The USDA holds strict standards for organic food products but up to this point cosmetics and personal care products have been very loosely regulated in the US.  The new recommendation will require cosmetic manufacturers who use the term “organic” on their labels to either meet certain requirements, reformulate products that do not meet these requirements or cease use of the organic labeling.

This issue has been at the top of the list for the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) for some time now with their Coming Clean Campaign.  The OCA has started a Boycott/Buycott which lists brands who claim to be, but are not truly, organic.  The Buycott promotes those brands who are actually certified organic.  Prior to intitiating the boycott, the OCA gave manufacturers a chance to step up to the plate and do the right thing by pledging to either meet organic standards or cease false organic labeling.  Following are the companies who refused and are now being boycotted:

Amazon Organics, Avalon Organics, Desert Essence Organics, Earth’s Best Organic, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Head Organics, JASON Pure Natural and Organic, Nature’s Gate Organics, Organics by Noah’s Naturals

To view a list of companies with products that meet the USDA Organic Standard visit the follow this link.

Image credit:  oceandesetoiles at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license.

Beauty Balms ($33.95) are creamy colors that come in a a sleek twist-up tube (easily tote-able) and are made with good-for-skin ingredients, like olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil and aloe vera.  All are 100% natural and made with 85% certified organic ingredients and mineral-based pigments and packaged in recyclable material.

Now on to the fun part – you can use these luscious tints on cheeks, eyelids and lips.  A truly multi-talented gem.  Come in three hot colors:  Blushed – a rosy pink that will be perfect for fall, Sunkissed – a favorite of the moment that provides a peachy glow and Bronzed – for a golden-y glow, use this one to add a subtle smokiness to eyes.

Revolution Organics doesn’t stop there.  Add a Freedom Gloss ($25.95) to your makeup bag for stay put color that keeps lips soft and shiny.  Try Integrity, the perfect nude with just enough pink to go with everything, any time of day.  Come in four other stunning colors.

Image credit:  Saffron Rouge

Rare El’ements Salon Inspired Eco-Luxury Hair Care has totally taken care of this problem.  Not only does this indulgent hair care system leave hair strong, silky and smooth, but also helps to protect color.  Amazing!

The line consists of Pure Shampoo, Essential Conditioner and EL’ Treatment, a rejuvenating scalp and hair serum.  All products are made with pure, healthy ingredients and contain exotic oils from Africa to nourish and moisturize scalp and hair.  No sulfates, silicones, synthetic fragrance or parabens.

Now, let’s get to the nitty-gritty….my personal review.  I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten excited over a new all natural hair care line that boasts full, soft, shiny locks only to be (yet again) disappointed.  That is not to say that there aren’t a few brands out there really living up to their claims.  John Masters Organics hair care, for example, is a  very affordable line that works really well.  But my hair is fickle and moody (a combination of fine, dry and wavy/frizzy) that needs gentle care in order to behave itself. 

When I first learned about Rare El’ements from my friend Terri at The Nature of Beauty, I got all pumped again but reeled myself back in, expecting yet another disappointment.  Well, I could tell immediately that this was no ordinary natural shampoo and conditioner.  My hair was soft, smooth, wavy but not frizzy and really looked great.  And (the true test) continued to be so after several days of using Rare El’ements.  No honeymoon phase.

The bottom line is this;  yes, Rare El’ements is on the higher end – $34 for the Shampoo,  $44 for the Conditioner and the Serum is $44 as well – but is very concentrated and will last you quite a while.  And for the results, quite worth every cent.  Honestly, I plan to never be without the stuff.

You know there are certain ingredients that you don’t want in your cosmetic products.  But you may not know all of the name variations or even exactly why certain ingredients are harmful.

Well, leave it to Stephanie Greenwood at Bubble & Bee Organic to come up with an easy, convenient and (even) fun way to keep you in the know on toxic ingredient education.  With “Today’s Chemical” (Stephanie’s new chemical ingredient education service) you can ask a question about toxic ingredients in cosmetics, learn about chemicals and get recipes for homemade beauty products.

To get this free service you can either sign-up and have it delivered right to your inbox or subscribe to the RSS feed.  Check out Today’s Chemical now and get yourself informed.

Okay, so the economy is bad.  And, yes, we have all had to make changes and/or sacrifices in the name of saving a buck.  But can this whole mess be put to good use?  Yes it can!  While you are already watching your spending closely, try keeping an eye on what you buy and not just how much it costs.

We can blame the big corporations for getting us into this economic mess and much of it may be deserved, but we the people are out there buying stuff up, so let’s make it count.  We are still a capitalist country and true to this is supply and demand.  We buy it, they keep making it.  If we buy cheaply made, toxic-laden products, that is what the big companies will make.  If we purchase nontoxic, safe products made with pure ingredients, the makers of these products will keep making them.  Not only that, but the producers of organic, wild-crafted and natural ingredients will have to make more of them which is not only good for us but for the planet as a whole.

Our disposable way of living is a big part of what has gotten us into trouble, so not all of this can be blamed on the big corporations.  They are simply providing what we have asked for.  As Joshua Onysko of Pangea Organics put it:

The great thing about this mess we are in is that it started with us; therefore, it can end with us. “How?” you ask. Well now is the time to raise our consumeristic conscientiousness. I’m sure many of you reading this are already on the path, but there’s no time for walking it: start jogging.

Tell the corporations what you want and how you want it. Trust me; they will start doing it right.

Joshua has it right.  Now is the time to make every cent count.

Made with vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil to keep lips super soft and smooth, the balms are free from harmful ingredients, like petrolatum and parabens. 

Lip balm smooth spheres come in honeysuckle honeydew, summer fruit and sweet mint flavors. Lip balm smooth sticks offer vanilla bean, pomegranate raspberry and sweet mint flavors.  A pleasure to use and the cool, modern design makes them kid-friendly too.

Image credit:  eosTM

It is definitely time to get the sunscreen out, but with so many chemical and not-so-natural versions on the market it can be very difficult to choose one that is safe.  In the past natural sunscreen product manufacturers used zinc oxide to provide UV protection.  And though it is safe and effective, it leaves behind that ghostly white skin we all wish to avoid.  So the next scientific breakthrough was the use of nanotechnology, the creation of incredibly small particles — measured in nanometers (nm), or one-billionth of a meter. This took care of the white film, but recent evidence shows that these nanoparticles may pose risks to the environment.  Not a great trade-off.

Not to despair, there are some terrific sunscreen products on the market that are safe, effective, free from nanos and leave your skin, well – skin colored.  Vivesana is a new product line that presents major breakthroughs in organic sun care.  The products are free from harmful synthetic ingredients, nanoparticles and even water, providing a stronger sun product.

Vivesana (which means “live healthy” in Italian) products are at least 40 SPF, hypoallergenic, packaged in BPA-free containers and boast the highest organic content of any sun care products on the market.  Those at Vivesana take your health and sun protection very seriously.

The line includes three sun care products:

• Solar to Polar Ultra – Chock full of hydrating botanicals (jojoba and apricot) and powerful antioxidants (green tea and raspberry seed) this sunscreen provides 40 SPF and really stays put.  $29
• Solar to Polar Baby – SPF 42 to protect the most delicate skin Solar to Polar Baby is gentle and safe enough for little ones, but provides the strongest protection.  $32
• Dopo Elements – Dopo (meaning “after”) is for, you guessed it, after your day in the sun, water and dry air.  Jojoba, olive and avocado oils help to re-hydrate and nourish parched skin, while green tea extract gives it a healthy boost of antioxidants.  Coming soon.

Want to try Vivesana sun care products?  Use code orgbeauty&vive25 at www.vivesana.com and receive a 25% discount.

Image credit:  Vivesana

Aromatherapy is one truly beneficial indulgence most of us don’t make time for.  Afterall, you do have to know what you are doing, like which essential oils work  for what ailment, how to mix and use them and which to stay away from.  Essentials oils are very potent and it is not wise to throw caution to the wind when using them, as some are skin irritants and over doing it can be toxic.  That said, the right ones can go a long way toward good physical and mental health.

Nuworld Botanicals has come to our aromatherapy rescue with Aromatherapy Personals, little rollerball vials that combine aromatherapy and acupressure, along with health benefits of antioxidants, vitamins and 100% certified organic essential oils.  Nuworld Botanicals uses a base of 100% certified organic Jojoba oil to dilute the essential oils for safe use.

The perfectly stash-able roll-ons can be tossed in your purse, gym bag or desk drawer and with 11 scent combinations to choose from, can come to your aid for everything from anxiety relief and craving control to a sweet dreamy night’s sleep.  Simply massage the rollerball onto pulse points, like wrists, temples, insides of elbows and back of neck.

Energy Boost with its minty, eucalyptus scent is refreshing and perfect for your morning wakeup call or mid-afternoon slump.  Immune Boost smells fresh and clean and is packed with Tea Tree oil which is a powerful immune stimulant.  Perfect for the late spring cold season.

With all of the social happenings and end-of-school events that May brings, it can be stressful and hard to focus.  Mental Clarity is an earthy blast of basil, lemon and grapefruit to help with mental concentration.  Stress Relief helps to ease tension and boost your mood with citrus, bergamot and just a hint of patchouli.

Jet Lag Relief, with nutmeg, ginger, peppermint and clove, smells good enough to use even when you are feeling fine and nothing beats the pure scent of lavender in Anxiety Relief.

Choose the appropriate Aromatherapy Personals roll-on for what ails you, or simply pick you favorite scent combination.  The aroma is long lasting and nontoxic.

All eleven scents are mild and wearable, even for those with scent-issues, and the convenient size and borderline addictive nature of the little bottles make Aromatherapy Personals an easy and rewarding way to incorporate aromatherapy into your daily living. 

Image credit:  Nuworld Botanicals

Lara Miller, Chicago eco-designer, designs clothing for women that is not only sweet and lovely, but ultra wearable…the perfect combo.  Her tops, dresses and skirts for spring are made from an organic bamboo and cotton blend for maximum comfort and, better still, are machine washable.  Each piece, angular in construction, seems to meld to the body in flowy femininity. 

NIMLI offers several items from the Lara Miller Spring Collection like the clean and simple Frances Dress and the spectacular Tiered Ronnie Dress (shown at right).  Choose a modern neutral (iron) or juicy color (raspberry).

Image credit:  NIMLI

It seems everyone these days is coming out with their own “natural” or “organic” beauty line.  But are they truly what they claim to be?  After all, when a well known company says their stuff is good for you most folks believe them.

Take Victoria’s Secret, for instance, who recently came out with Pink, their new body care line touted as “organic, natural and vegan”.  Since no ingredients were listed anywhere, I set out to do a little investigating.

After a lot of searching and being redirected (and a visit to my local Vicky’s) I still had no ingredient lists.  Stancie Wilson of Fig + Sage got to the bottom of the whole Pink question mark, you can read what she found out (suspicions confirmed) on Feelgood Style. 

Greenwashing is a problem in the organic beauty world today and is gaining speed.  Following are several blogs where you will find information you can trust on products that are safe for you and your family.

• Fig+Sage
• The Nature of Beauty Blog
• The Green Beauty Guide
• Caren’s Blog
• Organic Beauty Source Blog