Farmaesthetics Cool Aloe Mist

Despite the fact that we had a record-setting cold night last night, I want to tell you about a treasure for hot weather. Farmaesthetics Cool Aloe Mist ($23). Farmaesthetics was created by Brenda Brock, honored by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People and Ideas Behind Today’s Green Design. When I was offered the opportunity to try Cool Aloe Mist, I jumped at the chance. Farmaesthetics products are made with certified organic herbs, flowers, oils, and grains. Who wouldn't want to try a cooling mist with aloe - and scented with pure lavender and bergamot?

Farmaesthetics, a pure, elegant line first made available at a single organic stand during the summer of 1999, is used today in spa treatments at prestigious resorts. Brenda successfully translated her traditional herbal recipes from "kitchen chemistry" to modern cosmetic manufacturing. The result is a line of pristine herbal products that compare in effectiveness with leading dermatological brands. All her formulations are made with whole herb and natural ingredients that retain their 100% natural status and certified shelf life without using any synthetics.

Farmaesthetics created Cool Aloe Mist to be a multi-purpose product to restore and protect the skin. Nothing heals or relieves inflammed tissue better than aloe vera. Cool Aloe Mist is designed to offer instant relief and help regulate oil and patchiness. Cool Aloe Mist (as well as the entire Farmaesthetics' skin-care line) is gentle, 100% natural, and free of synthetics of any kind.

A skin-conditioning complexion spray, Cool Aloe Mist relieves the inflammation and discomfort inherent in skin flare-ups. Cool Aloe Mist is also a toner and refreshing skin rehydrating mist for use all over the face and body. Lavender is antibacterial and settles the skin, while bergamot is uplifting. Additionally, Cool Aloe Mist acts as a purifying mist for the skin as well as the air around one's personal space. Worried about how you smell when you leave the gym? Cool Aloe Mist is the perfect spritz on the way out the door.

I have fallen for my dark blue apothecary bottle. The fine mist it dispenses does cool the skin with the most divine herbal fragrance. The ingredients are aloe vera juice, witch hazel, lavender essential oil, bergamot essential oil, and a little lecithin. It's that pure - one of its best qualities.

Lavender relaxes me, so I enjoy spritzing when I get ready for bed. I need another bottle to keep next to my desk. Worried about something? Just spritz for an instant mental break. It's called nature's little pick-me-up for a reason. I also used it when I burned my finger on the toaster last week. I felt better right away.

Farmaesthetics products are 100% natural, contain certified organic ingredients as indicated, and are hypo-allergenic, non-irritating, and dermatologically tested. They have a certified shelf life of two years from the date of opening. The company performs no animal testing.

I need to try the Classic Water Series next. How will I choose? Jasmine Water & Glycerin, Rosewater & Glycerin, and Grapefruit & Glycerin all sound like must-haves.

The easiest way to find all the Farmaesthetics products is at the company's Web site. Check it out. There's a lot to see.

Photos courtesy of Farmaesthetics

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Let's Go Green!

You don't have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick's Day; everyone can be Irish today. Just because! Do you want to wear green or go green? St. Patrick's Day may be a good day for a green choice. Here are some ideas for you if you choose to go green - all featured here in the last year. These are organic and natural beauty products that have earned their place in my life.

John Masters, Rahua Beauty, and WEN hair care products are natural choices to make your hair shine. You can find them at Beautorium, New London Pharmacy, and Chaz Dean, respectively - and at other sites.

Try MELVITA skin care. Founded in Ardèche, France by beekeeper and biologist Bernard Chevilliat in 1983, Melvita (meaning "honey and life" in Latin) has always been a passionate advocate for the complete organic lifestyle. Check out the many MELVITA options at SkinStore.com.

Those beekeepers are onto something. Beecology has a beautiful line of skin-care and hair-care products.

Looking for fragrance? How about Kō Denmark Organic Jasmine + Neroli Roll-On Perfume for pure jasmine and neroli oils combined to create a heavenly fragrance. Or Ambre Blends, unique essential oils with an amber base for a sultry sophistication?

Holly Green at Norabloom offers a wonderful botanical Rose Bud Creme Cleanser. It contains an impressive list of good-for-your-skin ingredients, and as you might imagine, the natural fragrance is heavenly.

Kiehl's Organic Açaí Skin Care Collection The four-product line is everything you would expect from Kiehl's and more. Introduced last year, it's Ecocert and Cradle-to-Cradle certified.

My favorite U.S.-made olive oil is made by McEvoy Ranch. Just in case you aren't a "foodie," McEvoy Ranch makes some of the best olive oils on earth. They are certified organic - not simply great, but award-winning. Beautyhabit offers 80 Acres, a small line of skin- and body-care products enriched with McEvoy Ranch estate-produced pure, organic olive oil.

You won't find yourself sacrificing elegance for purity when you use these products. They are luxury defined. Want to add your own favorites in the comments?

I think going as green as possible is more important than wearing green one day out of the year. Nevertheless, I'll be wearing green today. I have a smattering of Irish blood in me!

P.S. If you click on the links here, you can learn more about the products and where to find them.

Photo courtesy of literatehousewife.com

John Masters Organics Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel

When I find a styling gel that doesn't weigh down my fine hair, but does add body and helps me hold my hair style, I get excited. I'm excited about the John Masters Organics Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel ($17.50)!

This alcohol-free, lightweight gel formula adds shine, volume, and texture to my hair. My hair never feels dry or brittle after I apply it because it has none of the synthetic plastic ingredients found in most "commercial" brands. On top of that, it's made with certified organic ingredients!

The ingredients read like a botanical garden. Mandarin orange detoxifies the scalp and treats and strengthens dry hair. Silk protein improves the manageability, gloss, and texture of hair. Sclerotium gum, a mushroom-derived thickening agent, is a natural alternative to plastics often used to give your hair hold. Arabic gum, derived from the acacia tree, is a thickening agent that adds volume. Aloe vera gel helps provides a soft hold. It also has cedarwood oil and honeysuckle extract in it. I don't usually like hair products that are scented, but the all-natural scent of this styling gel is pure pleasure - a quick trip through the garden.

Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel is amazingly good. I had it for months without using it, a failure I can't really explain. I think I feared a hair emergency. So, my first experience with it was on a weekend when I had time to recover. There was absolutely no need for my anxiety. I was delighted with it! I can give it an unqualified recommendation. It's "there," but you will barely notice it in your hair. What you will notice is added volume and hold. As a nice extra-added benefit, it's safe for color-treated hair.

You can purchase Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel from John Masters Organics, where shipping is currently free.

Korres Materia Herba Toning Cleansing Foam

The Materia Herba line is the first certified natural and organic line from Korres. So I had to try it! I purchased three products, and the first one I used was the Materia Herba Toning Cleansing Foam ($27).

I read at Beautorium that Materia Herba features highly effective, natural active ingredients formulated in collaboration with an advanced Swiss skin care lab. Ninety-five to 100% natural and organic, certified by Ecocert, Materia Herba products are clinically proven to boost the skin’s hydration up to 65%.

The Materia Herba line is free of parabens, propylene glycol, silicones, sulphates, ethanolamine, synthetic colors, and other things that purists hate. And no animal by-products or testing. Sounds good, right? It's a soap-free, gentle, and effective. Materia Herba Toning Cleansing Foam washes away makeup and impurities, while protecting against dehydration, free radical damage, and inflammation.

How does it do that? Naturally derived salicylic acid breaks up oil and bacteria and sloughs off dead skin cells, controlling blemishes and purging pores. Glyco-oligosaccharide, a biological balancing agent, gently cleanses and purifies the skin using natural sugars. Natural glycolipids (derived from soy, sunflower, and wheat) enhance the cleansing process by neutralizing the oxidation of oils and proteins, which can lead to inflammation and premature aging. Certified organic hamamelis floral water’s mild astringent and skin-soothing, anti-inflammatory benefits are included to reveal a fresh, glowing complexion. Certified organic olive leaf, a non-oily extract, provides antioxidant protection against both external and internal free radical damage. Centaurea floral water calms the eyes and soothes the skin.

This cleanser is marketed for all skin types. While it's nice on my dry, sensitive skin, the ingredients tell a story that makes it perfect for combo and oily skin as well. After using it, I feel clean and soft. That's enough for me! This has become my morning cleanser, stashed in my shower, where I use it to wash away the night's dreams. I love the pump container; it's fast and convenient.

I bought mine from Beautorium. It's also available at Sephora and Korres.com. Check for special offers!

Photo courtesy of Beautorium

John Masters Organic Hair Care

The nice folks at Beautorium sent me some samples of John Masters organic hair products with my order last week. On Sunday, I used the first two and was thrilled with the results. Monday, the second two. After blow drying, my hair was bouncy, full, soft, and shiny. I hope Beautorium will indulge me as I liberally quote their Web site here. Their product descriptions are fabulous.

The brand was created in 1991. John Masters is a pioneer of prestige natural haircare and skincare in America and internationally. His products use Eco-Cert and Quality Assurance International-certified organic ingredients where possible and are free from parabens, petrochemcials, and other nasty chemical ingredients. In 2004, the United Kingdom Soil Association selected John Master's Organics as Product of the Year at London's leading European organic trade show. I knew about John Masters - he is famous, after all, but I had never tried his products.

I started with John Masters Evening Primrose Shampoo for Dry Hair ($16). This shampoo is made from the gentlest corn and coconut cleansers and infused with conditioning plant extracts and essential oils. It washes away oil and the environment's dirt and grime without stripping the hair shaft. It's safe for color-treated hair like mine. When I pushed the shampoo out of its sample packet, I was amazed, for some reason, that it was brown. That seemed to me to be an unusual color for shampoo. No worries, though - as I worked it into my hair, it turned into the "normal" white lather I expected and left no traces of brown in my blond hair.

The ingredients include:

• evening primrose – anti-inflammatory, adds moisture, strengthens hair;
• rose geranium – strengthens hair shaft, a cellular regenerative;
• meadowfoamate – a conditioning agent derived from the meadowsweet plant;
• avocado oil – moisturizing, assists in cell regeneration, high in amino acids;
• ylang ylang – controls and reduces oiliness of the scalp; and
  
• cedarwood – treats oiliness, eczema, psoriasis, and dandruff and is anti-inflammatory.

For my conditioner, I used John Masters Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner ($22). Even the name was enticing, so while I had other samples to try, I choose this one. The conditioner contains lavender and avocado oils plus vitamin B5, all of which bring moisture and vitality to dry hair. It contains over a dozen plant extracts and essential oils to moisturize and strengthen the hair shaft. Lavender is said to slow hair loss and treat eczema and dermatitis of the scalp. Avocado oil moisturizes and conditions hair. Have you read some of the natural avocado conditioner recipes in the mags? This is a lot easier. Vitamin B5, or panthenol, strengthens hair follicles, makes hair look thicker and fuller, adds shine, and repairs hair damaged by over-processing. The fragrance from the lavender was heavenly, and, it made its exit as I was blow drying my hair - perfect.

What's really amazing is that the bounce lasted overnight. When I get up in the morning, my hair is usually "plastered" to my scalp (the zero-volume look) and stick straight, with only a misplaced wave or two. All of the styling work from the day before is gone. Not so with the John Masters products I used! I awakened the next morning, looked at my hair, and thought, "I could leave the house this way." Now, that's a miracle!

Next up, I tried John Masters’ newest treatment item, John Masters Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor. In addition to honey and hibiscus, the conditioning formula features soy protein, kelp extract, cupuaçu butter, and linoleic and hyaluronic acids (the same acids found in young hair) to help reconstruct and smooth hair. According to WWD, Masters said, “When hair is smoother, it is reflecting more light.” It will also improve hair volume and reduce static electricity.” Retailing for $28, Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor can be used as a once-weekly treatment for normal to dry hair or after every shampoo for more damaged hair. I will use it after every shampoo. I found it to be a perfect conditioner. You should have seen me squeezing every last bit out of that packet!

Another try? John Masters Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner ($20). Also brown in color, it contains zinc, sage, wheat protein, and yucca root (which gives it its foaming property). Zinc and sage are natural scalp regulators that maintain the equilibrium of oils, ending any itch and flakes caused by over-drying products, the accidental sunburn, or cold weather. Wheat protein conditioner leaves your hair shiny and manageable and your scalp healthy and balanced. It's safe for color-treated hair. After I shampooed, I felt some volume in my hair (even with wet hair you could tell), and it felt good.

The John Masters products I tried were uniformly wonderful in meeting their promises. You can purchase them at Beautorium.com. I love Beautorium, my new "Web shopping site," and hope you will too. They sent two more John Masters Organic samples. I can't wait to try them. In the meantime, the order I plan to place is growing. May have to wait for the next paycheck.

Photo courtesy of Beautorium.