Coconut Whitening Toothpaste

We all know my obsession with coconut by now, so you can imagine how excited I was to see Jason's new coconut toothpaste. The Simply Coconut Whitening Toothpaste just launched. It comes in four flavors, coconut creme, coconut mint, coconut eucalyptus and coconut chamomile. I got the coconut creme and i'm in love.

It's made with virgin coconut oil, bamboo powder, strawberry extract and pineapple enzyme to give your teeth a stain-free sparkle. It has a very creamy texture and a little bit goes a long way. I can definitely taste the strawberry extract. It's also 99% earth sourced.

The Jason Simply Coconut Whitening Toothpaste promise: no fluoride, no SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), no parabens, no artificial sweeteners, no saccharin, no propylene glycol and no gluten.

I like it so much, I think i'm going to order the coconut mint one too. I always complete my routine with my Jason Coconut Mouth Rinse. This is the best mouthwash I have ever used. You can buy them both on Amazon.com, Luckyvitamin.com, or at Whole Foods.

Let's Talk About Wrinkles..

Age, sun, smoking and regular use of facial expressions all contribute to wrinkles. We all want to minimize the appearance of wrinkles as much as possible. Before reaching for the expensive, chemical-ridden, anti-aging products, try these natural remedies first. 

Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. This can flush your body toxins and promote healthy, glowing skin. The moisture can also plump up your skin and temporarily fill wrinkled areas. 

A perfect anti-aging serum can’t be made without lavender oil. Mix 15 drops of lavender oil to 1 ounce of jojoba oil and also add 5 vitamin E capsules and store in a glass bottle. Apply on your face twice a day to remove wrinkles. Lavender oil helps restore the skins elasticity. Jojoba oil is one of the most hydrating oils in the entire world. The antioxidants in jojoba oil soothe fine lines wrinkles and slow down other signs of aging. 

Apply witch hazel to your wrinkles before going to bed. Witch hazel contains tannins, which can help smooth out wrinkles by tightening your skin. Apply 4 to 5 drops of witch hazel to a clean cotton ball and gently massage the affected area in small circular motions.

Make castor oil your best friend. Castor oil is one of the oldest-known wrinkle treatments. At around $3 a bottle, it's also the cheapest. By applying castor oil to the skin, you help to soothe your skin, restoring its natural youthful appearance and helping to diminish unsightly wrinkles. 

Sleep on your back. Sleeping on your side causes you to get wrinkles on your cheeks and chin. Sleeping on your stomach causes you to get wrinkles on your forehead. If you can't get out of the habit of sleeping on your side or stomach, then make sure you are sleeping on a satin pillowcase. 

Exfoliate. Exfoliating gets rid of all the dead skin making your wrinkles less noticeable. Just don't overdo it, I only exfoliate my skin 2-3 times a week. If you have sensitive skin, you should only exfoliate once a week. 

Mongo Kiss Lip Balms

Mongo Kiss lip balms feature certified organic ingredients and Fair Trade Certified™ Cocoa Butter infused with Mongongo Oil, a nutrient rich oil from Zambia, Africa.

Used for centuries by the !Kung bushmen of the Kalahari to cleanse and moisturize their skin, Mongongo Oil is high in Vitamin E and other nutrients perfect for nourishing skin. It was also used to protect the skin from the harsh desert environment. The nut of the mongongo also contains: calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, and high concentrations of vitamin E.  

Mongo Kiss balms are USDA organic, Non-GMO project verified, fair trade certified, gluten-free, creuelty-free and made in the USA. The plastic tube and cap are made with over 40% post-consumer recycled material. They are also a certified B corporation.

It comes in eight great flavors, acai berry, banana, blood orange, peppermint, unflavored, vanilla honey, yumberry, and pomegranate. I bought the pomegranate one below at CVS in Florida. You can also buy it on Amazon or directly on the Eco Lips website. 

I put this on every night before I go to bed and my lips are super soft. It's hands down one of the best lip balms I have ever used. 

Alba Creme Shave

This moisturizing, soap-free cream shave is power-packed with rich botanical emollients to ward off dryness, chaffing and bothersome bumps while invigorating skin with a fresh, cool sensation. An infusion of aloe vera, ginkgo biloba, peppermint and vitamin E help hydrate skin and soften unwanted hair for effortless razor glide and reduced risk of nicks, cuts and irritation.

All Alba Bontanica products contain 100% vegetarian ingredients, no artificial colors, no harsh sulfates, parabens or phthalates, and never tested on animals. 

I love the aloe mint scent but it also comes in coconut lime, unscented and mango vanilla. 

You can buy all four scents on Amazon, CVS online, Walgreens online and Thrive Market. 

All Good Products

A few weeks ago I went to Florida to visit my sister. I stumbled upon my new favorite sunscreen at, you guessed it, TJ Maxx. It's called, All Good Apple Sunstick. It smells amazing, goes on clear, and it's chemical free. I used it at her pool that day and fell in love with it. 

All Good's motto is "We believe in good" Feeling good, doing good, all things good. Their products are made with all-natural, organic ingredients and are formulated to heal so they not only feel good on you, they make you feel better. From chemical-free zinc sunscreens and sore muscle recovery spray to silky-smooth lip balms and scrumptious coconut oils, they cover the pain and pleasure of an active, healthy life including products for kids and babies too. 

They are also good to the environment. Their production facility runs on solar power, they are strong advocates for Reef Friendly products and initiatives, they use certified organic ingredients, their products are cruelty-free, they use recycled and recyclable packaging, shipping, and printed materials, they oppose GMOs and find suppliers who are in compliance with this, they have a partnership with the B Corporation, they are a member of Green America, and they give 1% of all sales to important global causes through 1% for the Planet.

Browse through All Good Products and get something good for yourself! 

The FDA is Getting More Complaints About Beauty Product Side Effects

The beauty industry is unregulated by any outside entities, except for a few products like sunscreen and acne creams, which the FDA has some jurisdiction over because they're considered drugs. Otherwise, it's a free-for-all out there, with the industry regulating itself. This never seems like a good idea, right? Look what happened in banking.

A new study published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that people have been increasingly reporting adverse events related to cosmetics to the FDA. An adverse event can be anything from a rash to your hair falling out to death. From 2004 to 2016, there were a little over 5,000 cosmetics-related events reported, which, if you think about how many cosmetics products are used on a daily basis, is not that many. This also doesn’t mean that more adverse events actually have been happening, just that more people are emailing the FDA about it. Also, there’s no way of knowing exactly what it is that gave people whatever issue they were reporting — but they were assuming it was the result of a product. But the biggest increase in reporting came in 2016, when 1,591 beauty-product adverse events were reported to the FDA. A lot of this increased reporting came as a result of the FDA putting out a call to consumers to report issues they’d had with Wen cleansing conditioners. Back in 2014, shoppers started complaining that the products were making their hair fall out. According to the JAMA authors, the FDA received 127 complaints about Wen from consumers, but found out that the company itself had received about 21,000. This just puts into high relief the ridiculous fact that cosmetics companies are under no obligation to report these issues, and the FDA cannot mandate that they issue a recall like it can with, say, contaminated lettuce. You can still buy Wen conditioning cleansers! With a series of recent beauty lawsuits, like the Johnson & Johnson $10 million talc suit and the icky Eos lip balm mold lawsuit, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we need more regulation. I already pointed out that with the current anti-regulation White House, this looks about as likely as Ivanka Trump selling off her clothing business — but there’s a bright spot of hope.  Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are co-sponsoring a bill called the Personal Care Products Safety Act this year. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried it, though; Feinstein and Collins also introduced this bill in 2015, but it went nowhere. The large players in the industry were on board, but smaller cosmetics companies were not, saying it would hurt them financially. But maybe now we have the public impetus needed to get it through, especially since this bill has bipartisan support. The bill would allow the FDA to issue recalls, increase labeling requirements, and help small businesses meet new mandates. It would also require the FDA to test up to five ingredients per year. Right now, the natural beauty industrial complex gets new customers primarily based on fear of the unknown. Some cosmetics ingredients are untested (although many more have years of research and safety data) or have poorly designed studies showing questionable bad outcomes, so so-called natural beauty companies capitalize on this with a “better safe than sorry” selling tactic. If we actually had solid, concrete data, perhaps then we would know for sure that our beauty products are not killing us. Either way, it’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out, no sketchy hair product needed. - Cheryl Wischhover, Senior Beauty Reporter Racked.com

The Body Deli

The Body Deli is the pioneer in fresh, organic, raw superfood enhanced personal care products. Two "foodies" with an extensive background in nutrition, raw food, wellness and beauty, envisioned a personal care brand so different, fresh and unique that they started their own healthy skin care products. 

The raw beauty magic happens in the Coachella Valley, California in the city of Palm Desert. They handcraft premium quality skin & haircare products in small batches daily in their state of the art Cosmetic Kitchen. Their products deliver real results because they use the purest and most potent raw and organic superfoods available. 

My friend Missy introduced me to The Body Deli. I loved everything about this company from the minute I opened the website, thanks Missy! All of their products are vegan, never tested on animals, non-toxic, and handmade in California using real raw ingredients. 

From June 26th - July 10th, the entire Thai Lemongrass collection is 20% off. Fresh lemon and lime will revitalize & awaken your senses.
The Body Deli Zest Fest Sale. 

If you sign up for the VIP Club, you will receive exclusive offers. Be the first to know about specials, new products and rewards. They usually have a different product line on sale every month. Trust me, you will love all their products. 

Monat 'The Champ' Dry Shampoo

If you pick friends like I do, then dry shampoo is also your best friend. Its a lifesaver. I only wash my hair every other day or every two days. I'm not going to lie, I go three days more than I like to admit. On the days I don't wash, I use dry shampoo. There are tons of dry shampoos on the market and I have tried quite a few of them, Bastiste, Blow Pro, Kenra, Oscar Brandi, Alterna, Not Your Mothers, Dove, Living Proof and Acure. I never liked any of these because i could always feel the product on my scalp and roots.

Once I went chemical free, I started making my own dry shampoo. Don't get my wrong, I still like this one, but it requires a little extra work. Since I make it with vodka, water, corn starch and essential oil, it's a wet spray. You have to spray it in, wait a minute for it to soak in, rub it in, then blow it dry it. You can find the recipe in the Hair Care tab above.

I decided to give Monat's, The Champ, a try. It's amazing, absolutely amazing. I was shocked at how much I like it. It has a fresh clean scent and goes on so light. I don't feel any product at all on my scalp and makes my hair feel like I just washed it. You just spray it in, brush your hair, and you are done. I can honestly say this is the best dry shampoo I have ever used. I might never wash my hair again...kidding.

The Champ Conditioning Dry Shampoo

Tarte Deodorant

You all know by now that I'm a huge fan of Tarte products. The Tarte line contains chemical free makeup, chemical free skincare, and now a chemical free deodorant. Clean Queen is their new aluminum & alcohol-free natural deodorant.

This hypoallergenic, cream-to-powder formula, leaves no white marks, streaking or wetness behind. It's a very light formula that goes on smooth. It contains natural plant starches to fight odor and soothing aloe to cool and condition. It has a very light clean smell. As always, Tarte products are formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfates, and gluten. 

I just picked it up at Sephora for $14. I have only used it a couple times but i'm already a fan. If you click on the Deodorant tab above, my other favorites are Lavanila, Crystal and Primally Pure. Clean Queen is comparable to Lavanila. They are in the same size and shape bottle with the same price tag. I think Clean Queen is a lot lighter and goes on much easier than the Lavanila. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Lavanila too, but I'm a sucker for trying new things. 

                                              Tarte Clean Queen Deodorant

Body Lotion

Who doesn't love a good body lotion? Lotions keep our skin soft and smooth. They are not as greasy as oil and quickly absorb into the skin. Some of them smell amazing too. So what's the problem? Lotions are filled with toxic chemicals like parabens, fragrance, petrochemicals, alcohol, and oil emulsified in water. The only ingredient that provides any moisture to the skin is the oil. 

I know everyone isn't an oil junkie like me. A few of you even told me that you simply don't like using pure oil on your skin. I get it, no judgement here! While I continue to use my homemade oil based body butter (recipe below), here are some great chemical free body lotions you can use.

Acure Organics Energizing Body Lotion
Sold at Target, Wegmans, Amazon and on the Acure website

Shea Moisture Tamanu Oil & Shea Butter Extra Dry Skin Body Butter
Sold at Target, Ulta, Amazon and I even found a few at TJ Maxx

Everyone Coconut & Lemon Lotion

Sold at Target, Amazon and on the EO Products website

Alaffia Coconut Lime Ultra Hydrating Body Lotion

Sold at Target, Wegmans, The Vitamin Shoppe, Amazon and on the Alaffia website

Homemade Body Butter. I have tried several body butter recipes and this one is by far my favorite. It has only 4 ingredients and super easy to make. Note, I used almond oil (not olive oil) and I added Young Living lemon essential oil. I also threw it in my stand mixer and whipped it on high for about 10 minutes. My skin feels amazing ever since I started using it. I keep it in a mason jar in my shower. I put it on right after I dry off. You will feel slightly greasy after you apply it, but your skin quickly absorbs it. Just remember when using oils, a little bit goes a long way.