Cheap Green Find: Desert Essence Shampoo

Posted by:  Jordan

A few weeks ago I was in need of a new shampoo, which is rare because I bought my last bottle of shampoo in 2010 when I was in London and discovered that they have a whole line of Weleda hair care products there, lucky Brits.  This is not a joke–one shampoo bottle lasts me that long, and that’s with my husband sharing the bottle!  I have very fine hair and the little hair he has is quickly dwindling, so we don’t go through much of it, especially since we don’t wash our hair every day.

As if Emily read my mind that it was time for me to make the big decision of what our new bottle of shampoo was going to be, she sent me this great article from Ecosalon with the best green shampoos.  What great timing!

I’m not opposed to spending some money on my shampoo since it will last me so long, but of course I ended up choosing the cheapest shampoo on the list!  I was at my local natural foods store and saw Desert Essence’s whole line of shampoos and conditioners, and I remembered that Desert Essence shampoo was one of the three shampoos listed in the Best Overall category.  And it was only $6–score!  There are several delicious sounding shampoos such as Coconut, Italian Red Grape, and Red Raspberry–each focusing on a different hair type–but I ended up choosing the volumizing Green Apple and Ginger.

This is a fantastic, all-natural, inexpensive shampoo that I would highly recommend.  Does it make every day an amazing hair day?  Of course not, it’s just a shampoo, not a miracle worker.  But it smells amazing (perfect for Fall), gets my hair clean without stripping it of its natural oils thanks to the sulfate-free formula, and doesn’t leave a nauseating, lingering, artificial smell.  (By the way, is anyone else completely turned off my artificial fragrances after going all-natural with their personal care products?  Ugh, so overpowering!)

Don’t you love when you find a great all-natural product that you can feel good about and simultaneously spend less than you would had you bought your standard chemical-packed drugstore brand?

And what’s better than a Cheap Green Find?  A FREE ONE!!!  Enter to win our current giveaway for Andalou Naturals Lemon Facial Scrub.  Winners announced tomorrow (we extended the contest to allow a few more of you stragglers to enter!). 

Vapour Organic Beauty on The Today Show!

Posted by: Emily

Good morning, readers! One of our favorite makeup brands was featured on The Today Show this morning, as part of the segment “Jill’s Steals and Deals,” and they are offering some GREAT deals!!

Several kits are available online, each for only $18, most with retail values closer to $100, so this is quite a bargain! If you haven’t tried Vapour yet, or if you have and have loved it as we do, here’s a great opportunity to get a bunch of products at a very low price!

Offers are good through tomorrow, Wednesday April 20th, 2011, at 11 am ET, or while supplies last.

Here’s the link! Let us know if you buy something!!

The Most Natural Product Ever

Posted by: Emily

True story.

(I don’t know why I’m telling it to you– it doesn’t paint me in the best light– but if it is useful to you, then I’ve done my job.)

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a focus group. I love focus groups. If I could be a professional focus group participant for a living, I would do it. I love giving my opinion; you may have noticed that by reading this blog! I love trying new things and telling people what I think about them. I love being an expert for a few hours or so and imagining the execs behind the 2-way mirror taking notes on my feedback. (Lest you be confused, focus groups utilize the 2-way mirror; I have never been to jail.)

So, last Thursday, to be exact, I was asked to be in a focus group. The group was meeting in midtown– ah, lovely midtown!– after work, so upon leaving my office, I had to grab a quick dinner on my way. The pickings were slim, and I was low on time, so I went for a slice of pizza. To make myself feel better about this choice, I had spinach pizza– there was probably a whole garden’s worth of spinach crammed on top of this one slice of pizza, and it was delicious as I scarfed it down on the subway. The dinner of champions.

As I exited the subway, I had a feeling there might be some spinach in my teeth– I could kind of feel it in between some incisors (those are a kind of teeth, right?) so I pulled out my cute Shiseido pocket mirror (their products may be chemical-laden, but I will never give up this cute mirror) and checked my teeth. Wow– there was so much spinach there! Practically any place there could have been some, there was spinach. And the thing about a focus group is that– forget those ad execs behind the 2-way mirror– you’re at a table with 8 or 10 other people, talking for 2 hours, while everyone is looking at one another, in pretty good lighting, I must add, and the last thing you want is to have really obvious spinach in your teeth in that situation. I tried to suck it out of my teeth, but with no success.

I was panicked. I was entering the lobby of the building where the focus group was to take place, and while I knew they’d have a bathroom upstairs, I don’t carry dental floss around with me, so I realized I was totally stuck! What to do?…

And then, it hit me.

On my person, at all times, I have an incredibly natural beauty product. And it works darn well as floss. It’s my hair.

Before you judge me, and you know you are, think about it: My hair is created from my body, in which I, this pizza aside, put mostly organic, natural food. And then I wash and condition this hair with all-natural products. So what could be more natural?

Luckily, I have been blessed with thick, strong hair, and, FYI, this definitely requires long-ish strands, so I pulled one from my scalp, used the mirror inside the elevator, and, ta-da, the spinach was all gone from my teeth by the time we reached the 11th floor! And yes, when I say “we,” there were other people with me in the elevator when I did this hair-as-floss-trick. So sue me. Is that so wrong? Yeah, that’s kind of gross, and I definitely advise you to do this in the privacy of a restroom, should you ever be in a similar predicament, but it worked in a pinch, and I am kind of proud of myself for my quick thinking.

You may be shaking your head now. You think you’d never stoop to using your hair as dental floss. But just you wait; next time you’re on your way to some important meeting and you’ve just eaten something stringy and green, be glad you’re taking good care of your hair. You never know when it might actually start earning its keep.

See, it's important to always check your teeth in the mirror! (Me on the set of the webseries "Chaos Theory")

Cheap Weleda!!! (and other deals at Whole Body)

Posted by: Emily

Deals, deals, deals!

Last night I was heading home, but I couldn’t get in the subway because I was talking to my parents on the phone. (There’s no cell reception in the subway, for those of you who don’t live in NYC).  So I realized that I was pacing around the block right near Whole Foods Chelsea, which has a whole separate Whole Body store! So I went in! And it was wonderful!

As I chatted with my folks, I strolled around the store and found that they’re having some incredible deals this month! Now, I know that each store has different specials, so maybe it’s cruel of me to tell you about all these deals, since they might not be available in your area, but the general takeaway from this blog entry is that Whole Body has awesome deals, so check your local store early and often!

So, here’s what I found:

1) Most exciting is that there was a sale on Weleda Skin Food! Yes, the awesome, amazing moisturizing lotion that retails for $17.50 was on sale for $11.99! BUT WAIT! It gets better; remember that $3 off coupon that Jordan wrote about? THEY LET ME USE THAT, TOO! So I got Skin Food for $8.99, aka basically 50% off! Wow! I’m going to print out another coupon and stock up! I think the deal is going on through the end of the month, and the coupon is good through the end of the year!

2) I’ve become a HUGE fan of Dr. Bronner’s products, (which Jordan also wrote about, meaning she tells us about ALL the coolest things). I’m especially a fan of the classic bar soaps, which retail for about $4 a piece. BUT, right now, at least at the Chelsea Whole Foods, the Peppermint Bar Soap is… $2.49! So I bought two!

3) Also on sale is The Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick, which has Tea Tree Oil, which I find to be great for pimples and blemishes. Usually $8.95, currently $5.49. I bought one. Maybe I should go back for another?

And as a bonus, there was a big bowl of Pangea Organics samples out at the register! I’ve been dying to try them, so I got a few different flavors of the Facial Cream to try– I will test them out and report back to you all asap! In the meantime, go to Whole Foods and get some samples for yourself! And let me know what you think!!!

(And by the way, PangeaOrganics.com is offering 25% off ALL PRODUCTS through April 30th to celebrate Earth Day! Whoo Hoo!!!)

Surprisingly Good Cheap Green Find of the Day

Posted by: Emily

Whole Foods’ 365 brand makes Shampoo, Conditioner, and Bodywash that are incredibly affordable and made without parabens, synthetic fragrances, polypropylene and polyethylene glycols, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates. They might not be the most glamorous products you’ve ever used, but they work, and at around $3.00, you can’t beat the value.

The shampoo makes my hair feel clean but not-too-squeaky-clean, and the conditioner detangles my course, thick hair, which is saying a lot! I’m pretty picky, and I’m pleased.

I like the lavender scent for my hair and I’m trying the Herbal Mint body wash, (also under $3 and, while maybe not the best scent, totally acceptable) which doesn’t lather much, but gets the job done.

However, I am finding Whole Foods’ website to be extremely unsatisfactory in trying to look up more details about their products! I just want to know what the options are for scents and formulas, and can’t seem to find a complete listing online. I guess it’s best to just go to the store and look, but I’m disappointed in their website. On the up side, for $3 you can try it out, and if you hate it, not much is lost!

Here’s a link to the Herbal Mint Shampoo.

And read this for more info: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2009/08/premium-body-care-at-budget-prices/