Safe Your World UV-Protecting Shampoo with Organic Yerba Maté

Those of us in the organic beauty industry often bemoan how hard it is to find effective, luxurious natural hair products.  Several brands, which will remain nameless, have let me down recently, leaving my ends more straw-like than silky-smooth. 

So, even though it doesn't have the chicest of packaging, I was down for trying a citrus-fresh shampoo sent to me from a brand with inspiring environmental activism: Save Your World's new Save Your Hair Color-Safe Shampoo in Oasis Fruit.

Pretty factor: Like John Masters, Save Your World also uses nutrient-rich organic aloe as its base instead of the typical water.  But the star ingredient is organic yerba maté, a South American herb that contains 24 vitamins, 15 amino acids, and powerful antioxidants = stronger, healthier, and more vibrant hair.  (Yerba mate is also believed to reverse grays, but I'll save my wishful thinking for bigger matters.)

Save Your Hair also hemp seed, coconut, evening primrose and avocado oils to hydrate and rejuvenate the hair plus titanium dioxide (a natural sunscreen) to protect against the color-fading effects of the sun.  I've been using this shampoo with Juice Organics Brightening Conditioner and my hair has been fuller and shinier.

Eco factor: With every Save Your World product bought, you spare one acre of rainforest in Guyana (a state in South America) from being logged for an entire year.  Save Your World partners with Conservation International, which pays Guyana's Forestry Commission what it would have received had the area been razed. So far, it has helped preserve 200,000 acres of CO₂-absorbing rainforest.  Save Your World products are free of sulfates, 1,4-dioxane, parabens, and synthetic dyes or fragrance.

To buy: $12.98 at some Whole Foods and saveyourworld.com

NEW Jane Iredale Dream Tint SPF 15

It's finally happened. I've been hoping for a while that it would. About six months ago, I posted a comment on Jane Iredale's blog telling her how much I like her line (it's the crème de la crème of mineral makeup) and how I'd love for her to develop a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen. Well, she has.

Dream Tint SPF 15—which has a lovely, mousse-like texture—comes in five gorgeous shades plus a peach brightener (for pigmentation problems), lilac brightener (for sallow complexions) and a warm bronzer (for a sun-kissed glow).

Pretty factor: Lightweight shea butter, jojoba seed oil, and sunflower seed oil moisturize and give a fresh, dewy look without slight greasiness. Dimethicone (a main ingredient in face primers) fills in fine lines and large pores, creating a smooth, flawless canvas. White tea and titanium dioxide protect against free radical and sun damage, respectively.

Ideal for: all skin types, truly.

Eco factor: No talc, parabens, phthalates, bismuth oxychloride, or chemical dyes or fragrance. Jane Iredale recently instated a Green Team to help environmentalize the company and is building a new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) office building!

To buy: $36 at janeiredaledirect.com and skinbotanica.com

The Best Lightweight Organic Moisturizers for Summer

As I started to write this post, I saw this news story about chemical sunscreens' harmful effect on aquatic life. What this means for you: Look for sunscreen and SPF moisturizers with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide!

Zinc oxide and titanium dioxoide are physical, as opposed to chemical, sunscreens and are gentler on skin—and, apparently, the planet. Even better: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide offer both UVA and UVB protection.

After researching lightweight natural moisturizers with sunscreen, I've come to my top two: Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Facial Moisturizer SPF 25 and Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15.

Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Facial Moisturizer SPF 25 ($32) goes on so smoothly and sinks right in.  It contains glycerin and shea butter—which beautifully moisturize without clogging your pores—plus antioxidant vitamins A, C and E and soothing aloe.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15 ($38) has an uplifting, citrus aroma that's perfect for summer—it contains organic lemon juice to lightly exfoliate and brighten. (After a few weeks, your skin will glow like Cate Blanchett's.) Its nutrient-rich lineup includes organic aloe and green tea extract plus rosehip seed, evening primrose and jojoba oils. Despite the plant oils, this also quickly absorbs and leaves no white cast.

Juice Beauty SPF 8 Lip Moisturizers Review

Hurray for May! Here in NYC, warm days seem to finally be here. I've always been diligent about slapping sunscreen on my face, but have been reading more about the importance of protecting you lips.  (We want youthfully plump, not old-lady puckered, right?)


A fun search brought forth Juice Beauty's SPF 8 Lip Moisturizers.  They whisk you back to the carefree days of a Bonne Bell-wearing youth—but with way healthier ingredients and non-chemical sun protection.

Pretty factor: These fruity-flavored sheers contain certified organic coconut and sunflower seed oils for hydration, real mango and passion fruit extracts for antioxidant protection, and 4% zinc oxide to prevent sun aging.

Eco factor: Juice Beauty products are made with 100% certified organic ingredients. No parabens, synthetic fragrances, petroleum derivatives, artificial dyes, sulfates, phthalates or animal testing. Their facilities are solar-powered, their containers are made from recycled content, and they source many ingredients from small California farmers.

To buy: $15 for 3 at juicebeauty.com

Aveda Inner Light Tinted Moisture SPF 15 Review

If you can't be bothered with the moisturizer-then-makeup process in the a.m. or you find mineral powders drying (me: both of the above), hit up a tinted moisturizer. I'm loving Aveda Inner Light Tinted Moisture SPF 15 , which gives excellent, luminous coverage.

Pretty factor: Mica, malachite and tourmeline gemstone create a flaws-reducing "soft focus," while jojoba gives dewy hydration. Lavender extract provides astringent and anti-bacterial properties, and Japanese knotweed—which contains the potent antioxidant resveratrol (also found in the skin of red grapes and in red wine)—prevents aging.

Eco factor: Aveda has been dedicated to environmental responsibility long before "green" entered the public vernacular and every other celebrity drove a Prius. Its manufacturing facility in Minnesota is powered entirely by wind energy, and its cosmetics contain organic, sustainably sourced, fair trade ingredients. The tinted moisturizer, like many Aveda goods, comes in a 100% post-consumer recycled carton. No phathlates, petro ingredients, or animal testing.

To buy: $25 at aveda.com and Aveda salons and spas nationwide