8 Green Ideas for Enjoying the Last Days of Summer

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Make the most of summer before Old Man Winter comes a knockin’. Here’s how:

  1. Pack a picnic with organic goodies from newly opened Sub-urban Trading Co., in Kensington, MD or stock up at one of the many farmer’s markets in the area.
  2. Fire up the grill one last time with free-range chicken and home-made sausages from Let’s Meat on the Avenue in Del Ray.
  3. Stroll through Rock Creek Park or the National Arboretum.
  4. Take a free walking tour, see the sites by bike, or even hop on a Segway.
  5. Check out a green roof.
  6. Build one of your own.
  7. Pick your own fruit at a nearby orchard.
  8. Get an au natural faux tan (well, you can do this anytime, but it’s great for Labor-day getaways)

Now, pile on the SPF and get out there while the going’s good.

It’s a Natural

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

I love discovering local purveyors of natural health and beauty products, so I was thrilled when Michael Wood, the founder of Y-Y beauty products contacted me to let me know that his natural hair and skincare products are now available at the new Parlour salon on U Street.

The haircare line is free of sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals and animal by-products and are infused with ingredients from the African Baobab tree. The tree is best-known for its high vitamin C content, while its seed oil contains palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid, all of which have moisturizing properties.

“Generally speaking we can say that the overall hair care line is over 90% natural, skin and body care over 95% natural, and the candles are 100%,” says Wood. The styling products contain more synthetic ingredients for the “hold” so, they are in the low 90% natural range. His company has also signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, agreeing to avoid ingredients know to be harmful.

I’m already a fan of the Savannah Facial Toner, made with aloe, cucumber, chamomile, geranium. and rose water. A spritz on a muggy July day in DC is refreshing and made my skin soft and dewy.

Get Balm-y

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

This weekend, I treated myself to a little spa excursion at Derma Hair Care Medispa. Now, you already know I’m a big fan of the spa and owner Honi Borden, who truly walks the walk when it comes to holistic treatments that are environmentally sound as well as pampering.

This time around, I also got to meet esthetician Sara Damelio, who performed my amazing facial and part of my Detox Heaven treatment. Sara has created a line of skin care products, including Combat-Ready Balm and Combat-Ready Lip Balm, and she was kind enough to let me try samples of both. The lip-balm smells yummy and doesn’t have petroleum like many others on the market. The skin balm is a creamy, delicious mixture of bees wax, black tea, shea butter, and other natural and organic ingredients.

Sara mixes all her products by hand and they’re already flying off the shelves at shops up and down the east coast. She also donates her product to soldiers in Iraq, who have found the balm helps soothe and heal bug bites, sunburn, and other skin irritation.

A Real Beauty

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

There are plenty of salons and day spas that have “natural” treatments, but it’s rare to find one that not only offers a plethora of organic treatments and products, but that also is organic throughout, from the towels to the walls. Honi Borden, owner of DermaHairCare, a medi spa in Falls Church, VA, has clearly put a tremendous amount of thought and love into her business and it shows.

Honi has carefully edited the product lines available at the salon to only include those that are organic and as earth-friendly as possible such as Suki, Aubrey Organics, and Perfect Organics. In keeping with a holistic green philosophy, she has implemented a number of green initiatives into her salon such as purchasing renewable energy and using recycled and biodegradable material whenever possible.

And last but certainly not least, there are several treatments that you won’t find anywhere else in the area including Chocolate Sun herbal spray tan, Aqua detox (ion feet and body therapy), Pedikarma, and sanitary hot soy wax hand and feet treatment. So if you are looking for a truly holistic, blissful, and organic experience, check out this little gem just outside the beltway.