHADES AS CHOSEN BY TEENAGERS!

The Nvey Eco organic makeup range is perfect for teenagers as it contains no nasty additives, is 100% organic and not tested on animals – all considerations young girls experimenting with makeup for the first time should bear in mind. The top colours and products in this range were chosen by a poll of teenagers as the best for getting the look they wanted – and here they are:

Erase Concealer – Neutral & Medium

Mascara – Black

Cake eyeliner – Black

Lipstick – shades 370, 359 & 365

Eye Shadow – 150, 151, 152,155, 156, 159, 160, 165, 166 & 168

Powder Blush – 953, 955 & 957

Lip Gloss – Nude, Cristal & Amour Rose

Foundations – dependent on their personal colouring but there is a wide range of available shades.