Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner Review

Since the economy's nose-dive in January, I've been hunting for a less costly alternative to my beloved but $26 and $28 John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Reconstructing shampoo and conditioner.

While reading The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel, I came upon her rave of Aubrey Organics' Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing shampoo. To Whole Foods I headed.

The shampoo was terrible.  It uses coconut and corn oil soap to cleanse, instead of surfactants, and left my fine hair like tangled straw.  For my the next shower, I used John Masters Honey & Hibiscus shampoo followed by Aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner. Ding, ding!  We have a winner.  My hair felt clean, fluffy and sooo soft.

Pretty factor: Instead of water as its base, Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner contains coconut fatty acid cream, which gives it a whipped-butter thickness, pretty opalescent color, and potent moisturizing ability.  Organic aloe, shea butter and several plant oils smooth hair and further hydrate.  Fennel and hops help stimulate hair growth and chamomile extract enhances blonde tones.  It's perfect for dry, frizzy or mature hair.

Eco factor: Aubrey Organics products, one of only a few brands recommended by the Organic Consumers' Association, are 100% natural. No synthetic or petroleum-drived chemicals, fragrance, dye, silicones, parabens, or animal testing.

To buy: $9 at Whole Foods and aubrey-organics.com

Natural Way to Boost Blonde Tones and Highlight Light Brown Hair

On Wednesday, Jen shared a few from-the-kitchen tips to help extend salon visits for red and dark brown-haired gals or to enrich non-dyed hair of those hues. Today, I'm sharing a quick recipe that'll boost blonde tones and give lighter brunettes pretty, subtle highlights in place of the plain, mousy color we're prone to.

Notice that I've used words like "boost" and "subtle"—don't expect your locks to resemble Jessica Simpson's afterward. That requires trips to a killer colorist about as often as you wash your face! With this said, I've experimented with a few highlights concoctions over the years and have found that the following one works best.

• Steep three bags of chamomile tea in a large mug or small pan until lukewarm. I recommend Mighty Leaf Chamomile Herbal tea, which contains high-quality, whole Egyptian chamomile flowers.

• Add 1/2 cup of real lemon juice

• Spritz or pour on hair and leave in for an hour. Shave, clean the bathroom, whatever. Rinse and apply conditioner to ends.

Good to know: The soothing chamomile helps neutralize the effects of the acidic lemon juice.

Natural Ways to Boost Red and Brunette Hair Color

When budgets are tight, hair coloring is one of the first beauty indulgences to go. Those every-two-month salon appointments often lapse to four or five months.

Because of this recession, we wanted to share our tips for naturally enhancing hair color until the next trip to your colorist.  Those who don't dye their hair (good for you!) can greatly benefit, too.

I’m going to cover red, darker brunettes and gray hair today, and Lindsay will tackle light brunettes and blondes on Friday.
Red hair: Rosehip or Hibiscus Rose Tisane
It’s a frustrating fact that red hair fades quickly. But here are two herbal teas (tisanes) I've discovered that will naturally boost red hair and extend the life of not-so natural red hair:

Recipe #1: Steep one cup of rosehips (can usually be found in the bulk section of natural foods stores) or two bags of rosehip tea in boiling water until lukewarm.  Apply to hair with a spray bottle and comb through.  Wrap hair in a warm, moist towel or shower cap and leave on for about an hour before shampooing out.

Recipe #2: Steep five tablespoons of dried hibiscus leaves and five tablespoons of red rose petals (or simply use hibiscus tea) in two cups of boiling water until luke warm. Apply to hair with a spray bottle or use as a rinse after shampooing. For best results, apply several washes each time and let sit on hair for up to an hour.

Brunette and Gray Hair: Sage and Rosemary Tisane
After coloring my hair for several years, I decided in my mid-twenties to return to my natural hue until I went too gray to bear. I’ve gotten so used to not dying (and I much prefer the texture of untreated locks) that when I do go gray I’ll try the following treatment to maintain my color. It's a great solution because sage has long been used to prevent the grays and rosemary will increase scalp circulation, thereby encouraging healthy hair growth.

Recipe: Simmer 1/2 cup sage leaves in 2 cups water for 30 minutes, then steep for several hours. Apply to hair and leave on until dry. Rinse. Repeat weekly until desired shade, then monthly to maintain color.

—Jen from Skin Rhythm

Giovanni Root 66 Max Volume Conditioner: Perfect for Fine Hair

Regular readers might be asking, "Another Giovanni product?" (My editor, Lindsay, reviewed Giovanni's Smooth As Silk line a few weeks ago.) It's just that both of us like Giovanni: The products perform well, are sleekly packaged, smell great—and are easy on the wallet. Plus, they're available at numerous locations, making them convenient to pick up in a pinch.

I've been using the newer Root 66 Max Volume Conditioner and am thrilled with its results. I have tricky hair: fine and sometimes limp with a tendency to be oily at the roots, dry at the ends, and very tangly. I’m always on the lookout for products that boost volume while controlling oil and adding nourishment and vitality. (Is that too much to ask?) I was surprised by the bounce and texture that this conditioner created and how smooth and shiny my hair looked after using it.

Pretty Factor: Real extracts of mango, kiwi, papaya and plumeria make this conditioner smell like a tropical vacation. Since the fragrance comes from natural instead of synthetic sources, you won't mind catching a whiff of it throughout the day. It's rich in herbs and nutrients, such as silica, horsetail, soybean protein, vitamin B5 and vitamin E to keep hair strong, healthy and shiny.

Eco Factor: Giovanni products contain 100% natural, organic ingredients. No petroleum derivatives, artificial fragrance or animal byproducts or testing.

To Buy: $7.99 at Whole Foods, natural foods stores, and drugstore.com

—Jen from Skin Rhythm

Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Here in the northern states, the weather has warmed and the days have lengthened. But some wintry effects remain. The earth is still bare and brown...and hair is still indoor heat-beat. To soothe dehydrated locks on a budget, try Giovanni's Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. They're enthusiastically recommended by a friend—a product switch-a-holic who has used them the entire past year. She says the line "awesomely" tames her thick hair and leaves her scalp feeling fresh for two days. And she's obsessed with the awakening valencia orange, lemongrass, and mango extracts.

Pretty factor: Nutrient-loaded sea kelp, chamomile, and soybean protein, plus a small amount of silicone (just in the shampoo), smooth dry, unruly hair and leave it virtually knot-free post-shower. Rosemary, lemongrass and lavender tone the scalp and encourage hair growth.

Ideal for: Dry, curly or coarse hair. For extra frizz protection, apply a little of the conditioner to the ends of hair after your shower.

Eco factor: Giovanni products contain 100% natural, organic ingredients. No petroleum derivatives, artificial fragrance or animal byproducts or testing.

To buy: $8 at Whole Foods and drugstore.com

Save Your Skin While You Sleep: Hot Water Bottles in Bed

In the spirit of frugality and eco consciousness, I want to talk about a bedtime beauty secret that British and German women have used for years:  the humble hot water bottle.  

At night, turn down your thermostat, fill one of these bottles with hot water, cap, and slide it under the covers. (Insert "Is that a water bottle in your bed, or are you happy to see me? joke here.)

The bottle will heat your bed up to 9 hours. It will also alleviate aches, cramps and soreness and increase circulation!

Pretty factor: You’ll have softer skin and smoother hair this winter because hot, dry central heat didn't suck out their moisture.  You can spruce up your bottle (and protect your skin from the hot rubber) by wrapping it in a pillowcase or, for crafty gals, knitting a little sweater for it.

Eco factor:  Zero energy used. The traditional red or blue bottles are made of latex rubber. They last for years and keep your water the hottest. If you have latex allergies or are averse to buying non-recyclable rubber, you can buy a German-made transparent bottle of thermoplastic material that's odorless and recyclable.

Frugal factor: You’ll save quite a few bucks on utilities. The latex version costs as little as $3.95. The German version costs about $20 and will also last many years. Most drugstores carry the latex bottles. Click here to buy the German model.

— Jen from Skin Rhythm

Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment

Forget the "political machine." Forget governor Rod Blagojevich trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. Chicago's real evil is its winter weather. I'm coming to believe there's a conspiracy to extract every last drop of moisture from my skin and hair this year. Since moving here, where it's about 14° outside and 80° in, I've had to upgrade my body wash, skin care and now hair care.

Last year, I adored John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus reconstructing shampoo and treatment but can't do the prices this time around. Thankfully there's Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment, an oldie but goodie intensive moisturizer. And bonus: Thanks to the inclusion of oat flour, a natural volumizer, it gives locks extra fullness.

Pretty factor: Avocado and olive oils—rich in hair-nourishing essential fatty acids plus vitamin E—create softness and shine and keep frizz away. Oat flour soothes the scalp and naturally plumps up strands. Nettle and rosemary encourage hair growth. Real citrus rind oil aromatizes and dissolves winter blahs.

Tip: You must use as directed—wet hair first, then apply. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes (perfect time to shave your legs), then rinse and shampoo and condition as usual.

Eco factor: For over 20 years, Burt's Bees has made beauty products that are nearly 100% natural (they tell you the exact percentage on the package) and come in post-consumer recycled material. Never animal testing. In 2003, co-founder Roxanne Quimby bought a 24,000-acre tract of forest in Maine for preservation.

To buy: $9.49 at drugstores and Whole Foods nationwide

The Benefits of Exercise on Skin and Hair

Hi everyone. I apologize for the lack of posts this month. I've been rapidly preparing for a move from New York to Chicago (happening this weekend), and my mind has been OCD-fixated on the presidential race. I've developed a need to refresh CNN.com every 15 minutes and Gallup.com every few hours, even though they only update their polls once a day....

But for 30 min this past weekend, I re-commenced beauty research. Specifically: the benefit of exercise on skin. We know that aerobic exercise reduces stress and flushes toxins from the body. But I was fascinated to learn in this article from WebMD that exercise can also:

• declog oil from pores
• regulate the production of DHEA and DHT, the male-associated hormones that cause acne and hair loss
• increase collagen production in the skin—leading to a plumper, more youthful visage (in addition to giving that rosy flush, of course)

Now my experience: I'd been so busy with the Chicago move and having goodbye meet-ups with friends that, completely pooped, I had traded in my twice-weekly evening jogs for half-awake Netflix movies. By the end of last week, I was blah and sluggish, and my skin was looking too sallow for comfort. I forced myself to fit in a 25-minute run on Thursday and Sunday. And crazy enough, my complexion has looked much healthier, and I swear I've lost less hair in the shower.

So hurray for exercise: free, multi-beneficial, and without a carbon footprint!

A Round-Up of Natural-Based Volumizing Sprays

For the past half-year, I've been on the hunt for a fab eco-friendly volumizing hair spray. The requirements: It must be alcohol-free (no alcohol denat) and it must provide texture and volume without weighing down my hair like an anchor by the end of the day. I have tested:

- JASON Kiwi and Apricot Root Boost: Provided slight texture but absolutely no body and too much stickiness

- John Masters Organics Sea Salt Spray: Gives amazing body and texture, but the large amount of sea salt is too drying and color-stripping for highlighted hair (However, this product is significantly better than Bumble and Bumble's over-priced, water-y Surf Spray.)

- Ojon Plump and Hold Root Lifting Spray: Contains too many chemicals at the top of the ingredients list to be included on Eco*Pretty

- MOP (Modern Organic Products) Glisten Volumizing Spray: Slightly drying but *the runner-up*, $16

- Aveda Brilliant Damage Control™: the winner, surprisingly!

Damage Control isn't even a "volumizer." It's a heat-protecting pre-blowdry spray. But its impressive, body-building ingredients lead me to buy it.

Pretty factor: PVP copolymers cling to hair and fatten the shaft, while wheat protein, wheat starch and panthenol (vitamin B5) foritify. Certified organic aloe moisturizes fine or thin hair without weighing it down. Organic chamomile soothes locks and scalp and brightens blonde highlights.

The key to using it as a volumizer is to spray onto dry hair. It gave body, light texture and shine—my locks look like I was standing in the sun when I was in fact in dismal NYC apartment lighting.

Eco factor: Aveda's manufacturing facility in Minnesota is powered entirely by wind energy. Its cosmetics contain organic, sustainably sourced, fair trade ingredients. ("Fair trade" means that workers were paid decently and worked in humane conditions.) Most products come in 80 to 100% post-consumer recycled cartons. Also, the company has removed parabens from its products.

To buy: $14 at Aveda concept salons and spas nationwide

MOP Extreme Protein

For those of you who dig home beauty concoctions using fresh food ingredients, or anyone with splitting, damaged locks (calling all gals who straighten or curl their hair), check out MOP Extreme Protein hair treatment. It isn't new and it isn't sexy-looking, but I love this stuff—it will leave your hair so smooth and strong.

Pretty factor: This rich treatment packs a protein punch of organic black beans, keratin amino acids, and milk and wheat proteins—which reduce splitting and breakage and increase elasticity and strength. Castor seed and olive oils moisturize and add shine. Use once a week and leave on for 10 minutes.

Eco factor: Founded back in 1998, MOP (Modern Organic Products) was one of the first salon-quality haircare lines to use organic, food-derived ingredients. No animal testing.

To buy: about $12 at Whole Foods and various hair salons nationwide

Ingredients

The Best Natural Clarifying and Dandruff Shampoo I've Found

Tea tree oil is like the Meryl Streep of natural beauty. Just when you think it's impeccably performed every role possible, it plays another one. From Australia's Melaleuca alternifolia plant, tea tree oil is antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial. Studies have shown it as effective as benzoyl peroxide in treating acne—without causing redness, dryness, or irritation like BPO does. Tea tree oil is used in toothpaste to fight bad breath, in deodorants to kill odor-causing bacteria, and in shampoos to fight dandruff.

Cult favorite Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo is the best weekly clarifying and anti-dandruff shampoo I've used. I return to it time after time. Those with exceptionally oily hair, scalp itchiness, or dandruff may opt to use it every other day for a couple weeks.

Pretty factor: The one-two punch of tea tree and peppermint oils de-bacterialize, boost micro circulation (=increased hair growth), and invigorate the senses—hello new day! Interestingly, peppermint is thought to be an anti-androgen, helping to lower the production of the hormone DHT, which is responsible for excess sebum production and hair loss.

Eco factor: Giovanni products are made with natural, organic ingredients. No animal byproducts or testing.

To buy: $7 at drugstore.com and Whole Foods

Ingredients