What's white, red, and often blotchy all over? My skin. Hypersensitivity central, it reacts to everything-one could say I wear my heart on my nose, even. A few of my skincare products contain vitamin C, but one of my best methods for de-rose-ifying (or de-flaming-red-ifying, more like) is internal: drinking a cup of vitamin-C-rich green tea.

Now, I actually don't really like the taste of most greens, but I found a delicious loophole in Numi Jasmine Green, very lightly steeped.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to simmer down...

I used to be that antimakeup girl - you know the one. And I can't lie, the words "natural beauty" escaped my lips on more than a few occasions. But that was all pre-sunspots. Now that I have what I've come to resentfully refer to as my "cheetah face," I embrace with open arms the stuff that evens my skin tone. Thanks, makeup (and makeup brushes).

Still, I try to steer clear of slathering myself with more of the hormones that got me into this spotty mess to begin with. That means nothing paraben-laden touches this face, thankyouverymuch. Check out SkinDeep.com to make sure your favorites are on the safe side. Oh, and check out some of the cool things the natural-beauty believers at Aveda are doing to raise money for clean water and to keep even more plastic out of the environment (reminder: take off those bottle caps before you recycle).

-Assistant Editor Hanah...off to touch-up...

Three years ago, when we started this company, I looked like I was 26.  Today?  My looks fit more in line with my real age, which is 34.

This additional five years' aging is not at all a result of the fact that I switched to all-natural SPF moisturizers.  Oh no.  I didn't see the sun for most of those years anyway (although I did get quite a lot of "glow" off the glare of my computer screen).  Instead, I think it had something to do with a diet of ramen and wine, and too many sleepless nights, wondering if the tip send would actually work in the morning.

Thankfully, those days are behind us, and you all are still getting and reading your tips each and every day (thank you).  I'm hopeful that some sleep catch-up and copious amounts of water and moisturizer will take me back to 29... ;)

-Heather... off to pack sunscreen for my Napa weekend...

Studies are now showing that our intense commitment to multitasking is having adverse effects on all of us.  We have shorter attention spans, we have higher levels of stress, we (bizarrely) accomplish less.

I'm a ridiculous offender.  I write emails while filing my nails while muting my speakers during conference calls.  I plan dinner during yoga (a practice which - quite satisfyingly - helps me in my quest to accomplish being spiritual, kind, placid, fit and mentally stable all at the same time).

I text while driving.

We all need to stop the madness a bit.  The thing I like most about today's tip is that it lets us place the multitasking in the hands of our products.  Instead of thinking about shampoo and conditioner and shaving cream and soap and bathroom cleaner, I can just get some Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap, and knock it all out in one fell swoop.

This leaves me much more time to write blogs in my head while exfoliating in the shower.

-Heather... off to slow down...

So the Personally Speaking in today's blog...we're not actually kidding. Even Quasimodo might attract a few ladies if he lathered up with a brush and shaved with a straight razor (well, and found a good Italian tailor).

The extra secret ingredient to this ritual, speaking of Italy? If you're ever in Florence, boys, get some lavender crema da barba from the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. The building itself is amazing, but all of its colognes, soaps, tinctures, and salves are hand-made from local ingredients according to centuries-old formulas.

I suppose to pull it off ourselves (on our legs), we females would need a feather-duster-sized brush and a bucket of shaving cream...hm...not so sexy.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to admire some lathering up...

Ever wonder how much lipstick, lipgloss, moisturizer, liptint you have been ingesting?

I mean, they make these things flavored, for crying out loud. I even remember getting Bonnie Bell Lipsmackers as a kid and eating the bubble gum flavor tube.  The whole tube.

Looking back, now that I know so much more about cosmetics products and the ingredients that go into them, I'm sort of skeeved out by the thought that I ate so much petroleum.  It's one thing to pour it into your car.  Somewhat more disgusting to think about actually ingesting the stuff.

-Heather... off to put some shea butter on my lips...

... you'd be surprised at the number of women for whom THAT is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous aging;

Or take arms against a sea of wrinkles,

and by opposing, end them...

OK, OK, I'll stop (but in truth, I really wanted to do the whole bloody speech).  So, that pesky botox question... once the domain of freaks and actresses, it's become an amazingly normal and commonplace procedure these days.  I know many, many women, normal, everyday women - not rich, not actresses, not even particularly into fashion and beauty - who have gone under the needle (and not to get a tat).

And the thing is - while I'm terribly opposed to the whole thing (and COMPLETELY disturbed by the freakish freeze-faces that formerly beautiful actresses have become - I mean, come on... don't these people have stylists telling them that those glacially arched eyebrows and lips that look like they just came out of a playground fistfight are not in any way reminscent of youth and beauty?).  Anyway - while I'm opposed to the botox thing, every so often, I "get" the attraction.  I catch a glance of myself in a window reflection or piece of video, and I wonder where the hell those forehead wrinkles came from and why on earth I look so angry all the time?  And I wish for a magic bullet.

But in the the end, I'm choosing to pass on the botox.  I kind of wanna know what my real face is going to look like someday.  So my current plan involves lots of moisturizer and hat-wearing, and a lot more smiling and sleep.  (And by a sleep to say we end the collagen loss and thousand natural lines that flesh is heir to).  ;)

-Heather... off to check out the schedule for the California Shakespeare Festival...

When it comes to the world of personal care products, many people refer to me as the devil.

I don't think I have a female friend on the planet who I have NOT hooked on some product or other.  My mom is no exception.  Currently, her nighttime bed routine involves shea butter application on dry elbows, feet and hands.  So, once again, I'm sort of the devil for introducing an addition to the routine.

I figure it could be worse.  I could be trying to get everyone to drink as much wine as I do instead...

 -Heather... off to get coffee in the insane SF sun...

Hmmm. Just in time for this tip, my skin has gotten all scaly and dry - mainly because of a suspiciously mental experiment I did last weekend.

In a fit of inspiration on Saturday, after finding that I had no exfoliating scrubs left (but strangely feeling a deep-seeded urge to scrub myself), I decided to get creative. Who needs exfoliators, anyway? Rummaging around the bathroom, I stumble across a neat new pumice stone, given by a friend. One side is really smooth and fine-grained and the packaging refers to it as a "polisher." "Lovely," I think. After all - Blooming Lotus and Pharmacopia make my favorite exfoliating scrubs, and THEY call them polishes... A few minutes' vigorous rubbing on arms and legs seems to hurt more than it should, and draws a little blood, but hey - it must be working - after all, it is a POLISH...

Now obviously, this choice was bordering on mental deficiency. Note to self: don't try to exfoliate arms and legs with a pumice stone, no matter what the packaging says.

-Heather... off to drink cocktails and beer goggle myself all evening ("Girl, you are HOT when you're bleary-eyed. And scabbed.")

My weekend was filled with altogether too much booze and not nearly enough sleep.  Don't get me wrong... it was pretty delicious, all around, and the reasons for said boozing and lack of sleep - from late night beer dates to hot champagne parties - are completely worth the sluggish Monday morning.

But today's tip is timely, since I can no longer party like it's 1999.  Oh, I can still do the actual PARTYING - I just don't survive the aftermath as well. In '99, I could bounce and rally.  On just 2 hours of sleep, I could be up, grabbing coffee, laughing with friends, planning the next thing, and (here's the rub), I could still look like I had gotten a full night's sleep.

Sadly, this no longer seems to be the case.  If I'm not careful, multiple sleep-free nights tend to leave me sallow and tired-looking (instead of sporting that strangely attractive exhileration flush that can come from weekends of too much sin).

Fortunately, however, the world is full of fantastic external cures that take the place of inner fortitude and leave you with an aura of health. See, I have a long-standing theory on attractiveness.  It's never what you think it is. It's not the makeup or clothes or accessories.  Fact is, when you see those people you think are hot, and you don't know why?  It's generally "the glow."  It's skin and hair that look clear and dewy, almost without fail. 

So - for the product whores in your life - check out some of today's skin and hair products.  All-natural, they  really work, and can get you through a still-no-sleep Sunday brunch with aplomb (and dare I say, a certain glow). But don't take my word for it - I suggest you test it out.  Show up at your friend's house with 2 presents: a bottle of organic vodka from Square One in one hand and one of the skin products in the other, and test the theory.  Drink away, dance until dawn, and see if you can wander the streets with a healthy glow the next day.  Betcha you can.

'Course, the resulting hangover is another topic altogether.

-Heather... off to make sense out of the jumble of cocktail dresses in the bottom of my closet...

OK, so I'm supposed to talk about sugaring/waxing today.  But let's be honest - I don't have a lot to say that wasn't already said in the tip.  I like getting sugared/waxed, instead of shaving. Finito.

Instead, I want to talk about how apparently pervasive this whole green movement really is.  All signs point to the idea that it's taking the world by storm...  In fact, it's even changing the urban criminal underbelly.

Case in point: someone broke into my car on Friday night.  (Now, you need to bear with me a bit on that "broke in" thing... I never actually LOCK my car, since there isn't much to steal, so in the end, I guess they just kind of opened the door and spent a little time inside).

But regardless of whether or not they were actually committing a crime for hanging out in my car, they definitely committed one when they stole some things inside her.

Specifically, they took my B.Happy shopping bags (which I keep in the car to use when I go to the grocery store) and my Biter SIGG bottle.

Now, if the B.Happy bags and SIGG bottle were the only things stolen, I wouldn't assume that this thief had ANYTHING to do with a green lifestyle.  But here's the thing: this apparently eco-friendly intruder passed up taking not only a non-organic baseball hat and a non-recycled-paper book and a non-eco car freshener, but also my old yoga mat.  Now, if the yoga mat had been an eco-friendly rubber/jute mat, I would assume the whole incident was just random.  However, this was my old, PVC-laden mat, so I'm inclined to think that the eco-thief wisely, wisely passed it (and it's offgassing ways) up.

So - Biters, take heart.  Apparently even the criminal element of the world has taken heed and is reading their daily tips and taking them to heart...

-Heather... off to club my car...

Tonight, Rod-n-Todd took me to see Citizen Cope at The Independent here in SF.  (Rod-n-Todd sort of have to be referred to as such when you go out with both of them... sort of like Sam-n-Eric in Lord of the Flies - it's too good to pass up the opportunity to play with the rhyme, and they are good enough sports to put up with it).  Last week, Biter Jetson Green told me to add Citizen Cope to my Autumn Biter soundtrack , and I am nothing if not responsive to you, our Biter bloggers.  You didn't lie, Jetson - it was a great show.

However, before the show, I broke my detox (again) and drank a load of wine, and now, well, "my lips hurt real bad" (thank you, Napolean).

Fortunately, I have loads of amazing, all-natural lip remedies to slather on this evening: from Burts Bees to Hamadi to Nature's Gate to Suki to Eco-Lips... all told, should Clarence (aka Citizen Cope) ever want to make out with me, well, I'm all set.

-Heather... off to listen to Pablo Picasso...

One of the good things about being me is that when I get angrier, I actually get funnier.  Unfortunately for my own ego, my future career as a comedienne, and for the people around me, I’m not often angry.  And the truth is, I don’t get that angry about the things that matter.  The things that really matter – those things – I WORRY about.  I’m not a funny worrier.  I’m a crawl-under-the-covers-and-cry-and-never-sleep worrier.  So climate change and wars and famine and bad health… those things make me hide in bed and walk around as a sleep-deprived zombie, but they don’t really bring out my funny side.  (This is why I was cut off from watching nightly news a few years ago.)

Oh no - my angry/funny side is brought out by the truly trivial: boys, bad drivers and cable companies.  Accordingly, I’m a laugh-riot at the moment.  Seriously.  Would SOMEone please explain to me why there isn’t a cable or internet company on EARTH who can ever show up in a reasonable timeframe, on time, and actually get the thing done?  Can anyone else tell me why San Francisco drivers – contrary to public perception - are apparently a LOT more mean and nasty than those of us were in Brooklyn, while we dodged crater-sized potholes on the BQE?  As for boys… don’t even get me started on that subject, unless you want to be subjected to an earful of theories.

But one thing does make me angry and is not in the least funny – the fact that almost no one knows what’s in their lotions and potions.  Parabens?  They are just – quite simply – scary as hell.  I started to give them up after a freaky health issue last year.  I haven’t been able to get rid of them completely yet, but I’m getting there.  Same with formaldehyde products.

Seriously – go to your bathroom right now and pick up a bottle.  Just scan it.  Pick up another.  And another.  Count the times you see the word “paraben” included.  Usually toward the end of the ingredients list, and with methyl, propyl or butyl in front…

-Heather… off to yell at the cable company, flip off a bad driver and boil a bunny…

OK, today's blog is supposed to be on hemp, and I DO love hemp. (And if you want to get some, I recommend Nutiva).

But for now, let me wax poetic about my Treo...

See, I am trapped in an internet-free hell at the moment (it is called my new place and no connection til thursday). But... treo has saved the day. in fact, this whole entry is being thumb-typed on my TreoLove.

My friend, Andrew, runs a blog devoted to the worship of all things Treo. I used to think he was nuts.

Now, I know better...

Check him out at Treonauts.com. (Oh, and of course please also tells us of your love of hemp...)

-Heather... off to figure out if I can italicize on this thing...

As I sit in the middle of boxes in my new place, I am profoundly embarrassed by a number of things:

1.  How much stuff I have.
2.  How wasteful the entire process of moving is (although I did give away my boxes and papers on Craigslist).
3.  How thrilled I am to have my lotion back.

Honestly, I have a lotion problem.  I love it.  I love the smell, the feel... and in the past year, I have unearthed some extraordinary treasures:

Blooming Lotus
TerraNova
Nutiva Coconut Oil
Max Green

Sigh... honestly.  It's like being an addict in a crack den - me, unpacking my bathroom boxes.

-Heather... off to figure out the recycling pickup schedule...

Here at the Bite, we are honored to get to try out the latest and greatest green products on the market.  And believe it or not, we do give time and attention to every one, deciding on whether or not it passes muster for you, our Biters.

So in some ways, you'd think we could get pretty jaded about all the great, green products we see each day.

But we aren't.  See, quite often, something amazing comes across our line of vision, and we sit up and take note.

A few months back, that amazing "thing" was Blooming Lotus.  Their chocolate rose body polish is a thing of beauty.  And I am not saying that because they are doing today's GCS... I'm saying that because - honest-to-god - when I started using their stuff, I called people and said "I love this so much I want to tell everyone about it."  And my friends all reminded me that I tell everyone about the great green products I see every day, and that, maybe, just maybe, I should just include them in a tip.

-Heather...  off to exfoliate...

I have such a body care products obsession.  If it scrubs, rubs, foams, smells yummy, soothes, lifts, softens, hydrates... well, count me in.

So I love today's tip.  Mainly because I can honestly say I just love all the products within it.  I HAVE all of them, and each morning and evening, it's a chore to decide which ones to use.

And these are the important questions, no?  At the same time that I am trying to determine how to halt the advance of global warming, it is also intensely important to me to halt the advance of time across my face.  (Because strangely, in the past 12 months, my ability to keep wrinkles and age at bay seems to have subsided, and suddenly: I look my age.  Bummer).

Still, I am no botox or cosmetic surgery girl, so I'm doing my best to slow this whole process down.

-Heather... off to decide whether to use Pangea or Lavera or Dr. H or Jurlique...

I've had stretch marks on my hips for YEARS.   Since I've never had a baby and never grown so fast or gained so much weight that the body couldn't keep up, I've always wondered about those marks.

So when we were researching today's tip, I found myself sleuthing - was it lack of nutrients?  Lack of water?

I guess I'll never know, and it will remain a mystery.  But for now, I plan to up my water intake for the sake of a little vanity.

Meanwhile, since they've been with me for years, I kinda like those stretch marks...

-Heather... off to stare at pics of my new nephew...

During the first month-long detox I ever did (I give up caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, red meat, wheat, dairy and shellfish… I don’t recommend anyone spend time with me while on detox.  I’m not a happy camper), I discovered that I LOVE exfoliating.

The detox plan I was following required that I “skin brush” with a hard sisal brush, morning and night.  And while it hurt at first, I quickly adjusted to it, and became addicted.  Post-detox, I still use that brush and do SOME form of exfoliation every day.

And why shouldn’t we?  We clean out our insides with water and good foods, and our cardio systems with exercise, and our minds with relaxation… the skin is the largest organ on the body, and we slather it with creams, but seldom focus on it as an instrument of health.

So come on – give the skin a good scratching, why don’t you?

-Heather... off to cry over the fact that I used up my Blooming Lotus scrub...

I have this friend Meg, and everytime I saw her (about once every other month) she would say, "Jen, tend to your toes." 

Yes, I would just get cranking with my day-to-day life and forget to even so much as clip my toe nails! Now I keep a toe nail clipper, a tweazer, and dental floss, (thanks to Dr. Pete!) in about every room of my small house so I do these little maintenance things when I am on the phone.

And every blue, blue moon I set aside a lazy Sunday to spoil myself with olive oil in my hair, lemon rub for my feet, and lots of movies and chocalate.

Ay yes, sometimes it is good to stop and clean your toes.  What are your favorite at home spa treats?

Off to plan my next home spa Sunday... yum - Jen

Mostly, I think that faux versions never quite measure up.  Nothing beats real sugar, Tofurkey is not as good as the real thing, and don’t even get me started on butter substitutes.  (Clearly, I am not a vegan, people).

But I gotta say: sunless tanners have made me a believer in the power of the fake.

Give it a shot.  In spite of the strange way your skin smells for a day after using it, the new generation of all natural fake tans are indistinguishable from the real thing – sans burns, wrinkles and cancer scares…

-Heather… off to seek some sunshine here in rainy Bozeman…

I think that the shampoo companies are pulling a fast one by instructing us to “wash, rinse, and repeat.”  So one day being my slightly anarchist self, I decided to wash my hair even less.  That meant only every other day.  And then as time went on, I realized that it could be with every 3 days.  And that worked well for me as I always seem to be short on time and my hair is dry by nature, so not washing out the essential oils was helpful.

But then when living in Spain for a semester in undergrad I only had a bathtub (without a shower head) and so it took even more motivation to wash my hair.  I used to wear the “slicked back pony tail” look to style / hide my greasy locks.  The studying abroad students called it "the super healthy look" as we all didn't really like having to wash our hair in the sink or under the bathtub faucet, and many of us were left to that.  But overdid it... let's just say I made it to day 10 a few times.  And my head started to itch.  Gross.

One of my best friends (yes a TFA and BBF) always says, “a weakness is a strength taken to an extreme.” Think about it.  So true.

What that means is, don’t wash your hair everyday but do wash it when approaching that super “healthy” look. In other words, strengthen your environmental resolve and your hair condition by skipping a wash here and there, but don’t weaken your image by sporting the grease-ball look.

Since it is day 3 (or is it 4?), I’m off to wash my hair with my fave: Green Max Alchemy. - Jen

I just got back from dinner out with my friend, Aurore (who is not only the amazing artist who did our Ideal Bite drawings and logo, but is also the mother of my favorite little 4 year-old man, Milo).  Aurore and I like to do epic dinners over escarole salad and orrichette, talking about everything under the sun.

Aurore is my friend who believes I look my best when I have almost no makeup on.  Invariably, she will always remark that I look really great on those nights when I have come out of yoga, am running late, and barely have time to throw lipgloss on, let alone mascara (although as we all know, I DO love my makeup).

Generally, I tend to think that people fall into one camp or the other: you either love cosmetics, or you don't.

This might seem like a dumb question to throw to a group of light green readers, but what do you all think?  If you are a woman - do you think you look better with or without makeup?  If you are in love with a woman - do you think she looks her best made up or completely natural?

As for me - the jury's still out on that one, but Aurore is still trying her case, convincing me that less is more.

-Heather... off to chuckle over the fact that Milo kissed his first girl today...

Today's tip featured a partner in the sponsorship area, on the right - that adorable bunny.  It is from the group - Animal Protection Institute. 

You know, I am (almost) fine with testing possible cures for cancer and AIDS on chimpanzees, but testing cosmetics on bunnies?  Seems unnecessarily cruel. Sure maybe if we squeezed that whole can of mouse in our eyes we would suffer temporary blindness or if we guzzled the whole bottle of shampoo we would poop bubbles and have some other more serious health ramifications, but I say, "so be it if you are that dumb."

And as our most avid Biters know, I am a huge, HUGE animal person.. and the thought of these innocent creatures being tortured so that they can avoid lawsuits / issue their CYA disclaimers is BEYOND the realm of my comprehension. It reminds me that we have so far to go in our evolution. (Biters, if you can better explain the need for animal testing on cosmetics and the likes, do chime in!)

I have to a give a shout out to Hamadi (our stylist for the Vanity Fair shoot) who developed his own sumptuous eco lux beauty products (featured in upcoming tips this week, our Beauty Week).  On his label writes "Tested on Actresses, Not Animals."  Oh how I heart him and his lovely curly black ringlets.

Off to tell the Crick how lucky she is not to have mascara jammed in her eye for stupidity's sake. - Jen

Heather and I have this very intense business relationship, largely because we are also friends and so don't mind spending countless hours together - whether in person or phone/IM/email.  Today though she gave me this blog to write (she picks the blog writers and likes this power as she is a bit maniacal that way). 

Don't get me wrong... I love to write and correspond with you Blogging Biters... but some tips just don't inspire me.  And cellulite is one of them.

So I was sitting here thinking if there was a way that I could throw Heather under a truck a bit to "get her" for giving me this blog.  But then when you are talking about girls and cellulite you really don't want to mess around.  So instead I will be self effacing and tell you a story...

Once a boyfriend told me that I was getting some "gravel".  I was like, "what are you talking about, dude?"  And he was like, "you know, looks like you've been sitting on gravel."  I looked around for some real gravel to scratch his cornea with. 

Anyway, yes, this tip was submitted by yours truly. I am using this scrubby thing from Kate's Caring gifts along with some eco-washie stuff just to stimulate blood movement in that area, and I think it is working a weensy bit.  Could also be the riding horses or walking the Crick... who knows.

Some people are just pre-disposed to it at as well. Gravel sitters, unite.  It is natural but it is natural to try to get rid of it.  May the eco force be with you. Off to run with the Crick in the rain.. Jen

I used to be upset when I would get these email "forwards" - reminiscing the good old days.  Now, though, if I peek at them I end up chuckling.

So thinking about hair color always brings me back to when I was 13 -- my worst year ever, for my parents at least. I put holes in my ear at every spend the night party, insisted on having the worst bleached hair ever (with Sun-In + hairdryer), and was definitely up to no good. 

So parents, definitely only go all-natural henna highlights for your children's hair.. as I think the peroxide got to my brain, and by 14 I had a fake-ID and was buying beer for all my way cooler and older friends (they were 16).  Luckily, I kind of lived hard and fast and then burnt out, so I got my brain back.

Off to admire my new non-peroxide Aveda highlights... Jen

After not ever really experiencing anything close to acne before, about 2 years ago, I started to break out. Not little things - huge volcanic eruptions. And while I would never take anything for a headache, and while I tried all the great natural remedies out there, it took me about 4 weeks of dealing with the breakouts before I went to the doctor and got some special medicinal cream to get the teenage-style nightmare to cease and desist.

So today, true confessions: if it's a little pimple, I use the all-natural zit sticks. But if it's one of those creepy, deep things that seems to start in your bones and come in waves... well, I reach for the scary medicine.

Of course, I SHOULD steer clear of all those synthetic chemicals - especially for something as silly and vain as acne worries. But, well, I'm still not perfect.

Someday...

-Heather... off to grind my morning coffee...

Hey Gang:

So, today, we launched a new tip type - our Green Chip Company Showcase.  We hope you enjoy our updates about the companies out there which are taking the right steps toward being green.

For today, we'd love to hear 2 things from you:

1.  What did you think of the showcase today?  Was it informative?  Did it inspire you to try out John Masters products?

2.  What questions do you have for John?  Let us know, and we'll pass them along to him and have him respond.  In future GCCS blogs, we hope to have a company owner or representative guest blog for the day and respond directly, so the more feedback and questions we get from you, the better chance we'll have at getting them to guest blog.

Happy Friday, Happy first GCCS, and as always,

Happy Biting.

-Heather... off to prep for my closeup...

So perfume, or no perfume?

Jen and I differ on this one. I like it. Jen just throws on her deodorant and goes with it. (She smells just fine, and I'm a freak about how things smell and have no problem airing her dirty laundry, so I'd tell you if that weren't the case).

While I do love my Aveda perfume (I got it for going in on my birthday last year: if you sign up to their mailing list, they give you a coupon for free stuff on your birthday), I gotta be honest here:

My absolute favorite perfume is not an all-natural one. In fact, it's something that I generally have my French friends pick up for me when they are heading to NYC from Paris. So all-in-all, it's a pretty unsustainable fetish - no matter that it is made from essential oils and natural plant derivatives. But since I get about one bottle a year, I think it might be a dirty non-green secret I can live with since I cut back my heating bill and sold my car. There're only so many sacrifices a year I can handle.

Anyone got any all-natural faves out there to suggest?

-Heather... off to research pheromones...

This year at DC's Green Festival I stumbled onto a booth that was about Paraben Education, and the brochure said, "Is your shampoo making you fat?" - of course I stopped dead in my tracks, hoping I could blame my shampoo and not the nightly wine and cheese.

Here is a snippet from the brochure... not sassy at all, but irreverent in the fact that government isn't really protecting us...

"What types of products contain these harmful chemicals? The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reported that they have found synthetic hormone-disrupting chemicals in shampoo, preservatives, hair coloring agents, sunscreens, fragrances and pharmaceuticals. These chemicals are washed into our water every day and, as a result, they never go away -- they are persistent because of daily replenishment via bathing, swimming and urination. Sadly, of the 80,000 plus chemicals used in products, just a tiny fraction were ever fully tested for toxicity, let alone for their hormone interference potential. Currently, toxicity tests required by the government do not evaluate endocrine disrupting effects, so even so-called "tested chemicals" can have unidentified hazardous health effects. You should be aware that the phrases "no known toxicity" or "no known health effects" do not necessarily mean that a substance is harmless."

This next bit includes some hair-raising facts I want to share is from the Green Guide, a partner of Ideal Bite's:

• 69 percent of hair-dye products may pose cancer risks
• 76 percent of conditioners contain ingredients that are allergens
• 93 percent of shampoos possibly contain harmful impurities linked to cancer or other health problems.

"As an organization, we urge consumers to take action and reduce their exposure to industrial chemicals," says Timothy Kropp, Ph.D., a senior scientist in toxicology with the EWG. One simple way to do this: Read labels and choose hair-care products that are free of the following Top Four hazardous chemicals.. below"

Top Four Ingredients to Avoid

1. Phthalates: These chemicals get covered up on labels by the general term "fragrance," which the FDA permits to protect "trade secrets." But they're readily absorbed by our fingernails, skin and lungs. This July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported finding the metabolized forms of dibutyl phthalates, used in nail polish and synthetic fragrance, in every person tested in their national "body burden" study. Studies have found that phthalates can lead to liver cancer and birth defects in lab animals, and now research into the effects on humans is beginning to emerge.

   For example, a study from the University of Minnesota published in the May 2005 Environmental Health Perspectives, found a connection between phthalates and genital abnormalities in baby boys. Researchers measured the level of phthalates in the urine of 85 pregnant women and found that mothers with high levels of phthalates gave birth to boys with one or more developmental issues, including problems such as smaller penises and scrotums or less developed testicles. Although Dr. Christine Ternand, one of the study's authors and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Minnesota, said it was "premature" to instruct women to avoid these chemicals altogether, she added, "If I were pregnant or trying to get pregnant, I would reduce my exposure-and my fetus's exposure-to products containing phthalates."

   To reduce exposures to phthalates, steer clear of shampoos and conditioners listing "fragrance" as an ingredient. Although some manufacturers have recently declared that they've removed phthalates from their products (see below), in the absence of specific labeling it remains unclear to what extent, and in which products, this is actually the case. Instead, choose products whose labels list only non-synthetic fragrancing ingredients, such as essential oils of lavender, mint or verbena. And before trying any new cosmetic product, do a touch-and-sniff test, since natural oils can cause irritation or allergic reactions in some people.

2. Parabens (methyl-, propyl-, ethyl- and butyl): Some studies have shown that parabens mimic estrogen in rodents; the chemicals also have been shown to stimulate growth of human breast-cancer cells in the lab.
3. 3. Coal Tar: In 1993, the FDA issued a warning to consumers about coal tar being a possible cancer risk. Coal tar appears in many hair dyes and strong dandruff and psoriasis shampoos, but the FDA failed to ban it even though studies have linked it to cancer in lab animals. The EWG found that 71 hair-dye products contained ingredients derived from coal tar. John Masters of John Masters Organics, a New York City hair stylist for 30 years, says that he shuns the use of coal tars in his hair dyes for his own safety and the safety of his clients and staff. "The skin absorbs 70 percent of what we put on it. It's important that people know what they're applying and taking into their body," Masters says.
4. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are found in some shampoos and conditioners and may cause hair loss and scalp irritation.

Okay, so this posting is atypical and pretty intense, but I just know that you Biters would want some hard core info on this, so I am off now to think about rain drops on roses ...

- Jen