beauty

gray hair is cool

1 April 2010 by Nathalie Abejero 5 Comments

Several women in my family went prematurely gray, and since they were not slaves to the beauty industry I knew from an early age those strands which society hates so much would pop out soon. Sure enough, at the age of 12, they started. Remarks were plenty, but none (that got to my ears) were patronising about my choice to leave it be.

(Frankly, the thought of that carcinogenic sludge on my hair or skin was less the attractive option than staying salt-n-pepper, never mind the time sink of perpetual coloring sessions.)

Here in Southeast Asia, with the role of women as they are (subservient, servile, invisible unless spoken to), the pressure to look good is greater, which explains why the taboo of gray hair is so much worse than it is back home in the US. There’s hardly a salon visit here in which I don’t shock the stylist with my natural grays and scolded that I should color my hair so that I “look good” and make my husband happy.

It’s like the conversations with my male Khmer friends acquaintances: “What do you mean your wife has no interests?” “You don’t know how to cook?”

Sigh. Sometimes there’s such charm in ignorance.

Needless to say, those stylists got an earful on how this chic-tica views such advice and why they won’t get my business again – but only after the cut and style was finished!

So the times they are a-changin’, and goin’ gray has become the vogue thing in the fashionista world. As uncommon as it is for caucasian women in the spotlight to be comfortable getting photographed with their gray, there are even fewer Asian women mellowing to this route. (Ping me if you see any, I’ll post their photos to replace the ones above, beautiful as they are!)

Photos are from Oprah’s Gray Hair Bible and IndiaInfo’s Gray Hair to Age Backwards?. How is gray hair not seen as sexy and smart? I say flaunt it. Here are my locks:

for Intl Women’s Day: women-owned beauty biz

9 March 2009 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

It’s still International Women’s Day in Cambodia (holidays falling on weekends are observed on the next working day), and today’s topic is natural beauty.

Photo from the "All Natural Beauty" site

About the time I got married 5 years ago, I was on an organic / natural makeup and skincare kick. I don’t normally use makeup, but around a year ago people started asking if I were tired, since I’ve started to develop dark undereye circles. Yikes– back to those companies I used for my wedding makeup! Here’s a list of my favorite women-owned small-business eco-friendly natural makeup and skincare lines:

Markey has a lot of raw materials for the do-it-yourself skincare enthusiast. In recent years she’s begun to offer finished formulations, and now she opened a storefront location in Arizona. I’ve used other ‘natural’ lines before which are just natural botanical products for the sake of using natural materials. Markey’s products are effective and she really knows how to synergise ingredients. The customer raves aren’t hype, the products truly do work (in synergy with a good overall skincare routine, that is)!

Camellia Rose is also a natural skincare formulator, and very knowledgeable with years of research into the raw materials going into any product that touches your skin. Based in California, Jen has been working with Markey for years, and their products really do complement each other. Jen specialises in skin conditions like rosacea, acne, eczema etc.

Solarkat’s Eco Blog is a graduate student in the environmental sciences and will soon open her own line of natural skincare. She collaborates with the above women and shares her passion for eco-friendly botanical-based skincare products.

Monave is a company based in Baltimore, MD. Debbie, its owner, shares a space with Botanical Skinworks (also a good line). Her line of mineral makeup is great for me and other ethnic skintones. I stopped by while she was there once and she gave me a complete makeover. Was a very nice treat!

This stat is often seen: The average woman applies at least 150 different chemicals to her body through her skincare and cosmetics everyday. “Many of these chemicals are hormone disruptors, carcinogens, and toxic heavy metals”, says the Natural Solutions magazine editor Linda Sparrowe. Check out this magazine’s 2008 Beauty With a Conscience Award Winners.

There is a noticeable clearing of conditions (eg rosacea, acne, eczema etc) and brightening of skin when non-toxic drugstore or department store brands are removed from the routine. The Essential Day Spa and Garden of Wisdom forum users can provide some info and experiences with going natural. This is also a good place to start with articles on natural beauty products: All Natural Beauty.

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As an aside (since these aren’t necessarily women-owned products), yesterday Keith and I explored the outskirts of Phnom Penh by renting a motorbike ($4/day!). I’d have avoided this kind of extended tropical sun exposure if I hadn’t had my trusty little tubes of natural sunscreens. Didn’t know there were “natural” sunscreens out there? Check these products out, and don’t take my word for it, google for reviews:

Lavera, a German-based natural cosmetics company. Their spf20 facial sunscreen doubles as a moisturiser. There is still a whitish cast if you don’t blend the cream in well, but it’s light, non-greasy and good especially for oily skin types as it can be drying.

Dr Hauschke, a UK-based natural cosmetics company. I don’t agree with all of their skincare philosophies but the products are very nice. And I have yet to try their sunscreens, but they now have a spray which I’ll get when I go back to ‘civilisation’ this summer on my annual leave back to the US.

Devita has a GREAT product that I am so happy to find. This is the lightest sunscreen facial formula I have ever tried, and sinks into my skin really well.

For a more thorough review of these and more natural sunscreens as well as shampoos, mineral makeup, and other natural products, see my friend’s Solarkat’s Eco Blog.

frequent flier? how to not shrivel up dry in that cabin

24 September 2008 by Nathalie Abejero 1 Comment

Life is a journey, especially for expatriates. Keep the destinations coming, but traveling takes its toll with dull lifeless hair, skin and nails, after being trapped in a tiny seat with a cabinful of people literally breathing down your neck in recirculated air (especially on our 15++ hours annual leaves, uggh!). Give yourself some TLC in-flight and look glam at the arrivals gate with these quick tips for gals on the go:

DO PRE-FLIGHT
• start / keep a list of must-bring items– in purse, carry-on and checked luggage. save these lists so you don’t leave important things at your destination. it’s also a good record that can help with last-minute shopping when luggage got lost
• ask for and save samples of your fave products for travel
• take vit E or cod-liver / fish oil tablets regularly before flight for skin
• take vit C / supplements for boosting your immunity
• do a hot-oil treatment (eg warm olive oil with essential oils for your hair type) and/or use a leave-in conditioner before your flight to prevent dry hair and breakage
• a hydrating facial day before the flight (not a deep cleansing facial);
• intensify your moisturising routine
• buy foldable boxes (like the IKEA Komplement) for storing / transporting your items neatly (eg between bathroom and bed) when you get to your destination
• toiletries packed inside clear ziplocs or see-through cases have less chance of getting rifled through by security screeners (yuck)

DON’T
• wear nail polish, it chips easy then looks bad; get a buff manicure instead
• drink caffeine, alcohol, soda as they’re dehydrating
• pre-board or get on the boarding line– everyone especially in asia rushes to wait in line. let ’em all on first to minimise both your wait and cabin time.

BRING ONBOARD
For organising your things:
• a hanging toiletries bag for carry-on pampering you tote along and hang in the bathroom, and another for your entertainment (ipod, headset plug converter, notepad, pen, magazine), because there’s never enough storage space but you can always hang something– stow away if not needed

For hydration:
• water, water, water
• your favorite fragrant herbal tea blend; green and black teas are especially high in anti-oxidants and good for fighting those evil free radicals that contribute to ageing and illness!

For pampering / depuffing tired red eyes:
• eye pillows with grains inside for acupressure benefits
• eye gel or pre-moistened eye pads–ask for a glass of ice to cool it before using!
• moisturising eye drops

For keeping nails, skin, scalp and hair moisturised:
• wetwipes for oil-blotting, to moisturise, to clean dirt and make-up, as single-use masks for an in-flight facial
• hydrating mist (water-glycerin mix, hydrosol, aloe juice etc) in a spray bottle with an atomiser top, spray your face often and your hair occasionally
• rich moisturiser such as a chunk of shea or cocoa butter, mild enough for the face but for use on all skin areas prone to dryness
• vitamin E capsules, prick and use on dry lips
• to hydrate nasal passages, line with a bit of vaseline, or a nasal spray also relieves congestion
• ask the flight attendant for plain yogurt (hydrating, natural exfoliant, gentle cleanser) and/or honey (humectant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory) and give yourself a facial in the bathroom
• those toilet-seat covers in the bathroom? excellent for blotting oil from face (unused ones)
• essential oils are indispensable (eg lavender, peppermint, rosemary): place a few drops on a tissue and breathe it in to soothe, aid in sleeping, relieve congestion and combat stale air
• aromatherapeutic oil blend gentle enough for the face– treat yourself to a hand massage after washing hands, a facial acupressure session ( on a clean face!), and afterwards as a leave-in conditioner run hands through your hair and lightly massage the scalp; essential oils of lavender, neroli, frankincense, myrrh in a camellia base oil have the added benefit of anti-ageing
• dry shampoo if you tend to get oily hair and scalp, do a dry cleanse before landing
• a good boar bristle brush to keep oils distributed down the hair shaft

(to be published in AsiaLIFE Phnom Penh in Nov 2008)
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