All-natural, chemical-free hair care - try Caribbean Solutions Shampoo + Conditioner!

Effective and all-natural hair care: Caribbean Solutions Shampoo & Conditioner:

Caribbean Solutions' Rainforest Citrus Mint Shampoo and Conditioner are a great all-natural hair care option, for those looking to switch to chemical-free beauty products! As with all of Caribbean Solutions’ products, which I have been super impressed with in the last few weeks, this shampoo and conditioner duo is free of chemicals, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfate. The formulas are also 100 % biodegradable. After having tried many different natural brand shampoos and conditioners, this Caribbean Solutions shampoo and conditioner duo is my favorite thus far. When it comes to all-natural shampoos, I find it difficult to find a perfectly effective one. Without all those horrible synthetic chemicals that are found in most popular brand name shampoos, it’s become a new field of research for companies that produce all-natural cosmetics, to create products that are emollient and that lather easily. With some natural conditioners, for example, I have had trouble brushing out my hair, after washing, because of the lack of emollient substances in the ingredients. Caribbean Solutions has really created a shampoo and conditioner duo that leaves my hair soft, fluffy and de-tangled. The shampoo lathers very easily and the conditioner is very emollient. My hair literally gleams after using these products, without any added use of leave-in conditioners. The combined effect of fluffy and very shiny (but not at all greasy-looking) hair has left me very impressed, and not to mention that these hair products smell very refreshing – a gentle floral scent (all from natural essential oils) with stimulating hints of mint and citrus!

Gabriel Organics Marine Lip Treatment

An instantly soothing, organic lip treatment by Gabriel Organics:

Gabriel Organics Marine Lip Treatment (pictured above, with Gabriel Cosmetics’ divine 5-Free nail polish on my finger nails in the color “Raspberry”) is a fantastic lip balm to sooth irritated lips! After returning from the frigid cold of Canadian winter last week, I was able to put this lip treatment to the real test. For years I was using the popular medicated “Lip Medex Analgesic Lip Protectant” to sooth my lips from severe chapping, and it’s taken a while to find a proper organic, all-natural replacement. But I believe I have found something that works even better than Lip Medex for painfully chapped lips – and that’s Gabriel Organics’ Marine Lip Treatment.

The lip treatment has a lovely smell, a smooth application (albeit ever-so-slightly grainy, but not in a bothersome way), and seems to work instantly. The formula soothes broken skin on the lips immediately upon application, stopping the burning sensation common with dry, chapped lips. After being butchered and chapped by Canadian winter, my lips needed serious help last week. I applied the lip treatment immediately upon my return to California. My lips looked smooth, hydrated, and healed the morning after only one use, applied before going to bed!

Gabriel Organics’ Marine Lip Treatment is made from various amazing ingredients, including many sea-derived plants and minerals, which are known to promote healing and anti-aging. This lip treatment also has the added benefit of SPF, present in the formula via several ingredients that have natural sunscreen properties. Check out the list of ingredients in Gabriel’s Marine Lip Treatment: 

Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) oil*, prunus amygdalus dulcis sweet almond) oil*, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil*, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax*, calendula officinalis flower extract*, aloe barbadensis leaf extract*, glycine soja (soybean) oil, crithmum maritimum (sea fennel) extract*, glycerin, corylus americana (hazel) seed oil*, glycine, trace minerals, oenotherabiennis (evening primrose) oil*, cereus grandiflorius (cactus) flower extract, prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil, arnica montana flower extract, persea gratissima (avocado) oil*, melissa officinalis extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (sweet orange) seed oil*, tocopheryl acetate, lecithin, retinyl palmitate, acorbyl palmitate, potassium sorbate (*Organic).

Gabriel Organics is the skincare line of Gabriel Cosmetics. Based in Seattle, Washington, Gabriel Cosmetics was founded by Gabriel De Santino in 1992 – a true venture of passion for natural alternatives and nature’s remedies. Influenced by his grandmother, who was a firm believer in natural alternatives, and by the sea, where he spent a lot of his childhood (on the coast of Mexico), Gabriel first began his company as a natural skincare line, producing products pumped full of natural ingredients derived from the sea (such as kelp and seaweed).

Follow this blog to keep up to date with various natural beauty and healthy lifestyle tips and reviews. This blog is meant to be a helpful tool for people who are looking to switch to natural cosmetics, but who don't know where to start. I post reviews and articles about products that have worked well for me personally. Hopefully these articles are helpful to my readers, in helping them choose makeup and skincare that are toxin-free and all-natural!

A great body and face moisturizer by Caribbean Solutions

Caribbean Solutions' Body Satin Moisturizer leaves skin silky smooth and hydrated!

I was recently extremely impressed with Caribbean Solutions' all-natural, non-toxic sunscreen, so I was pleasantly surprised to draw the same positive conclusions about one of this all-natural company's face and body moisturizer. I love the scent, the light application, and weightlessness of this lovely body and face moisturizer!

Caribbean Solutions "Body Satin" toxin-free and all-natural moisturizer is paraben and chemical free, and it's also bio-degradable. It is an easily absorbing, light formula that is perfect for spring and summer. The lightness in the formula makes this moisturizer effective for both the body and the face. I personally am in love with the fresh Caribbean scent, which comes from the natural essential oils, melon extract and cucumber extract in the ingredients (no nasty synthetic fragrance in these products!). The formula is also loaded with organic aloe vera, organic Hawaiian sea plants, kukui oil, organic jojoba oil, pink grapefruit peel oil, rosemary leaf extract and blue algae.

When it comes to our skin, which absorbs 60% of what we put on it, body care products are really something to think about. It’s very important to be aware of the ingredients in whatever products we choose to smother our skin with, since many popular brand-name body lotions and moisturizers contain ingredients we would never want to ingest (if we knew what they actually were). So why would be put those creams on our skin that absorbs such a large percent of what we put on it?

Companies like Caribbean Solutions make me feel like there is hope in the broken, profit-over-quality, greedy commercial world, in which most beauty product companies choose cheaper production options (including using toxic chemicals in their formulas) over the health of their customers. This is a really wonderful, eco-friendly company that strives to produce products of the utmost quality and effectiveness, whilst preserving our planet and protecting animals from unnecessary toxic chemicals.

Follow this blog to keep up to date with various natural beauty and healthy lifestyle tips and reviews. This blog is meant to be a helpful tool for people who are looking to switch to natural cosmetics, but who don't know where to start. I post reviews and articles about products that have worked well for me personally. Hopefully these articles are helpful to my readers, in helping them choose makeup and skincare that are toxin-free and all-natural!

Andalou Naturals' Facial Exfoliator

An amazing all-natural facial exfoliator option by Andalou Naturals!

Having been on the lookout for a toxin-free, all-natural facial exfoliator, I have been really impressed with Andalou Naturals’ 1000 Roses Pearl Exfoliator. Made up of mostly organic ingredients, this exfoliator (designed to be used once or twice per week) is gentle, smells wonderful, and leaves skin feeling extremely smooth, plump and refreshed. The scent is all-natural, derived from pure rose water and essential oil, both present in the ingredients.

Check out the wonderful, skin-soothing ingredients in this facial exfoliator:

Aloe Barbadensis Juice*, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Distillate*, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Juice*, Vegetable Glycerin, Pectin, Cyamopsis Tetragonolobus (Guar) Gum*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) and Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Oils*, Allantoin, Jojoba Esters, PhytoCellTec (Alpine Rose, Malus Domestsica, Solar Vitis) and BioActive 8 Berry Complex*, Soothing Complex: [Hyaluronic Acid, Magnolia Officinalis Bark, Phoenix Dactylifera (Date) Leaf Cell and Boswellia Serrata (Boswellin) Extracts], Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) and Hibiscus Sabdariffa Extracts*†, Mannitol, Cellulose, Hypromellose, Iron Oxides, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) and Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oils*, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Oil (Non-GMO verified,*Organic, † Fair Trade).

I have been impressed with everything I have tried from Andalou Naturals thus far. Most importantly, this company rejects GMO’s, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic colors, dyes, fragrances, triclosan, PEG, MEA, TEA, DEA, and parabens. They strive to produce products with ingredients that are certified organic, natural origin, bioactive, fair-trade, verified gluten-free, non-GMO project verified, vegetarian and vegan, and derived by using eco-friendly practices. Andalou Naturals also does not test on animals.

Natural and Organic Hair Spray by Honeybee Gardens

Try this natural hair spray by Honeybee Gardens - an organic hair spray that really holds and smells fresh from natural essential oils!

Honeybee Gardens has long been a champion in the natural cosmetics industry. Being a stage performer, I had been on the look-out for an effective, natural hair spray for quite some time. I was very excited to try Honeybee Gardens’ Herbal Mint Alcohol Free Hair Spray because it has an excellent score on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Database.

This organic and botanical hairspray smells fresh, with its clean aroma of peppermint, lavender and rosemary essential oils. It's alcohol free, so it doesn't dry out your hair. The spray is also free of parabens, phtalates, artificial colors, artificial fragrance, and gluten. I find the formula gives a strong hold, but leaves hair with a natural flexibility and shine. After washing my hair, it stays soft and hydrated, unlike when I used to use synthetic hair spray brands, which left my hair brittle and dry.

Just check out this impressive list of mostly organic ingredients: Aqua (Deionized Water), Octylacrylamide Acrylates, Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, *Organic Ethyl Palmate, *Organic Glycerin, *Organic Castanea Sativa (Chestnut) Extract, Panthenol (B5), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Lavandula Officinalis (Lavender) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Sodium Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin (*Organic). 

Compare this list to the toxic and carcinogenic ingredients found in most popular brand-name hair sprays - and then try to convince yourself why you would ever continue to use the "popular" stuff.

Be sure to check out Honeybee Gardens Herbal Mint Hair Spray if you're looking to switch to natural hair products. I like to purchase mine at Pharmaca - a fantastic natural brand pharmacy that often offers awesome discounts for online purchases!

Get your classic red lip on with non-toxic red lipstick!

Here are some fabulous classic red lip options, using toxin-free and natural lipsticks! Check out some of these great green beauty brand red lipsticks!

                         Photo above by Krystyna Szluinska-Sadej. Lipstick: Bite Beauty in 'VIB Rouge'

Photo above by Justyna Szluinska. Lipstick: Silk Naturals Crimson and Zing (vegan lipsticks mixed together)

The classic red lip never goes out of style. We see it on red carpets and performance stages every day. And what better way to get your classic red lip going, than by getting it going without toxins and untrustworthy chemicals? Sure, I may be preaching the same thing in each article where I write about lip products - stop using toxin-rich makeup! - but for all those non-believers in natural alternatives, I urge them all to at least sample some of the brands mentioned in this article. There are natural beauty brands out there that have amazing products which last, are highly pigmented, and - above-all - are actually good for your lips.

Check out the images below of swatches, shown in various lighting (from top to bottow - indoor, sunlight, flash), for seven beautiful red shades of lipstick that are made by wonderful natural beauty brands. The colors I recommend are the following, from top to bottom:

Zuzu Luxe in "Sin"
Silk Naturals in "Hot Blooded"
Zuzu Luxe in "Vino D'Amor"
Silk Naturals in "Card Shark"
Silk Naturals in "Crimson"
Bite Beauty in "VIB Rouge"
Vapour Organic Beauty in "Ravish"

Both Zuzu Luxe's "Sin" and Silk Naturals' "Hot Blooded" fall more into the bronze-red category, especially when seen swatched next to the truer reds. The top two look very similar in the pictures, but "Sin" is definitely more opaque and matte upon application, albeit with a strong bronze sheen. "Hot Blooded" is shinier (wetter) and quite dark on the lips. 

Zuzu Luxe's "Vino D'Amor" is a beautiful, deep fuchsia red, with strong dark pink undertones. It's extremely pigmented and wonderful for dramatic lips. This lipstick performs just as well as MAC's high pigment lipsticks, but without the added non-benefits of carcinogenic ingredients!

Silk Naturals is my favorite natural beauty brand thus far, and the reason is not only because the prices are unbelievably reasonable, but also because the products rock! The eye shadows, mineral glows and powders are all amazing, and the lipstick formulas are just awesome. Two of my favorites are the vegan lipsticks in "Card Shark" and "Crimson". Both are gorgeous true reds (although "Card Shark" is a deeper, more vampy true red), they are super pigmented and apply evenly on the lips. The lasting power is also amazing.

Next to the "Crimson" shade is Bite Beauty's "VIB Rouge" limited edition red lip color, released in 2013. It is very similar to Silk Naturals' "Crimson", but with deeper, bluer undertones. This shade is probably the definition of "true red". I do find Bite Beauty's lipstick formulas to be slightly drying, especially when compared to the perfection of Silk Naturals' formulas, which are extremely moisturizing. However, the reviews that Bite Beauty gets really show how successful and in-demand this brand has become, and everyone should at least take a walk to Sephora to try Bite Beauty. Some of the colors this company has put out are really so vibrant and beautiful!

And finally we have Vapour Organic Beauty's "Ravish" lipstick. This is one of the first natural red lipsticks I tried. It is a gorgeous color. Vapour Organics prides itself on having produced these lipstick formulas that capture light in a unique way - allowing for a more vibrant reflection of color tones. This is not so apparent in photographs, but one can certainly see the vibrancy in person when applied on the lips. My one criticism of Vapour's formula is that it really needs to be re-applied often. I find that it only retains a really vibrant color for about an hour before starting to disappear. It is a different - feeling, lighter formula from the other companies I mentioned, so it's definitely worth a try. And the company has a terrific reputation and huge celebrity following. They also offer samples for purchase from their website, so it's very easy to try their products without spending a great deal of money.

All of these brands range in price from as low as $4.50 - $5.75 (Silk Naturals) to $24 (Vapour Organics and Bite Beauty). Zuzu Luxe lipstick has a middle-of-the-line price range at $18, although Zuzu Luxe fans should be aware that various websites, like Pharmaca.com, often have great sales on the brand, and the lipsticks can be obtained at just over $10.

For anyone who is looking to switch to natural cosmetics, these brands are good ones to sample. Everyone is a bit different, so different formulas are better or worse for some people. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this. Please leave comments below about natural lipstick brands you've tried that are not mentioned above!

A natural, water-resistant and toxin-free sunscreen by Caribbean Solutions

Check out this sweet-smelling, wonderful sunscreen lotion from Caribbean Solutions, for another toxin-free sunscreen option!

Caribbean Solutions Sol Kid Care SPF 25 Lotion is an eco-safe, natural and biodegradable sunscreen option that is better for the planet and better for you! Our local drugstores and pharmacies do not yet do a great job at protecting us from chemical-laden, toxic body care products. The big corporations still have too much of a grasp on most chain stores, and we simply cannot trust what the stores are selling us. We must do our own research about every household cosmetic we buy, to avoid being exposed to an unneccessary amount of toxins and chemicals. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) made it easy for us last year, when they released a list of safest, least toxic sunscreens available on the market. One of the sunscreens that made it on that list is Caribbean Solutions.

I can’t say enough good things about this sunscreen. Other than being paraben-free, natural, biodegradable, eco-safe, reef friendly, and water-resistant, this botanical and mineral blend is also not processed using nano-technology (so, there are no nanoparticles present in this formula). 

Caribbean Solutions sunscreen also smells really nice, but thankfully there is no synthetic fragrance in the formula. The wonderful aroma comes from the hibiscus, cucumber and melon extracts, giving this sunscreen an appropriately “Caribbean” scent. This lotion also applies very easily; it’s not too thick like some natural sunscreen brands can be, and the formula spreads evenly.

The ingredient list for this sunscreen contains: Organic aloe vera leaf (aloe barbadensis gel); natural titanium dioxide; natural (transparent) zinc oxide; wild pansy extract (viola tricolor extract); green coffee bean extract (coffee arabica bean extract); hibiscus (hibiscus rosa sinensis extract); cucumber extract (cucumis sativus extract); melon extracts; organic sunflower oil (sunflower seed oil glyceride); tocopherol acetate (natural vitamin E from corn), organic jojoba oil (simmondsia chinesis seed oil, theobroma cacao seed butter, and cetyl alcohol.

Caribbean Solutions is a really wonderful, eco-friendly company that strives to produce products of the utmost quality and effectiveness, whilst preserving our planet and protecting animals from unnecessary toxic chemicals.

A natural shampoo and conditioner option that smells just like marzipan! Yummy!

Acure Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner Duo is delectably scented and super moisturizing!

I recently wrote a review for Acure Organics' Pure Mint and Echinacea shampoo and conditioner duo. Now I have to share an even better hair care duo from Acure - the 'moroccan argan oil and argan stem cell triple moisture repairing shampoo and conditioner' duo.

These are my favorite shampoo and conditioner to date! First of all, the formula smells like marzipan (since marzipan is one of my favorite deserts, I suppose I might have a bit of a bias), but the shampoo and conditioner also nourish the hair, leaving it voluminous, shiny, soft and detangled. The shampoo lathers and spreads easily too, which is sometimes not the case with natural brands.

Acure is a company that produces high-quality organic formulas, without the hefty price-tag of some of the other healthy and non-toxic "natural" brands. I would highly recommend for everyone to try Acure hair care, especially for those who are looking to replace more toxic shampoo brands. This shampoo and conditioner are vegan, color-safe, animal friendly, and are free of gluten, sulfates, parabens, and phthalates.

All you have to do is look at the ingredients, and you can see why this shampoo is awesome:

Organic Euterpe oleracea (Acai) Berry, Organic Rubus fruticosus (Blackberry), Organic Rosa canina (Rosehips), Organic Punica granatum (Pomegranate), Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Rooibos, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Vera Leaf Juice, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate (from Coconut), 100% Naturally-derived Betaine (from Sugar Beets), Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate (from Coconut + Amino Acids), Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (from Coconut + Amino Acids), Cocoglucosides Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Sugar Conditioner), Sodium Levulinate (from Corn), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Guar gum conditioner), Potassium Sorbate (food grade preservative), Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Organic Fair-Trade Certified™ Olea Europea (Olive) Oil, D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (vitamin E), Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) seed oil, Organic Curcubita pepo (Pumpkin) seed oil, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Argania spinosa (Argan) Stem Cells, glycerophosphoinositol lysine (from sunflower), Almond Extract, Cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia Bark) Oil

Follow this blog to keep up to date with various natural beauty and healthy lifestyle tips and reviews. This blog is meant to be a helpful tool for people who are looking to switch to natural cosmetics, but who don't know where to start. I post positive reviews and articles about products that have worked well for me personally. Hopefully these articles are helpful to my readers in helping them choose makeup and skincare that are non-toxic and all-natural!

Aloe Vera Gel

Now Solutions has a great, soothing aloe vera gel - awesome, natural choice for sunburns!

Aloe Vera has long been a plant remedy for various ailments, skin problems, burn wounds and internal bodily imbalances. Since ancient times, the gel of the aloe vera plant has been cultivated and used medicinally, and has continued to be a dominant ingredient in alternative medicine and in the natural cosmetics industry. All one has to do is check the ingredients of all “natural” cosmetics, and aloe vera is an ingredient in at least a third of them!

My main gripe with most so-called “pure” aloe vera bottles sold commercially, such as are found at our local drug stores, is that the aloe vera tends to be bombarded with unwanted, carcinogenic chemical additives. Those common additives include the chemicals triethanolamine, tetrasodium EDTA (made from formaldehyde and sodium cyanide – yikes!), and parabens. To those my skin says, “No, thank-you!” I found it actually quite surprising how difficult it was to find a completely pure aloe vera bottle, aside from actually planting the plant myself and keeping one in order to get the gel right from the source. I have, in fact, began harvesting my own plant, but the healthiest and most viable gel comes from plants that are at least 5 years old. So, in the interim, while my plant matures, I need a healthy choice of aloe vera gel, available for purchase.

I chose Now Solutions Aloe Soothing Gel, which also contains a small amount peppermint oil, which is wonderfully soothing in the event of a sunburn. I found this aloe gel to be very effective for sun-burned and irritated skin. Check out the list of ingredients:

Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) Leaf Gel*, De-ionized Water, Potassium Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxymethyl Glycinate, Phenoxyethanol, Cucumber (Cucumis sativis) Extract, Allantoin, Vegetable Glycerine, Panthenol (Provitamin B-5), Natural Vitamin E (from mixed tocopherols) (soy), L-Arginine and Peppermint (Mentha piperita) Oil. *Certified Organic

This aloe vera gel is a wonderful, more natural alternative to most of the brands one will find in a local pharmacy.

Non-toxic Sunscreen

Toxin-free sunscreen option: All Terrain AquaSport SPF 30 Lotion:

Sunscreens have been under scrutiny in recent months due to new data that suggests that Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate), an ingredient found in most popular brand-name sunscreens, may in fact quicken the development of skin cancer when applied on the skin while out in the sunlight. But other than the newest research surrounding retinyl palmitate, there are also other toxic chemicals found in most popular brand-name sunscreens that should be avoided, such as parabens, oxybenzone and fragrance, among other questionable ingredients. All Terrain has proven itself to be a company worth checking out for anyone interested in toxin-free necessary household cosmetics, such a s sunscreen, hand sanitizer (previously reviewed), soaps, lip balms, and repellents.

The creators of All Terrain products specialize in outdoor (camping and hiking) products for people who live active, outdoor lifestyles, but who want to avoid the dangerous chemicals present in most cosmetics formulated to repel insects and to protect our skin in outdoor weather. All Terrain also partnered up with The Environmental Working Group (EWG) last year to create a safe, non-toxic sunscreen, after EWG launched a campaign to offer a free public guide to the safest sunscreens available. After all, why should we slather ourselves with carcinogenic chemicals, when we are trying to avoid cancer in the first place by wearing sunscreen? All Terrain's AquaSport SPF 30 sunscreen is the product of this mission to formulate an effective, natural sunscreen, without the negative risks associated with our skin absorbing a slew of carcinogenic ingredients present in so many big, brand-name companies' products (our porous skin does, after all, absorb up to 60 % of what we put on it).

All Terrain's AquaSport lotion is a unique, dry formula that absorbs quickly. It is not slippery like most sunscreens I have tried in the past, which works well for those who don't like a greasy feel to their lotions. The formula is also fragrance-free (no icky synthetic fragrance here!), water resistant for up to 80 minutes, and, of course, very effective!

The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database has become somewhat of a bible for figuring out what cosmetics are the safest and most natural options for our skin and bodies. The database, growing each day with new submissions, allows visitors to search for a particular cosmetic product and determine the product's safety score, according to the product's ingredients. So, for example, cosmetics that have in their ingredients chemicals that have been ruled as toxic or questionable, are given a higher score, depending on the number and amount of toxins present. Cosmetics that are safest and freer of toxins have a lower score. I would encourage everyone to use this excellent research database, and to do their homework before purchasing any makeup, skin care products, or household cosmetics.