Product Review: Ecotools Makeup Brushes

I decided to do a girly splurge and buy some makeup tools. I'd been working without them, but a couple of the cheaper brushes which came with my makeup just were not cutting the application. I did a little poking around and decided to check out Ecotools.

Ecotools makes brushes and other body equipment (body brushes, scrubblets, bath and body tools). I bought a retractable kabuki brush and a set of eye makeup brushes with case. What I liked was that the handles of the brushes are bamboo, not plastic, the metal parts which hold the bristles are recycled aluminum, and the bristles, while synthetic polyester (plastic!), are extremely soft for being vegan. The case for the makeup brushes was made of cotton and hemp.

The price was a bit higher than some brushes, but not by much. The kabuki was $5, and the eye brushes were $6 for five brushes and case. I bought them at a supermarket, so no shipping costs. This is actually on the lower end of cost for makeup brushes, even considering the "green" packaging and image.

I think the neatest part for me was the packaging. They don't put it in paper-backed plastic like a lot of brushes, which often can't be recycled. Instead, they put it in a recycled plastic pouch. While I'm a bit leery of plastic packaging, they make the pouch extremely sturdy and encourage you to reuse it for whatever you need. The smaller one from my brush is being used as a travel pouch for my toothbrush. I think the larger one will be a cosmetics kit for travel, too. If you don't want to reuse them, the plastic itself can be recycled.

As far as the brushes themselves, I'm not the best comparative person to ask. I've never owned makeup tools before. I can say, however, that they are soft, get the job done with no holes in the application, and are easy to use.

Finally, Ecotools donates 1% of their overall profit to EarthShare and the Wildlife Alliance, two charities that work to promote sustainability and protect forests and wildlife.

The verdict? If you need a new makeup tool, I'd recommend these. They're about as sustainable as available, fairly plastic-free, and their business practices seem rather legitimate. 

No Poo Challenge

After spending way too much time on the Good Guide trying to find a cheap-yet-ecofriendly shampoo, I finally gave up and decided to try the No-Poo crowd. No-Poo is an eco-minded trend that suggests that washing your hair with a baking soda rinse, followed by an apple cider vinegar "conditioner" is actually healthier than any commercial shampoo. According to the various no-poo sites, their rinse idea doesn't strip off natural oils, leaving hair clean yet soft and shiny

While I have not yet made the jump to full no-poo, I have used it as an alternate between commercial washes.

I mixed up the rinses in two old plastic shampoo bottles to this formula:

16oz water to 2 Tbsp baking soda
16oz water to 2 Tbsp vinegar (it calls for apple cider vinegar, but some Googling told me that white works just as well)

I squirted it on my hair after wetting it down. I let it sit for a bit while I wash the rest of me, then rinse and swap to the vinegar mixture.The smell of the vinegar was decent but luckily didn't linger long. My hair felt clean, and it was definitely easier than Dr. Bronner's. It was so much easier to brush than with pure soap, too! The only downside is that the water is cold if I mix it up in advance, and that my hair seemed a bit drier since I swapped, making my monthly honey mask a necessity. Thus far, I have not experienced any dullness or crunchiness in my hair, which I've read is a side effect when the water to mixture ratio is off. I may start using it two times before switching now that I'm not doing as much grubby work during the week.

Bottom line: it works for me and my oily hair, but not as well as commercial as far as moisture.

Edit: I found this site, Beyond Shampoo, which is a great resource for the new to "no poo". If you have detailed questions, check it out!

Honey Hair Mask

I've always been intrigued by hair masks. They're supposed to function like a really deep conditioner, sealing the hair cuticle and trapping moisture.

Image copyright Science Blogs

Janice Cox (my favorite beauty author) suggests using honey as a hair mask. Note, though - honey can cause hair to lighten. As my hair naturally highlights during the summer, I'm not concerned. If you're worried about lightening dark hair, try molasses.

Start with a bowl of honey, about 1/2 c for medium-length hair. Brush your hair for easier application. Change into a bathrobe and be prepared to shower afterwards. Wet your hair so that it's barely damp. I found out that it's easier to apply the honey if the hair is damp as the honey dissolves slightly and doesn't go on like a sticky plaster. Once you've got all the honey in your hair, drape an old towel over your shoulders to prevent sticky drips. Roll your hair into a bun to keep it out of the way if you have long hair, and hold it with an old hair tie.

Wait about 15 minutes, then jump in the shower and wash the honey out. It didn't leave a sticky residue.

I found my hair was a lot less frizzy, as well as having a delicate honey scent which I rather enjoyed. It was also very easy to brush post-shower. Over the next few days, my hair was definitely more easy to manage and did not frizz to nearly the extent it had previously done.

I'd definitely recommend this treatment!

Cosmetics, Phthalates, and Skin Deep

May flowers follow April showers, so May is going to be a bit of a beauty theme with apologies to the gentlemen who frequent this blog. However, being able to make one's beauty products is not only green in that it saves money and shipping, but eliminating chemicals from your beauty regimen has benefits for health. 

A study by UCSF of 268 pregnant women looked for 163 different chemical compounds, many of which have been linked to negative health effects. One of the big offenders, a class called phthalates, was present in nearly every woman tested because it is often found in beauty products like soap, lotion, and makeup. Phthalates have been linked to endocrine disruption and there is a new study suggesting that they may be implicated in some cases of breast cancer. The UCSF study also suggests that similar levels of phthalates can be expected in non-pregnant women. 

Image copyright theEcologist.org

While many other potentially dangerous chemicals were present in the UCSF study, phthalates are concerning to women in particular because most of us use more personal care and beauty products than our male counterparts. I'm not anti-makeup by any means - I wear it daily. But precautions need to be made. 

The Environmental Working Group has put together a database called Skin Deep to address the need for information on body care and beauty products. If you've used the Good Guide, you'll be familiar with the idea. The lower the score, the more healthy the product. Please check out your favorites to make sure they aren't doing you lasting harm. 

For this month, I thought I'd explore some home-made beauty products. While I can't make my own mascara, I can try things like masks, cleaners, and shampoos to see if they work and if I can eliminate the store-bought products from my routine. Besides, it's always fun to try something new (especially if I get to make a mess while doing so!)  

Beauty Experiments: Dr. Bronner Shampoo

So! I've got some time, recipes, and fresh produce. My question is, can I find better substitutes for most of my beauty care products?

I picked up a sample of Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Soap a while back as a free gift. It's supposed to be loved by backpackers as a shampoo because it's organic, biodegradable, and concentrated. I decided to give it a try.

Now, I have to preface my results by saying that I have hard water in my house and that does make it harder to use non-commercial shampoo; it won't lather as well and can still leave deposits. Your mileage may vary, depending on your water type. I also have oily hair.

I started by wetting my hair, and I found that about a capful of Dr. Bronner's did the trick. It was hard to massage around my scalp, so I had to apply it exactly where I wanted it. It lathered nicely, but my hair felt sort of sticky afterwards.

The pros: I had awesome volume and my hair, which tends towards flatness, would stay where I put it without gel or mousse. This was great when I wanted to make a bun - the hair would practically stick together.

The cons: There's no way to put it - my hair felt greasy, especially in the middle. It also tangled more easily, and didn't keep a part as well. I only did this experiment for three days, but by day three, I really was happy to wash with commercial shampoo.

The aftermath: When I washed with commercial shampoo again, the greasy feeling went away. My hair also felt a lot softer. However, my hair also felt lank and was a lot puffier, harder to manage, and less sleek.

Verdict: It might work better with soft water, and I might be able to alternate Dr. Bronner's with commercial shampoo, but it won't work on its own in my area.