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  • Taking Care of Summer Hair: Anti Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner

    Taking Care of Summer Hair: Anti Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner

    Got crunchy, dry, damaged hair from processing, styling, swimming, sweating? We’ve got the fix for those summertime blues.

    If your hair is done properly and you’re wearing good shoes,
    you can get away with anything.

    -Iris Apfel

    (If you’re not familiar with Iris Apfel you simply must watch Iris on Netflix or at least read this.)

    I received Desert Essence products for free from Moms Meet as part of their blogger program to use so that I could post my honest opinions. 

    I get asked a lot about ways to protect and repair hair, since mine and my daughter Cassidy’s take a beating on a steady basis:

    • we bleach out sections several times a year and use fun colors on it every six weeks or so (the dyes we use are vegetable based, but the combing through during application is a little rough)
    • we are regularly in the pool or ocean, and in direct sun
    • we often shower multiple times a day due to sports/band practice/workouts/swim time

    To be honest, my hair is usually pretty crunchy. To paraphrase my new fave John Mulaney, I’m not so much getting old as getting gross. I’m not great at keeping up with getting it trimmed regularly— which is, obviously, the best way to keep your hair looking healthy. The second most obvious option is to not wash it so much, but that’s not really in the cards for us. We have combination hair: while the bulk of our hair is dry and somewhat brittle, the scalp and roots get oily quickly and sweat doesn’t help the situation. 

    I’ve tried applying countless oils and “smoothing” styling products to the ends, which cuts down on frizz but within hours leaves our hair looking, well, oily and limp. 

    So for years my solution has been to wash as often as needed and then apply a LOT of conditioner from ponytail grip on down to the ends, letting sit for as long as possible, rinsing REALLY thoroughly, and avoiding styling products other than the occasional emergency dry shampoo. (Dry shampoo is great, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t use it on a sweaty scalp. It grosses me out.) When getting into the pool or ocean, I’d braid my hair while it was still wet and then coat the braid in conditioner or coconut oil (which works and is a hot tip. Write it down).

    And then I was sent Desert Essences Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner to review and everything changed. I’m not even exaggerating.

    You may have heard of Desert Essence before. It was founded in 1978 and was the first company to bring Jojoba oil to the marketplace— it’s still their top product.

    Desert Essence Anti-Breakage Shampoo is infused with Country Life Maxi-Hair (an exclusive blend that includes biotin, keratin and Pro-Vitamin B5), helping to reduce breakage up to 61%. It also boasts jojoba and coconut oils, aloe, saw palmetto to smooth and fortify hair cuticles, and radish seed extract for shine. Aloe and shea butter in the Anti-Breakage Conditioner help detangle and condition hair.

    Holy cats. My husband Jeff usually says that running his hands through my hair is like trying to detangle spiderwebs: it knots almost instantly (I don’t brush very often, to minimize breakage, just finger comb while conditioning) and it’s generally the opposite of silky smooth. Within one use of Desert Essence, the texture of my hair changed. It was actually soft and shiny and less frizzy and you could get your fingers through it! And it continued to improve with ongoing use. And I only had to use a little bit of each product; no more huge globs of conditioner necessary.

    I was still struggling with the oily scalp and roots though, which is where stage two of Desert Essence to the rescue came into play. Along with the Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner, I’d been sent Desert Essence’s Smoothing Primer. This product’s ingredient list includes apple cider vinegar, quinoa protein, tea tree oil hydrosol, maiden hair fern, wild thyme, great burdock and jojoba. It’s meant to help close the hair cuticle, remove product buildup, and balance the scalp’s natural pH. It tingles, which is my favorite quality in a hair product (I used to buy a conditioner that MASSIVELY tingled which I loved but had give it up; it was causing massive oiliness and scalp buildup). But more importantly, my hair has tons more volume at the roots and doesn’t look like an oil slick the next day. You can use it after washing and conditioning, or you can use it in between shampoos to refresh your hair and scalp our without stripping your hair through overwashing. I LOVE IT.

    For an extra boost of shine and protection, I’ve also been applying a little of Desert Essence’s Anti-Breakage Hair Mask to my braid before swimming and then doing a nice deep conditioning after a day in the sun. It’s super hydrating and my hair feels like the promises made to you by the pictures in magazines.

    Keep in mind that damage is damage— trimming is the only surefire way to keep your ends really looking healthy— but this particular line of haircare really has my hair looking and feeling so much stronger, silkier, shinier.

    You can save 20% Anti-Breakage and Smoothing Hair Care Products on desertessence.com with the promo code DELovesMomsMeet. It’s also available at Natural Grocers, Luckys Market, MOM’s Organic Market, and other local natural food stores; check the website for your closest retail location here.

    Now that I’ve got all that vain stuff about my hair out of the way, allow me to talk about Desert Essences, the company.

    Desert Essence was founded in 1978 around a simple concept: beauty is natural, and nature is beautiful. By bringing the best of nature’s offerings to personal care regimens everywhere, we strive to strengthen the bonds between our planet and all the beings that call it home. Creating a healthy, harmonious relationship with the Earth and our community is the foundation for all we do. We believe in being responsible to others, honest, and forward-thinking to create and preserve a better future for us all.

    Um, I love that. But wait, there’s more:

    • all Desert Essence ingredients are clearly labeled on the product and on the website; their products have biodegradable formulas, contain no artificial colors or fragrances, and the packaging is recyclable
    • their bar soaps are made using 100% sustainably harvested palm and palm kernel oil
    • they are a certified B-Corp Corporation, meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability
    • they purchase wind power credits and print business materials on recycled paper
    • they use natural and organic ingredients from around the world, supporting a federation of Australian plantation farmers who signed a pledge not to use any artificial pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides
    • no animal testing of any products or ingredients
    • they partner with various charities and relief efforts, as well as with organizations like Plan International USA’s Because I Am a Girl Initiative. (With every purchase of their new Oil Blends, Restorative and Balancing Facial Oils, 1% of sales will be donated to help girls in impoverished areas get access to education so they can change their own lives, the lives of their families, and that of their community.)

    Oil blends? Facial oils? Yeah. Desert Essence has a ton of products that look like they smell SO GOOD, from skin care to bath & body to dental care. They also have a page to make finding gluten-free products easier (and they’re running a sale on them at the moment, check it out).

  • Five Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Palm Oil

    Five Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Palm Oil

    Palm oil is in a lot of things, from chocolate and ice cream to lipsticks and soap. It’s also been demonized to what I think is an unfair extent. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about Malaysian palm oil—and might have you thinking differently about this common ingredient.

    5 Things I Didn’t Know About Palm Oil
    (and you probably don’t either)

    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    Palm oil is a healthy fat

    Fat, in general, has been demonized for the last couple of decades, but the medical community is starting to walk that position back. Your body needs fat to function, and calorie for calorie, “real food” options with fats tend to be more nutrient dense than their low fat counterparts.

    You do want to stay away from industrial trans fats, and as it is trans fat free, palm oil is a viable replacement for partially hydrogenated oils. Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil comes in golden and red varieties; the red palm oil, like the one pictured, is full of carotenoids and phytonutrients (you’ll also find these in squash, carrots, oranges, and apricots) as well as vitamin E (which helps boost immunity, widen blood vessels and fight free radicals). Bread baked with palm oil has nearly ten times the antioxidant power of vitamin E over bread baked with canola oil.

    Palm oil has a high smoke point

    Palm oil’s smoke point is over 450 degrees, so it is more resistant to oxidation (the creation of harmful free radicals). For reference’s sake, olive oil begins to degrade at 380 degrees, canola at 400 degrees, and coconut oil at 347 degrees— so if you’re like me and do a lot of sautéing, palm oil is a smart switch to make. AND, Malaysian palm fruit oil can be stored at room temperature for 12 months without going rancid. Other oils generally don’t last that long; olive oil can, but with refrigeration. 

    Palm oil is flavor neutral

    I like keeping salad healthy with an oil and vinegar salad dressing, but I don’t love the taste of olive oil really. For most of my cooking, I use coconut oil because it’s paleo compliant and that’s what people always noted in their paleo recipes (I’m nowhere near 100% paleo but I try). Palm oil is also paleo compliant and, well, it doesn’t taste like coconut, which is a definite bonus as far as my family is concerned. (I’ll never get used to the taste of coconut oil eggs.) You can also sub it for vegetable oil in baking recipes.

    We made popcorn with our palm oil and it’s true, we couldn’t taste it. (It did color the popcorn, so keep that in mind for when aesthetics matter.) We also added parmesan and some salt-free grilling seasoning which was pretty bomb.

    Palm oil is economically and environmentally efficient

    Bear with me here for a second. In Malaysia, one acre of oil palm produces 11 times more oil than an acre of soybean, 10x more than sunflower and 7x more than canola, and the trees don’t need to be cleared and replanted every year like corn, canola and soybean crops do. This, in theory, results in a lesser environmental impact and more stable living for wildlife, keeps costs down, and keeps villagers employed.

    100% of Malaysia’s palm oil will be certified sustainable by the end of 2019

    Malaysia is the world’s second largest producer of palm oil and became the first to produce and export certified sustainable palm oil, in 2008. The Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification program (MSPO) “includes general principles as well as stringent criteria for all parties involved in palm oil production, from the independent family farmers who tend the trees which produce the oil-rich fruit to the organizations that assist these smallholders to the palm oil mills which process the oil.”

    The Malaysian palm oil industry has also partnered with the Malaysian government on the Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWCF), which has a hand in conservation efforts throughout the country, including supporting orangutans and elephants.

    Let’s talk about the orangutan in the room.

    I know some people are boycotting palm oil due to deforestation depriving orangutans of their natural habitat. I understand that reaction, and once upon a time I probably would have gone along with it, but it’s short sighted. Malaysia committed decades ago to preserving more than half of its rainforests, and it has preserved even more than that. They’ve also dedicated themselves to sustainable agricultural practices, as outlined above. At this stage, it makes no sense to boycott already existing palm oil plantations, especially since they are more long lived and more productive than other seed oil farms.

    What does make sense is:

    • making sure that the plantations adhere to sustainable farming practices
    • holding all stakeholders responsible for preserving the rainforests that remain
    • DONATE to support orangutan research, rehabilitation, and protection (along with whatever other animals you feel strongly about).

    Activism is good, but activism that works towards conservation and creating conditions where agriculture and wildlife can co-exist with minimal harm is more realistic and sustainable— and honestly, has more impact in the long term.

    It’s a big world we live in, with a lot of people to feed and employ. If anything, Malaysian palm oil plantations should act as a starting inspiration to examine agricultural practices here in the US, and how we can compel these large industries to commit to sustainability in the years ahead.

  • What to Do (and Not Do) If You Find a Baby Deer

    What to Do (and Not Do) If You Find a Baby Deer

    It’s that time of year! Keep a keen eye and in many parts of the country you’ll see mama deer with their fuzzy fawns. You may also encounter a fawn that appears to be abandoned, and not know how to intervene. Here’s what to do if you find a baby deer.

    whitetail deer fawn
    photo via Depositphotos

    So they walked on together through the wood, Alice with her arms clasped lovingly round the soft neck of the Fawn, till they came out into another open field, and here the Fawn gave a sudden bound into the air, and shook itself free from Alice’s arms. “I’m a Fawn!” it cried out in a voice of delight. “And dear me, you’re a human child!” A sudden look of alarm came into its beautiful brown eyes, and in another moment it had darted away at full speed.

    ―Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

    In my area (Delaware/southern Pennsylvania), fawning season peaks somewhere around the last week of May through the first weeks of June. I love seeing the baby deer visiting our yard with their mothers— it seems to usually be two fawns for every mama— and I’m always a little tense about their safety on our windy, rural road where everyone tends to drive too fast.

    It’s also the time of year when calls to the Division of Wildlife about abandoned fawns tends to peak, probably because people aren’t aware of certain deer facts and how mother deer take care of their young.

    Fawns don’t have a scent when they’re born; it’s an important survival tactic. Their white spots act as camouflage in tall grass. Their mothers will leave them alone as much as possible to protect them from predators, as they are safer on their own than with the mother drawing attention to them (and they’re not able to run away quickly enough to avoid any predators that do happen to notice them).

    The fawns will often change their hiding spot on their own. The mother probably isn’t far away though and will find her easily, as fawns do need to feed frequently.

    So what do you do if you find a baby deer?

    The answer is simple: nothing.

    If you touch the fawn, you’ll be marking her with your scent and making her vulnerable.

    If you move the fawn, you’re separating her from her mother and possibly damaging their relationship during a critical imprinting period—the baby could very well imprint on a human and this can actually cause the mother to abandon it. (Baby deer start traveling with their mother somewhere around two months of age.)

    Unfortunately, deer that are raised by people don’t have a great survival rate upon release. The skills they need in the wild just can’t be taught by humans. And in some spots taking in or attempting to rehabilitate wildlife is illegal: here in PA, there is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal and in most cases the animal will be euthanized. In all cases the animal will be confiscated. And be aware, it violates both state and federal laws to transport wildlife between states.

    It’s a bummer for sure, and there’s no shortage of YouTube videos that make befriended wildlife seem like the best thing ever. I want a pet deer or fox or crow as much as anyone (probably more, honestly) but in most scenarios the best decision is to let nature take its course.

    Something like a quarter to one half of fawns born every year here in Pennsylvania won’t grow to adulthood. It’s the circle of life. Those deer also play an important part in the ecosystem, and frankly there are more deer than the area can support anyway. Better to become food in a natural manner than growing older and being hit by a car, right? Right. (But here’s what to do if you do hit one.)