Scrubs rock. You can moisturize, you can tone, and you can wash with as many gentle cleansers as you want. But if you really want to get into the elbows and grease parts of getting the gunk out of your face, you have to call in a scrub.

Why? Because scrubs are like a universal truth of skin experts, kind of like gravity is to physicists. “Are you using a weekly scrub or exfoliator?” a concerned facialist will ask me seconds after turning the magnifying light on my skin. Years of brightly-lit shaming by skin experts finally moved me to pick up my first scrub a few years ago. Now I am a scrub-a-holic, and my skin has never looked better.

We are covered in dead skin cells – in fact, 90 percent of the dust in our home is our dead skin flying around. The key to healthy, smooth skin is to literally scrub off the dead skin cells. This allows for smooth skin and brighter appearance, as your healthy skin cells are now front and center. However, be careful not to over exfoliate. You can irritate your skin and actually stimulate oil production. Be sure to scrub at least once a week, and move up from there as your skin reacts.

Luckily, there are a ton of great body scrubs on the market. Recently, I had to opportunity to review a brand new natural body scrub on the market – YOUTH Skin/care’s Sugar Jojoba oil body scrub ($35.00 for 16 ounces).

This scrubs looks, feels, and even taste just like brown sugar. (Yes, I tasted it.) YOUTHskin/care, according to their press release, “is a natural beauty brand created by, and for, the young, informed, and connected consumer generation.” Despite being over 30, I ventured forth to try the scrub anyway.

How did it work? After slathering on the scrub, I found that it does the job quite well. The sugar granules are big and extremely exfoliating – it is a fantastic scrub if you really want to “go big” with your exfoliation. It leaves your skin feeling tighten and hydrated, as the jojoba oil seems to remain on your skin. Because of this, you may fight the urge to wash with cleanser after application. So I recommend this scrub more as an at-home spa treatment, possibly followed by cleanser and toner. Also, be careful when applying, because it doesn’t congeal very well and I felt like more was going down the sink than onto my skin.

My favorite part about YOUTHskin care’s exfoliator is that it is extremely simple and natural in its ingredients. It literally contains just sugar, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, and orange oil. (See why I wasn’t afraid to taste it?) You can read more about YOUTHskin/care and their youthful philosophy here.

FTC Compliant

Image: taimanu

The post Go Forth and Exfoliate! (With This Cool Natural Product) appeared first on EcoSalon.

The green world is getting tough. Not tough like Afghanistan, more tough like an organic West Side Story. Still, it is stressful. Why? Because it seems you need a PhD in product just to make sense of what’s organic, what’s natural, and what’s really nuclear waste disguised as delicate organic face cream created by monks living in seclusion in the Alps. Or something.

Luckily, there’s been lots of help as late for consumers to make good, green choices. Whole Foods recently announced that they will make personal care product companies prove their organic claims. And here at EcoSalon, we’ve studied green labels to help you understand them. Now, we’re going straight to the source for more information. Because who knows green product better than an EcoSalonista?

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Melissa Tornay, co-owner of Primrose Organics Salon and Boutique in Los Feliz, California. Primrose Organics Salon and Boutique is an eco-friendly full-service salon, focused on sustainability in both its products and practices. They carry lines such as John Masters Organic, The Body Deli, Strawberry Hedgehog and more. As a green beauty business owner, Melissa is out there dodging the green bullets and, well, bullsh*t. She recently shared her take on corporate green washing and how the rest of us can keep our beauty regime eco-friendly.

EcoSalon: What would you say is the “green mission” of Primrose Organics Salon and Boutique?

Tornay: We want to help navigate the confusing world of green products. It can be very overwhelming (mentally and financially) for people to go green. We have information and tips on how to do it in a way that will work for anyone. We are also committed to being environmentally friendly in an industry that tends to be toxic and wasteful.

EcoSalon: As the owner of a green beauty business, what is your take on the great green washing of products? How can a consumer know for sure that she’s getting truly safe products where there is such a little real regulation

Tornay: It is frustrating that so many companies are green washing; there are very few truly green companies. Trying to steer your way through the mountains of products that claim to be natural can be exhausting! It is quite clear that it has just become a marketing ploy. That’s one reason I like to source products, for the most part, from smaller businesses. Then I know I can speak to the owners and employees and get a feeling if they are truly passionate and really know their business. I shouldn’t be able to stump them with questions regarding chemicals.

EcoSalon: So how do you know if you’re getting safe products?

Tornay: There really is no easy way to know you are getting truly safe products right now; you just have to read ingredients, ask questions, and find companies that you trust.

EcoSalon: What do you do to weed out the green washers?

Tornay: Like I said, we only purchase from companies that we know well. In most cases I have met the owners face to face. You can tell easily when someone is giving you lip service or when they are truly knowledgeable and passionate.

I also check on things like packaging, animal testing, and how they run the company because those things can tell you a lot. It is not easy to make the sacrifices it takes and the extra expenses to do everything green, so when I see a company is really going above and beyond it makes me want to support them. We don’t put our money into a line that isn’t one of the best things we have ever tried. It just wouldn’t be smart business – no matter how green a brand is.

Want to learn more? Check out Melissa’s easy, quick tips on making sure your product is healthy and eco-friendly!

The post From Our Lips to Green Ears: Expert Tips on How to Shop Green Beauty appeared first on EcoSalon.