You probably could have predicted this one, yeah? It’s almost V-day, and whether or not you think that holiday is a Hallmark sham, we can all get behind 1) love, 2) the delicious organic chocolates from Wei of Chocolate, and 3) the bewitching blends (including new perfumes!) from Lotus Wei. So this week we have a double deal from these two very special companies.

Here’s how it works: Get a 15% site-wide discount on any of the delicious, flower-essence infused, meditative chocolates from Wei of Chocolate. Nom nom nom.

And get a 20% site-wide discount from Lotus Wei—be sure to check out the infinite love products (one of our favorites, and truly a love potion). Two deals, two sites, lots of love.

Promo code, as always: NMDL. Deal lasts till next Thursday, February 9, at midnight.

Now, in keeping with our new tradition: If you have tried the chocolates and/or scents from either of these lines, please include your own little review in the comments!

If you have no idea what we’re talking about, as in “what the heck are flower essences, and why would they be in chocolate or anything else?” please go back to previous posts like this one and this one or this one, just to name a few. We’re obviously huge fans.

Have a love-filled weekend.

xo

Yesterday I accidentally washed my hair backwards. I was in the shower, scrubbing and singing like I always do, and before I knew it, I’d filled my left hand with a pile of conditioner. Huh. I could have rinsed it down the drain and gone for the shampoo, but I didn’t. Instead, I remembered a sidebar we have in the book about washing your hair backwards, which is exactly what it sounds like: Conditioner first, then a little shampoo.

It resulted in the best hair day I’ve had in months.

Funny story: After the book came out and we were doing interviews, this little sidebar, barely a page long, came up in more conversations than we could count. (The other thing that always came up was our recipe for vodka hairspray, which makes sense.) But the truth was, neither of us was that into it. We’d tried it, and liked it fine, but it definitely wasn’t what we did every morning in the tub. And when we’d get asked about it, it was always a little awkward. “Um… We don’t actually really… I mean… You know what? You should totally try it.” That kind of thing.

The technique was introduced to us by Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Intelligent Nutrients (and, originally, of Aveda) and we included it because we thought it made sense—conditioner has the right pH to seal the cuticle, making it sleeker, and the oils and aloe make your hair soft; shampoo just gets rids of the excess.

Here’s what he told us:

“When you wash your hair, try using your conditioner first. If you want to go all the way, put oils on your scalp, give yourself a nice massage, and then comb it through. Next, wet it down, put conditioner all over your hair and then also all over your body. Wash yourself with the conditioner, then rinse it all off. Then, you use shampoo. Rinse it off as well, and you won’t need conditioner again. If your hair is tangly, put a little oil on your hands and then comb it through—that’s it. You will feel very pure.”

I’m not sure I felt very pure, but my hair looked and felt terrific. Who knew?

Have you ever washed your hair backwards? Would you?

Amazing old ad via

For those new to the site, one of our kind-of claims to fame is for being early to sound the alarm, if you will, on the dangers of the Brazilian Blowout. Our book opens with a scene of us sitting in a fancy West Hollywood salon, choking on the formaldehyde fumes of this now infamous hair treatment. It marked the beginning of our journey into clean beauty—without the BB, there would be no book and no site.

Behind closed doors, we were later told that the negative attention brought upon the blowout, by us and other clean-beauty and public health advocates, helped serve as a catalyst for the lawsuit thrown down by California’s Attorney General back in November 2010. California has this nifty law called Prop 65 that stipulates products that contain carcinogens must feature a warning label on it. And now it’s been enforced for the first time.

Because not only was Brazilian Blowout not warning consumers and salon workers about the high levels of formaldehyde—as much as 10% according to some lab tests—in their treatment, they were also claiming some versions of the product were formaldehyde free. We’ve covered the story extensively and posted the original filing here. A few days ago the saga reached its conclusion. For now.

In a settlement, GIB, LLC, the company that makes Brazilian Blowout, must stop its deceptive advertising and pay $600,000 in fees, penalties and costs. Remember, though, as Virginia at Beauty Schooled points out: This applies to one brand and one brand only for now. There are countless other companies also making similar Brazilian blowout (lower-case b) formulas, and this doesn’t yank the procedure or the products from salons, either. It just slaps it with a CAUTION label.

Is it enough? No, but it’s something.
For those interested we’ve listed the settlement requirements below.

Requirements as listed by a Department of Justice press release:

- Produce a complete and accurate safety information sheet on the two products that includes a Proposition 65 cancer warning; distribute this information to recent product purchasers who may still have product on hand; and distribute it with all future product shipments. The revised safety information sheet — known as a “Material Safety Data Sheet,” or MSDS — will be posted on the company’s web site.

- Affix “CAUTION” stickers to the bottles of the two products to inform stylists of the emission of formaldehyde gas and the need for precautionary measures, including adequate ventilation.

- Cease deceptive advertising of the products as formaldehyde-free and safe; engage in substantial corrective advertising, including honest communications to sales staff regarding product risks; and change numerous aspects of Brazilian Blowout’s web site content.

- Retest the two products for total smog-forming chemicals (volatile organic compounds) at two Department of Justice-approved laboratories, and work with DOJ and the Air Resources Board to ensure that those products comply with state air quality regulations.

- Report the presence of formaldehyde in its products to the Safe Cosmetics Program at the Department of Public Health.

- Disclose refund policies to consumers before the products are purchased.

- Require proof of professional licensing before selling “salon use only” products to stylists.

To this day we still get letters and comments on old posts about women who have lost their hair, damaged their scalps or suffered in some way from the Brazilian blowout. Have you done it? Please continue to share your experiences. This this is far from over.

Image via

In case you are too young to recognize what’s going on in the picture up top, that’s a still from Gilligan’s Island, a TV show about a sort of annoying guy with the best luck in the world: He got stranded on a desert island with these two foxes, who were really nice and improbably touchy with him for reasons never made clear. Consider Ginger and Mary-Ann (and, fine, Gilligan) your muses for the next two weeks, because we want you to pretend you’re a castaway…

…and you’re stuck there with just five products to your name, trying to feel and look your best while you do it.

We gave you a little tip off in advance and your comments are inspiring! Many of you are optimistic it will be easy, which we love because we were kind of panicking about having to do it too.

So why do it at all? Many products create the need for more products, and this is especially true when you’re talking about conventionals. You get stuck with skin so dried out from your soap that it feels like it could snap if you don’t moisturize, and if your moisturizer isn’t right for your skin it gives you spots, and then you need acne potions. This is so dumb!

But even devotes of clean probably use and buy more than we need.

People like to say women use 12 products a day on average, and men use 7. We know from counting on our fingers and canvassing our friends that most of us use way more—even people who think of themselves as unfussy.

Variety is nice, but as with anything in life—your work, your personal life, your diet, your sense of your own beauty—something kind of amazing can happen when you limit your options and figure out what works best for you. We were talking last week about what it takes for you to feel your best, and I was the first to admit I don’t always stick with it. Life gets in the way, sh*t gets hectic, we get it. I do this with my skin and hair, too. But consider this an exercise in picking—and sticking with—what you know works.

So let’s do this thing. Choose carefully. Have fun. And remember you have two weeks to pull it off, so if you mess up, you do have time to try, try again.

Some rules: Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t steal.

Instructions: For three consecutive days, use only five of the same products. That includes all personal care products—hair stuff, leave-ins, shaving cream, face potions, makeup, perfume, cologne, mists, body lotions and scrubs, you get the picture—except toothpaste and deodorant. Then write us an email at nomoredirtylooks (at) gmail (dot) com with DESERT in the subject line, and include your first name and location, written thusly “Sally, Boise, Idaho” and a brief description of how it went. Send this to us by the end of the day Wednesday, February 15th. Pro tip: Don’t wait until the end if you actually care about Valentine’s Day and want to get gussied up for it.

Prize: We will pick three winners at random and winners will get a sweet gift certificate from one of our favorite brands or retailers. We’ll tell you who in a couple of days, but regulars will know: Our prizes are always good!

Special favor: Help us make sure this awesome. Tell your friends on Twitter, Facebook, at the gym or at the bar. Friend us, follow us, and then RT us, or whatever. Spread the word!

The reason for the challenge: Well, there are a few. One, see above: We buy more than we need! And two, naturals often cost more than conventionals, which is why we always advocate quality over quantity. Finally, challenges are FUN.

Who’s in?

Was Gilligan the worst or what? Via

We have a tough question to ask you, one that we’ve been asking ourselves.

If you could only use 5 products—total—what would they be? Yep, it’s that childhood game, and we’re gearing up to make it a challenge, so think carefully: What would you take with you on a desert island?

Alexandra would probably take Rare Elements Conditioner, Tammy Fender Repair Balm, RMS lip-to-cheek in Rapture (though she’d shed a big tear for Ilia’s Bang Bang), Afterglow Concealer in Praline, and a good bar of soap. Or no soap—the ocean will clean her!—and her Laura Mercier waterproof mascara instead? Ugh, tough decisions.

Siobhan would take her Acure Shampoo (hydrating enough for her to forgo conditioner), Tata Harper’s Refreshing Cleanser, Laura Mercier Minerals (they’re clean!), 100% Pure Mascara and, like her pal, the Tammy Fender Repair Balm.

Now, tell us in the comments what you would take, and begin to mentally gear up for one of our most exciting (and challenging) challenges yet!

Ugh. My lips have been SO chapped, it’s really the pits. First, you can’t wear lipstick, and then, one glass of red makes you look like a wino.

On the plus side, though, my winter-worn lips have allowed me to properly explore the wonderful world of multitasking balms available. As many of you know, when it comes to clean beauty, often what works on your lips also does wonders on your elbows, and maybe even under your eyes.

Does any balm totally cure chapped lips? Not overnight. But they make them feel about a thousand times more bearable, and prettier to look at too.

Also, when you’re using a product with skin-nourishing oils, you’re not only keeping moisture into the lip (without the drying ingredients, like alcohol, and nasty chemicals found in conventional balms) but you’re also feeding the skin with healthy fats and other friendly ingredients.

Here’s a quick look at five of my new new favorite balms. But we know there are others! What do you use?

1. One Love Organics Skin Savior Balm: I’ve been meaning to write about this stuff for a while. Lately I’ve been using it on lips, as well as to cleanse my face (sometimes with my new Clarisonic gadget, which we must discuss in another post). I was also delighted to see that my sister, who lives in cold and windy Toronto, found it at Shop Pretty there—and it’s her new fave for everything. Thing is, it’s on the pricier side. But! We have a Friday Deal in the works with these guys and Futurenatural later in February.

2. Waxelene: We’ve covered this stuff before, it’s the Vaseline of naturals and work great on lips, elbows, dry patches, and even to remove eye makeup in a pinch.

3. Yvonne Ryding Instant Repair: This product reminds me of old favorite, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream (did any of you use that?). While definitely not vegan—the first ingredient in this product is lanolin (from sheep) and the third is cera alba (from bees)—this stuff is gangbusters. The line is not perfectly chem-free, but this wonderful product is. I use it mostly on my lips, but it also makes for a nice cheek and brow highlighter. And if I manage to hit the slopes before winter is through, I will bring it with and apply to any exposed skin.

4. Zoe Organics Refresh Lip Balm: This simple little lip-only balm comes in a dainty pink tube that I just love using. And because it has lime peel, peppermint, ginger essential oils, it’s all tingly, tasty goodness.

5. DollyMoo Lip Balm: This is a brand-new discovery and I’ve been using these since I got them in the mail last week. I really like the way they feel, taste and smell. Also, because of the black packaging and the not-too girly scents, these are definitely boy friendly. So you can ditch the Chapstick too, guys.

What have you been doing for chapped lips?

Pretty but possibly annoyed model via

Smells like love: Back by popular demand, today we have a wonderful deep-discount deal from Essence of the Vali. This offer is our favorite kind: a site-wide reduction for our readers that lets you buy whatever your little heart desires. But with all the beating hearts just around the corner for Valentines Day you may want to check out the Passion gift set: a spicy-sweet combination of some of our favorites oils (notably Ylang Ylang, citrus, ginger… yum!). Gift it, ask for it, or treat yourself!

Onto the deal! Get any of your favorite scents, mists, and oils from Essence of the Vali for a whole 20% off when you use the promo code NMDL. Wham bam. Going through until next Thursday at midnight.

And if you ordered from E of V last time, be sure to drop a comment telling us and fellow readers what you liked (or didn’t). As most of you know, we are not the only reviewers with opinions on this site!

We hope you had a wonderful week. We did. Alexandra made a speed trip to New York for work, so us girls got to have a night of fun with some of our favorite friends. Let’s put it this way… we didn’t exactly wake up the next day looking like this, but it was well worth it. Here’s to a restful weekend.

Some of you may recall this popular GOOD post from my darling cowriter Siobhan. But because we have so many new readers (welcome!), and some of you are indeed men (yay! welcome!), and also because a few of you specifically requested a repost, voila: the original post for the boys (and the women who love them). Have you (or your boyfriends, besties, husbands) tried these recommends? Coming soon: A real-live guy will review his favorite boysturizers.

Gentlemen, listen up. Whether you think you do or not, most of you use an average of six personal care products a day, which sounds like a lot until you get out your fingers and count: Deodorant, shampoo, cologne, and shaving cream all count—and so does the moisturizer you steal from your girlfriend. With each of these products containing anywhere from 10 to 40 unique ingredients, it’s worth your while to think about what it is you’re actually using every day, and whether those products are even doing your looks any favors—especially when some of it is so toxic it’s getting fines for air pollution in the state of California.

When, in February 2010, Axe Body Spray’s parent company was fined $1.3 million for air pollution, it sounded like an Onionesque joke. Except that it wasn’t, because in California, progressive environmental laws limit the amount of certain chemicals used in consumer products. According to the California Air Resources Board, the fragrance was in violation of the volatile organic compound limits for aerosol deodorant.

So here’s a primer on the stuff in your everyday products, plus what brands and products to buy instead. If you don’t want to do it for the planet, or yourself, do it for your sperm.

Cologne: Most conventional colognes (and “body sprays”) contain a host of synthetic chemicals that can affect your little swimmers. Phthalate metabolites in male urine was shown in several studies to be linked to sperm DNA damage, a lower sperm count, and less mobile sperm. Unfortunately for all of us, synthetic fragrance is used in just about every conventional product on the shelves of pharmacies and Sephoras, so weeding it out can be a bit of a bear. That said, naturals have gotten really sophisticated, and there are countless lines that are either synthetics-free or at least phthalate- and petrochemical free. Diptyque, a high-end candle and fragrance line, makes gorgeous scents for men (and women) that are paraben-, petrochemical-, and phthalate-free. Intelligent Nutrients, Tsi-La, and Honoré des Près also make amazing woodsy fragrances for guys.

Deodorant and Antiperspirant: Most antiperspirants and deodorant contain some if not all of the following: triclosan, aluminum salts, BHT, penetration enhancers, and artificial fragrance. Many of these are problematic from an environmental perspective, and none of them are good for your health. And yet deodorant is a must for modern living, so try a natural one from Soapwalla, a small Brooklyn company that sells on Etsy, which makes a unisex deodorant cream that works like a charm. For store-bought, look for Tom’s of Maine long-lasting deodorant, which is relatively clean and can be found at most drugstore chains.

Shaving Cream: Besides the propellants and butane in many shaving creams, there is also diazolidinyl urea, which is a formaldehyde releaser, triethanolamine, which is often contaminated with carcinogenic nitrosamines, parabens, which are weak estrogen mimickers, and synthetic fragrance. (See the slide on cologne for a reminder on why that’s not desirable for your health.) Instead, we recommend using organic oils, such as olive or coconut, if you can get past the whole oil-on-face thing. For a store-bought option, try Dr. Bronner’s Organic Shave Gel, which is 100 percent free of synthetics. If you break out, get the one with tea tree oil. Weleda also has a nice one.

Aftershave: Most aftershave contains alcohol, the toxicity of which is less a concern than the fact that it can dry out your face when it needs moisture. Cold water is sufficient to close your pores, and a nice organic cologne is a better bet if you are using aftershave as your cologne. Fill up the sink with cold water and put in a few drops of a woodsy scent like cedar, or something minty if that’s more your speed, and splash your face with that instead. That said, if you like the antiseptic sting of alcohol (who doesn’t, really?) go for a natural alternative with other ingredients to soothe your skin. Jurlique’s Calendula Lotion is soothing on freshly shaved skin, and so is pure aloe. For a splurge, Living Nature, which is an amazing line out of New Zealand, has a great one with antibacterial manuka honey, soothing calendula, and witch hazel, and Dr. Hauschka’s spray-on toner is another favorite.

Shampoo and Conditioner: Our scalps are one of the most porous parts of our bodies, and are easily penetrated by the products we lather onto them—which is counterintuitive, because we tend to think of hair as something separate from our skin, and we think shampoo must wash down the drain too quickly to do any harm. Not so. Shampoos and conditioners are both loaded with skin-, earth- and hair-unfriendly ingredients that dry out our locks, necessitating more products, like leave-ins. Instead, try a sodium laurel/laureth sulfate-free shampoo that won’t lather like a traditional one, but gets the job done without stripping your hair. Alaffia, Giovanni, and Aubrey’s all make nice affordable clean shampoos and conditioners. On the higher end, you can’t beat John Masters Organics. If you have dandruff, find a natural shampoo with tea tree or neem oil, or get JMO’s Zinc and Sage Shampoo With Conditioner.

Moisturizer: Whether it’s your body or your mug you’re slathering in cream, this is an important one to make sure is clean—mainly because you probably use it daily (which ups exposure to whatever is in there) and over a large surface area. Instead of a 30-ingredient lotion filled with silicones, penetration enhancers, fake fragrance, and petroleum derivatives, go for something simpler like a pure body oil (coconut from the health food store works well), or pure aloe vera. For a store-bought lotion for your body (and your face, if you aren’t picky or prone to breakouts) Everyday Shea lotion from Whole Foods is just over $10 for 32 ounces. Dr. Bronner’s, which is also shea-based, is another affordable all-over lotion. For your face, there’s the high-end Dr. Alkaitis, which is a unisex celebrity favorite, and Organic Apoteke, which is light and doesn’t smell like girls.

Read other posts from our GOOD series here.

I am such a sucker for a good eye cream. I’ve already professed my love for Kahina Giving Beauty’s, which smells like Oil of Olay (in a very good way) but better, and is packed with good-for-you argan oil. I’ve reviewed La Bella Figura’s serum, which seems to erase undereye circles and puffiness like nothing I’ve used before, perhaps thanks to barbary fig seed oil. I also told you about Skincando’s Eye Balm, which is just incredibly hydrating.

Now I’m going to tell you about my new favorite toy: Sevani’s Eye Repair Creme.

I’ve been using it pretty steadily for about 5 weeks now, and while the smile lines around my eyes are here to stay (and thank god, honestly—we both love smile lines), I have noticed that my undereyes look and feel more hydrated. We’re not talking about some overnight oh-my-god miracle, but a subtle and meaningful difference nonetheless. The edges of my eyes seem a little plumped thanks to the hyaluronic acid, and I’m holding out hope that the peptides and the Q10—a promising antiager we wrote about in the book—may be doing some long-term good as well. Actives aside, there are some really lovely oils and extracts that are packed with antioxidants and have some nice data on them for their skin-friendliness and antiaging properties.

I have yet to get my hands on Sevani’s other eye treatment—a serum with a lovely ingredient list—but it’ll be on my list of things to try. Well, maybe. I have a serious crush on this one for now. We’ll see when (and if) I’m ready to move on…

Have you tried another you like? And do you, like me, share a love of eye cream?

Ingredients: *Aloe vera juice, avocado fruit oil, sunflower seed oil, cetearyl olivate (and) sorbitan olivate (olive derived), evening primrose oil, vegetable glycerin, gotu kola extract, green tea extract, olive squalane, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate (all-natural preservative), caffeine, hyaluronic acid (mushroom derived), acetyl hexapeptide-8, retinyl palmitate, licorice root extract, ubiquinone (co-enzyme Q10), rosehip seed oil, xanthan gum, *pomegranate extract, *rose damascene extract, *sacred lotus blossom extract, *neroli blossom extract, *red tea extract & *neem leaf extract. (*certified organic)

Last night over a glass of wine, my friend announced he was on day 1 (and take 2) of a new diet. Well, not a diet, exactly, and I’m paraphrasing here, but he said something to the effect of: “When I cut out dairy, processed sugar and wheat, I wake up every day feeling better than I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Gah. I want to feel like that! Who doesn’t want to feel like that, frankly. But I don’t, and I notice it most when I first wake up in the morning.

Do most people wake up feeling awesome? Seriously?

The thing is, I would wager that most of us know exactly what we need to do to feel our best.

• We know how much sleep we need *
• We can list the foods we digest most easily **
• We can identify the habits that make us feel like garbage and, in theory anyway, we could not do those things ***
• We know what kind of exercise our body craves ****
• We understand who make us feel all happy and glowy  *****

I certainly do, I just don’t always do it—and how boring would life be if I did. (That’s what I tell myself, anyway—which might be part of the problem?) The truth is, I am a sucker for a good time, I’m pretty spontaneous, but I’m also someone who feels best when I stick to a routine. Because as anyone over the age of 30 knows, good times often come at a cost. And that feeling of waking up totally rested and relaxed? You can’t beat it. So I’m going to embark on a mission to have more mornings like that, and fewer when I wake up with a four-letter word in my head just because the alarm went off.

Now tell us, and be brutally honest, please: Do you wake up every day feeling refreshed? If so, I am jealous, but I want to know your secrets. Share, share.

* 8 hours

** Vegetables, cooked or raw, gluten-free grains, some fish, yummy good fats

*** I’m not telling

**** Vigorous yoga, hiking, boot camp drills in the park

***** You know who you are, and I thank you!

image via