Organic Beauty View

During Fashion Week I expect to make lots of cool discoveries: new designers, makeup tips, style inspiration- you get the idea. But surprisingly, my favorite finds of the week happened to take place after I left NYC. My current home, Philadelphia, offers a number of trend-setting, organic beauty hotspots that feel quite ahead of the curve. A short walk from my apartment lands me at Juju Salon & Organics (one of Elle’s Top 100 Salons for 2009), an organic spa and salon duo, or Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa, the nation’s first nail spa to use exclusively water-based polish, or at Moko (my latest discovery), a hip, green salon staffed by stylish, eco-conscious and organic-loving ladies in Philly’s Old City neighborhood. I was excited to find that Moko stocks a carefully curated collection of organic and natural beauty products; it’s a place where even a seasoned beauty writer can pick up a few new favorites. Which brings me to my next discovery: Scalp Rescue shampoo and conditioner from Max Green Alchemy. Even if you’re reading this post miles from the City of Brotherly Love, you’ll want to take note: Max Green shampoo is a must-try! Instead of sodium lauryl sulfate, it contains a coconut-based surfactant that lathers like a conventional brand- without the corrosive and hormone-altering health risks. And its conditioning partner contains the healing essential oils of tea tree, lemon tea tree, lavender, rosemary, geranium and macadamia seed oil to smooth hair without flattening. The staff at Moko swears by the set, especially for customers who haven’t yet acclimated to the non-foaming quality of SLS-free shampoos. I’ll definitely be using this line to convert organic hair care skeptics! Both the Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue shampoo and conditioner smell softly herbal and, after my shampoo with Max Green at Moko, they left my long locks shiny and bouncy (the true test). I now know what I’ll be buying next time my shampoo bottle turns up empty! Writer :: Jolene Hart