Lavender · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with Lavender

Top 5 Fave Natural Beauty Products for Winter

fave-winter-products

During the winter, I use more products than at any other time of year out of pure necessity. In order to avoid dry, scaly skin and lips, I do a lot of scrubbing and moisturizing. This winter, I became even more of a purist (or what some may call a control freak) than ever in terms of the ingredients of the products I’m using – I wanted them all to be super simple, healthy and natural. These 5 products didn’t just live up to my expectations, they were so great I just had to spread the word about them.

Vintage Body Spa Ginger Cardamom Cream Body Bar – This ultra-moisturizing body butter smells absolutely heavenly and it was the only thing that has managed to keep the soles of my feet soft and smooth. Cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil lightly scented with clove, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, orange and mint.

Mountain Rose Herbs Restorative Skin Oil – For the rest of my body, especially my hands, elbows and legs, this moisturizing and healing skin oil has kept dryness and that unpleasant itchy, tight feeling at bay. Organic calendula oil, rosehip seed oil, vitamin E and a blend of essential oils including Neroli and Helichrysium.

Aubrey Organics Blue Green Algae Rescue Conditioning Mask – Finally, a vegan protein treatment for hair that really works. Aubrey Organics combines blue-green algae and red algae extract with coconut, shea butter, aloe, and lavender water in a deep hair treatment that keeps my hair glossy and healthy looking despite harsh winds and drying indoor heat.

Josie Maran Lipstick in Rumi Joon – This might just be the ultimate flattering nude lipstick shade for practically every skin tone. It’s also ultra-moisturizing, long lasting and free of toxic ingredients, petrochemicals, parabens and artificial fragrances. The tube is recyclable, too.

DIY Brown Sugar Body Scrub – This exfoliating and moisturizing body scrub is so decadent yet incredibly easy to make with stuff you’ve probably already got in your pantry. I scoop about 4 tablespoons of coconut oil into a microwaveable container, nuke it just until it softens and mix in ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. You could literally eat it (and I can attest that it tastes fantastic) and the brown sugar helps to gently buff away scaly skin.

bath, Beauty, beauty products, Calendula, car, Coconut Oil, cosmetics, DIY, Eco-Chick, essential oils, Hair, health, Josie Maran, Lavender, Moisturizer, mom, Natural Beauty, nude, oil, oils, Organic, rum, skin, spa, sugar, Tea, vegan, vintage, water

Tsi~La Organics

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 05/20/08

Tsi~la Organics is a line of body products and fragrances that use no preservatives, alcohol, additives, coloring, or other nasty synthetic chemicals that many other perfumes contain. Pronounced “chee-la,” the name is Cherokee for ‘flower.’ The Tsi~La fragrances seek to combine exotic notes of ylang ylang, citrus, bergamot, lavender, vanilla, lime, amber and various spices to generate unique scents that transcend the traditional “natural” or organic perfumes that can tend to be simplistic or unoriginal.

There are a number of different formulations that Annie Morton, former model, and her sister-in-law, Natalie Szapowalo, have combined. All of the fragrances are very wearable.

My favorites are Saqui: a very clean, warm scent of ginger, clove, nutmeg mingling with tangy citrus; Kesu: warm woods and slightly smoky incense mixed with lime create a unisex blend; Fleur Savage: jasmine and neroli are tempered with notes of tuberose; Kizes: reminds me of biting into a kumkwat – very fresh and tart. They are all lovely. If I had to choose just one, it’d be Saqui. The scent is warm and hearty but crisp. Tsi~La wears well for hours, mingling with your own body’s chemistry. Because they come in small, roll-on bottles, you can control the quantity of perfume you wish to wear, without being inundated with a cloud of chemical haze, as is so common in today’s factory-generated commercial fragrances that come in spray bottles.

alcohol, crisp, farm, formula, Lavender, model, Organic, Outdoors, scents, wood

Beat Breakouts Naturally with Lavender Oil

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by Stephanie Rogers · 05/12/08

Lavender isn’t just a pretty, relaxing scent. It’s a great way to manage breakouts without slathering chemicals all over your skin. Many of us have memories of smearing foul-smelling creams on our faces when we were battling breakouts in high school and the kind of stuff we used then isn’t kind to our skin now. Clearasil and other ‘pimple creams’ marketed to teenagers tend to create dry, scaly patches that look even worse than the breakouts did in the first place.

Since it’s antibacterial, lavender oil helps clear up breakouts and prevent them from reoccurring when used regularly. It can also help ease redness and inflammation, reducing the need for camouflage via cakey makeup, which can make the problem worse. Through balancing the oils in the skin and purifying the pores, lavender helps the skin correct the problems that are causing breakouts to occur in the first place.

Most people can use lavender oil ‘neat’ on the skin, meaning it’s not diluted with carrier oils to make it less harsh. If you’ve got really sensitive skin, though, you might want to test a drop on your forearm before applying it to your face. If you experience irritation, try mixing it with grapeseed oil or hazelnut oil, which are both good choices for acne-prone skin.

Lavender oil can also be mixed with witch hazel for use as a toner. Add 4 drops of lavender oil to 4 ounces of witch hazel, keep it in an airtight bottle and apply it with a cotton ball before you go to bed. Stick to the oiliest parts of your face that are most prone to breakouts – avoid sensitive areas like the skin around your eyes and in the creases of your nostrils. The witch hazel will help reduce swelling and redness.

You can also purchase natural skin care products that have lavender oil as a main ingredient, such as the Organic Lavender line by Avalon Organics, which is a good choice for adult acne since it’s geared toward sensitive skin. Just make sure the products you purchase contain actual lavender essence, not synthetic fragrances which don’t have any beneficial effects.

Look for lavender oil in the essential oils section of your local natural health store, or purchase it online.

Beauty, Herbal Remedies, Lavender, Skin Care

Modern Maillots and More from Meadow

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by Starre Vartan · 12/26/07

Meadow’s designs are all about the detail, from creatively lined pockets to patterned layers, all presented in modern neutrals and natural (but not boring) tones of green, blue and lavender. The line is designed with fabrics like hemp, Tencel, and bamboo, and while some of the pieces have a vintage feel, plenty of them are body-skimming moderns. Meadow has created both a ready-to-wear line and a swimwear line that’s all about adorable patterns.

You can vote for Meadow in Daily Candy’s Sweetest Things year-end competition. She up against all non-eco designers so cast a vote for the designer who’s Green!

Meadow Compton-Gerrish, the designer of Meadow

I had a quick chat with Meadow via email about her designs and inspirations, and this is what she had to say:

What is the inspiration for your designs?

The inspiration for my designs comes from all things natural, and the quality craftmanship of vintage clothing.

Why ecofriendly fabrics?
Eco-friendly fabrics seems like the best option for me to express my self through fashion without causing harm to our precious Earth. I grew up in the natural food industry and eat all organic so the clothes I design should not compromise the path I want to take towards living a sustainable lifestyle.

What’s your design background?
I have always been a designer and creative person. I was always creating things as a child….while hanging out in my father’s natural food restaurant…..so I wanted to combine those two worlds. I went to Miami International University of Art and Design and graduated with honors. This is my first collection out of design school.

Who are your favorite designers?
Marc Jacobs and stella McCartney.

bamboo, car, clothes, clothing, design, designer, designers, eating, eco designer, Eco-Chick, ecofriendly, ecofriendly fabric, fabric, fabrics, farm, Fashion, Food, hemp, Lavender, Organic, restaurant, style, sustainable, Target, vintage, Vote

Why Greenfest? Here's the Answer

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by Starre Vartan · 11/23/07

by Guest-blogger Katherine Cure

Katherine Cure sipping organic fair-trade coffee from one of the second-hand mugs that were available for use during Greenfest

“Greenfest? What’s that?” the tanned middle-aged East Bay native eating next to me asked, as I outlined to him my reasons for coming to San Francisco for the weekend. So I briefly cultured him on the green, before my mussels arrived. I explained what was about to happen: a three day festival that would display products, media representatives, fashion designers, energy producers and builders, all with green on their label. San Francisco, a known promoter of sustainable and environmentally safe practices (including bans to the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam takeout containers), was the chosen venue for what would be the last green fest of the year. “You should come,” I said, and indulged in my Italian dinner.

Little did I know, even after attending the same event the past month at the nation’s capital, what I was to encounter the next day. Multitudes of San Franciscan and East Bay residents invaded the premises, packed the aisles, and even had to be forced out (myself included…) from the organic beer and wine stand, at 8 o’clock, when it was time for closure. San Francisco’s Green Festival was a success. Good news for organizers Global Exchange and Co-Op America, who with this one, finished a series of four green festivals around America. Good to see the green spreading.

Zach the Poet

Be them hippies or more conservative looking types networking for their companies and local eco-initiatives, I was lucky to encounter a number of very interesting personages. One of my favourites, although I could not really see the environmental in his initiative, was Zach, a poet who sat with his blue antique typewriter and wrote poems about everything with the most beautiful smile. A poem about falling in love, he made for me. Green or not, his presence is the epitome of the immense variety that gathered at the festival.

The anti-plastic bag brigade

Products on display represented pretty much every possible marketable category: food, beauty products, baby diapers, accessories for pets, eco-fashion, building materials and even medicinal mushrooms! Tasty samples of organic farmed produce, fair trade coffee, tofu, multigrain crackers, chocolate, cheese and the powerful drink maca (intense stuff), guaranteed a healthy bite and a full tummy. Eatwell Farm a California-based organic lavender farm selling fresh lavender in bundles and in little cloth packages (that reminded me of my grandma’s closet) as well as oils and hydrosols, was one of my favourites. The extremely creative aisles of eco-fashion representatives clustered in the upper right level, was another one of my faves. Features included colourful displays of clothes and accessories with guaranteed sustainable materials and fair trade products whose profit will reach the communities that made them, instead of some retail store.

The Hippy Gourmet Team

Vibes were loving and energetic; people smiley, switched on and empowered. Puppet shows, reggae bands, live percussion and a couple of wanderers performing skits, culminated the green experience. Once you passed the front door, where I was stopped more than once having of course forgotten my badge somewhere, you were inevitably immersed in the environmental wave.

Jennifer Horning and Kirsten Muenster

The greatest acquaintance at the festival, (other than Coicoi and Ninka, my girlfriends from Berkeley), ends this tale. Jennifer Horning and Kirsten Muenster, the first one a lawyer and the second a jewellery designer, approached the E Magazine booth where I was volunteering, to talk to me about Ethical Metalsmiths, their initiative for delivering sustainable jewellery. A lot of issues are behind the rings we wear and that beautiful necklace we covet. We might be unaware, especially in underdeveloped countries, of the poor work the gold, emerald and silver mines that provide designers with raw material for their creations, under inhumane conditions. Not to mention the environmental impacts of mining. But rather than refuse jewellery (thank god!), supporting empowered women like Jen and Kirsten who wish to find fair and eco-friendly solutions to these issues, might be the answer. By recycling existing pieces, getting certification for the materials used, or just helping in making mining practices fair, these loving, knowledgable and fashionable ladies, to whom I give my ten, are striving to make a difference.

For more on Ethical Jewelry, see this E Magazine article.