Return to Origins

I've long been a fan of Origins, thanks to its "powered by nature" philosophy and, more recently, its line of organic skin care products. Now there's another reason to love the company: its Return to Origins Recycling Program.

Beginning this Sunday, March 29th, you can bring any empty cosmetics container, regardless of brand, to an Origins store or counter and the company will recycle it for you. (The returned packaging, according to the company's web site, "will be sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy recovery.")

And as a bonus for your eco-minded effort, you'll get a free sample of an Origins skin care product. Which might just lead to another cosmetics jar to recycle...

Skip the Sulfates

I love lather. Whether I'm washing my hair or my face, a good, sudsy scrubbing makes me feel like I'm getting really clean. But after reading two recent magazine articles —one in the February issue of Organic Beauty, the other in the March issue of Allure — on sulfate-free shampoos, I decided to make the switch.

As both articles state, sulfates, commonly listed as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), have been linked to skin irritation. (That's why they're ingredients that I've avoided when buying shampoo and body wash for my son.)

But apparently sulfates can be bad for your hair, too, drying it out and stripping away added color. And while Allure quotes a cosmetic chemist who says that any cleansing agent can strip hair of oils, the fact is it's easier than ever to find products that use alternatives. (Even mainstream brand L'Oreal Paris has introduced a sulfate-free shampoo, called EverPure.) I decided it was time to swap my chemical-ladden brand for something that was more natural and quite possibly gentler on my hair.

My choice: Burt's Bees More Moisture Raspberry & Brazil Nut Shampoo.
It contains 98.12% natural ingredients, and uses ingredients like coconut oil and corn starch. It's also paraben- and phthalate-free.

It's true that sulfate-free formulas can be a bit less sudsy, but I've found that pouring the shampoo into my hands and rubbing my palms together before applying it to my hair helped make it suds up more. And even after one use, my hair felt softer and more bouncy than usual. I just might start washing my hair more often.