I was first exposed to waxing seven years ago when a buyer for a major natural product chain took my arm at a trade show and said You have to take a look at this! She brought me to a booth filled with boxes of Warm Wax, Hot Wax, Body Sugars, and Wax Strips. I was adrift in a world I knew nothing [Continue reading]

Why would someone call their lip balm company Crazy Rumors? If they spent countless late-night hours in Brooklyn cafes discussing concepts, exploring flavors and formulas, graphics and minutia, obviously working hard but also having fun and radiating the energy of inspiration… well, cafe society [Continue reading]

Karen Ciesar began Trillium Organics in 1994 in rural Wisconsin, employing local women in her USDA certified manufacturing facility. Prior to that, Karen was an attorney focused on social justice and environmental stewardship.  Those values are imbued in her company's mission: "to make healthy [Continue reading]

I can't remember another time in the last 30 years when I've been more excited about bringing new natural brands to market. I've had the privilege of working with some very special companies this past year. They all share a desire to make the world a better place by creating healthful, [Continue reading]

As a child, I remember being nauseated by the fumes coming from my mother’s vials of nail polish whenever she painted her nails. What a price to pay, I thought, to have color on your nails. Just as bad was the odor emanating from the beauty parlor she visited weekly to have her hair done. Not [Continue reading] Tags: Safe Nail Polish

The following was published as a letter to the editor in the Concord Monitor (NH) on July, 30, 2010. Crystal deodorant stones are marketed as a natural alternative to conventional antiperspirants that contain aluminum. The truth is they contain similar ingredients and work in a similar manner. It [Continue reading] Tags: Deodorants

Don't treat your lips with the same disdain we've shown wildlife in the Gulf. Coating your lips with a petroleum-based lip balm is the same as coating any other body parts with petroleum. It provides little benefit to your lips, is accompanied by a host of other synthetic ingredients that are [Continue reading] Tags: Lip Balm

If you've been using aluminum based antiperspirants, please throw them away!  Same with any crystal deodorant stones. They're also made from a form of aluminum. There's a special company in the state of Washington that makes organic deodorants that are free of any chemical or petroleum based [Continue reading] Tags: Deodorants

We have more than our share of biting insects in rural New Hampshire. One of the challenges of living here in the spring is the emergence of black flies, small swarming flies that are like piranhas with wings. They make outdoor life unpleasant between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, when it [Continue reading] Tags: Insect Repellents

1. 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed by it. What goes on goes in. 2. If you don't recognize the ingredient on the label neither will your skin or internal organs. 3. Natural skin care products derived from tried and true ingredients are safe and effective for you and other living [Continue reading]