Good morning everyone! Meet Andreína and her Alaffia…she is a huge fan of this brand! She also has some great tips–check out her DIY mask recipe. She’s a recent transplant to California, and is certainly making the coast even more lovely with her presence. Read on!

Name: Andreína (but most people call me Andre)

Age: 29

Current weather: Port Hueneme, CA tends to have awesome breeze and chilly nights. It has not gotten too hot. Mostly fresh & easy (I’ve only been here for  2 1/2 months).

Hair: Dark brown, and a mix of 70% wavy, 15% kinky and 15% super-straight. Don’t ask me how I got there, I’m still trying to figure that out myself!

Skin: with a weird case of breakouts on my cheeks which I’m trying to control. It comes and goes. Used to be t-zone, all year round, and now I’m in a perfect medium.

Favorite star or icon from the past: Carolina Herrera, fashion designer with a super-simple style from my native country, Venezuela. She’s got everything I think of when it comes to elegance.

Also Diane Keaton. I just love her in every movie, I always like her jewelry (big rings!!!) and her style just comes across timeless. Image via.

In the shower…

Baking soda and apple cider vinegar are my go-to soaps. Even though I do not shower every day, I’m always able to clean my underarms with a mix of these two to really kill the smell and, believe it or not, help me with perspiration. I might use a bit of baking soda all over my body once a month, but when it comes to cleaning just the bare-essentials, I find that B.S. is all I need.

One thing I do not see here very often is people talking about their shaving abilities, and same as everything else, only 2 things have worked like a charm! 1. Dr. Bronner’s all-in-one baby mild and citrus liquid soap. I buy the 32 oz and dilute it 4 times, mix the two and keep it in the shower. I use this mix to shave my legs (warm or cold water) and the 2. preserve razor. I have always had such sensitive legs, with ingrown hairs and my hair gets really upset when it gets all shaved, so it grows really fast! which can be an issue. I also do not shave all the time, at times I let my hair grow real long and then try and shave up. My legs are happy.

My hair LOVES to be dirty, so I wash my hair only once x week. It is actually the third day that it starts to look amazing. With my textures and changes in product I’ve found that less is always more, and my hair has never looked better! My shampoo of choice is Alaffia’s Everyday Shea shampoo, unscented or in lavender (this is actually my 2nd bottle. They’re huge! one bottle went on for almost 2 years!). Right after I shampoo, I use Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, which really helps me de-tangle my hair. I never brush it because I want to keep my curls intact, so this is the, by far, less painful and most effective way for me to really soften all my hair and prevent the crazy nots. I also love to use Alaffia’s coconut & shea daily conditioner, and once a month I use Alaffia’s “beautiful curls” in Shea butter deep-conditioning treatment, super hydrating and gives my hair an extra shine that lasts long!

My face gets cleaned -almost- everyday. This might be the area I need improvement in, mostly because I hate keeping routines and I go as the day comes, so there are weeks that I’m really good at cleaning my face, and others not so much. I use a mix of almond, avocado, grapeseed, argan and tea tree oils and clean my face with a vegetable sponge. It is so easy! and I give my face a real nice massage with the oil, which tends to be an extremely awesome combo when there’s steam in the bathroom because it really cleanses my pores deeply. I do not rinse my face with water, as I find the sponge to be really helpful. I use the bronner’s liquid soap to clean the sponge.

Outside the shower…

No Skincare here. Whenever I feel I need a bit more of a dewey-texture, I apply more oil (mostly during winter). The choice are either the mix from above, or my ojio coconut oil. If there’s excess, I use the sponge to wipe it off. I also use these oils and sponge to wipe off any makeup too.

My hair gets more alaffia (I love this brand, can’t you tell? ;) with just a little bit of Beautiful Curls’ Curl activating cream and after their Curl Defining Gel. This is the perfect combo, and lasts me a whole week. My hair is also in love!

I don’t always use deodorant, but when I do I turn to Aubrey’s E plus High C, works like a charm!

I also apply a mask about once a month that I make with my mix of oils, bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar. It is rather painful and takes a while to dry, but really revives my skin every time! Clean pores, outstanding radiance, ultra-soft surface,

Finishing touches…

Makeup yes, everyday no.

My makeup is not really clean, mostly because I became obsessed with Bare Mineral’s eyeshadows shortly after I came to this country. I spent about 3 years collecting and I still use them, still love them. I have a mix of Josie Maran’s eyeshadows, which I really enjoy too, and are the ones I take with me when I’m out of town. I use Jane Iredale’s Petal or Lemon’s eyelid primers, and some eyeliners from Bare Minerals & Josie Maran. For my lips, when color comes, just get red. LOVE Josie Maran’s  stains (flamenco & fox trot).

Mascara, (which is often talked about here) is always a subject on is own. It is often a girl’s fav makeup item, and for some the only go-to to lighten up and refresh the face! I’ve had issues with natural mascaras, but I’ve also not tried a ton! My fav natural mascara is Josie Maran’s GOGO, and I still use Bare Mineral’s flawless mascara because I’m a sucker for their brush!

I love larenim’s blushes, cherub and innocence. I also use Bare Minerals’ highlighter & well-rested eyeshadow, which I mix and place in the inner corner of my eye to illuminate. Again, part of a collection I’ve had for years.

I try to be real clean with my brushes, and clean then well with my all-in-one soap.

Thanks, Andre! Happy to hear you are happy :) Anyone else using Alaffia for the hair? Siobhan reviewed one of their conditioners awhile back here.

Last week we shared with you Well+Good’s take on this new organic deodorant. Regular readers will know that I love Soapwalla’s deodorant cream with the zeal of a convert, but when I met Lisa Wynne Salvatore, the lovely woman behind Pure Pitz who has been in the nontoxic and organic world for 30 years, I developed an instant girl crush on her and was determined to give this puppy a shot.

Since I was almost out of Soapwalla, I decided to test drive it for about 10 days, and see how it fared for me. I’m not an especially stinky person, but it’s hot and sweaty in New York, I do a lot of yoga and I the thought of being stinky or sweatringy really, really bothers me. Here’s how it did:

First of all, I love the smell. It reminds me a little of old Aveda products (in a good way) but is made with all natural essential oils. The odor-fighting baking soda is aluminum-free (naturally!) and the plastic tube is BPA-free. Also, the tube, which is the shape of a lip balm but larger, makes application very easy, as well.

But what about the real-deal road test? It worked well to combat any odor whatsoever, but it doesn’t keep you dry at all. I wasn’t a sweaty mess by any stretch, but I did notice I simply wasn’t as dry as I am with Soapwalla. That said, I highly recommend this one for anyone who is looking to try something new. The smell is just lovely, it works, and the woman behind it is the kind of woman we can totally get behind.

It costs $13 and you can find it at some Whole Foods (check the Pure Pitz link above for exact retailers).

Have you tried it?

Because the search for great natch deodorants is ongoing—and because not everyone has had success with our favorites—we thought we’d share this new review from Well+Good:

When we tested four natural deodorants this past March to see if they would be there for us (and our neighbors) as we sweat our way through power yoga and boot camps, we discovered both stellar options and serious stinkers.

Now, a new deodorant, Pure Pitz, has entered the market just in time for 90-degree outdoor yoga in New York City. We took it for a test run (well, several runs, and to a July 4 BBQ).
Keep reading here. Have any of you tried this brand?

Hilarious image via an earlier post

One of the problems with a blog like ours—where there’s a lot of content but an admittedly imperfect tagging system—is tracking down specific info. As such, readers often write us emails asking questions about things we’ve already covered. So, while we do plan to attack our content organization in the coming months, we thought it would be fun to start a new series based on these inquiries! These will offer you guys some quick roundups, and point you to the right posts if you’re a newbie! Let’s start with an important one…

Deodorant is a topic we’ve covered extensively, both in the book, and here. While at first, this was the hardest products in our arsenal to replace, we now boast better results from a natural brand. You heard us.

One of our first favorites was from Weleda—this convenient little bottle is available at most healthfood stores and if you’re not a heavy sweater (or stinker), it’s a good option.

Then we met Lavanila, and fell for it hard. Sure it costs $18 bucks, but feeling fresh is non-negotiable, and we love the citrus-vanilla smell and the fact that you can find this brand at Sephora. Recently, it came under attack for a certain questionable ingredient—but we still think it’s one of the (much) better options on the market. As we’ve said in the past, one dirty ingredient in an otherwise clean product is not necessarily a deal breaker for us. We understand that there are going to be some missteps in the clean revolution and certain kinds of nitpicking can be counterproductive to change.

That said, there’s a relatively new favorite in town—and this one contains no questionable ingredients and costs a reasonable 10 bucks. Siobhan reviewed it here, and also gave a testimonial on Soapwalla’s site. We can’t say enough good about this stuff. It works. It smells fresh and minty (totally gender-neutral enough for men). It keeps us dry. It lasts. We love it.

We’d also like to add a new one to this list. A while back a company called Bubble and Bee sent us some samples, and by golly—while their overall vibe and packaging seems a little more suited to kids and teens—their Pit Putty works like a charm. Not entirely dissimilar to Soapwalla in texture but with a strong citrus scent, it represents another good and affordable option.

So while we still have some dirty products hanging around in our cabinets, we no longer need to turn to aluminum-filled antiperspirants—even on super hot, sweaty days. Clean or not, what’s deodorant/antiperspirant do you use?

Q: “If I came to your house and looked through your medicine cabinet and makeup bag, what would I find that would shock me?”

We get this question a lot, and we are always more than happy to answer it with complete candor because our approach to clean beauty has always been one that is inclusive and with an understanding that we all come to naturals at our own pace. This isn’t some kind of deliberate strategy we decided on—it’s how we feel and it’s how we behave. And yet when we say that we prefer the completely clean products we’ve switched to, almost without any exceptions, we’re telling the absolute truth. We hope that is clear.

Still, there are a few things I keep lying around—which is not to say I use them much—and I’m going to tell you what mine are, and why I still use them. Alexandra is going to do the same early NEXT WEEK (that’s the update: she needed a little more time on this), and we want YOURS in the comments. One thing I’d like to point out, though: None of these are things I use very often or over a large surface area.

1. My Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick

Reason: Because it makes my eyes pop in a way that no other lipstick, natural or not, can. It’s an organgey red, but not too orange, and actually really quite red, with maybe a bit of blue? I don’t know. I just know it looks great—especially on days when the rest of me doesn’t.

How often I use it: I wear it once a month, I’d say.

2. My CVS-brand topical antibiotic ointment

Reason: What can I say? I’m attached! I used to put this on any broken skin to help it heal quickly, but these days I barely use it. I have tea tree, manuka honey, and neem—great natural antibacterials, all—but it seems prudent to keep it handy, lest a child come over and step on a rusty nail or something.

How often I use it: Every couple of months.

3. A Degree antiperspirant in Shower Clean

Reason: There is no reason for me to still own this. Once I discovered Soapwalla deodorant (read all about it here and here), I stopped needing to cheat with industrial-strength antiperspirant on those days when I need to feel sure. It’s just not necessary, because the Soapwalla OUTPERFORMS Degree. Shyeah. Still, it sits on my desk at work. I don’t know.

How often I use it: Once a month or less when I forget to put on my Soapwalla or—gasp—lose it/run out.

4. Nars cream blush in Cactus Flower, which I use as a lipstick

Reason: I actually looked up the ingredients to this thing once and it scared the living daylights out of me, but the color is wonderful, kind of like the color of poppies (or cactus flowers, apparently) and until I find a naturals substitute, I will keep it handy for those days when I want that kind of a pop(py) on my pale face.

How often I use it: More often than I should. Once a week, maybe. For reviews of my favorite nontoxic lipsticks, click here and here and here.

5. Clinique Mascara

Reason: Habit, and the awesome wand. I lose sleep over the why-can’t-my-favorite-naturals-brands-make-a-freaking-mascara-that-doesn’t-suck question, but I currently use 100% Pure’s mascara in navy (by accident) and I love it. It doesn’t bleed down my face when I cry and it only moves if I touch my eyes when I’m really, really sweaty (like, Jivamukti-for-two-hours-in-the-summer sweaty).

How often I use it: Maybe once a month, probably less—especially since it’s not even waterproof.

6. Some cheap brand of hairspray so toxic it could choke a baby

Reason: Halloween

How often I use it: See above.

I alllllso would like to point out that the ones here I actually use are not about function, so much as aesthetics, which further proves that naturals work better than conventionals—they just don’t always have the prettiest red lipsticks.

And now you know all my dirty little secrets. Your turn!