Clean Eating Does NOT Mean Giving Up Everything Yummy! Here's Step 1...

I titled this blog "Follow My Detox" because I knew that detoxing my family was going to be a long process.  I never want you to read anything I write and pull out a yellow legal pad and begin taking notes about how you're going to change the way your family eats and cleans and brushes their teeth THIS WEEK.  I want to give you baby steps because that's how I am doing it!  And that's how I will do it for the rest of my life!  I follow guys like Dr. Josh Axe (my fav...balanced and DO-able), J.J. Virgin (a little too extreme for me, but she has a lot of good things to say about food), Jorge Cruise (I just follow him because he's cute...oh, and he knows alot about how a 40-year-old woman should be eating to eliminate fat on her body), Food Babe (Wow! Talk about doing my research FOR me!), and Dr. Mercola (he's leading the fight against GMO foods, but also posts lots of AMAZING info about supplements,  conventional medicine, and health).

I follow these people because they are a wealth of information, not because I HAVE to do EVERYTHING they tell me to do.  I incorporate what I can and ditch the rest.  For example, I read a post by the Food Babe the other day about toxins in tea (like, the tea you drink).  She posted the top culprits, and while my favorite Blueberry Green Tea did NOT make that list, it was still on the list.  I went to Sprouts and perused the teas that she listed as 100% safe and decided that they all looked 100% disgusting.  They had names like "Herbal Warrior" and "Smooth Move Anti-Constipation Tea".  I decided to keep drinking my favorite Blueberry Green Tea...every day.  Bam.  You can't win em' all.

So, I am going to take you through a food detox and I'm going to give you baby steps that you can handle.  In fact, Step 1 is SO EASY, you won't even know you did it!

Step 1.  This week, throw out all of your Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Vegetable Oil and Crisco and replace with Grapeseed Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Coconut Oil. 

If you are using Canola Oil, Corn Oil, a mixed "Vegetable Oil" or (God forbid) Crisco...THROW IT OUT NOW! Don't use it up, don't worry about wasting what's left in the bottle.  Your health depends on it.  Read this if you don't believe me: Stop Using Canola Oil Immediately.  

What should I be using instead?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil--use on salads and for all other cold applications.  Look for the "Certified Extra Virgin" symbol and the "NON GMO Project Verified" symbol on the back.  My favorite is California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Coconut Oil--use for frying and sauteing and instead of Crisco or other oils in baking.  Because it has a high flash point, it can be used for very high heat applications.  Virgin is best, but I, personally, have an aversion to the smell of extra virgin coconut oil, so I use Refined Coconut Oil (remember...you can't win 'em all).  We make amazingly yummy stovetop popcorn with Coconut Oil and Sea Salt.  I purchase whatever brand is on sale at Sprouts.  The Coconut Oil phenomenon has caught on so widely, that Costco even carries a ginormous tub of it at a very reasonable price. If you have not learned about the health benefits of Coconut Oil, read this short article by Dr. Axe: 40 Coconut Oil Uses and Cures.  Here's a short list of the benefits of Coconut Oil that he mentions in the article:

• Balance Hormones
• Kill Candida
• Improve Digestion
• Moisturize Skin
• Reduce Cellulite
• Decrease Wrinkles and Age Spots
• Balance Blood Sugar and Improve Energy
• Improve Alzheimer’s
• Increase HDL and Lower LDL Cholesterol
• Burn Fat

Grapeseed Oil--This natural oil can replace your canola oil teaspoon for teaspoon.  It is from grapeseeds...like it says (unlike Canola Oil, which is NOT from a Canola...whatever that is...see article above) which lend it it's green color.  It has a delicate flavor, a high flash point, is loaded with Vitamin E, and can be used in ALL applications (frying, salad, baking, roasting veggies, etc...).  I use Pompeian and get it when it's on sale at Sprouts (Pompeian Grapeseed Oil) in the largest container possible, because I use a lot of it.  

Purchase your liquid oils in dark (preferably glass) containers and store in a cool place.  You can see in the picture above that I buy large containers of Olive & Grapeseed Oils and then put them in smaller, prettier, easier-to-use containers that stay on the countertop for easy access.  You can also see in the picture the bunnies and wreath that I set out for Spring.  Have you decorated for the Season yet?  If not, set out something pretty and throw out all your oil!

Step 1 Bonus: If you are feeling motivated, read some of the articles that I mentioned and do a little research on Eating Healthy Fats as part of a Clean Living Diet.  You may still be eating processed foods, sugar, chemicals in your meat, etc., but don't worry about that right now.  You need to re-train your brain to incorporate Healthy Fats ON PURPOSE in your diet.  You can't say, "Oh...well I ate a donut this morning, that counts as fat, right?"  Healthy fats like Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado, and Almonds actually HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT.  Read what Josh Axe and Jorge Cruise have to say about them and then START EATING FAT!

Garlic Tea, Echinacea, and Reishi...Oh My!

I thought I'd take a break from my natural beauty posts to give you a little glimpse into what I'm shoving into my family these days now that it's cold and flu season.  Many of you saw my "Garlic Tea" picture on Facebook...three of my kids holding their noses and making gagging faces while drinking a strange concoction out of my good china coffee cups.

Between Thanksgiving and New Years, we're all spending more time together indoors, not exercising as much, eating more sugar and not getting the detoxifying powers and Vitamin D we need from the warm sunshine.  And so...we get sick.

Here is what I do in MY family to combat the cooties.

Starting about a week before Thanksgiving, my husband and I add "Preventative Supplements" to our Regular Supplement Routine.  

These include: 

-System Well (Nature's Way)...1 in the morning and 1 in the evening

-Echinacea (Gaia)...1 in the morning and 1 in the evening

-Powdered Buffered Vitamin C gets added to our morning smoothie (1/2 -1 tsp. for the whole family)

Matt and I also start on the above ANYTIME any of our kids comes home with signs of being sick.  

You'll note that I do NOT put the kids on preventative supplements.  It is VERY important for children (for this purpose, the definition of a child is someone who is still growing) to develop their immune systems on their own.  I do give them things to help their bodies combat the sickness, but usually let them fight it for at least 24-48 hours before beginning an immune-boosting supplementation program with them.  My husband and I are NOT still GROWING.  We are AGING.  Our immune systems are about as developed as they are going to be and they need all the help they can get!

Here's what I do when an adult is sick:

At the very first sign of sickness in an adult, I immediately start to combat with the following supplements:

-System Well (Nature's Way)...2 tablets morning and evening

-Echinacea + Goldenseal (Gaia)...2 capsules morning and evening (note: do NOT give  children Goldenseal).

-Reishi Mushroom (or any immune-boosting mushroom supplement) morning and evening

-Sambucus Elderberry Syrup...follow directions on label

-B-Complex Supplement...follow directions

-Vital Earth Fulvic Mineral Complex...1 capful

-Add 1 tsp. of Powdered Buffered Vitamin C to our family's morning smoothie.

-Increase the amount of probiotics (Symbion) from the normal 2 capsules morning and evening  to 2 morning and 3 evening.

We also:

-Eliminate ALL processed foods and sugars and limit dairy.  Eliminate alcohol consumption  which compromises the immune system.

-Eat lots of colorful veggies, protein, and mega-amounts of water.

Here's what I do when a child is sick:

-Give them as few drugs and extra supplements as possible during the daytime for the first day or two so that their immune systems kick in to fight the bacterial infection or virus. They still take their Daily Supplements and their Morning Smoothie.  

-At night or if they are really miserable, I give them something to make them comfortable...ibuprofin (before resorting to ibuprofin, though, I always give curcumin/tumeric and magnesium chelate, which are both natural anti-inflammatories and will provide relief without bringing down a low-grade fever, which is actually the body's way of combating an infection), Vicks on the chest and bottoms of the feet for congestion, a humidifier, Benadryl...my favorite "drug" as it is a cough-suppressant and sleep aid (for MOST people) and does not have many adverse side effects.

-Eliminate ALL processed foods and sugars from their diet and limit dairy.

-Feed them LOTS of colorful veggies, protein, and water.  I also add Buffered Powdered  Vitamin C to our morning smoothie.  I do this right away...no waiting period.

-Have them wash their hands with soap (NOT antibacterial) and warm water and dry with paper towels.  I do NOT disinfect the house...just clean as usual with natural cleaners.

-Encourage direct sun exposure if it's warm enough outside.

-After allowing the immune system to do it's magic, if the child is still sick enough to stay home from school, I then give them a boost by supplementing:

    -One System Well (by Nature's Way), 

    -One Echinacea (by Gaia), 

    -A more powerful probiotic capsule than they normally take (Symbion)

    -Garlic Tea (1 clove garlic put through a press +1/8 tsp. thyme leaves...fresh if you have them, but dried is fine steeped in hot chicken broth for 5 minutes) each day.

    -Sambucus Elderberry Syrup...follow directions on bottle

Here's what I do NOT do when a child is sick:

-Take them to the doctor and ask for an antibiotic.  Let me be clear that I am NOT anti-antibiotic.  Antibiotics can save a life when someone is afflicted with a serious bacterial infection.  However, using them to treat a cold or the flu, will have a SERIOUS negative effect on your immune system, which is your body's own way of fighting off infection.  If you take an antibiotic at the first sign of sickness, you are robbing your body of it's ability to "learn" how to fight off that particular strain of infection.  Your body will never develop antibodies (i.e. immunity) and you will then always have to take an antibiotic to cure yourself...it's a vicious cycle. None of my children have ever taken an antibiotic.  I am not a doctor, and I will not tell you what to do.  This is my own experience.  My kids get a little something once or twice a year and are usually over it within 2-3 days.  It is rare that something takes them down for more than 5 days.  They have very developed little immune systems that will serve them well for the rest of their lives!

-Immunize against the flu.  This is a hot topic.  If you are immune-compromised, old, or you work in a hospital, chances are you are required or strongly encouraged to get a flu shot.  I will not, in this article, tell you NOT to get a flu shot.  But I will tell you that no one in my family has ever gotten a flu shot and we never will.  Each year, the companies who produce the flu shot take their best guess at which strain will hit us the hardest.  They do this based on last year's flu.  They hit the mark with about 45%-55% accuracy.  So, you are basically artificially building up your immunity to one or two particular strains of the flu for a short period of time, leaving you susceptible to the other strains and, once again, robbing your body of the chance to learn how to fight that particular form of illness.

Remember that your BEST defense against colds and flu is to build up your own immune system...to teach it how to fight off the things that get thrown at you during this season.  Try to do things that build it up, not tear it down!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours, 

Melanie Peyton

P.S. For a comprehensive list of everything we take on a daily basis, the things I add when we're sick, and my smoothie recipe (complete with links), click here:

OUR SUPPLEMENT REGIMEN...SICK & WELL

Clean Make Up Choices for Natural Beauty

And now for the fun stuff!  MAKEUP!

I love makeup.  For YEARS I have aspired to acheive the "effortless beauty like you just walked off the beach and have perfect skin without makeup" look.  But, let me tell you...it takes a HECK of a lot of work (and product) for those of us living in the real world to come anywhere near it.

As mentioned in my previous post (Beauty Regimen Part 2-After the Shower) after washing and exfoliating, I always use a serum that is full of antioxidants and free-radical scavengers.  I then apply eye cream.  Origins Ginzeng is my go-to daytime eye cream because it instantly brightens and depuffs.  Next, I apply Devita Moisture Tints SPF 15 Multi-Beneficial Beauty Balm all over my face.  Keep away from the eye area as even natural sunscreen can cause irritation if it gets into your eyes.  For more information about these products, see my blog on them above.

My next line of defense is a tinted moisturizer, which I wear instead of foundation.  I find on my dry skin that regular foundation is too much coverage and while it may give me a satiny smooth finish, looks fake up close.  My absolute fav is Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer. I blend it in with my fingers like a moisturizer and it evens out my skin tone without looking cakey. If you prefer more coverage, Hourglass makes a tinted moisturizer in a pump that has more concentrated color and Koh Gen Do's Moisture Foundation is to die for.  If I need a bit more coverage for nighttime, I'll put a drop of Koh Gen Do into my Tarte tinted moisturizer to boost the coverage.  Unless you live in New York or L.A. (or are traveling there soon) you'll have to order this foundation online through Sephora's website.  It can be a leap of faith to order a foundation online, but Sephora will take back product in the store that was purchased online.  Order the one you think is right for you and one one either side and then take back the ones that don't work for you.  I actually called the Long Beach store and told the sales rep the shade of Tarte moisturizer I use and asked her to guess at what Koh Gen Do shade I was.  She was right on the money.  I ended up keeping the lighter shade as well for Winter and only had to return 1 tube to the store.

After blending my foundation or tinted moisturizer with my fingers, I blend a bit more around my eyebrows, jawline and hairline with a Beautyblender Sponge.  This little guy can be washed and re-used almost indefinitely and is worth it's weight in gold.  You'll never buy the 12-pack of blending wedges at the drug store ever again!

Next is concealer.  I have really dark circles under my eyes.  Not OK if I'm going for the "effortless walking on the beach" look.  I turn to  Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer (which is a cream formula in a stick).    The trick with concealer is to put in on AFTER foundation, blend with fingers by patting (not pulling), and make sure the skin underneath is well moisturized.  I have also used BareMinerals Broad Spectrum Correcting Concealer (available at Ulta & Sephora) and like it a lot!  BareMinerals and Tarte are, for the most part, VERY good brands to choose from.  Every product I've tested (sans the Full-Coverage Foundation with SPF from Tarte) meets my stringent selection criteria!

Cheek color.  For years I used a powder cheek color (BareMinerals) until someone turned me on to a cream formula and now I'll never go back. I use Tarte Cheek Stain and blend with a Sephora Sculptor Makeup Sponge (similar to the BeautyBlender, but with a blunt end for blending cheek color).  Cream cheek color gives a dewy glow.  If you pick a natural color, the cream formula does not look like blush, it just looks like your cheeks glow naturally.

Now at this point, you can curl your eyelashes (and maybe apply a bit of mascara), add a bit of lip gloss and go.  If you have a meeting or a hot date, you'll want to finish your make up marathon with eye color, brow color, mascara, and lip color...but I'll save that for my next post...

My Beauty Regimen Part 3-Haircare & Styling Products

Step 3...Do your hair

Mousse-
My hair is long (see picture at right), and thin and straight.  You have to be careful with long, thin, straight hair.  If you're not careful, you can be one long-denim-skirt-away from someone asking you if you homeschool and raise goats.  I have nothing against homeschooling OR raising goats (or horses, or chickens or rabbits), but you don't want to LOOK like you do...you know what I mean?

The answer is mousse.  It creates body and is the foundation of a good style.  I use Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam.  It is a non-aerosol liquid that goes through this really cool pump that aerates it and makes it foamy.  

Another product that I use that creates volume is Aveda Pure Abundance Style Prep Spray.  I use it before mousse sometimes to create more volume.  And I spritz a bit on my roots on "day 3" (let's be honest...sometimes it's day 4) after washing.  Spraying on roots and blowing it dry is the next best thing to a dry shampoo...and it smells wonderful!

Here's where I'm going to pause for a moment to keep it real.  I color my hair.  There.  I said it.  I feel like I'm holding a cup of coffee in a neighborhood church at 7:00 pm on Tuesday night... "Hi.  My name is Melanie and I color my hair."  I have dishwater blonde/brown hair.  And did I mention that it's thin and straight?  If I were a purist, I would not let hair color come within a mile of me, but, alas, sometimes beauty comes before my passion to lead a toxin-free life.  Jessica Alba colors her hair too.  She asks her stylist to keep the color off her scalp.  I do not.  Sigh.

Hairspray-
After teasing the living crap out of my roots, I finish with hairspray.  My choice is Giovanni L.A. Hold Hair Spritz.  It's not aerosol...that was an adjustment.  But now I like it better than my old aerosol (aka Shaper) hairspray.  Giovanni also makes shampoo and conditioner.  I tried it for a while and liked it, but then I noticed that I could no longer push it to that 4th day without washing....ha!  My hair was slightly weighed down and I think it was because of the shampoo & conditioner.  I do still use the Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner on one of my daughters who is African American.  I also use the Smooth as Silk Xtreme Protein Hair Infusion on her under a cap every other week.

If you cannot live without your aerosol (aka Shaper) hairspray, at least try Salon Graphix Professional Unscented Shaping Hairspray.  It is unscented, so you're using less chemicals than other aerosol hairsprays.

Shine Potion-
When you have long hair, you get split ends easily.  Arizona is super dry and my ends take a beating.  I use three squirts of Aveda Light Elements Smoothing Fluid on my ends after I'm done styling.  This creates that sleek shiny look and makes your hair look amazingly healthy even though you tease it and color it and blow it dry.  You can also use Rice Bran Oil or Jojoba Oil.

Hair Oil-
I'd like to take just a minute to address hair oil.  I do not use it, but my African American daughter does.  I prefer pure coconut oil for this.  Blend in sections into hair and onto scalp...wet or dry.  Ladies, I have not seen a more toxin-laden group of products than those created for ethnic hair. Please learn to read labels.  Download a cosmetic guide at http://www.ewg.org/skindeep and keep it in your wallet...you white ladies need this tool too!  Many people love the smell of coconut oil.  I am not a huge fan, so I buy coconut oil that has a neutral taste & smell, like the Jarrow Coconut Oil that says "Neutral Taste, Neutral Flavor" on the label.  If you purchase extra virgin coconut oil, it is less processed and still has that lovely coconut smell.

The Giovanni products as well as the coconut oil are all available at Sprouts.  Just so you know, I include links to every product I recommend.  This is not necessarily because I recommend those particular websites.  It's just because I want you to be able to see and read about the product yourself.  I encourage you to shop around if you decide to purchase any of the products I recommend.  And, if possible, purchase them locally.  Sprouts has a money back guarantee (save your receipt) and is a great place to purchase products for the first time.  If you don't like them, you can always return them!  AND...if you don't like something that I recommend, write me and let me know why.  I've tried lots of products, and just because I didn't care for it doesn't mean you won't like it.  For example, I have very dry skin, so if I tried a moisturizer that is super light, I may not have liked it, but I would be happy to tell YOU about it!

And lastly...don't send me any nasty letters about the homeschooling comment.  I have homeschooled off and on throughout my 14 years of parenting 4 children.  And, we have a rabbit, a dog, a tortoise and are looking into getting chickens and horses.  Together with a partner I run a full-time business that has nothing to do with beauty products or toxin-free living.  It's just my part-time hobby...and I am passionate about it!  If you are too, I invite you to Follow My Detox!  And if you like what I have to say, tell a friend!


Signing off,

Melanie

My Beauty Regimen Part 2-After the Shower

As I typed this, with the intent of not actually posting it until Friday, my good friend Kimberly has been hounding me about sunscreen.  Kimberly, I'm telling you, if it was anyone else, I'd be like, "Sorry.  You have to wait."  But since it's you...    :-)                      

Step 2-After the Shower

Deodorant-
Notice I said "deodorant"...NOT antiperspirant.  Now, for some of you this is going to take some getting used to.  So, promise me you'll read on with an open mind.  When I first switched, it was an adjustment.  In fact, after 1 month, I couldn't keep it a secret anymore...it was gnawing at me like I'd had botox or a boob job and no one knew and I just HAD to tell someone.  I mentioned to my friend Colleen (who is a very beautiful, thin, trendy, super-put-together mom of 2 girls) that I had been EXPERIMENTING with NOT wearing antiperspirant.  It was a huge risk.  I mean, she could have said, "Um, yeah...I noticed, I just didn't want to say anything."  She could have said, "What?  That's weird!  You're gonna have sweat stains on all your J Crew t-shirts!"  But what she actually said was this: "Oh yeah, I haven't worn antiperspirant for years.  Alzheimers runs in my family and I just don't want to expose myself to aluminum because it's a huge risk factor."  Huh?  You mean I am not the ONLY informed, progressive, anti-toxin-warrior on the planet?  Cool!

Here's what you should know before you switch...you are going to sweat.  At first it feels weird, because if you use Secret, you do not sweat.  Secret (and Mitchum and Speed Stick) prevent your body from eliminating toxins by chemically clogging up your sweat glands so that you have that all-day-dry (itchy, toxin-filled) feeling.  You MUST give your body time to adjust.  You may even have body odor for 2-4 weeks...it all depends on how much toxicity is built up in your system.  Once your body adjusts, you will still sweat a little, although not nearly as much as the first 2 weeks, but you should only have body odor if you don't take a shower or if your pH is off, or if you have an immune or hormone imbalance...more about that later.

I use a mineral salt spray that I get at Sprouts.  I buy whatever brand is on sale (Sprouts brand or Crystalux Crystal Deodorant Spray.  As long as the ingredients are "mineral salts and water", that's what I use.  I add my favorite fragrance, which right now happens to be Aveda Spirit Spray #6 (which is Aveda's signature "Pure-fume" fragrance, made of plant based aromas & essential oils and must be custom-blended in an Aveda store or salon) so that I smell nice.  In a pinch, it will even GET RID of unpleasant underarm odor if I spray it on smelly pits.  I put about 25-30 spritzes of Spirit Spray into a 4 oz bottle of mineral salt deo.  My husband is a deodorant convert as well!  He loves Lafes Roll On Deodorant in "Active" scent.  The main ingredients in this deo are water and mineral salts as well, so I guess you could say that we both love the mineral salts!  I have tried every brand and homemade remedy you can possibly imagine (Tom's of Maine, coconut oil-based homemade, vodka, etc.) and, trust me, mineral salts are the bomb.  Be patient and give your body time to adjust and you will be a convert too!

If you are going to be wearing a sheer top or something that you worry about sweat showing in (I only worry in the Summer, when it's 105 degrees outside, in which case, I'm really not wearing much polyester anyway) then pat on some talc-free powder after the deodorant dries.  In fact, you can put powder ANYWHERE you want to stay dry.  I like a body powder that is cornstarch or zinc oxide based (or both).  Monistat used to make an all-purpose fragrance-free zinc oxide powder that I loved, but I can't find it anymore.  When I run out, I'll be looking for a new one.

Antioxidant Face Serum-
SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF Gel a very potent, very concentrated blend of antioxidants and exfoliating acids.  If you can afford it, I (and my dermatologist) highly recommend it.  It has Vitamin C to brighten and even out skin tone ferulic acid to exfoliate and scavenge for those nasty free radicals

I also like:

Winter-Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum...it goes on like a thin lotion and adds a hint of moisture to dry skin.

Summer-Aveda Enbrightenment Brightening Correcting Serum...goes on like a thin serum, so you can still put on moisturizer and sunscreen and not feel goopy. 

Apply to clean skin and let soak in.  Serums are more effective than lotions.  If you're over 30, you should be using one.

Eye Cream-
Morning-Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream...moisturizes, but soaks in COMPLETELY and is not at all greasy...instantly brightens and de-puffs and makes a great foundation for eye shadow.
Evening-something more emollient...there are so many out there.  Right now I'm using Origins Plantscriptions Antiaging Eye Cream but if you go to Sprouts, they are a dime a dozen...just ask someone in the cosmetics department.

I'll say it again...if you're over 30, you owe it to yourself to use a good eye cream.

Moisturizer-
Right now I'm liking Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy Facial 24 Hour Repair Cream (which now comes in a white pump w/ a blue label...not like the picture in the link...it moisturizes with ZERO irritation (even after a sun burn).  If it's too emollient for you, try Aveda Embrightenment Brightening Correcting Lotion...I can't say that I saw a difference in skin tone by using it, but it has a wonderfully light herbal scent and is very lightweight.

And, now, what you've all been waiting for...

Sunscreen-
You should NOT, let me repeat this...SHOULD NOT be using a chemical sunscreen such as octinoxate, octisalate, homosalate, octocrylene, or avobenzone...OK you can use avobenzone in an emergency....like once a year.  But seriously, these sunscreens "protect" your skin by chemically altering it!  Surgeons find traces of them built up in cancer tissue.  You do not want to mess with this stuff, and by all means STOP putting in on your children!  You should only be sing zinc oxide & titanium dioxide to shield your skin from the sun. In addition to Devita, I do have a spray bottle of All Terrain KidSport Spray SPF 30.  It's a pump, not an aerosol, but it's still an easy way to quickly lube up your kids.

For face...Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30.  This product is great, but it's changed a few times over the last several years.  It goes on great, but take note, it's best used OVER your regular moisturizer.  
                                             or 
                Devita Moisture Tints SPF 15 Multi-Beneficial Beauty Balm ...This is a brand new product that I really really love.  It glides on like nothing I've ever tried, and has sunscreen and tint built right in.  If you have oily skin, you MAY be able to use this as a stand-alone product.  My skin is dry, so I still use moisturizer underneath.
                                             or
                SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 This one is a very thin liquid that glides over the skin and soaks in completely.  If you're looking for an all-natural, high SPF liquid for the face...this is it!  Use over moisturizer.  

For body...Devita Solar Body Moisturizer SPF 30

And, my super-secret, crazy-but-true trick to protecting your skin from sunburn?  Fernblock.  It's a supplement.  Yes, a pill.  It's made from a fern that grows in the Southwest United States.  Native Americans have been chewing it for years, because it literally prevents sunburn!  My friend Kim (not to be confused with Kimberly that I mentioned before) took nothing but Fernblock on a hike to Seven Falls (7 hours total in early June) and did not put any sunblock on her skin.  I don't necessarily recommend this, by the way, but wanted to share the story to show you the benefits of the supplement.  She wore a tank top and at the end of the hike did not even have a "strap mark" on her shoulder!  2 pills every 2 hours does the trick.  I give it to my kids if they are going to a swim party or to the beach.  Anytime we go anywhere where we know we're SUPPOSED to re-apply our sunscreen every hour, but know that REALISTICALLY it's not going to happen, we take Fernblock.  I like a little tan, so I only take 1 pill every 2 hours.  

If you are like me and like to do your homework, please google "Fernblock" or "polypodium leucotomos" (the scientific name of the supplement).  Like most natural remedies, the FDA is not a huge fan, however, the studies found online will just say that it does work, but is not a suitable substitute for a topical sunscreen.  There are NO adverse side effects and it's safe for children.  Do a little research and then try it for yourself!

Stay tuned for my next post...haircare & styling products...

My Beauty Regimen Part 1...Taking a Shower

It's been about a year and a half since I began my quest to find safe, healthy, non-toxic cleaning and beauty products for my family.  The biggest factor that held me back is that I'm a bit picky about the products I use.  When it comes to beauty products & cosmetics, I admit, I'm a bit of a snob.  I actually use them, as opposed to not using them, and I didn't want to look like I just came down off the mountain just because I now have a commitment to purity in the products I use.  When it comes to cleaning products, I have one qualification that I DO NOT compromise...EVER...they have to work.  And they have to smell nice.  OK, so technically that's 2 qualifications, but whatever.  By "smell nice" I mean, I want them to smell like I'm walking into a spa, not a hospital.  I can smell a chemical fragrance a mile away.  Even if the manufacturer tries to make it smell fresh & clean, I immediately get a headache and a fuzzy brain if they have used a non-plant-based fragrance to create that fresh clean smell.  And, I'm sorry, but cleaning products have to work.  AND, I don't have time to mix vinegar and baking soda to make my own cleaning products...they have to be convenient, quick and easy to use (yes, I am aware that I just added a 3rd qualification)...

OK, now to the good stuff...the products I've tested and tried and LOVE...

In my next few posts I'll go over my beauty regimen from head to toe...beginning to end and let you know what all my favorite products are.

Step 1: Take A Shower.

Shampoo & Conditioner-
Most natural shampoos don't work, don't lather, or don't smell nice...NOT OK with me.  So, after spending hundreds of dollars and a full year testing 15-20 of the top-rated all natural shampoos, I switched to a premium brand and have been spending an arm and a leg on Aveda products.  They smell amazing and have a green light in the "clean, non-toxic" department.  I still have them in my shower and will continue to use them up because...well...they smell nice and they cost me an arm and a leg.

HOWEVER, I've discovered a shampoo & conditioner that DO NOT cost an arm and a leg, smell AWESOME and work like NOTHING I've ever used...not even the toxic crap I used for 12 years. Jessica Alba's Honest Shampoo+Body Wash & Honest Conditioner.  I just don't even know what to say I love them so much.  They are super-concentrated, so a little goes a long way.  My hair is shiny and full of volume and smells great without being over-scented with chemical fragrances.  They are $9.95 each (which is already a great price) unless you bundle them with, say, a laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and hand soap (which I also love)...then you get 5 products for $35.95...which works out to $7.19 per product.  It's kind of a no-brainer.  AND...Costco now carries a "Costco-sized" bottle of the Shampoo+Body Wash!  If there's anyone I've met (OK, I haven't met her, but I read her book and she is a kindred spirit) who is MORE committed to clean products that WORK than me, it's Jessica Alba.  When she couldn't find products that met her stringent standards and her beauty needs as an actress...she decided to recruit a team of experts and make her own...that's what I call ingenuity!

Soap/Body Wash-
If you are a bar-soap kinda guy (or gal) go with Dr. Bronners Bar Soap.  The lavender is by far my favorite scent.  I also like peppermint, but certain members of my family brought to my attention that putting peppermint oil soap on certain more sensitive parts of your body can be not-so-comfortable...point taken...I'll stick with lavender.  OK, so this is NOT the cheapest soap I've ever purchased, and if you're used to buying copious amounts of Dial or Dove at Costco, you will definitely balk at the price.  It's, like $4-5 PER BAR...I'm not kidding.  Stock up when it's on sale at Sprouts.

If you are a liquid body wash kinda guy, which I never was until I saw the price of Dr. Bronner's bar soap and now I'm a full-on convert, go with Everyday Shea Moisturizing Body Wash.  It comes in Lavender, Vanilla Mint (which does NOT have so much mint in it that it causes you to tingle...just smell good), and unscented.  I like to mix Lavender and Vanilla Mint...mmmmm! It's about $14 for a 32 oz. bottle which will last you forever.  Once again, stock up at Sprouts when it's on sale...it goes down to about $9.95 on a regular basis.  I use the stuff on my body, face, for shaving my legs...everything!  I even keep one by my bathroom sink for hand washing.  One squirt on a loofah or scrubby bath mitt, goes a LONG way!

Face Wash-
Like I said before, if I'm in the shower, I use the Everyday Shea for everything.  However, it is a squeaky clean kind of clean, and as I age, I'm finding I need all the moisture I can get.  So, I also use SKIN By Ann Webb Peppermint Milk Skin Brightening Cleanser.  This one is for "mature" (aka "dry & wrinkly") skin, but there is also one for oily/combination skin.  I put a quarter-sized dollop in my hand and massage into dry skin.  It can be wiped off with a warm wet washcloth or rinsed off with warm water. You could also use a Clarisonic if it's in the budget.

Face Scrub-
I use Aveda Tourmaline Charged Radiant Skin Refiner ($40 for 3.5 oz), and have recently discovered Shikai Borage Therapy Facial Scrub, which is pretty good and carries a much friendlier price tag (about 10 bucks for 4.2 oz.) I use it twice a week.  It's important to exfoliate your face regularly to rid it of dead skin cells that cause you to look dull and more dry (if you have dry skin) or more oily (if you have oily skin).  For acne-prone skin, Burt's Bees has a great line as well as ALBA Botanica (no relation to Jessica Alba).  The salicylic acid that these brands contain is a necessary evil if you are fighting acne.  It is rated a 4 on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Website (which rates cosmetic ingredients on a scale of 0-10, 10 being the most toxic), but if you have acne, you gotta do what you gotta do, and salicylic acid is the least-toxic-but-still-highly-effective solution.

Body Lotion-
Because we live in Arizona and every member of my family has dry skin, I searched high and low for a lotion that would REALLY moisturize...ALL DAY...without mineral oil, dimethicone (the "active" ingredient in Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion), or other chemical agents that coat the skin to keep the lotion in all day.  My favorite is ShiKai Borage Therapy Dry Skin Lotion in the green bottle.  Because it's in a green bottle and contains the word "therapy" I thought it would smell like menthol or something and passed it over in the aisle at Sprouts for months.  One day they had a tester out and I tried it...love at first swipe!  We also use Everyday Shea and Everyday Coconut (Sprouts)...especially in the Summer when we don't need quite as much moisture because we're sweating our tooshies off, but Borage Therapy is my go-to lotion. Another, light-weight lotion option is Honest Face+Body Lotion...lightweight and silky going on, but seemed to leave a teeny tiny bit of a film at the end.  I'm trying it a bit this month.  I like it, but not QUITE as well as the Borage Therapy.  If you do not have super-dry skin, you might love it! SkiKai also makes a face lotion and a hand cream.  The hand cream is nice if you need something REALLY emollient or if you like to have a small tube in your purse.  Don't waste your money on the face cream...it's basically the same as the body lotion in a smaller, more expensive tube.

OK, now that you are done with your shower, you're going to need to apply deodorant, sunscreen and begin your face routine!  Stay tuned for my next blog, where I discuss these hot topics...and boy do I have something to say about sunscreen and deodorant!