Collective Wellbeing Hot Pore Cleansing Scrub with Active Charcoal

Grill season is here. And while this summer won't find me sizzling slabs of meat over charcoal (a potentially carcinogenic activity), I will be slathering a little of that black, porous rock over my face via a current product fav: Collective Wellbeing's Hot Pore Cleansing Scrub: a purifying mask and jojoba bead exfoliator in-one...that warms on contact!

Pretty factor:  Like a sponge, charcoal absorbs excess oil on the skin (much appreciated during Chicago's hot, humid summers). An exfoliation duo of jojoba beads and salicylic acid unclog pores and prevent breakouts. And antibacterial tea tree extract zaps acne-causing bacteria that might be having their own summer bash on your skin's surface.

Eco factor: Collective Wellbeing uses organic botanicals and no sulfates, parabens, or synthetic fragrance or color. They're members of 1% For the Planet and The Chicago Climate Exchange, through which they have completely eliminated their carbon footprint! 

To buy: $14.99 at Whole Foods and collectivewellbeing.com

Aventine Hill Bath Emporium Cleansing Grains

A blogging friend recently launched a lovely, affordable natural skin and body care line called Aventine Hill Bath Emporium. (Aventine is one of the seven hills on which Rome was built and the site of a temple to Minerva, goddess of wisdom, medicine, the arts, and crafts). Sheila's homeopathic concoctions include superb cleansing grains that I've been loving the past few weeks.

What are cleansing grains, you may ask? Typically oat or rice-based—and mixed with water—they've been used for centuries as a gentle, nutritional method of removing dead cells, unclogging pores and tightening the skin.

Pretty factor: My favorite among Aventine Hill's three varieties is Grandma's Herbal Cleansing Grains, which contain rice bran and colloidal oatmeal to exfoliate while soothing, and kaolin clay to tighten pores and reduce oil. Additionally, chamomile flowers calm, rose hips provide a lil' antioxidant vitamin C, and caffeine from cocoa perks up the skin.

To use: I've found that the easiest way to use cleansing grains is to sprinkle a bit into your cleanser to instantly transform it to an exfoliator. They also make an effective mask.

Eco factor: Aventine Hill products are free of parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, and synthetic color. No animal testing.

To buy: $9.50 at myaventine.com

NEW Suki Resurfacing Enzyme Peel Review

Say "chemical peel" and many women shrink back in horror, imaging the Sex and the City episode when Samantha gets a peel and emerges looking like "beef carpaccio" according to Carrie.

There are many levels of peels, however.  (Samantha probably had a phenol peel).  And lighter amounts of glycolic, lactic or salicylic acid in at-home products do wonders for the skin.

Alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids boost cellular turnover, keep pores clean and promote collagen production, benefiting almost every skin condition: acneic, sun-damaged, scarred, wrinkled.  Suki's Resurfacing Enzyme Peel—and enzyme, AHA and BHA peel—smashes the myth that natural isn't potent.

Pretty factor: Pumpkin enzyme, malic acid from apple extract, glycolic acid, and willow bark (a natural source of salicylic acid and an anti-inflammatory) deeply exfoliate to reduce pore size and breakouts, smooth fine lines, even skin tone, and lighten dark spots.  And fortunately, efficacy doesn't come with an odorous smell: steam-distilled essential oils of chamomile, calendula and rose lend fresh floral aroma.

Tip: Use only at night. Keep on for 10 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Press a few drops of a pH-restoring oil serum into the skin. I love Juice Beauty's USDA Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate and Naturopathica's Geranium Regenerating Serum. Always use sunscreen or makeup with SPF during the day.

Eco factor: Suki products are made with organic natural ingredients. They're packaged in eco-friendly materials like recycled stock, vegetable ink and glass (never plastic). The company supports fair trade, organic and biodynamic processing and local suppliers. It's an active member of the Organic Consumer's Association, Breast Cancer Action and the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics for Responsible Medicine. No animal testing.


To buy: $75 at sukipure.com and at select spas nationwide.

Duchess Marden Damascena Enzyme Exfoliant: Jen's Favorite Exfoliator

I love to exfoliate but get a little nervous applying very active peels or exfoliants during sunny months. Strong AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) products can photo-sensitize the skin, which can cause hyperpigmentation and burning if you forget to apply SPF. Plus, they're aren't suitable for sensitive faces.

The solution? An enzyme exfoliator. As a holistic esthetician and product rep for several natural skincare lines, I've tried an untold number of exfoliators-peels-scrubs. Among them all, my favorite is Duchess Marden Damascena Enzyme Exfoliant, suitable for every skin type.

Pretty factor: DM's Enzyme Exfoliant contains both pumpkin fruit enzymes to "unglue" dead skin cells and jojoba beads to gently sweep them away. The pumpkin here is fermented with lactobacillus lactis, a healthy bacteria commonly used in buttermilk and cheese production. When these two ingredients are combined, they release phytonutrients that have major antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits—resulting in smoother, firmer, healthier skin.

I was startled at the effect. There was no telltale tingling to indicate it was doing anything, but I noticed an immediate difference in my skin tone and texture: far less redness and irritation and my face felt smoother and plumper. As a bonus, this exfoliator is gorgeously but subtly scented with high-quality, organic rose damascena and geranium essential oils.

Tip: After any kind of exfoliating, it's best to follow up with a good mineral sunscreen or mineral makeup with SPF to protect your new, baby-soft skin.

Eco factor: Products by California-based Duchess Marden—which claims model Josie Maran as a fan—are beautifully pure: no sulfates, parabens, propylene glycol, petrochemicals, or synthetic fillers, dyes or fragrance.

To buy: $44 (for about a four month supply) at Whole Foods and duchessmarden.com

—Jen

Kiss My Face So Refined Jojoba and Mint Facial Scrub

Until recently, I had my skincare and exercise mantras badly reversed. With skincare, it was "no pain, no gain", which lead me to high AHA exfoliators and especially gritty scrubs. With exercise: "Slow down as soon as it hurts."

I'm still a workout wimp who claims "walking" as a favorite sport, but I have altered my skincare approach. I've discovered that mild, daily exfoliation is far more effective and healthier for your skin in the long run. We all want, for example, that red mark from a zit to disappear ASAP. But intense, harsh exfoliation isn't the solution because it can upset your skin's acid mantle, allowing in more acne-causing bacteria, and it can wear down your skin's ability to self-heal.

My recommendation? Use a gentle exfoliator nightly. Kiss My Face So Refined Jojoba and Mint Facial Scrub is amazing. It's a cheaper but still-as-stellar alternative to Ren's Jojoba Micro-Bead Purifying Facial Scrub.

Pretty factor: Perfectly round jojoba beads remove dead skin cells without scratching, tearing or irritating the skin. Jojoba oil cleans out pores and balances sebum production. Circulation-boosting peppermint oil and peppermint leaf extract leave your face tingling and fresh-feeling for an entire half-hour after use. Tea tree and lavender kill bacteria, lemon balm helps purify, and chamomile soothes.

Eco factor: Made with 81% organic ingredients. No parabens, phthalates, sulfate detergents, artificial colors, fragrances, animal ingredients, or animal testing.

To buy: $14 at Whole Foods, some drugstores, and kissmyfacewebstore.com

Best Face Exfoliator in a Recession (or in a Pinch): Sugar in the Raw

"When the going gets tough, the tough get resourceful," mama always says. I recently put her wisdom to use...on my face.  Four words, five syllables: Sugar in the Raw...mixed with your face cleanser.  Here's the scoop (pun intended):

I hadn't used a face scrub since running out of my former one several weeks ago.  I'm a frequent exfoliator, but am working only part-time on a new media startup and money is tight like a belt on Thanksgiving.

The other night, I noticed tiny flakes under my eyes and the overall pallor of an Addams Family member. I remembered that exfoliation is especially important in the winter because skin cells turn over less often in colder weather and can build up to cause dullness (and clog pores).

What could I use? Aha! Remembering Suki's best-selling Lemongrass exfolating cleanser, I headed to the kitchen and grabbed a packet of Sugar in the Raw.  I mixed it with Evan Healy's Tea Tree Gel Cleanser and gently massaged around my face for a minute then rinsed.

My face was a little ruddy afterward—but baby-bottom smooth.  I applied a soothing moisturizer and went to bed.  I kid not, I woke up to the most youthful-looking skin I've had in months.

Pretty factor: Sugar is not only a physical exfoliator but a "chemical" one, too—sugar cane is the natural source of glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that's used in skin care products for its resurfacing properties.  It helps reduce fine lines and acne by promoting cellular turnover. As a result, many face and body scrubs are sugar cane-based.

Eco factor: 100% natural, zero harsh or toxic chemicals

To buy: $14 for an entire box at Whole Foods and sugarintheraw.com.  Grab an extra packet from Starbucks and try it!

Nikkel Holistic Skincare Microdermx Cream

I know, I know. Another microdermabrasion cream-kit on the market? But this one is different. This one is q-u-a-l-i-t-y. Of the eye-crossing number of microderm creams and facial scrubs I’ve used in the past few years, Microdermx, made by L.A.-based Nikkel Holistic Skincare, is truly the crème des crèmes. Why? The quality of its crystals and the plethora of soothing, healing ingredients.

Pretty factor: Instead of harsh, second-rate exfoliants like pumice, magnesium oxide, sodium bicarbonate or unfused aluminum oxide, Microdermx uses medical-grade corundum crystals—which are second only to diamonds on the Mohs scale of hardness. The crystals are so microfine (at first touch, the product actually feels like a regular face cream) that they exfoliate with superb evenness.

Generous amounts of chamomile and aloe prevent the skin from becoming ruddy, and rose hip seed oil, rich in vitamin A, aids reparation. I was wow-ed by how baby-butt-smooth my face felt afterward.

Numerous Microdermx customers have reported their skin tone to be more even, pore size smaller, and wrinkles, acne scars and brown spots diminished after just a couple months of use (2-3 times/week).

Eco factor: No parabens, petrol additives like mineral oil or propylene glycol, or synthetic dyes or fragrance

To buy: $45 at microdermx.com

Ingredients

Earth Science A/B Hydroxy Acid Night Rejuvenator

Before switching to all toxin-free skincare, I used products that contained skin-refining alpha and beta hydroxy acids with a nun's devotion. After months of hunting for a natural but dermatologist-worthy AHA/BHA product, I happily discovered Earth Science's A/B Hydroxy Acid Night Rejuvenator.

Pretty factor: Unlike a huge majority of cosmetics, the main ingredient in this lightweight facial lotion isn't water but skin-energizing ginseng. It also contains a 10% blend of glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids, which smooth the skin via exfoliation and diminish fine lines, acne and hyperpigmentation over time.

Finally, I commend Earth Science for listing the pH levels of all its products. Don't have a snooze fest while I wax scientific—this is important info: Most skin has a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. So, for a hydroxy acid product to be effective, its pH should range from 2.5 to 4.0. With a pH of 3.5, this lotion exfoliates without being overly harsh.

For: all skin types

Eco factor: Santa Barbara-based Earth Science is committed to making environmentally safe skin and haircare products. No petroleum derivatives, parabens, soaps, toxins, heavy metals or artificial dyes

To buy: just $19.95 at Whole Foods and shopearthessentials.com

Ingredients

Mychelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel

I couldn't think of a more appropriate product to feature today, Halloween, than Mychelle Dermaceuticals' best-seller, Incredible Pumpkin Peel.

Disappointed with the options and results of natural skincare products on the market back in 2000, Myra Michelle set out to make highly effective, toxin-free cosmetics. The result is Mychelle Dermaceuticals, a stellar, under-the-radar skincare company that spends its money on quality ingredients instead of quality advertising.

Pretty factor: Pumpkin is packed with vitamin A, which increases cell turnover. Its derivative, tretinoin, is the main ingredient in the popular prescription acne and wrinkle treatments Retin A® and Differin®. However, because pumpkin is natural, it doesn't cause the redness and dryness that Retin-A and Differin do.

This peel also contains pumpkin enzymes to eat up dead skin cells, revealing brighter skin. It also contains honey to soothe and ginger root oil to boost circulation. After just the first use, your face will be super smooth and glowing. After a couple months, fine lines, age spots, and acne will have faded.

Eco factor: Mychelle products are "toxin-free", lacking phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, ureas, EDTA, and artificial fragrances and colors. The company's actively involved with a couple local animal programs.

To buy: $26 at mychelleusa.com and Whole Foods (Trial sizes are available for just a few bucks.)

Ingredients

Zia Natural Microdermabrasion Scrub

Once only available as a costly treatment in dermatologists’ offices, microdermabrasion loosens dead skin cells to give you a smoother, more luminous face. Used once or twice a week for a few months, the scrubs can reduce sun spots, fine wrinkles, those post-pimple red marks and even acne scars. My preferred one: Zia Natural Microdermabrasion Scrub.

Pretty factor: Unlike most microdermabrasion scrubs, which use aluminium oxide crystals, this one contains magnesium oxide, which is gentler and ideal for people with sensitive skin. The scrub's loaded with macadamia seed oil, which moisturizes and protects the skin against abrasion, and therapeutic-grade essential oils .

Eco factor: No harsh chemicals, artificial colors and fragrances or animal testing.

To buy: $39.95 at zianatural.com and Whole Foods

Ingredients