Aveda.. a greener and safer hairdo with all the lux of a traditional salon

I just got my hair done at Aveda and I am sooo pleased. One of my favorite things is to go to the hair salon and get a "hair makeover." To sit in the chair and get pampered for an hour or two is just so relaxing. However since making the decision to go green going to the salon has become a little more difficult. The chemicals in traditional hair dyes are not so great & the local salons around me all use traditional beauty products. I have written those off I needed to find a more sustainable solution.

My younger sister works at an Aveda salon & convinced me to come in and get my hair done there. This is the same sister who originally gave me the gorgeously green book and got me started on this green life journey. I had gone to an Aveda salon before, however it was just for a hair cut..... This time however I wanted to get my hair colored. I was a little nervous before going because I have never gotten my hair colored before (only bleached highlights) and I didn't want to damage my hair. However my color looks great and my hair feels better too! If the color was the same I would have sworn she just did a deep conditioning! Depending on the color you choose Aveda's dyes are 93-99% natural. The Aveda website defines natural as derived from plants and non-petroleum based minerals. Also aveda uses a patented process using green tea extract to oxidize their hair dyes instead of the petroleum based synthetics that conventional dyes use. This is good news for those of us looking for a safer way to dye our hair, since normal salon brands are 100 & synthetic with heavy metals,toxins, and petroleum based products. Also these conventional hair dyes have been linked to lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia. Don't believe me read the results of this study on pubmed. Aveda also used 100% certified wind energy to manufacture their products. To learn more about Aveda's green ingredient policy and how they are phasing out parabens in their products, increasing the amounts of organic herbal ingredients purchased, their 100% post consumer packaging, and other efforts to make their products safer for both you and the planet follow this link: http://aveda.aveda.com/aboutaveda/green_ingredients_policy.asp

All around the Aveda experience was relaxing and luxurious. I got great hairdo and hand massage. (if you get a hair cut they will give you a head & neck massage) Along with the peace of mind that my hair color was safe for both me & the environment!

My favorite eyeliner & mascara

After learning about how dangerous parabens, phthalates, and fragrance were to your body I swore off any makeup that had them in it. Which was great until i realized that was ALL my makeup! uhh-ohhh. I then had to hunt for new makeup that without those nasty little chemicals. I was able to find eyeshadow at the local drugstore. Physician's formula has a line of makeup called Organic wear and Almay has a line of makeup called Pure Blends. Both of these lines are fantastic for affordable, easy to find everyday makeup. You can get them at your local Target. However eyeliner and mascara gave me trouble. I spent quite a bit of money and tried several different kinds from my local whole foods natural beauty section. But they eyeliners were transparent and the mascaras gave no boost to my lashes. I wanted something more vibrant along with those thick lashes you see gracing the covers of beauty magazines!

Then I found out that Tarte was eco-friendly! I was already famliar with the brand and had no idea that they had paraben, phthalate, sulfate, and fragrance free eyeshadows. There tag line is Heath Couture and they state that " Health Couture™ is all about pure style:
the marriage between fashion and nature." To read more about there eco-line go here. I was so excited find this out. I love dark purple eyeliner because it just gives your eyes a little more "pop" than plain black and they have this great liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow stick called Indelible wink. Totally recommend that eyeliner. It comes in black, brown, grey, and purple. There mascara is also fantastic. Great definition and it is waterproof. To make the deal even sweeter their packaging is make from recycled paper and printed with soy ink. Also they have a great recycling program where if you send them your empty makeup containers you can recieve 15% off your next purchase. Be green & save green!!!

Check out their website www.tartecosmetics.com you can also purchase Tarte at Sephora too.

Nascar... not eco friendly, but it is Dad friendly... so how to make an non-ecofriendly event "friendly"

So Yesterday was Father's day. This year for fathers day my mom got my Father tickets to NASCAR!! Wow.. and like just about every red-blooded American male my father was thrilled. For him what could be better than watching cars race at high speeds and lots of collisions.... For me, however, NASCAR does not hold that same thrill and exictement. Not to mention the gallons and gallons of petroleum that are used so a bunch of men can drive in circles at high speeds for several hours =( Not very nice to mother nature. This however was for my father, so I resigned if I was going to go to watch a NASCAR race I was going to make every thing else about the day as Eco-friendly as possible. So I wanted to share with you 5 things that I did to try and make the best of a NASCAR fathers day =)

#1 Carpool: by picking up my sister and then meeting the rest of the family to all carpool together we were able to save gas and reduce our carbon emissions =) A good first step!

#2 BYOB H2O: By bringing our own water (in a reusable water bottle!) we were able to save $$ by not purchasing 5 dollar bottles there, but also not create waste from those empty plastic bottles. =)

#3 BYOB food: Our family also made our sandwiches ahead of time from yummy organic ingredients that we had at home. We also brought fresh fruit to munch on that I had bought on Saturday from the Farmer's Market. =) By bringing our own organic foods, not only did we eat healthier and have more delicious foods than was being sold at the racetrack, but we were able to reduce the waste that we created by packaging our food in reusable containers!

#4 Walk: Instead of taking a shuttle to the other side of the racetrack to get to our seats we walked. Good for the heart & planet earth. Also reduces the need for gym excursions =)

#5 Up-cycled fathers Day present: Getting presents that people love and that are sustainable has to be one of the most difficult tasks for me. I want people to like their present and not feel like I am trying to force my belief in a sustainable lifestyle onto them. This year however I found the perfect gift for my dad! He collects reptile figurines so at a Whole Earth Festival I saw these awesome statues made from old bike chains! Perfect, recycled and sure to please Dad! The guy who makes these has many different kinds of statues so if this is the kind of thing you think your Father, brother, boyfriend, or anyone really would like go check out his site.... metal souls. I also used recycled paper to wrap Dad's present. Dad was really pleased with his new lizard =)

Saturday Is Farmer's Market Day!

Going to the Farmer's Market has always been one of my favorite activities. I love meandering through the Market on a warm sunny summer day and the smells of fresh veggies, flowers, and kettle corn. Often there are musicians playing and sellers of fresh coffee & pastries.

The pleasant sights, smells, and sounds is only one of the reasons to buy your perishables at your local farmers market. After deciding to live sustainably I learned that another wonderful reason is that the fruits and veggies offered at your local farmers markets are most often organic and locally grown.

Organic fruits and veggies are wonderful for your body. Did you know in a 2004 study done be UCD showed that organically grown fruits and veggies can contain up to 65% more phenolic compounds (it varies from veggie to veggie). These phenolic compounds are those powerful cancer fighting anti-oxidants you have heard about. The nutrient rich soil and lack of pesticides from organic farming forge healthier, vitamin packed, and better tasting veggies than conventional farming. Not to mention the animal life that is preserved in the organic farming methods. No bunnies are harmed by harvesting machines and butterflies killed by pesticides =)
If you would like to find out more about the benefits of organics visit Organic.org.

Here is a refreshing article on organic food as well.

Near me the farmers market is open year round, one of the benefits of living in California. However, in many areas of the country farmers markets only run April through October so take advantage of them now, while the summer is in full swing =)

My farmers market bounty from this morning =)

A first step... the reusable shopping bag

Bringing your own shopping bag is one of the simplest things you can do for the environment.... However, remembering to bring your shopping bag is not the simplest thing. For me when I first started out on my green life adventure. I already had a reusable shopping bag. The classic Trader Joe's bag featured on the left hand side here. This bag was nice and sturdy, easily to wipe clean, and super duper easy to forget. Yup! I never ever remembered my eco-friendly shopping bags.

I do however now have a nice collection of trader Joe's shopping bags, because I kept buying them! I would forget my bag and feel guilty about using the paper ones. So I would buy more! Great solution for Trader Joe's profits... not so much for my wallet.

Then one day I discovered this little beauty.... The chico bag. Some boy scouts were selling them outside the grocery store. You know like those girls who sell the amazing cookies? Well they had HOT PINK!! I just had to get one. That was the best decision I had made in regards to reusable shopping bags! These little bags stuff into an attached pouch so that they are so tiny they can be stuffed anywhere. I always keep one in my purse. I can't tell you how convenient it is to have a bag right there in your purse anywhere you need it! They unfold to the size of your standard shopping bag and can hold up to 25lbs. If they get dirty; throw them in the laundry! My boyfriend even likes them because he can attach the carabeanner to his belt loop.

For my forgetfulness these were a dream. Since then I have noticed that they sell these bags at Whole Foods. You can also find these bags at the links I have listed below! I recommend grabbing a few. =)


http://www.chicobag.com/ http://www.reusablebags.com/store/chicobag-colorful-compact-reusable-shopping-p-450.html

Ecobunga : Living green and saving some too!

I want to share this fantastic website I discovered which I stalk daily, called Ecobunga. This site is fantastic for discovering all sorts of eco-friendly deals. Every day they list the sales across the web from major green "e-tailers." They will alert you when greenloop is having a sale on a specific ecofashion brand, and let you know when you can save money at Amazon & Drugstore.com for all your household needs. I was able to score a great Ecoskin brand dress a while back for only 50 dollars! I would have never known about that sale otherwise =) I also scored a free pair recycled Simple Shoes flip flops, when Ecobunga alerted me to an Earth Day promotion going on.

I highly recommend checking this site out to score some amazing earth friendly and wallet friendly deals!!

http://www.ecobunga.com