❤ Intelligent Nutrients Volumizing Spray ❤

To end our hair week I will close with the best and brightest star in my hair lineup.  This volumizer was given Elle Magazine’s Green Award, so of course I had to try it.  Elle you didn’t fail me! Love, love, love this volumizer! What can I say? Sometimes I want big hair.  This gives me a little pouf at the roots and lasts all day.  It smells divine.  Kind of lemony and fresh, but light.  No styling residue either. 

My Big Hair Inspiration....
Though I am not that brave
(or sexy & kittenish for that matter!)

It is a little more expensive than what I had been using, but it is a pretty hefty bottle that has will last a really long time (like 4-6 months with daily use).  But really, when was the last time you looked at a hair styling product and saw that every ingredient in its list was certified organic? Unheard of! The only three ingredients not organic in this are things that can’t be certified like water, citric acid and Vitamin E. All of which we eat and drink every day. Just think, when you are spraying with abandon, no need to hold your breath......this product is so pure, that it’s edible! To prove it the company’s founder actually drank a hairspray champagne cocktail at the company launch party. (Maybe their hairspray is better for drinking then styling, since I didn’t love it.  Unfortunately, it left a flaky residue on my dark hair. So sad, cause I really love this product line and their mission.)

The founder is Horst M. Rechelbacher, the same man that established Aveda. Though this is a much cleaner line of products.  I love this company! They use 100% renewable energy to power the manufacturing of their products.  More profoundly, the founder Horst Rechelbacher, actually donates all after-tax profits from the sale of Intelligent Nutrients products to environmental and social causes. Their website is a thing of beauty if you have a chance please check it out! www.intelligentnutrients.com

Intelligent Nutrients…..Good for you, good for the planet!

Cheers! (hairspray cocktail optional)

Eco Belle Elle

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: Goldwell Volume Double Boost Rootlift Spray

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Intelligent Nutrients Volumizer (thank goodness for your shorter and easier to remember name)

Buy it: intelligentnutrients.com or spiritbeautylounge.com

Gonna lighten your bank account: $29 (I know, ouch! But sooo worth it)

Cheers to:  Healthy, edible, certified organic ingredients and a delicious scent.  Nice packaging, with a good mister that doesn’t clog

Jeers to: Yeah, it’s expensive, let’s move on…..

Shop 'til you drop?: I would definitely buy this again

EWG score: Higher it is a 3 or 4, but only cause of the ingredients limonene, linalool, geraniol. Which are essential lemon oil, and clove oil. These up the rating only because some people can be allergic to them. EWG is a great place to start but sometimes it annoys me, since it can’t tell the difference between something that is synthetic and what is natural. So take some of the ratings with a grain of salt, please!

Big Hair Icon: The Beautiful Bardot

Ingredients: water/aqua, acacia senegal gum,1 alcohol denat.,1,3 glycerin,1 aloe barbadensis leaf juice,1hydrolyzed milk protein, nigella sativa (black cumin) seed oil,1,2 cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) seed oil,1,2 rubus idaeus (red raspberry) seed oil,1,2 vitis vinifera (red grape) seed oil,1,2 vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) seed oil,1,2 citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) peel oil,1 elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) seed oil,1 citrus noblis (mandarin orange) peel oil,1 chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower oil,1 lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil,1 vetiveria zizanoides (vetiver) root oil,1 cymbopogon martini (palmarosa) oil,1 citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil,1 citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil,1 citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil,1 citrus grandis (grapefruit) peel oil,1 limonene,1,4 linalool,1,4 geraniol,1,4 citric acid, tocopherol (vitamin e)

Company low down: I cannot say enough great things: philanthropy, certified organic ingredients, sustainable and renewable manufacturing processes as well as cutting edge growing practices. Go see for yourself.

BONUS POINTS: Super bonus round points!!

❤ Organic Excellence Wild Mint Styling Spray ❤

Before I converted to my natural beauty products I was addicted to the Goldwell line of styling products.  In fact, their volumizing hair spray and root boost were my favorite hair items.  I foreswore all other hairspray and volumizing products, since those were the holygrail of hair styling.  When I made the switch I wanted to give up aerosols since they have propellants, which are nasty for you and the environment. 

Do you think she uses aerosol hairspray?!?

I had not used pump hairspray since freshman year: In the days when the scent of Aussie Sprunch Spray and Herbal Essences Hairspray invaded every olfactory sense at our school, permeating hallways and classrooms.  Luckily, we have come a long way baby!  I love the Organic Excellence Wild Mint Styling Spray.  It smells delicious (like light mint that quickly dissipates) and holds really well.  It also doesn’t leave any flaky styling gunk on your hair when you brush it out either.  An experience that I had with many natural hairsprays.  I like hairspray since it gives my slippery hair a little more body and makes it easier to style. A little goes a long way with this product. 

Peace, love and beauty

❤ Eco Belle Elle

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: Goldwell Volumizing Hairspray

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Organic Excellence Wild Mint Styling spray

Buy it: amazon.com or organicexcellence.com

Gonna lighten your bank account: $11-13 each

Cheers to:  Healthy organic ingredients, alcohol free and a yummy smell

Jeers to: The ugly label, sorry, but it has to be said. Super retro colors and an ugly font.  Sorry, but I am a font snob.

Shop 'til you drop?: I would definitely buy this again

EWG score: 1

Ingredients: Purified Water, Guar Gum (Guar Bean), Vegetable Protein, Vegetable Glycerin, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Lavender Extract*, Rosemary Extract*, Peppermint Oil*, Grape Seed Extract*. *Certified Organic Herb

Company low down: They have a lot of great information on their website as well as a huge product offering including organic supplements, etc…

BONUS POINTS: 30 day moneyback guarantee on their products purchased from their website, so try everything risk free. 

❤ Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo and Conditioner ❤

I have decided that this week will be hair week at ecobelleelle.  This is timely since I will be having my regular salon appointment this week.  Because I like my hair long there is only one eternal question….bangs or no bangs? I am thinking no, but we will see.  So where should I start? I am thinking shampoo and conditioner would be a good place.  So far I have tried a few “natural” ones. My very first was Yes to Carrots.  Unfortunately from here on out I will be saying no to this product.  It made my scalp feel like an entire fire ant colony was setting up camp on my head.  Miserable! Later I read that it had perfume in it and a bunch of other nasties (I told you this was my earliest pick).  Second, I tried John Masters Organics Evening Primrose Shampoo.  It has better ingredients, although I do not like to use cocoamidopropyl betaine (wow! I just spelled that without googling it first and I did it right!), because of its instability and potential to create carcinogens. It was okay, but I thought it was kind of expensive for the amount of product, and it just isn’t sudsy enough.  Plus, I do not like the smell of it and it lingers on your hair for hours.

My Shampoo makes me happy....
Though maybe not this happy!

My final product and favorite has been Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo and the companion conditioner.  The price is good, it smells divine like mojito mint, and it lathers up really well.  The smell is not at all strong if you do not care for mint, but it is a very fresh scent it does not linger on your hair.  If you have used tea tree or other mint shampoos in the past and found that burning, tingling feeling off putting, 
no worries, this product does not do that. The conditioner is really moisturizing, without being greasy or thick.  This is the most similar product that I have found to more mainstream (SLS containing) kinds of shampoos, in that it lathers well and makes your hair feel clean. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a cheap detergent that makes lots of bubble and has a bunch of nasty junk in it.  It is drying to the hair and scalp and strips color on color-treated hair.  Many non-natural shampoos have moved away from this ingredient for those reasons, however some of the alternatives just don’t lather or leave my hair feeling kind of filmy.  I highly recommend Organic Excellence.  I have found that if my hair is feeling kind of weighed down or dull, adding a little pinch of baking soda and rinsing with a vinegar and water combo perks it right up.  This is a trick our grandmothers used to use before detergent shampoos were invented.  My own grandma who was a hairdresser in the days where hairstyles were called coiffures, passed down this trick to her six sisters and four daughters so this is definitely a tried and true method in my family. 

So lather up, buttercup!

❤ Eco Belle Elle

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: Pantene, Dove and Goldwell Shampoos and conditioners

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo and Conditioner

Buy it: amazon.com or organicexcellence.com

Gonna lighten your bank account: $12-16 each

Cheers to:  Healthy organic ingredients, bubbles and a yummy smell

Jeers to: The ugly label, sorry, but it has to be said. Super retro colors and an ugly font.  Sorry, but I am a font snob.

Shop 'til you drop?: I would definitely buy this again, and I love their hairspray as well

EWG score: 1

Ingredients: Purified Water, Olive Oil (and) Coconut Oil (and) Potassium Lactate, Vegetable Glycerin, Peppermint Oil*, Fennel Extract*, Hops Extract, Balm Mint Extract, Olive Leaf Extract*, Ginger Extract*, Mistletoe Extract*, Allantonin (Comfrey Root), Citric Acid, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Lemon Grass Oil*, Burdock Root Extract*, Sage Extract*, Rosemary Extract*, Grape Seed Extract*. *Certified Organic Herb

Company low down: They have a lot of great information on their website as well as a huge product offering including organic supplements, etc…

BONUS POINTS: 30 day moneyback guarantee on their products purchased from their website, so try everything risk free. 

❤ Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use Blush ❤

 I love blush, it is such a simple way to give your face a fresh little glow.   My favorite blushes are usually those that emulate my post-run glow, which is a rosy-pink.  However I have been known to also rock a shimmery coral-y look.  Hello Nars Orgasm! I went through a stage where blush was the makeup statement I was making.  This happens to me mostly in the wintertime when I feel particularly washed out.  I love a warm pink cheek on all that pale milky skin!

Aura blush is a wonderful product and one of my absolute favorite things from the Vapour line.  I got the color “Torch” which is a VERY bright fuchsia pink, that blends to a sheer, flushed pink.  It comes in a giant lipstick like tube, which will last forever since it is so pigmented.  I like to put two big dots on the apples of my cheeks directly from the tube and blend it with my Sephora Airbrush contour brush.  I find that when I use my fingers I sort of end up wiping it off.  It also seems to wear better for me using a brush, though it is not necessary.  It is not greasy at all, so if you are prone to breakouts I think the consistency would be fine. 

It works really well for a lipstick too, though I don’t usually do the matchy lips and cheeks thing.  The color torch is very close to what they are showing Courtesan as on the advertising pic on the Vapour website.  It is not really shimmery.  In fact, it is hardly noticeable as having shimmer at all, more like a soft glow.

I have yet to find a product from Vapour that I don’t like.  Their product performance is great and the colors range is gorgeous.  I can’t wait to try their version of Nars Orgasm blush which is called Intrigue. I’ll let you know once I get it!  UPDATE: I got the "Intrigue" blush shade and it is super pretty, but really almost too light for my skin.  I think if you were extremely extremely fair it would be a good way to impart a little peachy glow. 

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: MAC blush and Nars Orgasm

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use

Color tried: Torch- a sheer vibrant cool pink

Buy it: spiritbeautylounge.com, vapourbeauty.com

Gonna lighten your bank account: $28

Cheers to:  Healthy organic ingredients, highly pigmented colors that will last a while.

Jeers to: The colors are so pretty that it’s hard to choose, thus I want the entire color range!

Shop 'til you drop?: I would definitely buy this again, I can’t wait to try more colors

Can't wait to try:  Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation

EWG score: 2

Ingredients: Organic/Bio Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic/Bio Cera Alba (Beeswax), Silica,  Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate, Organic/Bio Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Essential Oils & Natural Fruit Essences, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Boswellia Carteri (Frankincense)*, Organic/Bio Ocimum Sanctum (Tulsi/Holy Basil), Organic/Bio Nelumbo Nucifera (Lotus) Flower Petals [+/—: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Carmine (CI 75470)] *Wildcrafted

Company low down: They have a great company philosophy and a huge range of products and colors. Check out their company info and philosophy at vapourbeauty.com

BONUS POINTS: 100% of proceeds from the sales of HONOR Elixir Plumping Gloss are donated to benefit breast cancer research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, where they are working towards the first breast cancer vaccine! Plus if you follow them on Facebook or sign up for email notifications on their website, they have all sorts of specials. Recently I got $80 of products for $18!