We were SO touched when we received the deal details this week from NuboNau. Those sneaky ladies had this one planned for a while but they kept it under wraps until yesterday. As you probably got, they’re offering you a free copy of the book—with a ridiculously low minimum order—because, in their words: “We love your book and think everyone should have it, read it and read it again and if people already have it, then they can offer it to their friends and families!”
Be still our hearts. Writing and trying to sell books is no easy business, and we are deeply grateful for the support.
So, the too-good-to-be-true deal is this: Buy anything you want on the NuboNau site, and as long as you spend a big $17.76 you get a free copy of No More Dirty Looks (valued at $14.95). We don’t need to explain the math here: It won’t make a whole lot of sense! Just enter the promo code NMDL (all upper case) once you’ve exceeded the minimum. That’s all folks!
Important deal details: The deal is valid for one week, or as long as stocks last. It’s so good that NuboNau is only offering one deal per person and you can’t combine offers. If you prefer the phone, want advice, or are ordering from Canada, just call: 1 877NuboNau.
To enjoy the offer:
- Add items to the basket: the book + other items readers want to discover
- In the basket, (right – Above the subtotal) enter the promo code: NMDL and it will automatically change the Total price.
***** NOTE: Please note that to enjoy the offer, you have to add the Book in the basket!
(To find the Book easily on NuboNau website – just enter ‘book’ in the search box on the top right of the website)
Also, new customers will receive 2000 Welcome Points with their first order if your order is over $25 (worth $20) and returning customers can of course redeem previous points. If you spend over $95 you automatically get free shipping.
Have an absolutely wonderful, sparkly long weekend! Happy 4th of July! And happy Canada Day today too!! Be safe and we’ll see you on the flip side.
Hello June, and happy Friday! Today we have a deal from the always-amazing team at NuboNau. If you still haven’t checked these guys out, or are new to our site (welcome!), now’s your chance. (Of course, if you’re already hooked then this may be your excuse…) Not only do they have a brain-meltingly good selection of products we love, but you the readers keep telling us how incredible their customer service is. We totally agree and today’s deal is predictably awesome…
So here it is: Spend $50 or more on anything your little heart desires from NuboNau, and get this Anti-Aging Mist from beloved brand Intelligent Nutrients for $15 (valued at $35). Just enter the promo code NMDL at checkout. Translation: Spend $50, save $20, get awesome stuff. The mist is USDA Certified Organic and packed with skin-healthy oils and antioxidants.
For the record we love Intelligent Nutrients, and if you read the book you know all about the company’s wonderfully eccentric founder Horst Rechelbacher—the same man who also brought the world Aveda back in the day (which has since been sold and is no longer clean—IN is its second coming). When we interviewed him, Horst taught us how to wash our hair backwards, made us taste his hairspray (one of our favorite products ever), and mused about soil standards. It was enlightening, to say the least, and we’ve championed the brand from the very beginning. Get with the program, people! (Note: We’re not endorsing the new Harmonic line at this point.)
Important deal details: The deal is valid for one week, or as long as stocks last. It’s so good that NuboNau is only offering one deal per person and you can’t combine offers. If you prefer the phone, want advice, or are ordering from Canada, just call: 1 877NuboNau
Also, new customers will receive 2000 Welcome Points with their first order (worth $20) and returning customers can of course redeem previous points. If you spend over $95 you automatically get free shipping. Booyakasha!
Have a wonderful weekend—and remember to make the most of your down time!
A couple of days ago we got a note from our friends at Well + Good NYC, one of my favorite sites (which you should bookmark, if you have not already). They said they were doing a piece on hair dye, and wanted our take.
I was delighted to weigh in. From the article, which you should read in full:
Henna-based and vegetable hair dyes are a growing market. “But the problem is that they suck—which might not be their fault,” says Siobhan O’Connor, co-author of No More Dirty Looks, a book and website dedicated to non-toxic beauty. “The real issue is that, for a dye to actually work, some heavy-duty chemistry is in order. We’re asking the product to be foolproof, consistent, stable, and effective. Nature hasn’t—and I suspect won’t—find a way to replicate those factors in a dye.”
(Why do I say things like “they suck” in interviews?)
Anyway, those of you who have read the book (and it seems like a lot of you have!) probably already know about the time I tried low-tox highlights and ended up looking like a skunk. So what do I do now?
I wrote that I intended to continue highlighting my hair on occasion—that it would be the last bastion of my formerly dirty life. But then life got in the way, and at a certain point I realized it had been nine months since I’d touched it—and I was loving the look. I’m fond of the faded-out, lighter-at-the-bottom, rooty thing anyway. But then life got in the way again, and at some point before Christmas, I felt like I needed a little…something. So off I went to the salon for a pick-me-up in the form of “no more than 10! promise?” highlights.
The most important thing about any beauty risk is knowing the facts, which W + G did a great job explaining. So my advice, for those who still want to color is this: “Space it out and know that you’re taking a calculated risk. There are no 100 percent safe dyes that I would recommend using. So be real about that if you’re going to do it anyway.”
What about you? Knowing what you do about hair dye, do you still color your hair?
It’s market research time over here at No More Dirty Looks. We love this blog, and it makes us really happy to see that our readership here keeps growing (oh, and P.S., we are getting GREAT no soap stories). But here’s what we’re wondering: How did you get here? Have you read the book or did you stumble on the site through other channels?
And if you haven’t read the book (or didn’t realize it existed), you should know that it features all of our favorite products and DIY recommendations. We get a lot of emails, Facebook messages and tweets asking us what products we love… it’s all in there! Of course, any exciting discoveries we’ve made since eventually get posted about here.
One last thing: If you have read the book, we’d love to get more reviews going on Amazon. If you have a little time today to share your comments there, we’d be ohhhhhh-so-grateful.
Here’s the thing: When we were writing the book, a certain amount of divide-and-conquer was required in order to properly test out products.
I quickly fell in love with coconut oil; Siobhan not so much. Instead she became the resident evangelist for argan oil, and once she discovered Kahina Giving Beauty, she was in love.
I am not a seasoned argan user (though when I visit Siobhan you can’t keep my mitts off her Kahina!), so I was pretty excited to receive a bottle of Amal Organic Argan Oil and put this Moroccan elixir to the test.
After a few months of use now, I can see what all the fuss is about. The Amal has a pleasant nutty smell, feels great, absorbs quickly, and seems to be keeping my skin nicely balanced and hydrated.
Another bonus? At $35 for a decent-sized bottle ($28 if you help do a little social networking for them) it’s the most affordable argan we’ve come across so far. When I asked the owner, Jalila Bouchareb (pictured above), how she was able to keep the price down she chalked it up to an efficient production system, and to the network she’s been able to establish in Morocco as a native herself. She also emphasized the philanthropic part of the business.
“The main goal of Amal Oils is to donate a portion of profits back to the women cooperatives to give them the income, healthcare and education that they need for themselves and their families and to help preserve the argan forest,” said Bouchareb.
So if you’ve been wanting to try argan but have been deterred by price, Amal is a great option. And in the winter, everyone needs the extra hydration, am I right?
Have you tried argan oil? What’s your experience been?
Images via Amal’s site
Hey now, we just wanted to remind you that it’s not too late to give the gift of natural beauty this holiday! Of course, we hope you’ve bought our book for a few of your favorite women. While we are beyond grateful for the press we’ve had this year, nothing really helps spread a message like word of mouth from loved ones. (Personally I only buy books when someone I know and trust tells me to, and for me that’s usually my sister or Siobhan.)
There’s also still time to order products from some of our favorite stores: Spirit Beauty Lounge, Future Natural and our latest discovery NunoNau are all still shipping in time for Christmas. If you’re in LA, you can visit Evolue,who have some holiday specials going, ABC in New York, W3LL People in Austin, or one of the spots recommended by your fellow readers here. You’d even be surprised what you could put together from Whole Foods, like an Evan Healy sample pack, or some John Masters shampoo and conditioner.
Are any of you planning presents around clean beauty? And do you have a store to recommend in your area? Let us know!
The team over at Mother Nature Network are asking if 2010 will be remembered as the year of living safely. It’s a good question. It certainly seems that way to us. Here’ssome big reasons why.
—Our book came out (cough!)
—The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 was introduced
—The Story of Stuff video came out
—BPA panic (and news coverage) exploded
—Canada deemed the stuff toxic
—Parabens were back in the hot seat
—The California Attorney General is suing over the Brazilian blowout
—And there’s an insane increase in the amount of greenwashing about toxics in personal care products—which is a great measuring stick for increased consumer awareness and concern.
So we ask you, smartypants readers. When did you first start thinking about the toxins you put on yourself every day? What was your a ha moment? Where did you learn about it?
Yes, Brazilian blowouts are toxic. It’s official. But I’d like to talk about something else for a moment: They can also completely mess up your hair. Behold the unflattering exhibits above.
I was pretty shocked to revisit these pictures, and see just how awful my hair looked. Part of me was starting to think that I’d maybe overreacted at the time. I hadn’t.
If you’re wondering why I cataloged my hair like a crazy person, it’s because Siobhan and I were sending each other pictures like these over instant message to check in on whether our $400 blowouts were worth it. We sure thought so at first.
In picture 1, my hair felt silky smooth. I could even run my fingers through it, something that had never happened before (and hasn’t since). But beyond that first month of bliss? The situation started to seriously degrade. As my real hair tried to break through the toxic veneer, I was left with a dry, flat mess.
I really thought I’d ruined my hair for good. I went to the salon to complain, only to be scolded by a mean (and actually Brazilian) hairdresser. Just that morning we had Google-panicked about the treatment, but he yelled at me when I questioned its safety. I cried the entire drive home. Let me tell you, it was a rough few weeks.
Of course, my story has a happy ending. Eventually my hair came back to as the treatment washed out over time, and now it’s really healthy. That awful experience also happened to give us an idea for a book. You may have heard of it?
But my heart seriously goes out to the women who have shared their stories with us, some of whom are currently panicking about their hair just like we did. The other day I met a natural hairdresser who told me that she’s had to “treat” women whose hair began falling out from repeated Brazilians. I really find it heartbreaking!
I’ll be honest, I’m a little embarrassed to share these pictures—but I’m just so sick of hearing the rebuttals about why this toxic treatment is worth it.
Are you still convinced?
We keep getting asked this question so let’s make it official: We think Paula Begoun, the bestselling author of Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me who also has her own line of cosmetics, is an amazing researcher; we think she has done incredible things to empower women in their beauty choices; no, we have never tried her line; yes, we take issue with some of the ingredients in her line; and perhaps most important, we differ significantly with her take on the safety of some ingredients.
If you love her book, that’s awesome. We love her books too. We just don’t AGREE with them. That said, we think if we’d met her way back when, we’d have some things to talk about.
Have you read her books?
Image via
Since Alexandra shared her new amazing face wash with us, I thought I’d throw something else in the mix. It’s the easiest body scrub in the entire world, and the best part is you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen. Let’s call today DIY Wednesday or, um, Scrubby Wednesday, maybe. Though that’s a bit weird because actually, we’re both totally anti-scrub.
Those of you who have read the book may remember we have a pretty strong take on manual and chemical exfoliation on the face. You can check the face chapter for a refresher (we talked about it on NPR too) because as a general rule, we’re not fans, and we found some pretty compelling reasons why you shouldn’t be either—especially if you have rosacea, acne and other issues.
That being said, the honey wash is as gentle as can be, and mine? Well, sometimes you just want a good scrub. Instead of spending 30 bucks on some fancy one, or seven bucks on one loaded with plastic beads (seriously—they’re plastic), try this instead. As for the amounts, just eyeball it. Rocket science, this is not.
—Some oil you like (coconut, jojoba or my favorite, extra virgin organic olive oil)
—Some sea salt (leave this out if you have a sunburn or eczema)
—Some brown sugar (I prefer a coarse sugar to balance out the super-fine salt, but it’s basically up to you)
—Vanilla extract, the most amazing smell in the world (if for some weird reason you don’t like vanilla, use any other oil you like the smell of, or none at all)
—Combine it in measurements that seem right to you, stir and then hop in the tub
Couple things to know though: It makes the shower slippery, and I have a nasty bruise to show for it, so be careful and use a bath mat. I like to make enough it for a single use, but if you have some left over, seal it in an airtight container in the fridge, being sure not to get any water into the mixture (bacteria central). It’ll keep in the fridge for two weeks. Just take it out about 10 minutes before you want to use it, since some oils congeal with they’re cold.
That’s it!
