Lather, Rinse, Wait a Day or Two...

Internet, sometimes my hair and I don’t always get along. I’ve done a lot of bad things to it (dyed it blonde, dyed it red that was actually purple, bleached a stripe in the back, cut straight across bangs, HORROR) and it’s done a lot of bad things to me (years of tears at bedtime, when my straight-haired mother couldn’t understand how my curly hair got so tangled every day; not having the texture to pull off straight across bangs. Damn you, Hathaway!) I used to be a daily-hair-washer, not only that, I used to think that I needed to shampoo, condition, and product-up my hair every time I needed to fix it (in the morning before class, before I went out at night, it was sometimes a 3 shower a day ordeal). I would do this to subdue my naturally curly hair, pumping it with product, blow drying and/or straightening it nearly every time, which caused something akin to a helmet of frizz (it was a vicious cycle).  Finally, after fervent encouragement from a roommate, I decided to try washing my hair every other day and it was AWFUL.  My hair felt greasy and flat, I, in turn, felt greasy and flat.  Then a light from the heavens, or from the baby care aisle at Wegman’s, I found baby powder to get me through the bad times and all was right with the world (Run of the mill Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder received a 3 on Skin Deep ). The first two weeks were particularly tough, but once I got used to it, I noticed my hair feeling softer, it was less grease-prone, it looked…good.   In the spirit of less is more hair care, I’ve recently switched shampoo and conditioner.  I’ve been using the Giovanni Hair Care Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo and conditioner.  Giovanni products are made with organic ingredients, are not tested on animals or made with animal by-products, and are biodegradable.  So far, I’m pretty pleased.  The conditioner receives a 2 out of 10 (low hazard)   and the shampoo a 4 (moderate)  .  If you don’t like the way tea tree smells (minty), this is not the combo for you (however, once it’s dry the smell nearly vanishes).  I can’t get enough of it. I’m a big fan of the tingle sensation the shampoo gives my scalp, and while it foams slightly less than conventional shampoos; it leaves my head and hair feeling very clean.  The conditioner has that same smell and doesn’t leave my hair feeling heavy.  I still blow dry my hair pretty often, but I’ve been leaving it curly more often and it’s markedly less frizzy (probably a result of the dramatic decrease in my blow dryer/straightener use).   It’s not easy to make the switch at first (no one wants to look bedraggled), but the less products I use, the better I feel about my hair and the better my hair feels.  What I’m trying to say here is, maybe my hair is like that creepy doll in Agatha Christie's short story, "The Dressmaker's Doll", maybe it just wants to be loved.

What Does it Mean to be Organic? Natural?

You see it in the supermarket, Starbucks, now even Sephora’s got it, but what exactly do the words ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ mean? In 1990, the USDA made a push to standardize a definition for certified organic farming practices and by 1995 the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board had reached a consensus. For a consumer, this means items labeled ‘Certified Organic’ “[are]produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources…Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation…[and] a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too” (USDA National Organic Program)
When shopping for organic products, be aware that there are three categories:

• 100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients
• Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients
• Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms) (Oganic.org)

‘Natural’ predominantly refers to the amount of processing a product undergoes, that is, minimal. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) defines “natural” as “a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed (a process which does not fundamentally alter the raw product) may be labeled natural.” However, it is not regulated by the government in the same way ‘organic’ is, and manufacturers are free to label products ‘natural’ as they see fit. It’s not safe to assume that because a food is natural it is also organic (It’s not really safe to assume anything, because when you assume you make and ass of U and only you. Thanks, Mom.) Natural doesn’t always refer to minimally processed foods though, when a label reads ‘natural flavoring’ it spends just as much time in the lab as its artificial counterpart. Luckily, ‘natural flavoring’ is defined by the FDA, as “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22). Meaning, while both natural and artificial flavoring are produced in labs, natural flavoring is not derived from synthetic chemicals. Artificial flavors are more easy to produce and less costly for manufacturers (one of the reasons ‘green’ sometimes means $$$). I’d totally understand if you were overwhelmed by this, I’m not because I have a degree in Google [insert appropriate field]. Well, at least it’s in one place?

To Green Or Not To Green?

Going into our senior year of college, sick of stripping our skin with harsh chemicals and ingesting worse ones, we decided to take our lives in a new direction--one that was good for us and good for our environment. As we stand here, facing “adulthood”, we decided it was time to take responsibility for our stomachs and our skin. We're "all-natural" novices, so join us as we explore the sometimes seed-y, oft confusing all-natural, organic and green world (and forgive our penchant for puns). We'll be filling this blog with a lot of our questions, sometimes with answers, and everything that falls between, because we’re just trying to figure out what comes naturally.