My son takes piano right around the corner from the beautiful new store and I have popped in a few times already. In fact I’ve been late to retrieve him from lessons after my usual scattered self was totally swept away with all the natural choices in the beauty area. We already have switched our household cleaning products to chemical free and earth-friendly. Recently, I also made the switch with all our soaps and shampoos and conditioners as well. I’ve been slowly replacing most of my personal cosmetics to chemical free and plant-based too, so I was excited to get a tour and find the best choices are out there!
Whole Body sent me a little care package with a mineral based nail polish and one of my favorite products ever, Skin Food, from Weleda. I was intrigued by the natural nail salon too.
Whole Body Salon is pretty and open, but still semi-private area to get nail treatments. They have made this look and feel spa-like with comfy chairs, and even importing a special moss from Italy to grow on it’s wall. It just has a fresh feel that normal nail salons don’t. That’s for good reason. Most nail polishes are loaded with toxins. You breathe them and they stay in the air as well. One thing I didn’t realize is that those toxins also come off, little by little, every time you rinse your hands or toes, it runs off into the water. Yuck. That’s bad for the earth and gosh what about us?
Lucky for us, Whole Body knows how much women love getting pampered and manicures. They have found five nail companies whose polishes are without the 4 or 5 toxins that are present in even the most high end polishes. If that sounds nice let me tell you how gorgeous the colors are. So much to love and you know what else? They wear amazingly. I had my nails done on a Friday and they were just starting to wear on the tips the next Thursday.
It’s hard to believe that so many of these toxins are still allowed in our beauty products, but they are. Part of the problem with our FDA is that things don’t have to be proven safe, like in most countries around the globe. The U.S. actually allows anything in food and beauty products until they are proven unsafe. That is one of the nice things about Whole Foods. They are setting their own standards for beauty and food, and companies are trying their best to toe the line, to get their approval to be included. For the consumer, it means we can shop there with the knowledge that our choices are healthy! That means everything to me. We still know so little about cancer and other diseases. What we put on and into our bodies, surely has a link to it all.
This nail salon is one of a kind right now and it was sort of a start-up almost. The Whole Foods women who worked in the Whole Body division dreamed this and came together to create this lovely space. A full menu of fun treatments can be found here. I thought the prices were very good. A 25 minute express manicure is $14 and a 45 minute manicure with reflexology is just $24…So many other cool choices and even a kids manicure for $12! Best part of all, you’re not inhaling all those bad fumes.
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| One of the sweet nail technicians at the Campbell Whole Body store. |
After having manicures we were invited to indulge in some of Whole Foods catered treats and party plates that you can order. They were beautiful as well as delicious. Catering is not something I had ever thought of them for, but apparently a lot of people do. I was impressed!
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| Talking nails with one of the Whole Foods execs. |
We shopped and sampled, while sipping some Cabernet from Rosati Family Wines in the Russian River town of Hopland. They only make cabs and they are very good! Juggling my appetizers and wine, I got a closer look at the other beauty products I was keen to know more about. Weleda, Mychelle, and Mineral Fusion also had reps there to explain their products and philosophies.
I was sent home with the most generous bag of goodies I have ever received. I was able to do a Extreme Makeover edition on my medicine cabinet! Then I went to town trying every little thing so I could report back to you all. I sacrificed myself in the name of science and you my readers! 😀
Here’s what is wonderful in my opinion..
My favorite of the bag, Mineral Fusion Perfecting Beauty Balm.
I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t even try this for a few days as I haven’t had good luck at all with BB creams and with my rosacea to boot, I need more coverage. However, I am happy to report the finish on this is lovely, not shiny, but my skin had a pretty luminosity about it that lasted until bedtime. I was surprised when I checked the mirror afer a long day. The self-adjusting color actually looked great too. Even better: It’s fragrance, paraben and gluten free and has treatment, moisturizer and sunscreen in it. This company prides itself on minerals such as copper and zinc as anti-oxidants, as well as eliminating all the bad things that usually found in makeup. This company has also partnered with Coalition Against Domestic Violence to support women in need. Whole Body carries all their line which ranges from makeup to body and hair care as well.
Mineral Fusion has great nail polishes. After my education on nail enamel toxicity, I chucked my others and now own 2 of these lovely and long-wearing colors.
Also a fan of Dr Hauschka‘s Cleansing Creme, Rose Day Creme and Translucent Bronze Concentrate.
I’ve always been curious about these German products that so many love. This company has a long history and it’s products are created with biodynamic plants and by employing those healing parts of the plant. It’s quite complicated, but worth reading about. I’m intrigued to to try more of these wonderful products!
The scent and feel of the cleanser is pure spa experience. My skin loved this and it actually cleans very well. The day creme felt equally indulgent, but wasn’t heavy. The bronzer is to be mixed with your foundation or moisturizer, but I used it over my makeup patted on lightly. It gives the prettiest golden glow. I also like the jet black eyeliner which has tea extract. Goes on like butter and wears fab.
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| Some of my Weleda faves. |
Weleda is also a German company I have been familiar with for a while, being a devotee of their Skin Food creme, (I could not make it through winter without this healing creme for my hands) and their face cremes. I have used the Baby Calendula Face Cream a long while, after buying it for my little son. I have heard how pure they were.
This company also uses products from biodynamic farming. They even go as far as going to parts of the world where these plants grow, teaching farming techniques there, and setting up fair trade for the crops. It’s amazing how much some of these companies do. Not only are the products good for us, but we are helping make the world a better place by purchasing these. Love that. Besides Skin Food they make some wonderful body washes, face creams, baby products and even a salt toothpaste which has a cult following. Check this brand out. Once you smell them you’ll be hooked.
Other good things I got to try..
Giovanni 2ChicUltra Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner. Giovanni products were originally formulated in California by a famous hairdresser whose hands couldn’t take the harsh chemicals in hair products. The company remains true to it’s mission to make each product as pure and natural as possible without sacrificing performance. I love high end hair products and when I first used these two, my hair felt not as sleek as smoothing shampoos usually do. However, my hair looked like I had a professional blowout after I dried it. It made it straight, but not flat and I think that is key. I’m loving the fact that my hair looks good for multiple days with this.
Other fun products Giovanni makes and is the 2Chic Ultra Sleek Hair & Body Super Potion, which is like a little pump of argon oil for face and body. I’ve used it a ton on my cuticles and hair ends. Fabulous product for winter! I also love the 2Chic Ultra Sleek Body Lotion. It’s lovely for summer as it gives a soft sheen after. Their Detox skincare line is also supposed to be great and since I was given a travel set, I’m going to try those out next week on our break.. Another thing to love is that Giovanni’s products are made in California and the most are vegan as well!
Some other fun things to investigate:
The Bath Petals bath salt bar. Bath Petals is another California company and it has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics as well as producing products that are safe for adults, babies and children. If you are a soaker, you will love all the choices here. I’m not so much of a bath girl, so you can also use their salts as a scrub as I did. My skin felt so smooth and glowed. This is apparently what a lot of celebs do before a big awards show. I have to say I’m a convert after trying them. Especially like the California Rose Garden one.
I’d like to thank Rachel, Jennifer, Clare, Desirae, and Michelle who made this evening possible (and were a blast) and were so eager to share their healthy beauty ideas with us all. Thanks also to companies who also were so generous to provide their products for us to sample and review. All of these opinions are my own. If I don’t like something, it won’t be on here.
One fact that you should all know that the U.S. government doesn’t require health studies or pre-market testing for any personal product! Essentially, we are guinea pigs. Whole Body is one of the few places we can go to now, that has higher standards for products going onto your body. I appreciate that as a mother trying to make smart choices for my family and my own health too. I also care about the earth, finding companies that don’t test on animals, or pollute the environment!
Kim
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