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Guest Post: Organic, All-Natural, Non-Toxic, Chem-Free. What’s the Difference?

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Editor’s Note: We are pleased to bring you an informative article by guest blogger Diane Elizabeth of Skin Care Ox!

 

Green is the new black when it comes to the beauty industry. Green beauty is a popular movement, as many switch to products that are safe, clean, and all-natural.

There are incredible brands who create clean products to exacting standards. But there are also plenty of imposters who claim they do but don’t. So how can you tell them apart? The first step is to unpack the industry’s key buzzwords. This way you understand what they mean and when you can trust them.

Breaking down the buzzwords

Organic, natural, non-toxic, GMO-free. These are some of the most popular buzzwords when it comes to clean beauty. Surprisingly, none of these terms are strictly regulated by the FDA or USDA for cosmetic industry use.

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular buzzwords:

Organic

Organic means produced without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), sewage, ionizing radiation, antibiotics, or growth hormones (1).

To ensure that a product is “organic,” look for a seal from a third-party organic certifying organization, such as the USDA Certified Organic program. If you don’t see the USDA seal, then there is no guarantee that the product meets organic quality standards.

Even if a product is USDA Certified Organic, that doesn’t mean that it contains 100% organic ingredients. In fact, a product can contain as little as 70% organic ingredients and still have the USDA seal. Even with the fancy USDA seal, you’ll still want to read the ingredient labels of organic cosmetics and beauty products.

Here are a few ways to evaluate if products are organic and high quality:

  • How many ingredients are listed as “certified organic”? Which organization certified them?
  • Research all listed non-organic ingredients online—are they safe and clean?
  • Look for a seal from a third-party certifying organization

Natural

The term “natural” is frequently used in the beauty industry. Yet, there are no official regulatory standards to define it. That means that any cosmetic product can claim to be “natural” while still containing synthetic ingredients. The simplest definition for “natural products” are those not containing any synthetic ingredients or additives.

Here are a few tips to identify them:

  • Natural ingredients tend to be easy to read and recognize. If you don’t know one, google it to confirm.
  • Natural ingredients should be at the top of the list on the label, any unnatural ones should be at the end.
  • Look for a seal from a third-party certifying organization

Non-Toxic

Non-toxic means “a substance that is not expected to cause symptoms or be dangerous” to humans or the environment (2). A non-toxic product should not have any ingredients linked to toxic responses in humans. Toxic responses include death, organ failure, reproductive and hormonal disruption, and cancer.

Chem-Free

The term “chemical-free” or “chem-free” is incredibly misleading. Not only is it completely unregulated, but it is also deceptive. All ingredients in a product are technically chemicals, including water! Steer clear of all beauty products marketing themselves as chemical-free.

About our Guest Blogger

Diane Elizabeth is a beauty expert and founder of Skin Care Ox: a skin care blog focusing on publishing accurate, beautiful, and informative skin care research and content. Diane’s skin care advice has been featured in many top publications such as HuffPost, Glamour, Reader’s Digest, and Yahoo!

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, not of Style Chicks.

Organic Luxury Spa Night Gifts: The Cute & Young Bath Bomb Gift Set

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Nothing is as relaxing as a warm bath! That is one of the reasons that Bath Bombs are so popular. But as fun as Bath Bombs can be, many bath bombs contain chemicals and dyes that are unhealthy for the skin. They also leave a colored ring around the tub that must be washed off after the bath. The Cute & Young Bath Bomb Gift Set is a luxury scented bath bomb set made of organic and emollient ingredients to soften skin naturally and safely and leaves no residual ring on the tub or residual on your skin!

Cute gift box comes over-wrapped in plastic to keep it in gift-giving condition

Cute gift box comes over-wrapped in plastic to keep it in gift-giving condition

OVERVIEW

A set of six extra-large 4.2 ounces, scented, luxe, handmade, organic, cruelty-free vegan bath bombs that are made with natural essential oils, Dead Sea Salts, Shea Butter and Cocoa Butters for natural softening of skin with a lovely scent. These fizzy colorful bath bombs will not stain your tub.

Cute & Young Bath Bombs are HUGE at 4.2 ounces and are full of organic ingredients to moisturize skin

Cute & Young Bath Bombs are HUGE at 4.2 ounces and are full of organic ingredients to moisturize skin

 

Cute & Young Bath Bombs are made of organic ingredients including Essential Oils, Epsom Salts, and Dead Sea Salts

Cute & Young Bath Bombs are made with organic ingredients including Essential Oils, Epsom Salts, and Dead Sea Salts

ABOUT THE BOMBS IN THIS SET

The Cute & Young Bath Bomb Gift Set comes in a presentation box ready for gift giving, The gift box is sturdy, cute and well made.

The Cute & Young colorful gift box

Inside it contains six bath bombs and a colorful welcoming information on each individual Bath Bomb.

Printed material all about the ingredients and use of the bath bombs

Printed material all about the ingredients and use of the bath bombs

Each bomb is individually wrapped with an inner plastic wrap and an outer colorful tissue wrap with a cute sticker to keep them safe and intact until used.

Cute outer tissue paper gift wrap

Cute outer tissue paper gift wrap

 

Inner plastic wrap keeps bath bombs intact and fresh until use

These luxe bath bombs are extra large at 4.2 ounces, which is larger than many high-end boutique bath bombs that cost up to $10-$15 per bomb. The larger size means a fizzier bursts or bubbles and an infusion of scented oils for a more soothing bath experience.

Each Bath Bomb comes in a secure inner plastic wrap and an outer colorful, cute gift tissue wrap with sticker

Each Bath Bomb comes in a secure inner plastic wrap and an outer colorful, cute gift tissue wrap with sticker

 

THE BATH BOMB SCENTS IN THIS SET

This set includes one each of the following six scented bath bombs, each Bath Bomb is named after a song title:

  • “Sweet Dreams” – An ideal pre-bedtime bath with a relaxing and calming blend of Lavender, Chamomile, Sunflower & Sandalwood Oil for better sleep
Sweet Dreams is so relaxing before bed!

Sweet Dreams is so relaxing before bed!

  • “Lush Life” – Black Pepper & Eucalyptus Oil is both warming and stimulating
Lush Life Bath Bomb

Lush Life Bath Bomb

  • “Get Lucky” – Sweet Orange Oil & Bergamot Oil

Get Lucky has invigorating essential oils

  • “Don’t Worry” – Relaxing Peppermint oil, Rosemary Oil & Juniper Oil

Don’t Worry

  • “Feeling Good” – Uplifting Palmarosa, Rose & Ylang Ylang Oil

Feeling Good

  • “Fix You” – Anti-inflammatory and antiseptic blend of Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Rosemary & Eucalyptus Oil is ideal for a post-workout soak in the tub or a warm bath to soothe the aching muscles that come with a cold or flu
Fix You is super for after a Pilates or Yoga class to ease sore muscles

Fix You is super for after a Pilates or Yoga class to ease sore muscles

THE INGREDIENTS

Made with only organic, natural ingredients including Dead Sea Salt & Epsom Salt which naturally soften the skin, improve blood circulation and ease muscular pain.
There is also Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Kaolin Clay which gently cleanses and detoxifies the skin.

Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, and Sunflower Oil all moisturize and nourish the skin. Essential Oils vary depending on the individual bath bomb but include Lavender Flowers, Sandalwood Oil, Chamomile Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Lavender Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Bergamot Oil, Peppermint Oil, Juniper Oil, Rosemary Oil, Palmarosa Oil, and Rose Oil.

Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that keep skin youthful looking, fights wrinkles and fades scars.

The bomb bombs are Gluten-free and contain no chemicals

The ingredients vary by which essential oil is contained in which bath bomb, the individual ingredient lists per bath bomb are seen on the back of the box:

Sweet Dreams Lavender, Sandalwood, Chamomile, and Ylang Ylang. Don’t Worry has Peppermint Oil, Juniper, Rosemary and Eucalyptus Oils

Lush Life contains Black Pepper Oil, Lavender, and Eucalyptus. Feeling Good has Ylang Ylang, Palmarosa, and Rose Oil

Get Lucky contains Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, and Sweet Orange, and Fix You has Rosemary, Eucalyptus and Lavender Flowers

MY EXPERIENCE

  • SENSORY EXPERIENCE: One bath bomb is enough for a regular sized tub, two can be used if desired in an especially large tub. However, since these are larger than typical bombs, I found using just one to be plenty of fizz, bubbles, and aroma for an enjoyable long soak in the tub. Check out the video at the end of this post to watch a Cute & Young Bath Bomb in action!

Add one Bath Bomb to a warm bath for a fizzy, foamy bubbly, scented bath experience

  • RELAXING: The combination of Epsom Salts and the Dead Sea Salts are particularly relaxing and soothing to aching muscles after a gym workout, pilates, or yoga session. If you do a “leg day” at the gym, I would particularly recommend the “Fix You” bath bomb that contains several great natural anti-inflammatory essential oils to ease aching muscles.
  • MOISTURIZING: In addition to the softening properties of Dead Sea Salts and Epsom Salts, there are generous amounts of moisturizing ingredients such as Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter plus hydrating essential oils that leave skin so soft!

CONCLUSION

A lovely boxed gift that is perfect for women of any age, as the all-natural, organic ingredients are safe enough for even a young girl or teen to use on their delicate skin. The Bath Bomb set comes gift boxed with a delightful presentation that is festive and feminine. The six individually wrapped bath bombs are HUGE at 4.2 ounces each, and provide ample fizz, bubbles, foam, and aroma to make for a delightful bath experience! I love the variety of bath bombs included in this set, as each moisturizing bath bomb includes differing essential oils for a different experience, whether improving a good night’s sleep, soothing aching muscles, feeling invigorated, or relaxed. The gift set comes with a 100% risk-free satisfaction guarantee.

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find The Cute & Young Bath Bomb Gift Set at Amazon, plus from December 17th to December 19th get 10% off with coupon code DRNSYYUN 

Cute & Young Bath Bomb Gift Set: Organic and luxe 4.2-ounce bath bombs makes a great gift

 

 

Style Chicks received The Cute & Young Bath Bomb Gift Set in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.

Organic Beauty: Pure Glam Dry Shampoo

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Love dry shampoo but hate damaging chemical ingredients? Pure Glam Dry Shampoo is made with natural ingredients and is actually good for your hair! It absorbs oil and provides texture, giving it gorgeous lift and voluminous body. Unlike so many dry shampoos, Pure Glam Dry Shampoo doesn’t leave my hair dusty or chalky. It makes my hair so bouncy!

Pure Glam Dry Shampoo: effective, natural, cruelty-free, Vegan, and Gluten-free!

 

 

Find Pure Glam Dry Shampoo at http://OrganicBeautyNow.com

Style Chicks received Pure Glam Volume Root Powder in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort as Brand Ambassadors. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.

The Kermax Hair Loss System: Three Months Later

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KerMax Hair Loss SystemIt’s been three months since I started using the KerMax Hair Loss System – time flies! I am quite impressed with the KerMax line in reducing my hair loss issue.

The great part about the regime is the ease of use. The shampoo and conditioner are no-brainer replacements for your standard shower routine, and the day and night treatments are simple and non-greasy. In fact, using them takes far less time than futile attempts to style your hair into looking fuller and covering thinned out spots.

Let’s talk about the shampoo and conditioner first. The first time I used the shampoo, I squirted out way too much. Give the bottle a gentle squeeze: it is a lightweight formulation, not a thick, heavy cream. You also don’t need much of the shampoo to get your hair clean. It doesn’t lather, but you can feel it in your hair, so don’t worry about missing spots. It also washes out quickly and cleanly: no rough scrubbing is necessary, just gently massage it out of your hair. It won’t give you a squeaky clean feel, but really, that isn’t good for your hair whether you have a hair loss issue or not. My hair felt clean and soft from the first use.

The same goes for the conditioner. It is a lightweight formula, but it gets the job done. My hair was shiny and bouncy after using this conditioner, and it didn’t take long to wash out. It also washed out cleanly and didn’t leave residue behind. So not only did my shampoo and conditioning routine leave my hair in great condition, but it shaved time off of my shower in the morning. Can’t beat that!

The two treatment products are just as easy to use. The Essential Day Foam is a quick and easy morning treatment on areas that need some rejuvenation. It dries down with no stickiness or residue, which surprised and delighted me. I put it on when my hair is wet to get maximum coverage of the scalp, and then proceed with styling. The hair it gets on looks just as clean and shiny as the rest of my hair, which is nice. The nighttime treatment, the Thickening hair serum, is a little thicker and leave a bit more residue behind, but it isn’t significant, and it didn’t affect the appearance of my hair on the mornings where I used it at night and wasn’t able to wash my hair in the morning.

Of course, the ease of use means nothing unless the product line delivers results. KerMax absolutely does! In the first month and a half or so I knew that I was gentler on my hair since I didn’t have to be as rough on my hair in the shower, and that would help slow my hair loss. Then I started noticing something: there was far less hair left in my brush after I used it. I went from a disturbing amount of hair coming out in the shower to virtually none. I didn’t have to use a lint brush to remove hairs from my clothes during the day. In short, my hair shedding reduced dramatically. WOW!

Kermax Before and After

Top: My hairline before I started using KerMax. Bottom: My current hairline thanks to the Kermax System!

I am very impressed with the KerMax line. While my hairline has not returned to its full former glory, it is making its way back to healthy hair, and KerMax has been a huge part of that. Really, to have ANY restoration in a short three month’s time is practically unheard of, so I am really looking forward to seeing what happens with continued use, and the fact that KerMax is an all natural line is a significant bonus for me. For anyone suffering hair loss or thinning, I wholeheartedly recommend the KerMax line!

KerMax available in Canada at all Shoppers Drug Mart locations, and in the United States at all CVS locations, and CVS online. Find more information about KerMax at Kermax.com! Also, learn more about KerMax on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!

KerMax Product Line

KerMax Product Line

I was compensated for my time and effort; however, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

The KerMax Hair Loss System

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I hope if you saw me on the street you wouldn’t think “she has a problem with hair loss.”

ME AND MY HAIR

For many people, thick full hair equates to beauty and youth. The women in my family have always had thick, strong, full, and silky hair. Strangers regularly compliment my hair. Well into her 80’s, my Grandmother’s hair was silky, dark and thick – you would never have guessed her age from her hairline, practically no thinning, sparseness, or loss of density. I always considered my hair one of the best, if not my best, feature. I always take good care of my hair with quality brushes, shampoos, treatments and avoided damaging treatments. No styles that pull on my hair, and no hot irons or harsh chemicals on my scalp.

So you can imagine my surprise when otherwise healthy and looks conscious me started to lose my thick, full hair – I had hair thinning in spots that became hard to conceal.

MY HAIR THINNING STORY

We don’t hear much about women losing their hair: but it is common, as many as 40-50% of women experience hair thinning (also known as FPHL or Female Pattern Hair Loss). And many of these are not older women who are experiencing hair loss as a normal part of aging: it happens to younger, active women even in their thirties, like me. Some women lose for known medical reasons, others due to stress, medications, pregnancy or even rapid weight loss.

The reason for my hair loss is a common stressor that at some point affects almost all of us: the death of a loved one. In my case, my hair loss happened after the sudden illness and death of my beloved father. After nearly two months of staying at the hospital with him nearly around the clock, subsisting on coffee, barely eating or sleeping through the ups and downs and all the stress, I rapidly lost weight from my poor diet, and my hair became noticeably thin in spots.

I went to the doctor. The bloodwork and tests showed nothing hormonally or otherwise wrong with me that would cause hair loss at my age and my health – but he did tell me about the impact of all that stress, the physical exhaustion, and the grief. The same stress that caused the loss of sleep and poor nutrition that resulted in the rapid weight loss caused my hair to become thinner in a way that became hard to conceal by just by altering my hairstyle to conceal the thinning sections. I thought that it would improve over time, like how I got my back to my normal, healthy weight. But the hair loss hasn’t markedly improved over time. I began to investigate my options.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT MY HAIR LOSS?

I knew what I didn’t want: I was not interested in any kind of hair extension or makeup to conceal the scalp skin; I wanted to deal with the problem, not cover it. I didn’t want to do anything risky with medications or treatments. I wanted a treatment that was safe for women, preferably natural because I didn’t want to involve hormones or chemicals. I wanted it to work quickly. And I wanted to be able to read the research and science behind the solution.

I knew I did not want side effects like scalp redness or irritation, and I didn’t want it to cause inflammation that affected healthy hair follicles. If a product had natural ingredients, it would be fantastic.

So as you might guess I was thrilled when I heard about the KerMax Hairloss System.

HOW KerMax WORKS:

Keramax is four products system: a shampoo, a conditioner to replace your current shampoo/conditioner regiment, plus a nighttime hair thickening serum and a daytime foam treatment. It is safe to use, and I haven’t had any bad reactions in the few days I’ve been using it so far. The foam and serum absorb nicely and is undetectable when dry. No greasy treatment area!

In the scientific study, participants used this regiment for 12 weeks, and all the participants experienced less hair loss. Pretty nice to be able to stop hair loss in its tracks!

I’m really excited to try out the Kermax line and see if I can get my healthy hair back to its’ former glory! I’ll be updating you on the result in 12 weeks, so stay tuned!

The Entire KerMax Line

The Entire KerMax Line

Here’s a video of me applying the foam for the first time:

WHERE TO GET KERMAX:

In Canada: Available at all Shopper Drug Mart Locations and in the United States at all CVS locations and CVS online.

Learn more about KerMax on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!

GIVEAWAY:

We’ve teamed up with KerMax to give away the four products (a $150 value) to a Style Chicks reader! There are two ways to enter:

1) Instagram: Follow Style Chicks on Instagram (if you aren’t following us already, find us at https://www.instagram.com/stylechicksdotcom/) and like the giveaway post. If you can’t find it immediately, search under the hashtag #StyleChicksKerMaxGiveaway.

2) If you aren’t on Instagram, you can send us an email at [email protected].

The Giveaway will run from today, February 19th at 7 PM to Friday, February 26th at 7 PM EST. We won’t publish your name, and will only pass your information onto the company to send you your KerMax System!

This post was written by me. While I was compensated for my time and effort, all opinions remain 100% mine.

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