Natural Beauty

Ever since I got my first tub of Noxzema at the tender age of 14, I have been a beauty product maniac. It took me 10 years to whittle down an essential list of must-have beauty items. The older I get, the more important it is for me to use natural, organic, and chemical-free products, and since I always love reading other about other people’s favorites, I figured I’d dedicate a post to mine!

Pure Black African Soap

When I went on tour a year ago, my face broke out so bad that I lived under a constant layer of foundation and powder and basically hated my life. A lot of this had to do with the actual stress that tour tends to bring on, but the fact that I was supplementing my vegan (chegan)  diet with nothing more than a lot of beige foods probably didn’t help. While I was on tour, I bought probably $100 worth of acne products that basically just dried out my skin and left a weird rash all over my face.

I can’t tell you how much time I spent on my iPhone in the tour van googling “acne solutions”. After a lot of research, I decided to go the natural way, and I haven’t looked back since. I found Madame Koiteh’s etsy store, and ordered a pound of her Black African soap, and well, the rest is clear-skinned history. It’s definitely not your typical, girlie rosebud smell, actually it tends to smell quite earthy, but it leaves your skin really fresh and clean. My skin started clearing up almost immediately. And for 7.25 for a POUND of black soap , which will last you FOREVER, it’s quite a steal. Visit Madam K’s etsy store HERE.

Unrefined Yellow Shea Butter

When you use Black African Soap, you have to make sure to moisturize the hell out of your face. Especially when you just spent the better part of the month dehydrated, in a car, traveling through the Midwest- North East during winter time. Although I love a good scented moisturizer, a lot of that crap is loaded with toxins and chemicals, and is just not that good for you in general.

I had heard a lot about using Shea Butter as a moisturizer, and since Madame Koiteh’s shop also sold it for dirt cheap (7.75 per lbs.), I decided to just go ahead and get it. Now I can’t live without it. Seriously. Not only has it helped improving my skins clarity, but it’s helped fade old scars, and gotten rid of a few baby wrinkles that were sneaking their way onto my face.

Shea Butter has a very rich, earthy/nutty smell, which I love, but which other’s may not. I love mixing a few drops of lavender oil (make sure you get a cosmetic/internal grade oil if you’re going to put it on your face) into it.

Avalon Organics Vitamin C Creme

I love this stuff. It smell amazing, and on days were I haven’t slept enough, it has the magical ability to make me look like a bright-eyed teenager. It’s another product that is free of  parabens, harsh preservatives, synthetic fragrance, artificial colors and animal testing, which of course makes it even better. Definitely a great skin brightener- something I use day and night ( with or in lie of shea butter). Buy it here.

Dr. Bronners

The first time I ever used Dr. Bronners was on a class rafting field trip. It was the only soap we were allowed to use, because unlike other chemical-ladden brands, Dr. Bronner’s wouldn’t leave chemical residue in the river when we used it. I remember loving the smell of it, how fresh it made me feel, even if I was neck deep in a muddy river. Now, I basically use it for everything. Washing dishes, floors, my dog, my cat, laundry, my face, my bohhhhdey- you name it, if it’s dirty most likely Dr. Bronner’s will clean it.  Buy it here.

Wella Sage Spray Deodorant

I have a really hard time with deodorants. The commercial kind smells to much like deodorants, and I’m not completely down with rubbing Aluminum all over my armpits. Super natural deodorants, on the other hand, don’t really last very long, and since you’re not likely to whip out a deodorant and reapply every hour, they’re kind of useless.

Enter Weleda Spray deodorant. It smells amazing (my favorite is sage, but the rose is pretty great too), it comes in a cute glass spray bottle (i’m a sucker for good packaging), and even though it doesn’t last as long as Teen Spirit or Dove or whatever brand makes deodorant, it’s super easy to just spritz a little more under your arms. Apparently you can also use it to set you hair if you run out of hairspray. Buy it here.

Rosewater and Glycerin Spray

I literally buy cases of this stuff. During the summer time it provides much needed refreshment, and during the winter it keeps your skin super moisturized. I carry a bottle of this stuff around with me at all times. If at any point I feel grimy or dried out, I just spritz a bit of this on my face and voila, as good as new. It helps give you a glowing,dewy look, and is great to set makeup with. ANNNNNNNND its only $4. Yeah . Buy it here.

Anne Marie Borlind Eyecream

When I became and adult, ie turning 25, I decided that I needed to take pre-emptive measures against aging, and started using eye cream. Not just any eye cream, mind you, but the cream of the crop, Anne Marie Borlind. When I was 22, and living in New York, I met this amazing older lady who was 60 but looked like she was 35. She swore up and down on the Anne Marie Borlind Bible- said she had been using her products for almost 40 years!  This of course stuck with me ( I mean who doesn’t want to look 35 when she’s 60), and so I paid 20 big ones and got my very own little tube.  It was worth it. Buy it here.

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask

One of my favorite beauty secret. When my bandmates and I all used to live in the Dollhouse together, we would pour a bunch of this clay into a bow, mix it with Apple Cider Vinegar, and then we would ALL do clay masks at the same time together. Basically as the clay harden, your face starts to pulsate and its the coolest feeling ever. I haven’t used any other mask that does as good of a job in removing purities than this one, it really leaves your skin so fresh. Oh, and I swear to god it shrinks your pores to non-existence. Perfect, especially if you can’t afford to get a facial every other week. Buy it Here.