Posts from — July 2008

Today I would like to talk about one of my favorite herbs. And no, it’s not one of those exotic plants in tiny special boxes at the corner of the supermarket. It’s the one plentifully abundant everywhere and at the most reasonably prices of all things green. (And one of about two herbs available in organic version around here…)

Parsley.

Oh, yeah.

Some beautifying benefits of parsley are:

• reduces swelling and redness
• lightning the skin
• toning
• helps to reduce black heads
• wrinkle prevention

This little green herb is all magic when it comes to “pretty” skin care. Here are some simple homemade beauty recipes that feature the gloriousness of parsley. Most of them require so little effort, you’ll be wondering why anyone spends money on expensive skin care at all… 

Parsley mask for combination skin:

A parsley mask is very good for balancing combination skin. To do that, take a couple of fistfuls of parsley, chop and then mush with a pestle till it’s releases the juice. Mix with a teaspoon of honey. Leave the mask on the face for a few minutes (10 to 20), and then wash off with warm water.

Parsley hair strengthening infusion:

Mix four teaspoons of fresh finely chopped parsley with about two cups of boiling water. Wait for it to absorb well together. Use this mixture every two – three days for rinsing hair.

Mask for oily skin:

Mix extremely finely chopped parsley with ground oatmeal (grind regular oatmeal – not instant! – in coffee grinder or equivalent) and then spread it on your face for about 20 minutes. (I suggest using mortar and pestle for squishing the parsley to release the maximum amount of juice.) Wash off with lukewarm water.

Mask for dry skin:

Mix parsley infusion (see above) with a little bit of natural cottage cheese (1 tblspn spoon infusion, 2 tblspns spoons cottage cheese).

Combating swollen eyes:

Also, use parsley if you have “bags” under eyes. For that chop parsley finely and spread it on moistened cheesecloth squares. Make little “baggies” (like homemade teabags  ) and put on your eyes for 10 – 15 minutes. You can also put moistened cotton balls on top, to keep the “baggies” wet.

So next time you buy too much parsley and are wondering what to do with it all, (for there is only so much tabouleh one can eat …) share the goodness with your skin and hair.

A little homemade pampering never hurt anybody.  Especially when it comes to the freshest and most natural organic skin care on the planet!

I’ve been spending an inordinate amount time searching for a good organic deodorant. But it seems to be a highly evasive beast. Most things that work have spooky ingredients. And things that don’t have spooky ingredients don’t seem to do anything. Perhaps there is something to the argument that when you eat well and all the Zen, you don’t need one.

Well, I’m not quite there yet. And this time of year I NEED ONE! Maybe even more then one…

You might say: “Why bother? Just use a regular one…”

Here are my two arguments why deodorant is not one of those things to slack on.

First: LOCATION, LOCATION and LOCATION. It’s too darn near the breasts to be “whatever”. And for me breast cancer is not just a theory in the family line. I’ve never even knew my grandmother with breasts — they were already removed by the time I was born. So, on a preventative note I now try to avoid suspicious ingredients around mine.

And second: We women do not naturally come bare over there (as Julia Roberts so adequately demonstrated some years ago…) So before we roll or spray on a deodorant, we thoroughly irritate (and even cut) the skin by shaving. Leaving it vulnerable and open… Which is probably not the best time to load it with parabens or various aluminum chlorohydrates and such… You get the picture.

So, as a result of those freak-out considerations, I’m on a lookout for an effective organic underarm deodorant.

In case you are too, I’ll profile the one currently ruling my countertop.

Product name: Lafe’s Natural and Organic Deodorant Stick (Active)

(Note: I’ve seen other “new and improved” pictures online. My review pertains to the one pictured here, cause that’s the only one I’ve got.)

What and who is it for:

It’s a deodorant stick. “For active people, a pleasant aroma from botanical essential oils with strong antibacterial properties.”

About the brand:

Can’t find much information beyond what the official site provides. It doesn’t look like a huge company. According to the article found on site’s “press” page, in 2004 they were projecting sales of about $350,000. In the same article they said that Lafe’s rate of growth has been 25-30% in the past. So, projecting those numbers by four years would give about $850 thousand by 2008 in sales.

Lafe’s Natural Bodycare was founded by Lafe Larson. His mission is to

“… educate consumers about healthy alternatives to conventional synthetic, chemical-based products. With the belief that Mother Nature provides most everything we need, Lafe uses natural and organic, paraben and PG-free ingredients – direct from the earth.”

The company was started with a $15,000 family loan in 1992, and since 1997 all products are manufactured in US using ” completely natural, organic and paraben-free formulations”.

You can read more about the company on their website.

Price:

I paid $5.99 CAD for a 2.5 oz bottle (stick).

Certifications:

Certified organic hemp oil, aloe vera and essential oils.

Packaging:

Am not sure what to call the container… A bottle? It’s a regular deodorant stick in a “bottle”. The bottle is plastic. I hear that Lafe’s will be using special plastic (made by PlastiPure) for their upcoming baby products. PlastiPure makes plastic containers that are free of estrogenic activity. I hope they’ll use this plastic for adults too, in some near future date. We used to be babies too once, right?

Reading the ingredients:

Glycerin (vegetable), purified water, sodium stearate (vegetable), sorbitol, dimethyl capramide (vegetable), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), certified organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) extract, certified organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) oil, Coriandrum Sativum (Coriander) oil, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) extract, Hyssopus Officinalis (Hyssop) extract, certified organic Eugenia Caryophyllus (clove bud) essential oil, essential oil aromatic blend.

Well, nothing triggers any danger bells. Looks as good as one can expect out of a deodorant stick. I’m happy with this list.

Other Claims:

“Natural antibacterial agents.”
“Paraben, propylene glycol and aluminum free.”

Scent:

I found it to be a pleasant “soapy” smell.

Texture:

It’s a clear stick. Sort of like hardened gel.

Effectiveness:

Well, it’s no “Secret”. It doesn’t last all day. And it doesn’t combat that really-really hot day sweat. But it’s perfectly ok on a regular day.

Another bonus is that it doesn’t leave any marks on the clothes. It goes on clear and stays clear. Which is a big plus for me, as I’ve looked like a striped zebra way too many times in the past.

Side Note:

It says on the bottle: “1% of our profits go to support breast cancer prevention”. Hmmm… “profits” are not quite sales… So, I don’t know how much actually is donated, or what specific organizations benefit. All it says on their site is “We donate with Dharma Merchant Services”. I think they need to provide more information on that. I hope it’s not just a sales pitch. But to be more credible, I’d like to know “how much” and “where”. Otherwise I’ll be left to assume that it’s a sales gimmick…

(Note: I’ve sent them an email inquiring about what specific organizations or initiatives they support, and I’ll post the reply here when it comes.)

Update:  Please see at the bottom of the post for the reply I recieved from the company.

Verdict:

This is good for regular mild weather times. Basically it’s good for general use, but doesn’t quite cut it for “active” sweating. I’m still searching for a good option to combat the real summer and those occasional bursts of working out that I sometimes experience.

I will be trying the “new and improved” Lafe’s version next, and I’ll let you know if it fares better.

But please give me a shout if there are deodorants that are pure and organic that you know are good for those times when we really need them.

Update:  I scent an e-mail to Lafe’s asking what organizations they contribute to.
They sent me back an answer stating that the following organizations have recieved contributions:

• ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now)
• Breast Cancer Fund
• The Environmental Defense Fund
• National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO)
• Sierra Club
• Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
• The Cancer Project (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
• United Cancer Research Society