Scum Scum Go Away, Come Again Another Day (Or Not!)

By Bex, Supplements Buyer and The Naturalist Contributor

After an uncharacteristic drought in New England this year, the skies have parted and graced us with some splash-worthy puddles.  When you think of all of that rainfall accumulating (yes, we need more of it) hopefully you envision glistening lakes, cascading rivers and serene beaches. Mmmmmmm, water… Perhaps, if you are like me, you think of your Lifefactory Water Bottle, which you carry around with you wherever you go, like Linus with his blanket. Mmmmmmmm, blanket…

Vital for our health and oh-so refreshing, water is at its best when it’s crystal clear and pure; the murky news is that it can easily become contaminated. So if our water becomes contaminated, it makes sense that our bodies may very well also become contaminated over time. Oh no! A seemingly unlikely culprit, water can actually be quite dangerous when it isn’t properly purified.

How your skin feels about chlorine...

Over two thousand chemicals and toxins have been found lurking in our water supply here in the United States. The even scarier news is that many of the chemical culprits are more absorbable via water than they are from food! While Cambridge is known for some of the cleanest, most well-filtered water in the country, the city has also been around for a looooong time. That can mean old piping, which too often leads to corrosion and leaching into the flow from your tap.

“Showering is your meditative time to literally wash away your troubles, why add more troubles onto your skin?”

Many of you already drink filtered water, but did you know that shower filters can be as essential for supporting your overall health and well-being? If water isn’t treated by chlorine, bacteria has the opportunity to greedily proliferate in shower heads. While you don’t want germs to fester, chlorine can do its own kind of damage, binding to your skin and disrupting its healthy probiotic content, as well as stripping down the protective layers of your hair.

Some day we'd love our *filtered* showers to look like this. Photo via Pinterest

Whether it’s dry skin, incessant rashes, an itchy or scab-ridden scalp, or hair that feels like brittle stalks of burnt hay, chlorine could be the stealthy offender. Even the EPA has acknowledged that, “chlorine byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic.” Yet it’s important to let your skin steep in hydrating wetness on the regular, so removing that chlorine makes a whole lot of sense.

When our pores expand in the heat of baths and showers, our skin, which is our largest organ, pretty much drinks water; you don’t want other toxic chemicals floating around there either. Showering is your meditative time to literally wash away your troubles, why add more troubles onto your skin?

Fixed Filtered Shower Head by Clearly Filtered

Unfiltered shower water comes with with the additional risk of an increased load of airborne toxins that threaten to dance all over your house! While I encourage you to dance all over your house, let’s keep those contaminants out of the vapor you inhale when you’re shakin’ it, especially since they can contribute to congestion and other respiratory challenges. While filtered showerheads may seem like a gimmicky health fad, they can significantly limit these hazards and offer softer and healthier skin to boot. We recommend the Fixed Filtered by Clearly Filtered, which removes up to 95% of chlorine along with odors, dirt and other sediment in your water. It also has several settings so that you can get a powerful spray or a rainwater-esque rinse. Cleanse your water so that you can appropriately cleanse yourself!

Scum scum go away, come again another day! Instead, scrub-a-dub-dub with a slippery blanket of filtered water! Mmmmmmmmm.  

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This blog post is for general health information only. This Web site is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.

October Monthly Muse: Brianna Klingensmith

By Mary, Body Care Buyer & The Naturalist Contributor

Just as our internal organs digest nutrients from the food and beverages we consume, our skin, the body's largest organ, absorbs the vitamins, minerals, chemicals, and toxins that are found in personal care products. However, the soaps, lotions, and scrubs on the market in the US are not nearly as regulated as the guacamole and hemp hearts we devour. At Cambridge Naturals, we strive to offer the cleanest and safest products for our customers throughout each of our departments. We’re especially excited when those safe products come from businesses right here in Massachusetts.

In the middle of our wall of soap sits a product that always catches my eye. The natural and distinct shape of Brianna’s Handmade Soap is just as pleasing and unique as its delectable smell. It inspires daydreams of having my own house with a beautiful guest bathroom prominently featuring a wooden soap dish on which I could strategically place Brianna's Oatmeal Agave soap... All that from a bar of soap, who knew?

Brianna’s soaps are handmade at her home in Arlington. Completely free of animal products, synthetic dyes and fragrances, they cleanse, moisturize, and soothe without stripping our skin of beneficial oils. An added bonus is that buying local allows our store to cut down enormously on excessive emissions from distant deliveries. Brianna even hand delivers her orders to the store!  Read on to learn more about this savvy soap maker who we have so enjoyed getting to know, and see why she’s our October Monthly Muse.

What is your favorite place or thing to do in the Boston area?

My husband and I live right on the Minuteman Bike Path in Arlington and on a sunny day I love taking my bike out and riding out to the end of the path where there is an adorable little park. I’ll bring a snack and just relax on a bench and people watch before turning around and riding home. The last time I trekked out there, there was a man singing old railroad songs and playing his guitar. It was lovely!

On nice Sunday afternoons, my husband, Martin, and I like to take long walks in the city.  We usually end up at one of the breweries in Cambridge or Somerville.

What is the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?

It has actually been quite a long time since I found a book I couldn’t put down. In the past year I have been increasingly interested in reading blogs and there are two which I can’t stop reading. One is Frugalwoods  and the other is Cait Flanders. Both blogs talk about minimalism and conscious consumerism, among many other topics. The Frugalwoods actually used to live here in Cambridge and now own a homestead in Vermont. I find following them both to be very inspiring. The idea of simplicity in all aspects of life really resonates with me.

How did you first learn to make soap yourself?

My sister-in-law and very good friend, Liane, showed me how. She used to be a chemist working for a drug company and saw, first hand, how many ordinary chemicals found in most mass-produced bath and body products can affect us. For example, most “soap” that is sold is not actually soap, but a mixture of detergents, many which will strip the skin's natural oils. Soap is only allowed to be labeled as soap if it is made with some sort of fat or oil and lye. When other chemical detergents are added, it is no longer considered soap. 

Liane made me aware of labels and encouraged me to look up the products that I use on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website. This website contains a large database of just about any mass produced bath and body product you can find. It assigns a health safety grade to each product based on available scientific research data. This was very eye opening as well as disturbing! She taught me how to make my own soap and skin cream both of which contain only natural, healing ingredients. Once I started to make my own, I never went back.  

What inspired you to start your own company and sell handmade soap full time?

Once I began making soap, I could not stop! I find it to be extremely creative and fun and with this new found hobby, I was producing lots and lots of soap. My husband one day told me that enough was enough and that we couldn’t have all these bars of soap all over the house! When we were out to dinner one night we saw an ad for a small artisan market that was looking for vendors. He urged me to apply to it hoping I’d get rid of some of my supply. At first I didn’t feel like I was ready and wasn’t sure others would like my soap as much as I did, but I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did!

How do you go about creating the different scents?

To be honest, I pick my favorite scents and I play with different combinations and see what I come up with. One of my favorite combos is orange and clove. It’s tricky to get the ratios of this blend correct without it being overpowering. I was very satisfied when I finally came up with one that was just right!

What are your top three Cambridge Naturals products?

I have been faithfully buying Rainbow Light vitamins and I can actually tell the difference with the energy boost these give me.

Last year my husband and I went on a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail where we hiked 400 miles through the mountains. We both discovered GoMacro Macrobars which gave us the nutrients needed to keep us going. Around 3pm each day we would inevitably hit a slump and need the pick me up. These worked like a charm.

My favorite chocolate ever is Taza chocolate! I absolutely love the taste and texture of this stone ground chocolate bar and they are my go-to gift for any occasion. 

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Brianna! We carry all four soaps from Brianna’s growing line including: Unscented, Oatmeal Agave, Green Tea Lemongrass, and Lavender Blossom. They’ll make the perfect stocking stuffer for this holiday season!

Beauty Uniform: Emma Bartolini of Shamanuti

By Mary, Body Care Buyer and CN Blog Contributor

Given than Cambridge is such a wellness and culture hub, the Cambridge Naturals team has found that many of our customers have more tricks up their sleeves than the potions lining the shelves in our body care department. From DIY face masks and body scrubs to herbal foot soaks and breathing practices, we can all learn a little more about taking care of ourselves from our friends and neighbors. We’d like to introduce a new monthly series highlighting locals that inspire us to bathe ourselves in beauty, mentally and physically, every day.

As our environment begins to show signs of fall’s impending arrival, I feel a profound change in energy throughout the city. A change that always reminds me of F. Scott Fitzgerald when he famously said, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” Students return, new apartment leases are signed, wardrobes are updated, and the produce section gets sprinkled with pumpkins in place of citrus. New beginnings such as these often require much of our time and energy to be poured outward, leaving us hard pressed to find spare time for the extra TLC we need.

It’s not hard, though, to notice the radiance of someone who does find time for self care. Our physical bodies, and the force of nature that they are, are as various in size and shape as they are in their needs. Getting to know those ever changing needs our physical form demands, non-judgmentally, can be a lifelong journey. But we’re here to help you along the way.

I first met Emma Bartolini, VP of Sales and Education at Shamanuti, back in July when she paid Cambridge Naturals a visit to teach a few of us about the brand. I’ve since become an avid worshipper of the Activated Charcoal Cleanser.

A Rhode Island Native, Emma now lives in Massachusetts with her husband and daughter, Isabella. I realized quickly that she was a wealth of skincare knowledge and self-care inspiration. It was Emma, after all,  who taught me to treat my hands just as I would my face: exfoliators, serums, moisturizers and all. Read on to learn how this passionate plant advocate and super mom incorporates self care and beauty into her daily life.

How did you first become interested in natural beauty and self care?

I always had an affinity for eyeliner. It really started with my Mother. I grew up in a natural home, using natural products and eating natural food. She was elegant, and had very simple self-care routines. Baths, massages, tea, acupuncture, cooking and music were regarded necessary for self-care. Over time I included my own practices but always stayed true to her rituals as my own.

I found an accidental and successful career in natural beauty, health and wellness in 2001 and stayed impassioned by it ever since. I love real and honest ingredients and discovering what my skin craves and reacts well to. The exploration of scent, and touch of natural beauty products and how they make you FEEL is what is so engaging to me. That is ultimately what led me to Shamanuti, honest ingredients that transform your senses and skin!

What’s your daily skincare routine? Does this change with the seasons?

I would like to say that I wake up fresh and do yoga for an hour before greeting my day… but I have a toddler. My morning routine has shifted gears since Belle was born. It has to be quick, but it still has to be great.

I spend some time as I cleanse, allowing the Activated Charcoal Cleanser to really do its magic. I use a pea size amount in my palm, warm water and will use fingertips in small circles for about 5 minutes. Cleansing is so important for circulation, the longer I leave this cleanser on the happier my skin is. I rinse off with warm water, and then follow with the Seaweed Toner. The sea algae, hyaluronic acid and willow bark always bring my skin back to balance. While my skin is still tacky I finish with the Golden Light Crème, which leaves my skin dewy and radiant. Throughout the day I will use the Seaweed Toner or Organic Mist to freshen and hydrate my skin.

In the Summer I simplify my routine to Cleanser and Toner, and will use the Chamomile Cucumber Eye Gel or Sun Butter all over my face after being in the sun.

In the autumn, winter and spring I need the rich moisture of the Golden Light Crème.

Do you wear makeup?

Heck YES! I love makeup! Mineral Fusion Pressed Foundation and either the Espresso Gold or Sultry eyeshadow trios. I’m currently loving Aisling Organics black eyeliner and cork foundation and Shamanuti mascara. My usual daily go-to is a dramatic eye, and clean lip. But autumn has me craving bright and bold red lips!

How do you typically style your hair?

Is a Momma bun a hairstyle?

What is your nighttime routine?

I start powering down pretty early, and have a cup of Organic India Tulsi Sleep tea. I do another thorough cleanse with ACC, followed by Seaweed Toner and then incorporate a small drop of Essential Serum. Since your skin detoxes and regenerates at night, supporting it to do its own organic healing process is important. Allowing your skin to breathe and not hinder the healing. I rub Belle’s feet with Weleda Lavender oil and do the same for myself to help with relaxation and sweet dreams.

How do your self care and beauty rituals change while traveling?

I try to limit my travel bag to the essentials that I know bring my skin back to balance, and items that are multi-purposeful. Activated Charcoal Cleanser goes with me everywhere; I use it to take off my makeup, cleanse my face, as my body wash and my husband uses it as his shaving gel as well. I usually simplify my routine, and make sure I always bring my own pillowcase!

What has inspired or continues to inspire your beauty uniform?

I am a very visual person, and find inspiration anywhere from a walk outside in the garden to the produce section surrounded by exotic flowers and fruits. Pinterest and Instagram are amazing resources for visuals and tutorials. The only problem is realizing I just spent an hour scrolling looking at crystal mandalas or Grace Kelly photographs and should have gone to bed for beauty sleep! Events like Natural Products Expo West, the W.E.L.L. Summit or Indie Beauty Expo are the best outlets for all that the natural beauty industry has to offer. Our culture is so rich with inspiring, and brilliant people and the BEST products!

When do you feel most beautiful?

When I look at my gorgeous daughter. Everyone tells me that she looks just like me, and when I soak in how intoxicating and angelic she is, I really feel my own beauty.

What are your top three Cambridge Naturals products?

OMG. Three?!

Well, after spending a long time in each aisle looking at all of the cool, new, on trend, local, awesome, products Cambridge Naturals has to offer I usually will choose a new lip balm because I can never have too many. My last purchase was the Wild Rose Herbs Pear Blossom.

I stock up on Jarrow Formulas FemDophilus, for healthy digestion and especially incredible for supporting great skin! And John Masters zinc and sage shampoo.

Thank you so much for sharing your beauty uniform with us, Emma! All Shamanuti products are 20% in the store for the rest of October. Come in and stock up on your favorite local facial care now!

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Gray Hair, Don’t Care

While we have some excellent and effective natural hair dye kits, a rising number of mature and younger women are choosing to let their gray roots grow and their silver locks show. And, it’s hard to find great information on how to manage and even enhance your natural greys - most Google searches result in tips on how to darken, color or hide them! Below, some tips for unleashing those sterling strands and letting them shine:

Article from MAN REPELLER featuring five silver-haired beauties.

Tip #1 Silver hairs tends to be drier than your original hair color. Keep it extra hydrated with a weekly moisturizing hair mask while you shower. We recommend Josh Rosebook’s Enrich Masque and ACURE Deep Root Conditioner.

Tip #2 Don’t shampoo every day - instead, use hair rinses (see tip #3), dry shampoo, and even cleansing conditioners like Alaffia’s Coconut Reishi Cleansing Conditioner to keep your hair clean and hydrated without stripping your natural oils away.

Tip #3 Nettle leaf rinses - which are great for any hair color - help to keep hair soft, shiny and healthy. Grey hairs can be brittle and break off, resulting in those short spiky little white hairs at the top of your head. To keep them growing long and luscious, try a monthly Nettle rinse. Pour 16oz boiled water over 3 tbsp nettle leaf (which you can find in our bulk section), let steep overnight, strain and pour the cooled rinse over your hair in the shower. Allow to sit for 5-10 mins and then rinse out.  

Tip #4 A good Skin Hair & Nails multivitamin can help with hair growth and strength - especially necessary to protect those delicate gray strands - we recommend Megafood's Skin Hair & Nails multi, which contains the usual suspects like Biotin and Silica, as well as a “Beautifying Blend” containing herbs like Nettle and Horsetail.

Matr Boomie 1920's inspired silver headband

Tip #5 Add a new hair accessory to show off those lustrous pearly locks! We’ve got several sparkly headbands and elegant hair clips from companies like Matr Boomie and Oberon Design. You’ll be amazed at how many compliments you’ll get when you choose to let your silver hairs show.  

Not Just Skin Deep: Five Favorite Sunscreens For Glowing Summer Skin

By Mary, Customer Service Specialist & CN Blog Contributor

If the last heat wave was any indication, the sun remains strong even as summer’s end looms ever near. Like most health conscious consumers, we at Cambridge Naturals are especially careful what products we use on our body’s largest organ: our SKIN! I don’t think I’m alone when I say the scent of SPF-laden sunscreens I remember from my childhood has no place in my current beach bag. I guess with age comes a higher standard for skincare, among other things.

A fully stocked shelf of sunscreen can be intimidating when all you want is one bottle to get the job done. I’ve narrowed down our collection to a few favorites from skin-brightening to toddler-approved.

For Everyday Sun Soakers: Badger Rose Tint
This sunscreen gives your face the protection it needs without the white sheen! The sheer tint is just enough coverage to even out skin tone and the ingredients nourish and restore tired skin. The luxurious rose essential oil-based scent makes this an easy choice for daily use.

For Tightening & Brightening: Andalou BB Creams
Want a product that has more than one function? Andalou Naturals makes multiple BB creams that do just that. These BB creams, or Beauty Balms, blend sun protection with coverage, moisturizers, and antioxidants that nourish skin. Depending on your skins needs, whether it’s aging concerns or oil control, Andalou has multiple options so you can find your perfect match.

For All Over Protection: Thinksport Regular
This is the official staff favorite in terms of full body sun protection for long summer days spent outdoors. It absorbs almost immediately and feels like a moisturizer rather than a suit of sun armor. Bonus - it's water resistant for up to 80 minutes!

For Fussy Kids: Badger Kids
Some kids loathe sunscreen entirely based on the scent alone. Can you blame them? Luckily Badger makes a sunscreen with these kids in mind. Their Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Kids Sunscreen Cream has a clean and natural tangerine and vanilla scent that is nice and sweet. On top of that, it absorbs super well, so they won’t have any reason to complain!

For Little Ones: Thinksport Baby
Just like the all over ThinkSport Original, this one is great to have for trips to beach with a baby. Just as highly absorbing as its counterpart, your little one will be able to crawl their way through sand castles sunburn free. Confession: I’m deep into my twenties and I love this one for my own sensitive skin. Don’t let the name fool you, grown ups can use this one too!

Not Just Skin Deep: Introducing Pacifica Beauty

This post was written by Caitlin, our Body Care Department Lead:

Cambridge Naturals is bursting with color! This week, we introduced Pacifica Beauty to our Body Care Department.

Bex is PUMPED about Pacifica Beauty

Pacifica was formed in 2008 by Brook Harvey-Taylor and her husband, Billy Taylor. The couple cultivated the idea for Pacifica while taking a drive home from a surfing trip and applied their mutual love for fragrance & perfumes along with their passion for the arts & outdoors. Pacifica was originally born as a natural perfume and candle company and has since grown into a wildly successful cosmetic, beauty and body care leader.

If you are looking to transition away from your current beauty routine, or just want to shake up your makeup, we’ve got you covered! From eyeliners, mascaras, brow gels, highlighters and eye shadows to lip sticks, lip gloss, blush and bronzer to primers, foundations, concealers and under-eye brighteners, we have something for everyone!

Pacifica offers an extensive line of gluten-free, 100% vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics that don’t contain harsh chemical ingredients found in most mainstream cosmetics AND they’re not harsh on your wallet! Prices range from $9.99 to $31.99, making Pacifica an affordable option if you’re looking to make a new makeup leap.

My new personal favorite is the Dream Big Lash Extending 7 in 1 Mascara! This Mascara is unbelieveable! It offers: lash serum, instant length, lash lift, volume, conditioning, rich color and a 2-in-1 brush in just one wand! You have the power to choose length or volume with the simple twist of the wand - you will see the mascara brush lengthen and shorten right before your eyes!

We're so excited about our new Partnership with Pacifica! Be sure to celebrate with us during Pacifica’s demo on Friday, August 5th from 4-7 in store only at Cambridge Naturals!