BellaSugar

Tea Tree Oil Products, Part III: Hair Care

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:59:57 -0700

Welcome to my third and final post in this tea tree oil products series. Today I've picked out a few very special hair and scalp products containing tea tree oil that are designed to correct dry, itchy, flaky unbalanced scalps, as well as lackluster, brittle hair. If you have any favorites of your own, please leave a comment and let me know more about them!

Paul Mitchell has a whole range of tea tree products. One that I've specifically heard a great deal about is his Tea Tree Hair and Scalp Treatment ($11.99). It has a great invigorating sensation and smell and is believed to soothe, calm and moisturize the texture of the skin on your scalp as well as condition, repair and protect your hair.

For two more tea tree oil products for your hair, read more

Kiehl's Tea Tree Oil Shampoo ($18) is recommended for those with normal to oily scalps. It helps soothe, stimulate, moisturize, nurture and condition the scalp. Simultaneously, it provides a gentle cleanse that won't strip your hair, so it's a good everyday shampoo.

Jason Natural Tea Tree Oil Hair & Scalp Normalizing Conditioner ($7.49) is a great product if you are looking to help cure an irritated scalp. Not only does it contain tea tree oil, but it's also got jojoba oil to lubricate and moisturize. Aloe vera gel and sea algae extract hydrate and plump up your hair fibers. For optimal results, use after shampooing with a tea tree oil shampoo, massage it into your hair and scalp, and leave it on anywhere from one to fifteen minutes.

Vitamin C Skin Care Part V: Facial Cleansers

BellaSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:59:58 -0700

Welcome to the final installment in my five-part series about vitamin C skin care products. Today we're talking about cleansers. Facial cleansers that contain high concentrations of vitamin C are jam-packed with antioxidants that help fight signs of aging. They also leave skin looking refreshed, calm and brilliant. Here are three of my top picks.

N.V. Perricone M.D. Vitamin C Ester Citrus Facial Wash ($30) is a gentle, non-detergent facial cleanser that nourishes, soothes and calms so that you don't wind up with red, blotchy, or uneven-looking skin.

It's suitable for all skin types but is best for those with normal to oily skin.

For two more vitamin C facial cleansers, read more

Jason Natural Gentle Facial Wash ($9.59) is formulated with vitamin C, ester-C, and beta-hydroxy acids to help firm, tighten and tone your skin. This rich cleanser is safe for everyday use and will help to rid your skin of excess oils-yet it won't leave it feeling dry and flaky.

Paula Dorf Vitamin C + Chamomile Foaming Cleanser ($30) is a gentle balancing cleanser that leaves skin looking radiant and bright and feeling calm and soothed. It is gentle enough for everyday use, but strong enough to remove makeup and impurities.

SPF For Your Skin Type: Sensitive Skin

BellaSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:02:10 -0700

Welcome back to part three of SPF For Your Skin Type. In this installment, we take a closer look at sunscreen for sensitive skin. Many sunscreens tend to clog pores, and they often contain parabens, fragrances and oils that can aggravate sensitive skin. Throw some sweat and strong sunshine into the mix, and you could be faced with an unpleasant reaction. Here are a few sunscreens that block out harmful sun rays but are so gentle that they can even be used on babies and children.

Luzern La Defense SPF 30 ($38) is a gentle and 100% mineral sunscreen created for those with sensitive or rosacea-afflicted skin. But what makes this sunscreen even more special is that it protects the collagen in your skin from breaking down-a common activity from sun exposure that leads to lines, wrinkles and age spots.

Apply before sun exposure, and allow 20 seconds for it to dry before you apply any other products to your face or body.

For two more sunscreens for sensitive skin read more

Jason Natural Sunbrellas Mineral Based Physical Sunblock SPF 30+ ($14.91) is a mild botanical, hypo-allergenic, fragrance-free and paraben-free mineral based sunblock safe enough for even the most highly sensitive skin. It is formulated with chamomile and marigold extracts to both protect skin from the sun as well as soothe and calm sensitive, irritated skin.

Lancome UV Expert SPF 20 Sunscreen ($35) has Mexoryl SX, the first new filter that has been approved by the FDA in more than 18 years. It protects the skin from UVA and UVB rays and it is gentle enough so that it won't even the most sensitive skin.

Bellissima! Jason Natural Lotion Helps Fight PMS

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:00:27 -0700

I was recently introduced to a natural skin care line called Jason Natural. After reading about them and their approach to healing, I stumbled across a great product that seems to be getting rave reviews from its plenitude of users.

This amazing feminine, Wild Yam 7½ % Hand & Body Lotion ($9) contains progesterone, herbs, botanical and minerals to help relieve stress, stabilize mood swings and balance out your hormones. Where has this product been hiding?!

It also contains vitamin E, Aloe Vera and its star ingredient, wild yam which has a striking similarity to progesterone (needed for hormonal balance during the few days before menstruation begins).

It helps calm all of the symptoms associated with PMS (irritability, fatigue, cramps and water retention) and is great for gallbladder disorders, kidney stones and menopause. The cream is perfectly safe for daily use and is especially effective for soothing dry hands, knees and elbows. What do you think? Is it worth a try?

Beauty Byte: Legal Drama For Organic Beauty Companies

BellaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:00:53 -0700

Beloved crunchy beauty brand Dr. Bronner's has gotten the green light to proceed with its lawsuit against other brands that claim to be organic, including Stella McCartney CARE, Jason Natural, Avalon Organics and Nature's Gate Organics. I have to admit, when the news first broke about this I wondered what E.H. Bronner, who would have been 100 this year, would have thought. Beauty nerd that I am, I'm well aware of the founder's complicated past (his parents were killed in the Holocaust, he escaped from a mental institution, and he read a lot of Kipling). But, Bronner was very concerned about morality and it will be interesting to see how his company's claim about "organic noise" in the natural product market will continue to unfold. This Summer the company settled with former defendant Juice Beauty who agreed to reformulate problem products and be petrochemical-free by February 2010.

To read the full press release from the Organic Consumers Association, click here.

Source

Organic: Not Always A Safe Bet

BellaSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:00:53 -0700

If you think that by selecting beauty products that are labeled "organic," you're avoiding all potentially toxic, even carcinogenic additives, you might want to check the labels a little more closely next time. A study commissioned by the Organic Consumers Association, found the surprising presence of the compound 1,4-Dioxane in some of the most well-known "organic" and "natural" beauty brands.

So why is this something to be concerned about? The petroleum byproduct is added to some beauty products to provide mildness to harsh ingredients. It has been declared a known carcinogen by the state of California, and it is suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others. Yikes!

Popular brands such as JASON Pure Natural & Organic, Kiss My Face, and Nature's Gate Organics did not fare so well in the OCA testing, whereas Dr. Bronner's, Sensibility Soaps, Terressentials, Aubrey Organics, and Dr. Hauschka came up clean. The full results of the study can be found here. To find out how you can avoid this toxic additive, read more.

Avoid products with ingredients containing "myreth," "oleth," "laureth," "ceteareth," any other "eth," "PEG," "polyethylene," "polyethylene glycol," "polyoxyethylene," or "oxynol."
Unless a product has been USDA Certified Organic, its ingredients and claims are completely unregulated.
When in doubt, if you can pronounce all the ingredients on the label, it's most likely free from any harmful additives or ingredients.

Source

Bellissima! Ted Gibson Bandostick

BellaSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:00:51 -0700

Sometimes the old stuff is still the best! Bandostick ($25–$65) is the first product that hair gurus Ted Gibson and Jason Backe ever created. These sleek hair sticks have a hole at the top where a rubber band is threaded through so that you can easily create chignons, french twists and buns that stay in place all day.

The testimonials I've read are fantastic, and this product is very popular in Ted's salon. So far the only complaint is that eventually when the elastic stretches out, you've really got to stretch it to the max so that you can get it around your hair two or three times if necessary.

Fortunately for those of us on a budget, Ted has also created a less expensive version of his designer hair stick. Working with drugstore brand Scunci, he has launched the Hairdostick ($3). For ideas and instructions on how to use Bandostick to secure a french twist, chignon or bun, check out these pictures:

View 3 Photos ›

For a complete price list and color selection, read more

Red lacquer ($25)
Black lacquer ($25)
Natural wood ($25)
Black mother of pearl ($65)
White mother of pearl ($65)