(Mostly DIY) Beauty Products List.

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I was thinking that I hadn’t made any comprehensive posts about the products I use for my beauty needs :] so here we go yo:

wwf fish face

  1. Toothpaste: Baking soda + Diatomaceous Earth.  No bells or whistles here.  If I buy commercial, I like something with neem in it.  I went fluoride-free in 2011, and after observing that my skin and hair were much more balanced when I avoided sodium lauryl sulfates and other surfactants, I stopped using products containing them for other parts of my body too.  I was surprised to find even some well-liked alternative product companies include both fluoride and SLS in their toothpastes, so check your labels.  
  2. Deodorant: I really like that Crystal stick, which I have totally made fun of before.  I have tried a little calamine lotion, applied with a cotton ball to clean and dry pits, and it worked just fine too.  I’ll bet cornstarch would be an easy alternative also.  I avoid aluminum now; it just doesn’t seem right to be rubbing it right into a bunch of lymph nodes, which is what you’re doing when you use a regular commercial anti-perspirant/deodorant.  I don’t need a heavily-fragranced stick now that I’m eating and living cleanly.
  3. Facewash & Bodywash: I’ve been loving Nubian Heritage’s African Black Soap.  It’s coffee-colored and smells like vanilla, and never leaves me feeling tight nor stripped.  My skin is calm, even, and balanced after using it on my face and body.
  4. Moisturizer: I use this Heritage Valley rosewater & glycerine mist in the morning after splashing my face with cool water, and on damp skin after my evening shower.  It feels great on hot or dry days, and also sets your powder beautifully.  I have gone through probably 10 bottles of this in the past year, and it’s way cheaper than what I had been forking out for tubs of moisturizer that would leave my skin feeling greasy on top and dry underneath.  Rosewater and glycerine leaves my sensitive skin feeling balanced.  On my body, I like to smooth a bit of (jojoba, almond, argan) oil on damp skin after my shower.  Shea and cocoa butters are awesome for extra dry days.
  5. Sunblock: Most sunscreens break me out, but this simple Burnout eco-sensitive version with SPF 30 gives me a matte finish with no adverse reactions.  A hat is my favorite sunscreen.
  6. Shampoo: My hair is the only thing I’m a little high-maintenence about.  I’ve stopped using all commercial shampoo!  After discontinuing SLS, I discovered and loved Chagrin Valley’s shampoo bars and all the body they gave my hair, but I’ve discovered that my scalp is happier with something even simpler… I’ve been using aritha (soapnut) powder and I’ve been able to eliminate the dry greasies!  I have a simple approach of mixing a couple of tablespoons of aritha, adding 1 teaspoon – 2 tablespoons of other conditioning Indian herbs like cassia obovata, amla (gooseberry), and shikikai in an empty Bronner’s bottle.  Sometimes I like to add a teaspoon of raw honey or aloe vera, and/or a few drops of oil (castor, argan, almond).  I just add water, shake, and pour over my head in the shower.  I let it sit a few minutes before manipulating my scalp and then finally rinsing VERY well.
  7. Hair Treatments/Style Products: You can read two of my favorite deep treatment recipes here.  I realize the less I mess with my hair (or anything) the better, so I usually simply stick with a leave-in immediately after washing.  I rinse my hair upside down with cold water, then press out the excess moisture, still upside down.  I mix a pea-sized amount of aloe vera gel in equal amounts with Nightblooming’s Panacea between my palms, then press the product up into my waves.  I plop with an old t-shirt and get mega volume and soft ends.
  8. Cosmetics: I’ve been using simple rice flour on my face, and I LOVE it.  I don’t like a lot of coverage, but I do like to cut the shine for a softer finish, and my sensitive skin stays happy.  Win.  Even though I avoid most varieties of drug and department store makeup, I still love to enhance my eyes.  Castor oil has made my lashes long and soft, but I still bust out the old mascara on special occasions, and eyeliner every day.  Who am I kidding, that will be the last thing I give up.  I do stick with cruelty-free.

The best beauty routine begins with a good foundation, and by that, I’m not referring to an expensive skin base.  I’m talking about the good stuff your grandma told you about, that only comes with a healthy diet, quality hydration, regular exercise, good sleep, and a positive perspective.  Oh yeah, and moderation.  Your skin and hair probably don’t want to be messed with too much.  Avoid the ugly cycle of over-cleansing and over-moisturizing.  It’s tough to break this pattern when you’re stuck in the rut of using harsh products with long ingredient lists.  However; once you start experimenting, you can find what truly works for you.  You may be pleasantly surprised to find how much you are able to simplify your beauty routine without sacrificing results!

vintage vanity

Ode to a Volvo 850.

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I like to think of my first car, a 1965 Dodge Dart coupe.  It was in primer, with mean hood scoops and fat back tires.  I thought its lines were super modern, and I loved the simplistic beauty of engineering under the hood in the form of a shocking blue slant six.  I loved my Mopar A-body.

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I’ve been driving a 20 year old Volvo the past decade, having sold the Dart long ago.  My brick has transported my friends and me, and with the highest safety standards, to endless concerts, countless road trips, and at least one successful HSO.  It has shuttled us to the airport to fly travels that would elate our spirits, break our hearts, and launch us into our futures.  It’s moved me up and down the California coast.  You can find a slight stain on the passenger floor mat, compliments of a Coldstone concoction dropped by my childhood friend Alicia circa 2005, and a single cigarette burn blemishes the headliner from our friend Joseph in the same year.  The metallic clear coat is chipping, and there’s an unfortunate dent in the rear end from the time I backed into my dad’s trailer hitch.

snow brick

With little aspirations to the newer, sleeker, or shinier, I haven’t felt the inclination to drive anything else in 10 years, until last week, when, like an itch in the nose, I was casually tickled with the abrupt impulse to look for a new set of wheels.  Maybe the time had arrived to part ways with my Volvo, and all the experiences, memories, people, and animals she had transported.  Perhaps it might be inspiring to choose a new vehicle to take me up future roads.

Life is funny, and a few days later, Joanne (aka: Volvo 850) started acting strangely. Driving home from my orthopedic appointment (leg is healing well!), the stereo began sputtering during Portishead’s The Rip.  A few miles later, my SRS airbag and ABS lights flew up on my dash, and I watched as the odometer twitched and slowly dropped.  On the highway and alone, I sadly flipped on my emergency lights and maneuvered toward the shoulder.  I crawled up the grassy knoll lining the asphalt, and dialed for a tow.

broken brickI’m trying to avoid superstitious thinking, but it’s tough not to draw a parallel between my broken brick and another fractured aspect of my life.  Should I stay or should I sell now?  Even if repaired, she might leave me stranded again, but a new old car comes with its own set of problems, and ones with which I’m not at all acquainted, at that!  …And of course, there’s the rub- there is no right decision.  There are simply choices.  So it’s the time for assessment, and soon it will be the time for action.  Perhaps it will be a manageable repair; diagnostics must be performed.  If not, well, that certainly complicates matters.  I’m just not ready to give up on Joanne yet.  I have a habit of becoming attached, but I’m learning when and how to let go.

The Greatest Speech Ever Made.

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Moves me to tears. Let us learn to listen to our hearts! We are not machines! We are not cattle! We are men!

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men – cries out for universal brotherhood – for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world – millions of despairing men, women, and little children – victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. …..

Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes – men who despise you – enslave you – who regiment your lives – tell you what to do – what to think and what to feel! Who drill you – diet you – treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate – the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” – not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power – the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all UNITE!

 

The Siren Song of Humboldt County.

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Having always fancied myself a forest creature, I immediately delighted in my move to Northern Humboldt County: all yawning black sand beaches carved into cliffs with impossible faces, an enigmatic landscape heavy with dew and a forest so dense that upon entering, one discovers an impossibly charming and glowing room, carpeted from wall to redwood wall in soft layers of fluffy soil and feathered moss.

trinidad forest

Filling my head with the luminosity of the myriad green, growing things has been inspiring and therapeutic.  I have enjoyed every single moment of every day I spent amongst the chloroplast, and I’m not ready to leave yet.  You see, there’s a real siren song to Humboldt, to which outsiders are wholly deaf and oblivious.  It’s a sleepy, thick, magical melody that plays in hushed, lilting tones, riding the salty breeze in whispers, inviting you to lose yourself, for just another week, month, year, in this essence that’s all nuanced and subtle.  It’s a place of limbo, where wanderers set down their packs to rest, lured by the gorgeous seascape, only to wake up a decade or two later, bearded and lined and kind of insane.  It’s a very attractive place to the isolators, the artists, the thinkers, the writers, the walkers, and the retired.

oilver seacliff

I’ve begun making my preparations to move back down to Southern California, and I’m having a tougher time with it than anticipated.  A part of me is hesitant to loosen myself from the sirens, but the bigger part recognizes the exquisite, ultimate fulfillment on the horizon.  Who knows, I might have found myself wandering the forest forever.  And maybe, one day, I’ll be back.

trinidad beach pano

The Monsanto Protection Act: Total BS.

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The Farmer Assurance Provision, AKA: HR 933, AKA: “The Monsanto Protection Act,” is so sneaky, gross, and transparent that it’s hilarious.  What’s with these storybook villains we have running the show?

eye of sauron LOTRThe bill, signed by Obama in late March, was written with Monsanto, and several members of Congress were apparently unaware of that they were approving a “Monsanto Protection Act,” as that little detail was TL;DR.  The provision castrates the federal government’s ability to ban the selling or planting of genetically modified or engineered seeds, even if found to be harmful to the consumer (spoiler: research shows they are).  Yes, you read that correctly.  And no, it probably wouldn’t have banned the seeds (with which federally-subsidized crops are sown) anyway, but still.  Now it extra can’t, what with another bureaucratic loop for opposing legislation to have to battle through.  We are in the second act of the Monsanto drama, and this is the part where degraded morals and ethics unwind to illumination.

I really don’t think I need to add much more commentary; the material wrote itself.  Sign a petition urging Obama to veto the Monsanto Protection Act here.