Oil, Slick

My new favorite face cleanser is 100% organic, hand-crafted, and dirt-cheap. It's Olsen Naturals Almond Cleansing Oil, and it cost me just $7 at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis.

Oil cleansers aren't new, but I became intrigued by the idea of using oil to clean my face last winter, after I saw a bottle of DHC Deep Cleansing Oil on my Aunt (by marriage) Billie's bathroom counter. Billie is well into her 60s and has gorgeous, clear skin, so I started digging into the different options. First, I came across a web site called The Oil Cleansing Method, which gives instructions on how to create and use your own oil-based cleanser. Then I tried a sample of Nude Skincare's Cleansing Facial Oil. (It's perfectly lovely, but at $52, more than I want to spend on a cleanser.) So I was excited to discover Denise Olsen's equally lovely (and much more affordable) version this summer.

Since then, I've been inundated—in a good way—with oil: An email arrived in my in-box touting Molton Brown's trio of limited-edition facial oils, designed to be used as moisturizing night treatments. (I've been using the Hungarian Wild Carrot Revitalizing Facial Oil, $58, on nights when I don't use my oil cleanser.)

I've also tried suki's organic oil formulations ($29.95), including pure facial moisture-balancing and pure facial moisture-nourishing, and delicate hydrating oil ($24.95) for the body. (I love the fact that these oils are organic, but I'm not crazy about the scents.)

What's the difference between an oil cleanser and an oil moisturizer? Not much, to be honest. One you use with water and then wipe off; the other you leave on your face. And as the weather turns colder, both are excellent daily options for everyone. "I like oil cleansers for all skin types," says dermatologist Jordana S. Gilman, M.D. "They help break up and wash away excess oil for people with oily skin, and they are gentle and won't dehydrate people with dry or sensitive skin."

If you've always thought of oil as something you need to clean off of your skin, it does require a shift in thinking to start using it to clean and moisturize your face. But try it, and you'll be rewarded with soft, clean skin.

A Better Disposable Towelette

As a rule, I avoid using disposable cleansing wipes, for either my face or my house. (My kid's bottom? Well, that's another story.)

Still, I couldn't resist making an exception when I came across these new Organic wear Facial Makeup Remover Towelettes from Physicians Formula. The towelettes are 100% biodegradable, and, according to the label, 10% of the total ingredients are produced from organic farming. (Those ingredients include organic orange water, organic lavender essential oil, and organic aloe vera extract.) They're soft, they smell good, and they seem to effectively remove the mineral makeup I wear.

But really, I bought them simply because I thought the tin can–style packaging was adorable, and I'm a sucker for packaging. 

Disposable cleansing wipes, no matter how organic they are, will never be the best, most eco-friendly way to clean your face. But if you're not willing to give up the can't-beat-it-convenience they offer, at least now there's a better option.

Guess Who Got a Makeover?

No, not me (unfortunately). But St. Ives, maker of the beauty-cabinet-staple apricot scrub and other skin care products, just got a little greener.

The company is introducing a reformulated product line that uses 100% natural exfoliants and extracts, and post-consumer recycled packaging whenever possible.

I was also happy to find that many of the products are made without parabens or phthalates, contain no animal derived ingredients, and aren't tested on animals. (Now if only they'd get rid of SLS and SLES!) 

Still, it's a welcome improvement in the drugstore beauty aisle.

Natural Eyes

I have short, wimpy eyelashes, so mascara is one of my must-have products. But I'm picky about my products. For a long time I shunned drugstore brands, and I confess that I've never quite understood the allure of a certain company's famous pink-tubed formula.

But a new crop of natural mascaras, including drugstore brands like Physician's Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara, with its cute leaf-shaped applicator handle, and Almay pure blends volumizing mascara, led me to my neighborhood Ulta store.

I've been using the Almay mascara, and... I like it. The formula is 97.5% natural and gives me thick-but-natural looking lashes. And the not-too-big brush (I hate some of the new jumbo brushes on mascara formulas today—so unwieldy!) allows for a precise application, even to those teeny corner lashes. My only quibble is that I have a habit of picking at my lashes (which may explain why they're short and wimpy) and this mascara flakes off easily. Still, I'd buy it again. And at roughly $7.00 a tube, I can afford to.

The Protected Face

I'm following up on my last post about sunscreen. First, I have to admit that I haven't chucked my old non-mineral sunscreens in the trash, and in fact, I've actually bought more. Here's the deal: Mineral formulas—even that expensive brand I blogged about buying—are just plain hard to rub in. And on a squirmy, impatient toddler, that's a pain. I've compromised by using mineral formulas in the morning (or the first application of the day) and then carrying around a bottle of Neutrogena Waterguard Kids Sunblock Mist SPF 70+. No, it probably wouldn't pass the EWG's sunscreen test. But at least I know my kid is protected.

I'm also not using any chalky sunscreen formula on my face—but that's because, happily, I've found what I think are some great alternatives. I'm loving my new 100% Pure Pomegranate Antioxidant Hydration SPF 20. It's a lightweight-yet-creamy moisturizer that's 100% natural and vegan. As the name implies, there are no chemicals, fragrances, or preservatives in the ingredients list. My only complaint is that the SPF level isn't higher.

To rectify that, I'm also using Bare Escentuals' bareMinerals SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen. It's a powdered mineral sunscreen (micronized titanium dioxide, to be specific) that comes in a handy spill-proof tube with a built-in, twist-up brush. It comes in three shades (light, medium, and tan) and has basically replaced loose powder in my makeup bag.

I Screen, You Screen

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month... and I'm overdue for my annual trip to the dermatologist for a skin cancer screening. 

If you need a check-up too, the Skin Cancer Foundation is making it easy (depending on where you live) thanks to its Road to Healthy Skin Tour. The Tour provides free full body skin cancer screenings and information, as well as sunscreen samples (the Tour is presented by Aveeno and Rite Aid) and coupons.

Speaking of sunscreen, I've always tried to stick to chemical free, mineral formulas for my little one — and let me beat the California Baby drum again and praise the company's fragrance-free sunscreens. But I hate the chalky, Casper-like residue that mineral sunscreens tend to leave, and I confess that lately I've resorted to using easier-to-blend-in chemical formulas, both for myself and my boy.

Not anymore. This summer, I'm trying Lavera Naturkosmetik's  Sun 30 spray formula. It's a 100% mineral sun protection formula that's designed for kids and adults with sensitive skin. I'm hoping the spray makes it easier to apply and blend — and thus worth the ridiculous price I paid for it at Whole Foods.

And the Winner is...

Back in March, I wrote about some of the cool natural products I found at the CEW Beauty Awards product demonstration. Well, on May 1st I attended the actual awards ceremony, and while several natural products were finalists in various categories, only one of them — Vickery & Clarke Natural Apothecary's Eucalyptus & Peppermint Cold & Sinus Soak — won. Boo!

But here's a list of the natural products that were finalists in various categories:

• Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Hydrating Mineral Veil and bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss
• Burt's Bees Fabulously Fresh Peppermint & Rosemary Body Bar, Naturally Ageless Skin Firming Night Cream, and Super Shiny Lip Gloss
• Carol's Daughter Sweethoneydipchocolatebrownsugah Scrub
• Klorane Gentle Eco-Friendly Dry Shampoo
• Korres Natural Products Pomegranate Cleansing and Makeup Removing Wipes
• Physicians Formula Organic Wear Face Powder
• Yes To Carrots Yes To Cucumbers Eye Love Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel and Yes To Tomatoes Trouble Free Face Wash

Next year, I hope more of these worthy brands take home top honors!