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Archive for the ‘John Masters Organics’ Category

I can’t believe I just found your site! (considering how long I’ve known about safemama).  Anyhow, I was browsing, but didn’t find anything on anti-aging skincare.  As I’m now in my mid 30’s I’m realizing I need to do more to keep my skin firm and pretty.  I tried samples from the arbonne anti-aging line, but hated the orange/toasted marshmallow smell.  I hear shaklee has an anti-aging line, as well.  Do you have any insight on safer anti-aging skin care lines?  or do you not even think it’s necessary to stick with a “line” of products.  I’ve always had individual favorites, but I feel like my cleanser, eye cream & face cream routine is not doing as much for me as I need it to….. thanks so much for this site!!

Welcome to the darkside, my friend.   You spend your 20’s being careless about your skin and before you know it, 30 starts to creep up and you see a line here and then a line there, and you wonder how you started to age so quickly.   Or you blame it on your kids, because let’s face it, they age you.

I was one of those people that treated my skin absolutely HORRIBLY in my 20’s.  I wish I could go back to my 23 year old self and punch her in the face for all the tanning and not wearing of sunscreen.   And don’t even get me started on the crap I slathered on my face.   And now I’m paying for it by aging quicker than I would like.

Thankfully, there are a lot of things you can do to in the anti-aging department, and a lot of them don’t require slathering products on your face, but for that, we do have a lot of suggestions for safer anti-aging lines.

Tips for slowing down the aging process:

Now, you can’t exactly stop the aging process, obviously.  It’s a part of life.  But you can do things to, shall we say, age gracefully:

• Hydrate! I know we mention this a lot, don’t we?  And it seems like a no brainer, but hydration has so many benefits, and one of them is helping with those fine lines.  The more hydrated you are, the better elasticity your skin has, and this is something that will take you through life.    Drinking the appropriate amount of water will help plump your skin to minimize the damage already done and of course, keep your skin glowing and looking youthful.   How much water should you drink?   Well, that depends on your weight.   Generally, you want to divide your weight in half and that’s how many ounces you should drink.
• Exfoliate! Exfoliation is an important process in the anti-aging process.   Your skin sloughs off the dead skin to make way for the new, but sometimes, that doesn’t always happen naturally.   Exfoliating at least once a week (preferably twice, unless your skin is very senstive) with a gentle exfoliant and a washcloth (I’ll get to that in a minute) will help keep wrinkles at bay.
• Avoid harsh soaps! It’s important to keep your face clean, but you don’t want to use something that’s going to strip your face of it’s natural oils, and then dry it out (which would make you have to exfoliate more often).   I wash twice a day, once in the morning, when I shower and then once before bed.   I would stress the importance of washing more before bed, so that the days “road dirt” and makeup don’t go getting into your pillow, making you at risk for break outs.  Ew.
• Eat a balanced diet of fresh fruits and veggies! Again, this is another common sense no brainer, but fruits and vegetables have natural properties to help heal and nourish your skin.   Fruits like açaí, blueberries, pomegranate, blackberries, raspberries and cherries to name a few.  All of these fruits have great antioxidant properties.  Try to eat them in their natural form, rather than in juices, which are mostly concentrates.
• Moisturize! It’s important to also moisturize your face daily.  I try not to mess to much with my skin, especially after abusing it for so long, but in the winter, I definitely need help in the hydration department.
• Wear Sunscreen! Ok, I’ll admit, this one is particularly tough for me.   I’m in the no sunscreen camp, unless I’m going to be spending all day in the sun, I generally skip it.  However, if you’re proned to skin cancer, or if you live in a particularly sunny climate, you’ll want to at least wear a 15-20 SPF daily.  You want something that will block out harmful rays, but still allow SOME rays through, because sunlight is actually good for you too (vitamin D and all of that).   If you wear mineral makeup, it contains titanium dioxide, which also helps with blocking out the suns rays as well, so don’t go overboard with SPF and mineral makeup.   Again, you do want to expose yourself to some sun.

Brands we love:

As a rule, you don’t have to purchase all from one line and in fact, I find that it’s better to pick and choose.  Find what works for you.  Buy some samples from different lines and then see what you love and buy the full sizes.   Chances are,  you’ll find a line, buy the whole damn thing, and then find end up hating half of it.    Even if you find a few different brands of, say, exfoliant, it’s absolutely ok to rotate them, if you wanted to buy a couple of different  brands.

Exfoliants:

100% Pure sugar scrub – All of 100% Pure’s scrubs are great, but they seem to all have a different consistency based on the flavor.  My personal favorite for facial exfoliation is the chocolate mocha.  It’s got real coffee grounds in it, making it a little more gentle on the face and an added bonus is, should you accidentally get some in your mouth, it’s sweet, so you can get your daily dose of chocolate right there in the shower!

Moody Girl Sugar Scrubs – I love Moody Girl’s product line.  She has great scrubs and bath taffy (bubble bars).   The sugar scrub makes a great exfoliant, but I’d recommend hers maybe once a week as it’s pretty sugary, and it does make my face residually red for about 12 hours after use.  Best before bed, but the ingredients are pretty natural.   Not all of her scents are phthalate free, but she will disclose which ones are if you ask her.

Burts Bees Citrus Facial Scrub – This has been an on and off staple in my life for at least the last ten years or so.  It’s inexpensive and effective.   It exfoliates without drying the skin and doesn’t irritate even my sensitive skin.

Facial Cleansers:

Weleda Iris Cleansing Lotion – This is a good cleanser for those who might get dry flaky skin easily due to anything that lathers.   My skin has a tendency to do that from time to time.  So I use this when my skin is really dry.  It does take some getting used to.   The whole no lather thing throws me for a loop, but my face does feel clean.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castille Soap – This is another great staple of mine that works great as a facial cleanser (proof that you don’t have to buy a cleanser specifically for your face).  The only thing is that I’ve had to put it aside for the winter because we’ve had all sorts of dry skin problems here from the weather, but it doesn’t strip my face of the oils and and winter aside, it’s been good to my face.   Plus, it’s inexpensive and readily available just about everywhere.   It also lasts forever.

100% Pure Facial Cleanser – It’s no secret I love this line.  Although, to keep in line with my statement from before, I do try to rotate it with other stuff, because I feel that it works better this way.   This is a great gentle cleanser though.  It’s got lather, but it doesn’t dry.   It makes my skin feel really soft after use.

Moody Girl’s Bath Icing – This is one of my utilitarian products.  I use this for shaving, a sometimes body wash, and also for washing my face.   I was afraid that the lather would dry my face out, but it hasn’t.  It’s decadent without being bad for you.

Moisturizers:

Dr. Hauschka’s Moisturizing Day Cream – This is definitely a higher end  product (I actually have not found a “cheap” moisturizer that has worked on my face and believe me, I’ve tried), but I it worked well for keeping my face hydrated without leaving it feeling greasy.  That is one of my big issues with moisturizers for the face.  It has to be light.

John Master’s Rose and Apricot Antioxidant Day Cream - This is one of Kathy’s staples and favorite picks.  We totally adore John Masters hair products and after trying to cut down on the budget and rotating through different hair products, I’ve switched back to my favorite John Master’s products and I’ll never use anything else again.    Anyway, this is a great moisturizer for everyday use.  It’s light and great for sensitive skin.   Kathy says: “I use during the day..its still really gentle (I look for stuff with no or little citrus for my sensitive skin and rosacea) and has antioxidants to help me fight aging. “   It’s also supposed to help with age spots (which means I will be running out and buying this cream pronto).   Again, this is a little on the pricey side ($28), but given how much you use on a regular basis, and the quality of the product, it’ll last awhile.  You’ll use less and get more with John Masters.  Trust me.  A bottle of their styling gel has lasted me nine months and I still have some left.

Weleda Almond Intenstive Face Cream – This is another one that Kathy loves.   It’s a little bit thicker of a cream, but absorbs nicely.  This isn’t something you would use everyday.   But rather a good follow up to a facial treatment.   It’s  about $20 for a one ounce tube (whoa) but again, it’s not an everyday lotion.   It’s also available at most Target stores, which is great for the convenient factor.

Sunscreens:

I haven’t found anything sunscreen wise that I’ve been in love with, but Kathy recently did a post about sunscreens, because we get asked this question a lot.

A great site that has a lot of different products to choose from, including anti-aging serums, is Saffron Rouge.  While they do carry a lot of the more expensive lines (and they also have a sample club for about $35 a year, and you get a few new samples a month), they have some affordable stuff.  Don’t be afraid to treat yourself to at least one higher end product if it’s something you really like, and then mix it in with more affordable skin care.  You don’t have to drop a mint to keep your skin looking healthy.  In fact, you can easily make an exfoliator yourself out of brown sugar, almond oil and a little bit of essential oil.  It lasts for about six months and works just as well as a store bought product (I made some for my son whose arms have been like alligator skin this winter and it worked well to get the leather off).

So there you have it.   You don’t need to load up on anti-aging products, one or two might suffice, but rather, take the preventative measures with stuff that you already have and make them count.   Try to find samples of products to try out so that you’re not out of a lot of money if you don’t like it.

It’s no secret around here that John Masters Organics is one of our favorite lines for hair and body care.  They take great care to ensure they use safe natural ingredients and avoid preservatives and harmful fragrances.  One item they make I have been coveting for some time is their Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray with Lavender.   I have naturally wavy hair and typically, I put a little leave in conditioner or a curl cream and let it air dry.  Voila, nice even waves and super easy.  However I noticed that my best hair days? Were days when I’ve been swimming in the ocean and it air dries.  Something about the salt and the texture it creates makes for very sexy, full body waves.  But I don’t have time to swim in the ocean each morning to get that effect.

Enter John Masters.  I received this in the mail the other day and wow.  This is a great product.  There is some skill associated with using it for sure… too much and you’ll feel like a scarecrow complete with straw hair.  I let my curls air dry until almost completely dry and the give my hair a few spritz’ from underneath.  The sea salt give your hair enough texture to manage and you can even twist it into clips or let it hang free in its curled awesomeness.  The lavender helps your hair from drying out from the salt and gives it a nice soothing scent.

I don’t think this product is for every hair type, but if you aren’t into pomades (like me) and are looking for a natural alternative to my old favorite Dream Curlz by John Freda, this might be the product for you.  Each bottle is 9 oz and $16.50 but this will likely last me the entire year since I use it sparingly.

Get it: You can pick your Sea Spray up on the John Masters Organics website or on Amazon.com

Here we are at the end of John Master’s week!  I’ve loved sharing these products with you.  But I saved my favorite for last.  And that would be the sweet orange styling gel.   I tend to hate gels or hair spray because of the crunchy factor, but given that my hair is so fine, it’s a necessary evil.  But with this stuff, not only can I run my fingers through my hair if I so desired (I don’t, as I risk looking like Sideshow Bob if I do), but it holds up all day.

When I get out of the shower and start my hair styling routine, I get kind of giddy when it’s finally time to use this because holy mother, it smells so good.  Like fresh clementines.   I have to smell it several times before and during application.  Citrus smells make me happy and energized, so it’s no wonder it’s a staple in my regimen.

My next goal is to invest in the face and skin care products as I seem to have a handle on the hair care products.   They’re all fabulous.  I think you get that right now.  And really, you just want to get to the good stuff.   Like the giveaway details.

John Masters Organics Week Giveaway!

Thanks for reading along during John Masters Organics Week with us!  We have one holy mother of a giveaway for you.  Up for grabs, one VERY lucky winner (seriously, we’re mega jealous) will receive the following John Masters Organics products:

Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray with Lavender, Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner, Green Tea & Rose Hydrating Face Serum, Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Wash, Lavender Rosemary Shampoo for Normal Hair, Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel, Rose Foaming Face Wash and Lip Calm in a canvas reusable grocery tote.  That’s over $140 worth of John Masters Organics products!

Here’s how to win it:

Go back through our John Masters Week reviews and answer this question: “What product sounds like something you’d love to try on yourself? And if you have tried any John Masters Products, what is your favorite?“

1.Required: Send your answer to safemama (at) gmail.com with the subject “LovelyMama John Masters Giveaway” with your answer, name and mailing address for one chance to win this fabulous gift pack. (We will never share your personal information, it’s just so we can send out your gift if you win.)

2. To get 3 extra chances to win, paste our cute little LovelyMama button on your website or blog and send us a link to it. (Grab button from the left sidebar over there… it you got it from this entry you might have to fix it, Wordpress gobbley gooked up the code, Sorry about that!)

3. For a fourth extra chance to win, write a blog entry about our fab giveaway and send us a link!  That’s FIVE whole chances to win.  Entrants may do one or all of the options listed above.

Deadline: Entries will be accepted until Midnight on November 3rd 2008!  We’ll announce a winner, chosen at random, on November 4th.  Open to U.S. residents only!

Giveaway closed. Congratulations Heather from Lanesville, Indiana on winning the loot.  Thank you everyone who entered.

I’ve never been a big pomade fan.  I don’t like sticky products in my hair.  I don’t have the right texture or type of hair to warrant using conventional pomades.  I suppose the fact that I have long hair, I don’t generally see the need for one.   I mainly bought this in the interest of… science, yeah that’s it, science.

I was pleasantly surprised that this stuff is almost a balm, and in fact, because it’s not sticky at all, you can definitely use this on your skin as a balm as well.   Even though it’s greasy, it doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy.  It softens it up well when I need a little extra product to tame the mane.   I don’t use this every day, but when I do use it, it’s works well and because it’s a nice lotion alternative, I don’t have to waste.  I simply rub the rest of it into my skin.

A 2 ounce tin will run you about $20, which I know seems steep, but most salon quality products are going to cost you.  And their products work very well,  which is why I stand behind them.   I just use so much less, which in the long run is actually saving me money.

Get It: Order the hair pomade directly off of John Master’s website.

Tomorrow’s last review will contain all the information regarding the giveaway.   Including extra chances to win!

Because of the nature of my hair (read: weird), I tend to need a defrizzer to straighten it.  I leave it curly most of the time, but when I want it straight, I put a dab of the nourishment defrizzer and all is right in the world.  I also use a tiny bit on my ends when I leave it curly to make them look more even.  It helps control the fly aways and controls the mushroom head puff that I get from blowing my hair out.

The serum itself is different than your traditional serums because it uses essential oils as fragrance as well as real olive oil, unlike the traditional serums, which use a synthetic polymer type ingredient.   Olive oil has great properties for your hair and skin.  It’s great for diaper rash,  as a deep conditioning treatment for really dry processed hair, and it’s also good for your nails, to name a few uses.

Because it uses olive oil, you really REALLY only need a drop or two, otherwise, you will have oily hair.   The smell of this product is absolutely heavenly.  It smells like fresh rosemary.  So if you like rosemary, you’ll probably like this product.

By now you’re probably thinking, “Statia, do you really use ALL of these products?”  And truthfully (and somewhat shamefully, because I am a sucker for good hair products), yes I actually do use all of these products.   I might not be as much of an expert in makeup as Kathy.  I mean, I can hold my own, but I am an expert in hair products, because I’m always on the lookout for something that will make my hair look salon fabulous (when I actually take the time to look salon fabulous, I am a mother of a toddler after all).   I’m extremely picky about my hair products.

Get it: You can purchase this product as well as all John Masters products directly from their website.

And the big day is almost here.  We’ll be revealing the big John Masters giveaway tomorrow!  So stay tuned.

I have to say that I still have a hard time with the lack of lather in chemical free shampoos.   It took me a long time to get used to it, and while I’ve adjusted, it’s still not my favorite thing.  And if you’re making the switch, you have to realize that without the addition of SLS’s or other petrochemicals, you’re not going to find the lather that you would with conventional shampoos.   But with time, you will become accustomed.   If there’s one thing I can say, it’s that lather, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s getting your hair cleaner.  In fact, we’ve become programmed to think that, but in reality, what it’s really doing is stripping your hair of all of the good things that it needs.

Again, it took me a long time to find something suitable for my hair, and once I tried the Avocado and Lavender Intensive Conditioner, I knew that the rest of the products had to work equally as well.

I settled on the Zinc & Sage Shampoo with conditioner.   It has a hint of vanilla scent to it, which I really like and it does lather a little bit better than some other shampoos that I’ve tried (but don’t expect anything like you’re used to).   It doesn’t leave my hair feeling stringy or dry and I don’t need gobs of it to get some lather.  Another thing I’ve noticed is that this is one of the only shampoos I can use when I want to blow my hair straight and my hair still looks like my old school Redken days.

If you’re looking to make the switch to a chemical free conditioner, here are a few tips to help you make the switch:

• Give it some time.  It’s going to be an adjustment.  It could take upwards of a couple of months for you to find something that works for you.  But be patient.
• Use less.  Sure there are other less expensive shampoos out there but you still don’t need that much shampoo.  We always seem to think that more is better, when in reality, it’s not.
• Invest in some samples.   Don’t want to purchase a full sized bottle?  We don’t blame you.  It can get pretty pricey (believe me, our wallets have felt it).  Look for samples, or email a company and see if you can purchase them for a small fee.   That way you don’t end up wasting a whole bottle of shampoo because you hate it.

Get it: You can purchase this shampoo and all of John Masters products directly from their website.

And of course, keep reading, because we’ll be announcing a huge giveaway on Friday.

On top of the fact that I need an intensive conditioner, I also need to put at least a detangler in my hair.  I wish I had the type of hair that allowed me to just comb and go, but unfortunately, my hair would be a giant fly away frizz ball.  I have the weirdest hair, and even my curls take primping.   I really hate having to put so much stuff in it.  Although, now that I’ve found safer products, I don’t feel as bad, but I’ll still complain about how long it takes for me to do my hair.

One of the other John Master’s products in my line up (stick around, because when I like a product, I load up on every single thing they own practically, and my supply cabinet runneth over) is the Citrus & Neroli Detangler.  I love anything with a citrusy smell, and this doesn’t disappoint.  It’s light and you only need a dime sized portion to run through your hair.  It leaves my frizzy hair feeling soft and manageable.   A bottle retails for about $16 and it will last you forever.  Some of the styling products I don’t use every day, just depending on the weather or the style that I’m going for that day, but this is one of those that I use every day because it makes getting a comb through my hair that much easier.

I realize that not everyone has the need for a detangler, but if you’re one of those that can’t live without it, I highly recommend this product.

Get It: You can this detangler and any of John Master’s products directly from their website.

And of course, don’t forget to keep reading for the big John Master’s giveaway announcement at the end of the week.

Just call me your resident hair product expert.   Much like Kathy, I was a Redken girl prior to waking up and realizing just how bad that stuff was for my body.  I have to tell you, it was really REALLY hard for me to make the switch to a chemical free conditioner.  My hair became much more unruly since the birth of my son last year.  I used to have fine waves and now I have these coarse curls that are nearly impossible to get a comb through.  So when I had to give up my Butter Treat conditioner, I was pretty lost.  It took me a good eight to nine months to find a conditioner that worked even remotely close to my old stuff.   And that conditioner is John Master’s Lavender and Avocado Intensive Conditioner.  There has been no other conditioner that has not ony stood up to my hair, but looked it square in the eye and told it who was boss.  After month and months of nothing but dry stringy feeling hair and a head that hurt from constantly trying to comb knots out, I was able to run a comb through it with almost no resistance.  And OH, how I did rejoice.  This is a really great conditioner for every day use if you have hair like mine, or as a once a week conditioner if you have normal hair.  A tube is not cheap, costing about $20 (which really, if you buy a salon quality shampoo, isn’t much more than that), but in my mind it is hands down worth the price you pay.  If you’re only using it once a week, it should last you, and even if you’re using it daily, it should still at least last you a month and a half, as you really don’t need that much.

Did I mention that this is my aboslute favorite conditioner ever?

Get it: You can order John Master’s products directly off their website.

Also keep reading for the big John Master’s giveaway contest at the end of this week.  Believe me, you DO NOT want to miss a chance at entering this contest.  This is one awesome giveaway.

Welcome to LovelyMama’s John Masters Organics Week!  We’ll be featuring at least one John Masters Organics product each day and we’ll lead up to a big fabulous John Masters giveaway on Friday.  Believe me, you want to win this.  It is taking massive amounts of will power not to keep it ourselves.  So stay tuned this week and be sure to pop back on Friday for the rad giveaway details.

To get us started I wanted to talk about their shampoo because one thing that was really hard to change for me was my shampoo.  I was a Redken woman for years and have curly (with frizzy tendencies) and also get regular highlights done.  (I know… but until they start making an eco-friendly salon in my area I refuse to stop).  So finding a shampoo that performs well on my hair is a challenge.  I also wanted something that was safe for color treated hair as well because let’s face it ladies, color treatments are not cheap.  So you want them to last until your next touch up and I’ll be damned if I’m going to wash out those golden low lights with a crappy shampoo.

I gave John Masters Organics a try and started with their Lavender Rosemary Shampoo for normal hair.  This shampoo is made with pure coconut soap (which evidently is also great for curls) with herbal infusions of periwinkle, sage leaves, chamomile flowers.   This wonderful concoction cleans well without leaving hair greasy or stripped.  John Masters doesn’t use Sodium Lauryl Sulfates in their products or synthetic ingredients so it doesn’t have that overly foaming quality which is usually the result of those kinds of ingredients.  However it does lather and does the job really well.  The herbal mix helps hair resist the stress of pollution, coloring and styling. Best yet? Totally safe for color-treated hair. Woo!

A bottle retails for about $16 but with this shampoo you don’t need a lot to get your hair clean and skipping a day is totally an option.  So you’re using less shampoo (which is always a key to making your beauty routine safer).

Get it: You can order any of their fabulous products from their website: JohnMasters.com

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