What a fox! (photo courtesy of nylonmag.com)

Looking at pictures of Kristen Stewart with blonde hair has convinced me that I may also need blonde hair.  It’s one of those things that I’ll probably never do, but it’s fun to pretend. Now would be the perfect time to radically alter my physical appearance, too, since I’m moving and I won’t have to deal with all the surprised/disappointed faces.  I’m currently scouring the internet for ways to safely lighten my hair.  My conclusion: There aren’t many. Surprise, surprise.

I haven’t given up yet, though. I’m gonna talk to all the hairstylists/colorists that I know and see what they say. Any thoughts on the matter?

Ingredients- (provided at drbronner.com)- “Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Shikakai Powder, Organic Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Lemon Oil, Organic Orange Oil”

This product gets a satisfyingly low hazard score of 1 from the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database.

Product Description (also provided at drbronner.com)- “Our organic conditioning rinse is nourishing and effective without synthetic ingredients, and is certified by the same National Organic Program that certifies organic food. The USDA logo is your guarantee of organic integrity.  Organic Shikakai [“Shee-kah-kye”] powder comes from the seed pods of the small South Asian tree Acacia Concinna, and is widely used in India for soft shiny hair. Organic lemon juice, used traditionally in the west, rinses and tightens hair shafts for excellent manageability. Organic coconut, olive and hemp fatty acids moisturize for luxuriant hair.”

Price- $9.99 for eight ounces, which seems to be pretty standard for an all-natural conditioner.

Performance- The directions on the bottle suggest pouring two caps full of the product into a cup of water, pouring it over your head, and then running your fingers through your hair. I’d suggest combing your hair with a comb before you do any of this, especially if you tend to have a nappy head like me.  As long as I comb beforehand, I have no problems with these instructions.  Otherwise, it’s a pretty painful process. This rinse makes my hair feel super soft, which I obviously love. It also makes it smell delightful, which I’ll talk more about in a second.

Scent- The scent of this product is my favorite part!! It smells exactly like a big bowl of fruity pebbles sitting beside a sliced orange.  I might continue using this product even if I didn’t like the way it made my hair look, and I’m aware how ridiculous that sounds. What can I say? I’m a big fan of fruity pebbles (but I don’t allow myself to eat them, since I’d basically be eating a bowl of sugar).

Rating- 7.5 out of 10. I subtracted two points because I miss the seventy hairs that I ripped out of my scalp while combing in the conditioner with my fingers the first time I used it. I subtracted a .5 because it makes me want a bowl of fruity pebbles, and that’s an unhealthy habit to develop (regardless of how much I love fruity pebbles and the scent of this conditioner).

As promised, here’s a sick picture of my hand that is covered in poison ivy:

The scabby area just below my fingers was covered in blisters yesterday. I think the steroids are doing their job.

Also, pay close attention to all the sweet ingredients you’re about to encounter.

The Answer’s PMS Clear Facial Mask- I’ve yet to find anything that completely gets rid of pre-period breakouts. I guess this stuff could be the ticket.

Ingredients- French green clay, Fullers Earth clay, green tea, and papaya extract.

Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Coconut Hair Creme- I actually just ordered this hair creme, and I can’t wait to try it. Needless to say, a review is on the way.

Ingredients-Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Organic Ethanol, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Lavender Oil, Organic Quillaja Saponaria Extract, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol.

Ennecence Clean Escape Shower Gel- This stuff looks fancier than bar soap. I’m intrigued.

Ingredients- Saponified oils of virgin coconut*, olive*, and jojoba*, glycerin, vegetable gum extract, aloe vera*, argan oil*, sweet orange*, grapefruit*, and patchouli* essential oils, and rosemary extract*. *Certified Organic

John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Rinse and Clarifier- I’ve had thoroughly positive experiences with John Masters Organics shampoo and conditioner, so I’m eager to try something else of  from these guys.

Ingredients- Vinegar (apple cider),* aqua (water), chamomilla recutica (chamomile) flower extract,* calendula officinalis (calendula) flower extract,* camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract,* rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf/stem extract,* urtica dioica (nettle) root extract,* potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, citrus medica limonium (lemon) peel oil,* citrus aurantifolia (lime) peel oil*. *Certified Organic

Skin’s Cranberry Orange Salt Scrub- I use Skin’s Apricot Mango Eye Cream at night, and I like it.

Ingredients- Sea salt, cranberry powder*, jojoba oil*, olive oil*, mandarin essential oil*. *Certified Organic

I’ve been avoiding shampoo altogether this week and using baking soda in its place. I’ve been conditioning with Aveda Rosemary Mint Conditioner (and my hair has never looked better):

Aveda products tend to have preservatives in them, but they work sooo well.

My mom bought me some Time & Again Organics hand cream today at a cute little shop.  It was seven dollars, and it smells like a dream:

This hand cream is paraben-free. It also has organic coconut, jojoba, and wheat germ oils in it.

The two following items having nothing to do with health and beauty, but I need the former (TOKYObay Sacchetto in Blue) and purchased the latter (Mossimo Supply Co. Juniors Sleeveless Floral Dress):

This bag is almost too cute to handle. I love a tiny purse.

This dress makes me want to go on a picnic. I love Target.

I have a feeling that this stuff smells lovely.

1) Demeter Naturals Mimosa Perfume- Demeter Naturals fragrances are made from pure essential oils and have no Phthalates (put simply, Phthalates are chemicals that are intended to make scent last longer that are easily absorbed by our skin).

LunaPanties are made especially for period times!

2) LunaPanties-Basically, they have organic cotton pads sewn into them.  The extra liner shown in the picture is for days with heavier flows.  I could easily make something like this at home, but I love that they’re made with organic cotton (One day, when I’m wealthy, all of my clothes will be made from organic cotton).  Of all of the nifty things on this list, these panties are the item that I’ll most likely buy.  You should really check out the entire site. They have lots of cool things- rawganique

This dress is made from organic cotton too. Oh, boy!

The back is too cute.

3. Sun Applique Dress- I need more casual dresses in my closet. An impressive amount of my dresses can only be worn to weddings.

How fancy would using a brand called Glam Nation make you feel?!

4. Glam Nation Organic and Wild-Crafted Eye and Makeup Remover Lotion- I typically use olive oil to remove my eye makeup, and it works just fine…but I read some great reviews on this product.  Also, it has a zero hazard score on the Cosmetic Safety Database, and I like that.

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.

5) Nothing Nasty Rose and Vanilla Lipbalm- Yeah, I know I’d be ordering it from the UK and shipping would be ridiculous…but this could be my new Minted Rose Lip Balm with better ingredients (another rating of zero, actually)!

I like this orangey shade of red A LOT.

6. Toms Red Newport Cordones- Everyone knows that Toms does good things for the world, and these shoes would do good things for my feet.

Painting my nails is a bad habit that I refuse to quit.

7. Zoya Matte Velvet Nail Polish in Veruschka-  This has to be better for me than Sally Hansen, right?

It's made for babies and kids, but adults get nappy hair too.

8. Babo Botanicals Berry Primrose Instantly Smooth Detangler-  Surprise surprise, it’s another zero.

Kiwi, pineapple, and passion fruit together at last.

9. Gold Machine Naked Juice- Putting juice on this list may seem silly since it is so cheap and easily attainable, but I can’t find this at any of the stores around these parts. If any of you guys have tried it, then let me know how awesome it was.

I have an obsession with animal necklaces. It hasn't become a problem yet.

10. Circle Fawn Necklace by Figs & Ginger-  These guys love the environment! See for yourself- Figs & Ginger’s Green Values

To be fair, my hair has oily tendencies already. I probably didn’t need this treatment, but my ends were looking pretty damaged so I went for it anyway.  Someone with very porous hair that is more on the dry side (like my sister, Danielle) would probably have a much better experience with this treatment. I guess the point that I am trying to make is that greasy-haired girls should stay away from olive oil.

I used this very kind of olive oil, only it was organic.

Desert Essence tea tree oil mouthwash

1. Desert Essence tea tree oil mouthwash- Let’s get real, natural toothpastes don’t actually do much for bad breath.  Flossing and brushing are great for making my teeth look clean, but mouthwash is where it’s at if I want to talk close to someone’s face (and I do).  I love the way this stuff tastes, and it makes my breath downright pleasant.

Spring Valley tea tree oil

2. Spring Valley tea tree oil (that walmart jurnt)- Can you tell that I’m a big fan of tea tree oil? Tea tree oil, when applied a few times a day, makes my blemishes go away in half the time.  I stopped using it for a while because I wanted to see if something like Clean & Clear  Persa-Gel 10 would work just as well, but I quickly realized that tea tree oil was far superior.  Kirby hates the way it smells, but I do what I want. Also, I find the licorice/hippie scent comforting for some reason.  Sometimes I like to call it tree tree oil. That’s how I roll.

Burt's Bees vitamin E body and bath oil

3. Burt’s Bees vitamin E body & bath oil- I love pure vitamin E oil, but this is a lot less sticky and it smells like a yellow starburst. I put it on scars and stretch marks, and it really does make them go away faster. Imagine that!

Yes To Carrots c me smile citrus lip butter

4. Yes To Carrots c me smile citrus lip butter- I never thought I’d stop using vanilla Soft Lips until I tried this guy. I prefer it. I don’t feel the need to reapply as often, and it doesn’t leave that weird lip scum build-up that sometimes happens with Soft Lips. Know what I mean, or am I just gross? Also, I sometimes put this on underneath a few light strokes of the lipstick that I posted about. It looks fancy.

Ojai Lavender natural conditioner

5. Ojai Lavender natural conditioner- I tried using this as a regular conditioner, and it made my hair kinda flat and oily-looking. But then I tried using it before shampooing my hair, and I loved the results.  It makes my hair look really shiny, like Pantene Pro-V commercial shiny. btw, I condition my hair again with my usual conditioner after shampooing.

Boar Bristle Hair Brush

I cannot say enough positive things about the boar bristle hair brush that I recently purchased. It makes my hair shiny, soft, and waaay more manageable. Honestly, I did not expect to see much of an improvement in my hair, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Every review that I read before purchasing one said that it evenly redistributes the oils in your hair (from the scalp to the ends, where it’s needed to prevent and repair split ends), but I was still skeptical until I tried it.   It has  actually improved the overall texture of my hair. Also, it was in the neighborhood of eight dollars.  Success!!

BUT:

If your hair is super fine or super thick, then steer clear of this  product.  Fine hair tends to fly in several different directions when brushed with a boar bristle brush, and thick hair may have tangles that a boar bristle brush can not easily conquer. I have normal hair, so it works like a charm form me.

Performance- It makes my skin feel like soft, smooth heaven, and my (perpetually ashy) legs still feel moisturized at the end of the day.

Ingredients- It’s straight up coconut oil.

Price- I can’t remember the exact price. It has been a minute since I bought it, but prices on the internet range from five to twenty dollars. If you use the kind found in the cooking section (Mine has shrimp on the label. I don’t prefer it.), like me, I have a feeling it’s closer to five dollars.

Scent- It’s a very, very light coconut scent. It is in no way overpowering, like tanning oil or a sno cone. I can’t really wear perfume because it usually makes me feel sick, but I could probably rub this inside my nostrils and be fine. That’s not a bogus situation either. Sometimes excessive blowing of the nose will call for such extreme measures.

Rating- I’m thinking nine. I’m deducting one point because when it’s really cold I have a little trouble getting it out of the container.