Besides eating organic food, using organic skincare products is another way to greenify your life. Essere Organics carries two wonderful product lines, Beautea and Lucia, containing a multitude of organic ingredients that are not only good for your skin, but smell incredibly good too.

The Beautea line includes lotions, soaps, shower gels, and candles made from ingredients like Organic Black Ceylon Pekoe Tea and Organic Green Oolong Tea, hence the namesake. The body lotions ($16.99), contain shea butter sunflower, soya, and sesame oils and are lightweight, but incredibly moisturizing, and quickly absorb into the skin as well. Beautea scents their skincare products very subtly, so they will not interfere with any other sort of fragrances you are wearing, which is great news for heavy handed perfume spritzers like myself. They are also paraben, pesticide, and synthetic preservative-free, which makes them truly a “green” company.

And the Lucia soaps are to die for. These large bars of finely milled soap are made with organic shea butter and keep your skin feeling incredibly smooth and soft. My favorite of the bunch is the Goats Milk & Linseed Soap ($8.49), which is extremely gentle and great for babies or anyone with sensitive skin.

Cost: $8.49 (soaps) – $16.99 (lotions)
Value: Moderate
Accessibility: Moderate
Where to Buy: EssereOrganics.com

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

A bad hair day can be the fastest mood killer around. It’s one of those irksome things that can shake your confidence – not because anybody can really tell that you’re having a bad hair day, but because it creates a relentless frustration that dwells in all your thoughts, slowly beating down your reserve like Chinese Water Torture, haunting you until alas, you are able to do something about it. When my hair is damaged from all the heat and chemical processes, I become that bad hair day girl, and I hate it. I know that when my hair looks good, I feel good. And healthy, vibrant hair is always indicative of youth and vitality, what everyone wants sure enough. This week’s pick is one to make even the most brittle and damaged hair healthy and soft again, and is Ojon’s Restorative Hair Treatment.

Ojon’s Restorative Hair Treatment is a deep conditioner made from the oil of the Ojon tree, a plant species native to the Moskitia region of the Central American rainforest, whose indigenous people are known for their beautiful hair, which is protected from the sun and the elements by the Ojon oil. The oil comes in solid form and when warmed between the palms, turns into a luscious moisturizing hair conditioner. The oil has a unique fragrance, (which fades after a few hours) like that of chocolate, wood, and smoke, and is rubbed through the scalp and hair, and then later rinsed.

I LOVE this product because it works like nothing else out there. My hair incurs a lot of damage since I frequently use heated styling tools, and also due to the fact that it is highlighted and long with very few haircuts. The Ojon website states their clinical tests show:

• a 52% improvement in the condition of very dry, hair after just one use
• a 64% improvement when left on hair overnight

You will definitely notice an improvement in hair texture once you use the Ojon Restorative Treatment. It WILL NOT FIX SPLIT ENDS, nothing does except for cutting with very sharp hair cutting shears, but it will make the hair shaft a lot more flexible, shiny, and soft. It’s worth every penny and a little goes a long way. (My hair is down to my waist and I use about a teaspoon.) It’s all natural too, with limits on the annual harvest to protect the natural resource of the Ojon tree, and a portion of Ojon’s profits is donated to the indigenous people of Central America. It’s truly a beautiful story, for beautiful hair.

REVIEW:
Cost: $21 for 1.35 oz. ($15.56 per oz.) and $55 for 5 oz. plus wooden comb ($11 per oz.)
Value: Moderate
Accessibility: Moderate
Where to Buy: Sephora.com

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

As skin ages, it not only changes in texture, but changes in pigmentation as well, resulting in a dull and tired looking complexion. This week’s beauty tip can help alleviate that problem since it is a D.I.Y. illuminating mask that will automatically deep cleanse, exfoliate, AND brighten your skin. It also happens to be a RECESSION BUSTER tip, as its main ingredients are baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, two very inexpensive products you can buy at any drugstore. Baking soda is a natural anti-inflammatory agent and exfoliant, while hydrogen peroxide safely brightens and disinfects.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Baking Soda
Hydrogen Peroxide

INSTRUCTIONS:
For one application, mix 2 teaspoons baking soda with one teaspoon peroxide until you have a thick paste. Apply the paste with a cotton swab, making sure to avoid your eyebrows and hairline, as these will become lightened. As the mixture dries, you will feel a slight sting. This just means it is working. Rinse after five minutes and follow with your regular face washing routine. You will instantly notice fresher, brighter, and extremely clean looking skin.

WARNING: If you have very sensitive skin, this may cause irritation. You may want to do a test patch on the inside of your arm first.

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

I work with my hands a lot, so my cuticles have a tendency to get pretty tore up, and because it is a dreadful economy, I’m not able to get my nails did as much as I’d like. Rather than complain, I just try to make the best of the situation, which in this case, means doing what I can to make my manicures and pedicures LAST. Past beauty posts like, Cute-icles – Revlon’s Cuticle Trimmer Makes it Easy, includes using tools like a cuticle trimmer to help maintain cuticle health in between shop visits, and this week’s tip, also a RECESSION BUSTER tip, is a D.I.Y. recipe for making cuticle oil that anyone can do quickly and easily.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Small Sprig of Rosemary

0.5 FL. Oz. Olive Oil

1 Vitamin E Oil Capsule or 1/4 Teaspoon Vitamin E Oil

Empty Nail Polish Bottle (Can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply or at your local beauty supply stores. I don’t recommended cause of the mess and toxicity, but you can also rinse out your oil nail polish bottles with acetone nail polish remover.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put a small sprig of rosemary into the empty nail polish bottle.

2. Puncture the vitamin E oil capsule with a needle and squeeze its contents into the empty nail polish bottle. If you are using bottled vitamin E oil, pour about 1/4 teaspoon of oil into the empty nail polish bottle.

3. Fill the empty nail polish bottle with olive oil. (To avoid spilling, use a measuring cup with a pour spout.)

4. Mix the ingredients by giving a hard shake and a stir with its nail polish brush.

This cuticle oil works great when applied twice a day, and keeps cuticles looking healthy, (rosemary is a natural antiseptic), and moisturized by protecting them from water and life’s wear and tear.

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

The flowers are in bloom, there’s a little more bounce in my step, my energy level is prime, and all I can think about is shaking my ba-bump ba-bump bump in cute skirts and dresses like the fabulous Miss Josephine Baker. Okay, so maybe I’ve got a slight case of spring fever, but damn it’s great! And this week’s D.I.Y. RECESSION BUSTER TIP: M.I.S.S. Michelle’s D.I.Y. Energizing Bodywash, is an EASY and INEXPENSIVE way to boost to your mood and energy level while taking your morning shower.

What you Need:
Yields: About 2 Shower Applications

2 Ounces of Body Wash like Tom’s of Maine Unscented Natural Moisturizing Body Wash – $6.50 (or your regular body wash, whose scent will be enhanced by the ginger and orange infusions)

2 Tablespoon Grated Fresh Ginger

2 Tablespoon Grated Orange Peel

Instructions:
Grate 2 Tablespoon of the fresh ginger and 2 Tablespoon of the orange peel. In a small container, combine the ingredients with about 2 ounces of body wash, and let sit for a few hours, and POW, you’re in for a really punchy, invigorating experience as the ginger has an energizing effect while the natural oils from the orange rind calms down the mind, bringing about happiness and delight.

TIP: This ENERGIZING BODYWASH really “wakes me up” if I’ve had a long day, so it’s absolutely great to use in the shower before a long night out too.

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

This week’s RECESSION BUSTER TIP is a D.I.Y. face/body scrub made from nuts and honey, which a great alternative to manufactured, chemically processed skin scrubs, and is also an INEXPENSIVE and TOTALLY NATURAL way to cleanse and exfoliate the skin.

What You Will Need:
1/8 cup Uncooked Almonds or Apricot Seeds
2 Tablespoons Honey
Yields: 15 Face Applications or 3 Body Applications

Read on for the complete instructions! Read the full story

In speaking to many people about health and skincare, I find one of the most common concerns today among conscientious consumers is the desire to replace their current skincare products with “greener”, less chemically composed, and more environmentally friendly ones. I love natural skincare alternatives, so this week’s pick are Dr. Hauschka’s Daily Face Care Kits. The Dr. Hauschka brand makes incredibly wonderful natural products made from organically and biodynamically grown plants that are free of synthetic fragrances, preservatives, colors and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Also, the company does not test its products on animals.
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Every year for the past seven years, I’ve made Christmas gifts for friends and family. I came up with the idea of the Organic Cotton Muscle Packs/Neck Wrap/Eye Pillows last year after seeing similar products on the market that were not very “Green” and also not washable, and being a slight germaphobe, I thought, ewww. The Muscle Packs are made from rice infused with chamomile and lavender essential oil, and are encased in a 100% organic cotton cover that is removable and machine washable. You can heat these in the microwave for heat therapy (wrap around your neck/place on abdomen/ lap) or freeze them for a cooling effect (good for puffy eyes/face and headaches). On cold winter nights, I heat a couple up and toss them in my bed, and in the summer, sleep with ones I have stored in the freezer. These make great practical gifts and people love them. They can purchased at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6343986

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I love the idea of all natural beauty products and remedies, but I don’t always love their au naturel results. However, I was very impressed with the effectiveness of this week’s tip, a recommendation from Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda, which is an all natural, totally vegan, and 100% biodegradable way to soothe, tired, puffy eyes. Tried and tested, enhanced and loved by yours truly.
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