Here is an interesting article from Slate.com about making sense of natural bath and beauty products.
When I go to the drugstore these days, it seems like every
other bottle of shampoo and tube of lipstick is being marketed as
"natural" and "organic." Do any of those labels actually mean anything?
The
Green Lantern feels your pain—she often finds herself standing
glassy-eyed in the soap aisle, seduced and confused by the pretty
pictures of exotic fruits. We can all be forgiven for being hypnotized
by the hype: After all, beauty firms spend,
on average, a whopping 20 percent to 25 percent of their revenue on
advertising and promotion, compared with just 2 percent or 3 percent on
research and development.
And it goes on from there. There are two things that I'd like for you to take away from the article. One, is that natural can mean anything or nothing. It is a word that isn't regulated. Two, see the sentence above - beauty firms spend 20-25% of their revenue on advertising. Small handcrafted companies like Soapourri don't do that - so you are getting a much better value by buying our products!
Courtesy of the Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Ready for the latest in spa pampering?
Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp
nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in
the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for
the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon
with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so
far.
"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.
He
said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a
replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The
razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of
concerns about whether they're sanitary.
Ho was skeptical at
first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known
as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular
in some Asian countries.
But Ho doubted they would thrive in the
warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if
customers would like the idea.
"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Ho said. "But I just said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "
Customers were quickly hooked.
Tracy
Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., heard about it on a local radio show.
She said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the word
to friends and co-workers.
"I'd been an athlete all my life, so
I've always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody
got rid of my calluses completely," she said.
First time customer
KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the tingling sensation
created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like your foot's
asleep," she said.
The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to
30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier
by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.
Ho believes his is
the only salon in the country to offer the treatment, which costs $35
for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000
fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any given time.
Dennis
Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the International
Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and
doubts it will become widespread.
"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.
Customer
Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous as she
prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved
into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed
to her toes.
"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.
Ho
said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much plant
or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were
available — including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone
because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.
In addition to
offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish
Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that,
among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.
Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running, with a few hiccups along the way.
State
regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But the
county health department — which does regulate pools — required the
salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many
as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for
each customer.
The communal pool also presented its own problem:
At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a
surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish.
"It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious," Ho said.
Enough with "normal" beauty routines such as placenta and kitty
litter - New Yorkers can now add nightingale No. 2 to their beauty
regimens.
For just $216, Shizuka Bernstein will slather your face in feces
for a full 50 minutes - what she calls the "Geisha Facial" - at her
Midtown spa, Shizuka New York.
The ancient Japanese cleanser - geishas and kabuki dancers have
been using the bird poop to wash off their heavy white makeup since the
18th century - contains guanine, which supposedly removes pollutants
and blackheads, and helps even out skin tone.
"My English is not perfect, it's my second language. And they [her
customers] know I could be making mistake with what I was saying. And
they would ask me if I was sure, if I was really talking about bird
poop," says the Japanese native, describing what her customers thought
when she first introduced the fecal facial.
The exotic excrement comes in a powder form, directly from Japan,
and is sterilized with UV light to kill bacteria. And while there is an
odor - Bernstein says it smells like "hay" or "like outside" - it's not
the kind you would expect.
"The Japanese women are obsessed to have white skin. Always. Porcelain-white skin," she says.
"All Japanese mothers tell their daughters to become white. I would
have vitamin C tablet every day, and she told me not to go out in the
sun. She told me about nightingale droppings too, but I didn't use it.
Then, many, many years later, I thought about what my mom said."
As always, mom's right. While the treatment is technically full of crap, customers swear the claims are not.
"I figure if poop was good for the soil, it's good for your face,"
says Marilyn Phillips, a 58-yearold Upper West Sider who had a Geisha
Facial late last week. "And it doesn't smell at all. I'd say hair
coloring smells way worse."
Like Phillips, 32-year-old massage therapist Andrea Nieto went in for the facial last week.
"You wouldn't even know it was nightingale droppings. And after, my
skin was softer than it had been in a really long time. And it looked
clearer to me, too," she says, admitting her friends did laugh at her
when she announced what she was paying to have smeared on her face.
"But you gotta wonder how they figured to use these things. Who put 2 and 2 together like that?"
rmirchandai@nypost.com
BEYOND THE CALL OF BEAUTY
Ever since ancient Egyptians mixed unguents of bile of steer,
ostrich eggs and resin, people have slathered on everything from the
odd to the oogy. Plenty of other unusual ingredients - in addition to
avian excrement - are thought to have beautifying properties.
Snake venom: From face creams to lip products, beauty companies swear the stuff reduces wrinkles and has a plumping effect.
Kitty litter: The grainy texture works as an exfoliator. Yeah, yeah - just put the idea away for when the recession really hits.
Placenta: Dogs eat it. Hospitals save it. And some women use it to soften their hair and skin.
24K gold: The shiny precious metal might help increase circulation and tighten skin.
I put this under the category "Beauty Tips", although I'm not sure why. It really isn't about beauty - it is about comfort. With a capital C. I'm all about that.
My normal working wardrobe in the summer is shorts and a t-shirt; in the winter, stretchy pants, a shirt and a sweatshirt. This outfit allows me to be comfy while I work, and not have to worry too much about getting fragrances and dyes on the clothes, 'cause they're just not fancy.
The only problem comes when I have to deliver some soap, call on a customer, a customer comes over to pick something up, or go to my kids' school for some reason. Then I'm embarrassed - just not ready for prime time. A lot of times I get to working and realize at noon I haven't taken a shower yet. Eek!
Anyway, I went shopping for clothes for my birthday to help out my husband - otherwise, I wouldn't have been there! I went in to J. Jill, a pretty nice, classy women's store. I found a pair of jeans and a sweater, along with a really great salesperson. I hardly ever wear jeans because I find them constricting and uncomfortable. But these jeans - swoon. First of all, they are super light weight, more like pants really. They are dark wash, but they have this lineny look. Here is a picture: now, suffice it to say that they look nothing like that on me - I am not that skinny, and am much more of a pear shaped person. Also, if I had seen that picture online, I think I would have said "bleh", 'cause they look a little tight or something
But I am not exaggerating when I tell you that these are the most COMFORTABLE decent-looking pants I have ever had. And they are nice and roomy and DON'T HUG THE THIGHS!
I have turned into the cliche, the preschooler with a blankie, who won't give it up - I'm wearing these all the time. And, I just found them on sale for $24.99 so I bought another pair. These are my new uniform! Happy days!
Yesterday I was browsing around on my NetVibes page, and I came across this headline: The New Brazilian, Miracle Cure for Frizzy, Curly Hair. I thought that sounded pretty darn good! Until I saw that it costs from $150-$600! My hair has gotten drier since I got highlights done, and I knew that I needed work.
Anyway, this is how it works: A stylist applies a solution made with active keratin, a protein akin to a component of human hair. Using a 450-degree iron, the hairdresser seals the formula onto the outer layer of the cuticle. The formula adheres to the cuticle’s inherently rough edges. Thus, it is said, it traps moisture, hydrating the hair, and adds a glossy veneer.
But, it only lasts 6 weeks to a few months. So I got an idea! I would try something at home. I took some monoi de tahiti oil, put it on my hair, then used my straightener. I have this mini-straightener that was cheap - I never really use it because my attention span for hair matters is approximately a minute and a half. I basically baked that oil right in.
Oooooh - today I washed my hair and it feels wonderful. I got a few little frizzies and I put some Butter Bar on those, that worked well. I just keep touching my hair! MMMMM, soft silky haaaaiiiirrrrr. That was my best Homer Simpson impression.
The
Green Lantern feels your pain—she often finds herself standing
glassy-eyed in the soap aisle, seduced and confused by the pretty
pictures of exotic fruits. We can all be forgiven for being hypnotized
by the hype: After all, beauty firms spend,
on average, a whopping 20 percent to 25 percent of their revenue on
advertising and promotion, compared with just 2 percent or 3 percent on
research and development. 
Also, if I had seen that picture online, I think I would have said "bleh", 'cause they look a little tight or something
