I cannot rave enough about my experience at Fred Segal Salon with the owner Matthew Preece and the Formula LA shampoo and conditioner I was gifted! I had my hair cut and colored on February 23rd, yes February 23rd, and it still looks amazing 14 weeks later – incredible!

When I walked into Fred Segal Salon in Santa Monica, I was immediately taken in by the zen energy and ambiance. They actually have a yoga studio there, so you can take a yoga class, get a blowout after and be on with the rest of your day looking fab – pretty incredible right? As a Los Angeles native for the past eight years I’m all about making one stop, getting a lot done and avoiding that little thing we call traffic.

Mr. Preece is a yogi himself, so when I asked why he decided to put a yoga studio in his salon he responded, “Yoga and hair just go together” – well said sir! Then he proceeded to give me the most beautiful caramel colored highlights that brightened up my whole face and a killer cut that I’ve been rockin ever since.

A huge part of the longevity of my color and health of my hair is thanks to Formula LA’s shampoo and conditioner! Formula LA is a shampoo specifically made for Angelenos living and dealing with the harsh Los Angeles climate. Between the sun, dry air, smog and hard water – we can get some seriously stressed out, unhappy hair.

“Yoga and hair just go together”

Luckily both the shampoo and conditioner contain extra moisturizers and even sunscreen to fight back against LA, so that your hair can stay soft and shiny despite the weather. They even contain ingredients that prevent the minerals found in Los Angeles’ water from binding to your hair, so your hair is cleaner than ever! And did I mention it smells great? Light and citrusy!

I highly recommend getting your hair “did’ at Fred Segal Salon Santa Monica: www.fredsegalbeauty.com/spa and keeping your hair looking fabulous with Formula LA: www.formulacosmetics.com

Review by Stuart Brazell

What Rachel Avalons seminar taught me about the beauty industry…

Whether its dipping into latest Sephora finds or scanning through celebrity looks, my heart has always fluttered just that much more when it comes to beauty. And with being an eco writer, I figured I pretty much knew all there was to about eco beauty.

Thats why when I heard about holistic nutritionist and eco expert, Rachel Avalons Lecture on Eco Beauty, I was curious to see what the green “it” girl would be discussing. Knowing there is at least one natural makeup product that meets my approval, and often putting pestle and mortar to use in my kitchen for new facial concoctions, I wondered what the eco industrys freshest face would have to say about beauty that I didnt already know.

I walked into the lecture room, paper and pen in hand and ready to soak up what I thought would be new beauty tips. I also got a chance to have a quick meet and greet with Rachel, who was absolutely charming and a natural host. With people pouring in, we quickly took our seats and the presentation set sail to what was going to be a revealing look at the beauty industry.

Moments in, I was capsized by own limited perceptions of beauty. Rachel began with where our beauty products are coming from, whats in them, and how detrimental they are to our health. The virtually self-regulated cosmetic industry is saturated by politics and hazards, even though one could argue the two were never really mutually exclusive anyway. Though we all know about lobby groups, Rachels knowledge of what exactly comprises the beauty industry which policies so easily saunter past the red-tape (and why), and how they affect us, is absolutely horrifying. In short, I learned that just like the IRS, we should never really trust the so-called “safety” regulations.

But to learn what was actually in all those lovely pressed powders, tubes and jars left me thoroughly disgusted. So whats in it exactly?

Think Gemma Artertons scene in Quantum of Solace, where shes covered head to toe in oil, and then youve got a very small picture of what youre actually spackling on yourself everyday. The trauma of what Gemmas character goes through varies disfiguringly with our own experience – after all, with that much toxic waste on her she inevitably died. On the other hand, we go about our day with ten fold more and think were glamorous. Put on, rinse, and repeat.

Considering we toss ourselves into a daily beauty gauntlet with questionable (and sometimes cancer-causing agents), you can only imagine how much damage were doing to ourselves in the long run.

If you consider the basics, (like shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc), its easy to see how the average American uses about 10 products a day – which exposes them to about 125 chemicals!

If you factor in that our skin absorbs 60% of what we put on it, and with the average girl wearing makeup at 14, by the time youre 85 youve been exposing your body to harsh chemicals and toxins for over 70 years! Its no wonder that we have such a high rate of cancer in society, with 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men now being diagnosed with it. The role of cancer in beauty was another interesting component of Rachels lecture, and got me questioning about how many chemicals I expose myself to daily without even thinking about it – all in the name of beauty.

And beauty isnt just for women. Conscious care is definitely something both men and women need to think about (because almost everyone uses shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc.). I brought my fiancÃ

Olympic volleyball gold medalist and “haute” mamma-to-be (for the second time) Kerri Walsh, actress and holistic lifestyle expert Anna Getty, and Tastybaby founders Shannan Swanson and Liane Weintraub gathered at the W Los Angeles in Westwood last night to host the launch of celebrated author Amy Tara Kochs new book, Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the Ultimate Style Statement.

Koch, who is a renowned style expert and journalist, showed off her new book at the swanky hotel as guests received exclusive styling tips on how to be a fashion forward, conscious “pregnantista” without breaking the bank. With silhouette-based line drawings by several of todays top fashion designers such as Nicole Miller, Isaac Mizrahi, Diane Von Furstenberg and Milly, along with advice culled from editors at Vogue, Lucky, and W; Bump It Up is being touted as the modern pregnancy style bible. We headed poolside to chat to Amy (above) about her new book.

Anna Getty (above) also shared tips on how to be green and glam as well as the lowdown on Pregnancy Awareness Month, an empowerment campaign to help women feel comfortable as they move into motherhood.

I don’t wear sunscreen and never will.

I stopped using sunblock the moment I stopped being a beauty editor a few years ago. A combination of gut feeling and research told me what I was being told to “protect” my skin with was little more than a poison (and poisonous it is).

You see, the sun is a life-giver. Without it, we’d be on our way out. The amount of sun we can tolerate depends on various factors from skin type to foods we include in our diet. But somewhere along the way, we’ve been told to fear the sun. Cover up and slather up the marketing hype tells us, and we’ll be doing a great job of protecting ourselves from that nasty cancer-causing ball or fire in the sky.

So why, was my question, had the skin cancer rates skyrocketed? Why were we being told to suddenly be scared of the very thing that gives life to the planet and everything on it? Dollars of course. Scare the masses and they’ll buy the product.

Here’s an excerpt from Natural News:

The idea that sunscreen prevents cancer is a myth. It’s a myth promoted by a profit-seeking tag-team effort between the cancer industry and the sunscreen industry. The sunscreen industry makes money by selling lotion products that actually contain cancer-causing chemicals. It then donates a portion of that money to the cancer industry through non-profit groups like the American Cancer Society which, in turn, run heart-breaking public service ads urging people to use sunscreen to “prevent cancer.”

With all of the chemicals that make up the hundreds of sunscreens on the market, it begs the question to be asked. What happens to all of those chemicals when you put them on your body’s largest organ, the skin? Well, not only are we told to put them on our skin, we’re told to wear them in the sun. So effectively, we’re baking ourselves with toxic, cancer-causing chemicals.

Another excerpt from Natural News:

The scientific evidence, however, shows quite clearly that sunscreen actually promotes cancer by blocking the body’s absorption of ultraviolet radiation, which produces vitamin D in the skin. Vitamin D, as recent studies have shown, prevents up to 77 of ALL cancers in women (breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, multiple myeloma… you name it). Meanwhile, the toxic chemical ingredients used in most sunscreen products are actually carcinogenic and have never been safety tested or safety approved by the FDA. They get absorbed right through the skin (a porous organ that absorbs most substances it comes into contact with) and enter the bloodstream.

We need the sun. The days of fearing it are long gone for me. So what happens if I’m going to be out in the sun for hours? Sure, I wear sensible clothing and a hat. I also regularly include foods in my diet that prevent sunburn such as spirulina. As per my past post, I apply extra virgin coconut oil to my skin daily which, as a bonus, works as a natural protector if I’m to spend many hours in the sun.

Sunburn only happens due to nutritional deficiencies. Since becoming vegan and eating (mostly raw) plant-based foods I rarely experience sunburn. Pretty neat, I reckon!

Traditional Beauty Tips that Pass the Test of Time…

Everyone may not like being told “I told you so”, and most women may also not like thinking their mother was right. However, on stepping upon the threshold of 30, and with my mother now in her early sixties, I cant help but notice that on a good day, she looks not more than maybe only five or ten years older.

And with each wrinkle, thinned out skin or spot I notice, I hear her quite literally echoing voice telling me “I told you so”. So what was it exactly that she used to always harp on about while growing up?

Quite simply, endless beauty tips that at that time seemed to have been written on stone tablets alongside Moses 10 Commandments. But these then thought of as primitive beauty routines now seem charming and simple in an age where we’re constantly fed a barrage of beauty adverts and overly photo-shopped images of perfection.

In my own desperate attempt to look great, I have ventured down every possible winding road that ultimately lead me nowhere, and pick-pocketing

It’s time to start wading through that wardrobe, gathering up your once-loved fashion items, donating them to an organization who gives to those who need it. 2010 is the year of compassionate fashion.

While you’re at it, take a moment to find an item you love. And I mean really love. Regardless of your attachment to it, make a choice to give it away. No strings attached. You’ll not only feel great for doing it, but the person (or charity) you gift it to will be grateful and maybe even love it more than you. Makes you feel warm inside, doesn’t it?

If you can’t beat the shopping bug in 2010, it’s a great idea to make a pact to only purchase goods that are good for you and the environment. No more inorganic anything. Buh-bye pesticide laden tees. See ya chemical-ridden jeans.

There’s another great fashion choice we can all make this year, and that’s making the choice to avoid buying any fashion item that’s made from animals. We’re even talking leather shoes and belts people. Jackets too.

There are hundreds of fab fashion pieces that have been designed without harming an animal (or human for that matter). Stella McCartney is just one designer who will only promote cruelty-free fashion. Cows and sheep won’t be the only ones to thank you for saving them, the planet will also benefit greatly from your choice to only wear kind fashion.

To find out how to get started on your new compassionate wardrobe for 2010, check out Peta’s Clothing Guide. Another great way to introduce some cruelty-free chic to your life is learning how to upcycle, or frequenting stores that make recycling animal-free fashion their mission.

If you have great ideas on how to incorporate compassion into fashion, we’d love to hear about them. Feel free to share your hints and tips in the comments section.

Photo courtesy Stella McCartney

If you’ve never really understood the mineral makeup trend, and held on tight to your traditional creams and liquids, there’s another natural alternative thanks to Christopher Drummond, a former model turned celebrity makeup artist.

According to Christopher, while “many people know the benefits of using safe cosmetics”, he adds many natural cosmetic companies “seem to teach the ‘all-or-nothing’ mentality”.

“Throwing away the chemical beauty products may be intimidating and not realistic for some,” he says. “To think that someone is going to throw out all existing cosmetics and start new with 100% natural products just isnt going to happen.”

Here, Christopher shares his tips for an easy (realistic) transition into natural cosmetics:

1.