Avalon Organics Nourishing Conditioner
(Part of my Green This House program.)
I recently switched conditioners to Avalon Organics’ Lavender Nourishing Conditioner, which the company says is made with 70 percent certified organic ingredients. (This makes me wonder about the remaining 30 percent. Were they just not “organic” enough? Do the organic ingredients point at them and laugh and not let them play in their organic-ingredient games? Just WHO do those organic ingredients THINK they are, anyway?) The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep project gave it a hazard score of 0.5 (out of 5)—not perfect, but a great deal better than my original conditioner, Aussie’s Moist Conditioner for Dry/Damaged Hair, which garnered a much higher score of 2.5, along with a moderate-concern alert level due to suspect ingredients such as methylparaben and propylparaben, both of which have been linked (though not conclusively) with the development of breast cancer.
The natural lavender scent is so remarkably soothing that it’s one of those rare moments before my shot of caffeine that I don’t feel like I have to reach out and HURT someone. (Then, nostrils suddenly flaring, my reverie is cut short by a rude whiff of eau de kitty caca because Chekhov got lonely and had to make himself a little friend out of his butt, except he forgot to tell his humans that the bioterrorists weren’t attacking that day.)
Although I was underwhelmed the first time I used the conditioner (but note that my mane usually has the consistency of a thatch roof), my hair remained comparably silky the following day, without that unwashed, greasy feeling I usually experience from drugstore conditioners. My major complaint is its price—$7.95 for 11 fl. oz compared to $3.99 for Aussie’s 16 fl. oz—the result of using organic non-synthetics. What price peace of mind? Oh society, WHAT HAVE YOU WROUGHT?
Postscript: I’m also using Avalon’s lavender bar soap but may have to look for a shampoo with a lower hazard score when my Aussie one runs out. Still, I get twitchy at the thought of not having everything match. I blame the patriachy.
brooke said,
March 10, 2006 at 11:09 am
Thanks for the great information. After going to the EWG site (I typed in the product I use-yikes!) I think I’m definitely going to try some Avalon products.
green LA girl said,
March 17, 2006 at 2:52 pm
I wonder why none of The Body Shop’s products are listed… That’s where most of my stuff comes from!
green LA girl » I’m toxic! said,
March 17, 2006 at 8:39 pm
[...] I haven’t been eating my shampoo, but I thought I’d look up The Body Shop products I use on EWG’s Skin Deep project (via The Worsted Witch), which rates health and beauty between 0 and 5 (the lower the better). My research went thusly: [...]
The Worsted Witch » Aubrey Organics Primrose & Lavender Scalp-Soothing Shampoo said,
May 23, 2006 at 2:18 pm
[...] As I mentioned in a much earlier post, I went with Aubrey Organics’ Primrose & Lavender Scalp-Soothing Shampoo instead of my conditioner’s matching shampoo because the latter garnered a much higher hazard score on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep site. (Aubrey’s shampoo scored a low 0.4 compared to Avalon’s 1.0.) Neither of them challenged my immune system as much as my original shampoo, Aussie Moist Shampoo for Dry/Damaged Hair, did, however. The thuggish purple kangaroo was slapped with a staggering 2.4 hazard rating. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Face Off, Naturally said,
May 31, 2006 at 3:10 pm
[...] My dear friend Juanita kvetched to me about the cost of natural skin-care products—the kind that’s free of known and suspected carcinogenic, reproductive, and developmental toxins. “I’m not willing to sell my kidney just yet,” she muttered. Well I hear you and raise you a liver, girlfriend, because lordy, peace of mind doesn’t come without some serious kaching. But, being the smart alecky kid that I am, I told her she could save a tidy sum simply by raiding her kitchen cabinet and refrigerator, which works brilliantly for inexpensive and au naturale cleaning liquids, as well. Free yourself from the shackles of the capitalist consumerist machine, I whooped, only partly in jest. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Test Kitchen Witch said,
June 23, 2006 at 12:14 pm
[...] 4. DIY Hair Conditioner I also improvised this from different sources: 1 egg yolk (left over from your egg-white facial), 2 tablespoons of castor oil, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I found this actually worked a little too well, resulting in hair that was almost greasy, so the next time I do this, I’m going to reduce the amount of castor oil by 1 tablespoon. Still, if you have dry hair and are seeking one of those “deep-conditioning treatments,” this would do the trick. My hair became incredibly soft and shiny, and now I’m thinking of adding a few drops of lavender essential oil (and experimenting further) so this can replace my store-bought conditioner. [...]