Archive for the ‘Fashion & Beauty’ Category

I am the owner of an eco friendly retail store, and my motto is always that Green is not the way it used to be.  You don’t have to look and dress like a hippy to care about the environment.  That is true, to a point, but you have to watch yourself.  
  

The picture that did me in! (I am the one on the right)

Here’s my story.  I used to have a very professional job that I dressed up in a business suit everyday.  I made sure that I always had my hair curled and looking good, with manicured nails.  I frequently received facials and treatments to make me feel like a women.  I always recycled and thought I was living as green as I could at the time. Little did I know I still had a way to go!
 
A couple years ago my daughter started getting eczema and skin rashes.  I kept taking her to the doctor to see what was going on, and they said “she is having a reaction”, or that “it is just eczema.”  Well, one day I decided I wanted to know WHY that was happening instead of just giving her medicine to fix it all the time.  I started researching the products we were using and I couldn’t believe it.  There are so many harsh toxic chemicals in the everyday products I was using in my home.  So, I decided it was time to make a bigger change in my life and find new and better products.  It was great.  My daughters eczema went away, both of my children’s asthma and allergy symptoms went away.  Everyone started sleeping better and it was fabulous.  Well, with getting all the chemicals out of my life, I stopped getting my hair done, manicures, pedicures, everything.  I wanted to live completely organic and non-toxic and so I thought getting my hair done was a thing of the past.
 
I was so inspired by my research that I quit my job and started a eco-friendly retail boutique to help other families that are having similar problems.  I was having such a great time and doing something what I was so passionate about. So a year later, my business partner and I took a picture of ourselves for a business competiton, and OH MY! We used my Iphone to take a picture of ourselves and couldn’t believe the outcome.  We had a picture of us on the wall from when we started the business and then the one from a year later.  We put the pictures side by side.  You couldn’t tell it was the same people.  In the new picture my hair looked awful, my makeup, everything, we looked like HIPPIE’s. So, now I decided that there still ways to “Live Green” and look good.  For my husband’s sake I needed to put myself back together.
 
The first thing I need to start on was my hair.  There has to be a way to get my hair colored and still live green.  So I searched and found the Walter Claudio salon in Santa Barbara that uses Aveda products.

My new favorite place!

 Aveda’s hair products are made with 98% all natural ingredients.   I thought, that is a good start.   First of all I saw the Aveda mission, which is ““Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.”  Now, there is a mission that speaks to me. Aveda is the first company to receive the Cradle to Cradle certified sustainability endorsement.  They purchase wind energy carbon offsets to lower their carbon footprint of the companies manufacturing.  These are all things that are really important.
 
Well, then I took at the actual Water Claudio salon.  Many of the employees bike to work, which I think is fabulous, of course they also live in Santa Barbara which has perfect weather all the time.  The salon has skylights throughout which gave the salon a lot of natural lighting so they can lessen the amount of energy they use.  They have the hairdressers set up to use only the amount of product needed to lessen the waste.  The employees have volunteered with the Surf Rider Foundation to give back to the community.  I met the owner of the salon, Walter Claudio.  He was a really cool guy that is passionate about the environment and making a difference.  These things are all wonderful.  
 
So let’s get to the most important, what are they going to do with my hair?  Again, we are all lead to believe that going non toxic and green is not as good as the Toxic conventional way.  First of all, they have a system called the HeadMapping system.  According to the Walter Claudio website:
 
“HeadMapping® <http://headmapping.com/> is an operational color system that allows our salon to deliver consistent color services through creative technical standards. We are serious about color and understand how important results are to you and what great consistent hair color can do for you mentally, emotionally and physically. Whether you need your roots touched up, full highlights or new fresh color, we can offer you more flexibility with available options when scheduling a color service. Using Aveda Hair Color, our whole color team is trained and capable of replicating all color services. To guarantee results, all color formulas and procedures are always imputed and kept using our ColorBiz software. Pricing integrity is offered through our itemized color menu, and as a HeadMapping® <http://headmapping.com/> salon client, you will experience consistent pricing.”

My lovely before shot....

   
So, that all sounds great. First, I start with my consultation with my hairstylist, Lexie.  She is super sweet and she has a cute hairstyle.  We all know we check out the ladies hair first when we are getting our hair done, to get a feel of how good she is.  We all do it.  We go over what we are going to do, and lighten it up a little to make me a little blonder, instead of the dishwater blonde I have become.  Dishwasher blonde; sounds ugly.  While she is putting in my hair foils, a lady comes over and she gives everyone a hand massage while you are getting the color in.  How great is that?
 
So as I sit, it was nice not to have the harsh smell that you are used to when you are getting your hair done.  I used to sit there and think, this stuff is sitting on my scalp, baking on my head, absorbing into my head, this can’t be good.  But not this time, I waited and when I was done.  She cut and styled my hair, and I felt like a woman again. So the end result, find an Aveda salon near you.  You can still live green and look beautiful.  Catch yourself as you let yourself go.  There are Green Salons everywhere and I will keep you up to date as I find them and let you know what I think!!

The final product! I "finally" feel like a woman again.....;)

I thought I would tackle today a question that usually is the first thing that people ask or assume, when discussing “Green” living. Whenever we write articles, or are doing media events, everyone wants to focus on this question and frankly it’s really been driving me nuts lately!! Here’s why…..

First of all let me back up and say, that before I was fully committed to this lifestyle/habit change of Green Living, I was probably borderline shop-a-holic. I use that term because I think that applies to anyone that consumes without checking prices and just buys whatever/whenever. I did not necessarily shop everyday, which a lot of people do, so I think that is what made me feel better about what I was doing. I would walk into a store and anything that I saw that I liked, I would get! I probably still have a few clothes in my closet with tags on and I have enough clothes and shoes to fit numerous closets.

Another thing that I was notorious for is buying more groceries than I needed for that week. I “always” was throwing away fruits and vegetables that had spoiled and had about 4 layers of rice in my pantry. How many of us have things in our pantry that we have not seen in years?!?!? I am sure everyone can relate! Again, I have always recycled, so I think that made me feel better about myself and my wasteful habits.

So, now you have the back story and what I am about to tell you will change your life (at least it did mine)! NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT, does Going Green cost more. In fact, I save money each and everyday! I am sure by now everyone has heard those 3 little “R” words, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Well….when you really start cluing into what those little words really mean, you save money! It’s as simple as that.

1. I am “Reducing” my consumption. I am constantly looking at packaging and how much waste I am bringing into my home. It drives me nuts when I see a large package for a small item. I usually just end up not buying the item. I also decided I have enough clothes for an entire army, so my purchases now are that organic cotton shirt I was eyeing for a while. The other good thing is almost all of the stores that I was a “regular” at, do not have organic cotton, bamboo or other natural fabrics that I now “have” to have on my skin. So, the good news is that forces me to cut down on my spending…..;)

2. I “Reuse” as much as I can. I am still not perfect in this department but I have found items that I would normally have just put into my recycling bin and I am reusing them for another purpose. Again, that also means that I spend less.

3. I “Recycle” and yes, this still means that I am spending less. Again, it comes down to the packaging. Every item that I put into my recycling bin, I still know where it is going and how long that paper or plastic take to breakdown in landfills. Even though I am being good by recycling, it all still goes somewhere. It’s now a game as to how “little” I can put in both bins.

Here’s a few simple things that I do on a daily basis that costs me less in “going green”:

• I wash all of my plastic bags so that I only buy what I need.
• I purchased CFL’s that yes, did cost more at the beginning but I have made that money back about 10x’s already with my monthly savings.
• We have a household game that when the pantry starts to fill up, we have to find a way to make something out of everything in there. Not all at once of course but I cannot purchase another pantry item before pretty much everything is gone. No more 10 cans of tuna, 5 rice boxes and cans upon cans of who knows what.
• I have saved 1,000′s of dollars on clothes that I no longer “binge” buy.
• I have saved 1,000′s of dollars on all items with ridiculous wasteful packaging, unless I absolutely “need” that item.
• I use non-toxic cleaning products that are the same price as conventional ones and last about 3-4x’s longer since they are concentrated.
• I pick up my fruits & vegetables every week from my local Co-op Farmer’s group. You only get enough for one week, its all in season and it’s organic! Sorry to say folks but by also eating healthy, you naturally are healthier and it cuts down on all of those doctor visits for colds, flu’s, etc.
• I have a reusable water bottle that replaces buying all of those nasty water bottles. First of all, you really have no idea what is in that water and second, how many do you really buy on a yearly basis. Count and I bet you it’s more than $19.95??
• Using reusable bags not only is good for the planet but yes, I now get money back at the stores. Okay, so it may only be about 10 cents but that adds up!

I honestly could go on and on and on but you get the point….. Everything that I now purchase I am either saving money upfront or on the back end. I say that because some of the items yes, do cost more. Usually that’s clothes, some larger homes items that I have bought, some energy-efficient items or construction materials. But!! I cannot think of “one” item that I do not save money at some point. My utility bills are lower because of the materials & energy-efficient upgrades that I have done.

Again though, start small! There are soooo many ways to save money when you “Go Green”. Start making a game of it and really see where you can cut your spending habits. You will be amazed! Our society has taught us to want everything now, now, now. We are told to buy in bulk to save money? That is crazy! It is all a gimmick people, I promise you. We do not have to consume so much and we can live on a lot less. Start changing your habits and look back at the end of the year and see how much you have saved. I told you before, it will change your life……..or at least you will get some crazy new recipes out of it…….;)