ISBN: 978-0-7573-1870
Paige Padgett, makeup artist to the stars and most specifically, Jillian Michaels, is revolutionary in the beauty industry and is finally revealing her brand of beauty magic in her first book The Green Beauty Rules: The Essential Guide to Toxic-Free Beauty, Green Glamour and Glowing Skin (HCI Books -- $21.95). Filled with tips and tricks to get glamorous toxic-free make-up looks this green beauty expert has the 411 on killer toxins and chemicals found in most beauty products. The Green Beauty Rules is a simple, step-by-step beauty detox plan which guides readers on what to try, buy and toss for a healthier and gorgeous lifestyle.
Chapter by chapter Paige Padgett explains why she got started on this green beauty journey, what to look out for, and why to care about the ingredients of your favorite cosmetics. Paige explains "After attending Ken Cook's 'Ten Americans' lecture I was blown away to find that an average of 287 chemicals are found in our bodies. Some of these chemicals were banned 30 years ago. Shockingly enough, some of these chemicals compound in our bodies and are passed down through our parents. Since then I decided I would eliminate toxic chemicals from my cosmetics and teach others how to do it as well.”
Since making the greening shift can be overwhelming, Paige holds the reader's hand throughout the transition. She stresses to take things one step at a time, figure out what products work best for you and how to get the most out of certain products that can be used for more than one need.
One of the best takeaways from Padgett's book is that "green,” "natural” and "organic” do not need to be expensive. Green beauty products have come a long way since she first started and now products are vibrant, smell great, and are as effective (if not more) as popular brands.
Highlights from the book include:
• Debunking the five biggest green beauty myths (Chapter 1 Green Beauty Pioneer)
• Three eco-attitudes and how to flow between them (Chapter 1)
• Paige's 80/20 beauty diet (Chapter 2 Beauty from the "Outside In”)
• Sample Green Beauty Routine (Chapter 9 Green Beauty Looks)
• The difference between natural, organic, and chemically safe (Chapter 3 Organic, Natural and Naturally Derived)
• How to effectively use the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database (Chapter 5 Transition to Clean)
• The 60-Second Save – How to quickly identify chemically safe products (Chapter 6 Shop like a Pro)
• Tools for identifying greenwashing, reading labels and decoding packaging seals and stamps (Chapter 3)
• The three P's to avoid—perfume, parabens, petrochemicals (Chapter 4 The Nasties)
• Paige's Top Ten daily use products (Chapter 5)
• A step-by-step guide to greening your beauty routine (Chapter 5)
• A list of the top estrogenic chemicals to watch out for in products (Chapter 4)
About the Author:
Paige Padgett, a leading authority on green beauty, has never been afraid to go against the grain. An irreverent free spirit, she follows her instincts and her heart. At the mere age of 12 she announced to her family that she was no longer eating red meat. Ironically, her half-Native American grandfather was a cattle rancher. It was no surprise then, that when beauty experts said she couldn't provide safe and eco-friendly makeup artistry and still create beautiful faces, she set out to prove them wrong — and did.
Now considered a leading authority on green beauty, Paige is the Green Beauty Expert for Dasani ECOmmunity Facebook Page, DailyGlow.com, Jillian Michaels Wellness Team, and founded Paigepadgett.com, a green beauty website. In addition, she is often sought out by the press and has been featured in Shape, Elle, GenLux, Tresdope.com, Beautyblitz.com, The Los Angeles Times, Vegetarian Times, Natural Health and Whole Life Times Magazine. Her television, radio, podcasts and live appearances include "Martha Stewart Radio," "San Diego Live," "The Jillian Michaels Radio Show," "Green Is Good," "The Healthy Voyager" and "The Jillian Michaels Wellness Cruise."
Author
Interview:
1. What makes a beauty product "green"?
For me it's being chemically safe and ideally with primarily natural ingredients. Organic is a bonus especially for make-up. It's impossible to find color that is 100% organic but often you will find organic ingredients. I strive for chemically safe ingredients.
2. What are some of the health reasons to consider a green beauty routine?
Cosmetics are filled with toxic chemicals that are linked to birth defects, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and cancer. That's enough reason for me.
3. What is the difference between organic and natural?
Unfortunately, the word "natural” means nothing in marketing and on labels. There's no regulation for the term. Organic is more regulated but regulation is a bit lax and ambiguous for the average person. According to the USDA, in order for a product to use the term "100% Organic” it must be just that, excluding water and salt. To use the USDA Organic seal a product must be at least "95% Organic excluding water and salt.” To use the word "Organic” a product must have 70% or more organic. If a product has less than 70% organic ingredients the term "organic” is not allowed on the label anywhere. So you see how confusing it can be. You really have to research it.
4. What are the different eco-certifications out there and which ones should I pay the most attention to?
ECOCERT, a French certification, and USDA Organic are the most common in the US for cosmetics. There are others such as NSF International (NSF), Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards (OASIS) and Organic Consumers Association (OCA) which are US organizations as well as BHID, a German certification, The Soil Association in the UK; Certech, a Canadian organization and Australian Organic are all respectable seals and should be sought out.
5. When looking for a green beauty product, what ingredients should I see at the top of the label?
Natural ingredients you can pronounce. For example, castor seed, apricot seed or sunflower seed oil are first in a lip gloss. The closer they are to the top the higher concentration of the ingredient.
6. What green beauty swaps can you suggest?
Look for white willow bark and grapeseed oil instead of parabens, and essential oils instead of fragrance.
7. What are your favorite green beauty resources? Are there resources people can use to help them become more educated and chemically safe with their cosmetics?
My go-to resource is http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. You can also check out the companies who signed the compact for safe cosmetics (the EU directive) at safecosmetics.org and, of course, http://www.paigepadgett.com. These are the resources I use myself and recommend to others.
8. If people choose not to 100% go green, what are some harmful ingredients you recommend that they avoid?
Omit fragrance. By eliminating fragrance you can cut out 30-300 potentially toxic chemicals. More than 90% of chemicals in fragrance are petrochemicals. Phthalates are especially of concern since they are fragrance and are linked to a birth defect in boys. If you see the word fragrance, perfume or parfum, don't buy it.
9. What do you feel is the most common misconception people have about green beauty?
That one must sacrifice beauty and performance to be clean and environmentally friendly. You don't have to sacrifice performance, taste or beauty. Especially today; there are so many gorgeous and luxurious chemically safe and eco-friendly products on the market. The colors have come a long way too. They are no longer muddy. You can have vibrant pinks now.
I do artistry for celebrities, television and magazine shoots using chemically safe make-up and it's always glamorous. There are so many options out there you simply have to find what works for you. As with all cosmetics, people prefer different textures, colors, smells, etc. You have to learn about every product individually to know if you like it. It is the same for all cosmetics.
10. Being a make-up artist - is it realistic to be able to do your job well by only using all-natural, green, clean make-up?
It used to be hard to be 100% clean as a professional artist because brighter, more vibrant colors are needed but that has changed in the past 5 years. I approach green beauty like a diet – in terms of our skin, it eats a high percentage of what you put on it (60%). At this point, I always say if you are clean all week and you want to wear the neon lipstick on the weekend, then wear it. It is the 80/20 rule -- you can pick and choose your chemicals for the other 20 percent.
11. What is a green beauty expert? What does it mean to be green?
Green beauty expert means that I specialize in chemically safe and eco-friendly make-up. For me, being green is both a micro and macro issue with respect to the health of the individual and the environment.
12. What are the top major toxic chemicals to watch out for? Why?
Look out for parabens, fragrance and petrochemicals. Parabens are in nearly everything so you are getting much higher accumulations of them than other chemicals and fragrance has potentially hundreds of toxic chemicals. Petrochemicals are linked to so many diseases such as birth defects and cancer.
13. You tell people to become a "box turner." What do you mean? Read the packaging and ingredient labels?
When a company is clean they will nearly always incorporate it into their marketing. They are proud of it. And the more specific they are the better. Transparency is everything. But you still have to know what you are looking for like key words, certifications, stamps and seals. Some are great, others mean nothing.
14. You talk about the 80/20 rule what is that?
I see cosmetics as a diet just like a nutritional diet. Your skin "eats" 60% of what you put on it so I use the 80/20 rule which means if I am clean in my beauty/hygiene routine 80% of the time, I can wear my favorite perfume or blue eye shadow, although most often I don't want to. That is what happens once you start educating yourself more. I also factor in my overall lifestyle...eating organic, buying chemically safe household items and cleaners, and organic clothes/cotton when I can. It's all connected as is evident on my website: paigepadgett.com.
15. Do your green beauty interests extend to all facets of your life?
Definitely. I think everyone should realize that little changes have big impacts. For instance, I purchase used cars, forego plastic bottles and any plastic bags when shopping – the usual stuff. But greening my personal and professional beauty kits had been one of my biggest efforts for the environment. Eating organic is also a huge part of who I am. I'm a Lacto-Ovo vegetarian (I only eat eggs and dairy) and I buy local produce. These are things everyone can do as they are not difficult. I look forward to doing more on a larger scale in the future.
1. What makes a beauty product "green"?
For me it's being chemically safe and ideally with primarily natural ingredients. Organic is a bonus especially for make-up. It's impossible to find color that is 100% organic but often you will find organic ingredients. I strive for chemically safe ingredients.
2. What are some of the health reasons to consider a green beauty routine?
Cosmetics are filled with toxic chemicals that are linked to birth defects, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and cancer. That's enough reason for me.
3. What is the difference between organic and natural?
Unfortunately, the word "natural” means nothing in marketing and on labels. There's no regulation for the term. Organic is more regulated but regulation is a bit lax and ambiguous for the average person. According to the USDA, in order for a product to use the term "100% Organic” it must be just that, excluding water and salt. To use the USDA Organic seal a product must be at least "95% Organic excluding water and salt.” To use the word "Organic” a product must have 70% or more organic. If a product has less than 70% organic ingredients the term "organic” is not allowed on the label anywhere. So you see how confusing it can be. You really have to research it.
4. What are the different eco-certifications out there and which ones should I pay the most attention to?
ECOCERT, a French certification, and USDA Organic are the most common in the US for cosmetics. There are others such as NSF International (NSF), Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards (OASIS) and Organic Consumers Association (OCA) which are US organizations as well as BHID, a German certification, The Soil Association in the UK; Certech, a Canadian organization and Australian Organic are all respectable seals and should be sought out.
5. When looking for a green beauty product, what ingredients should I see at the top of the label?
Natural ingredients you can pronounce. For example, castor seed, apricot seed or sunflower seed oil are first in a lip gloss. The closer they are to the top the higher concentration of the ingredient.
6. What green beauty swaps can you suggest?
Look for white willow bark and grapeseed oil instead of parabens, and essential oils instead of fragrance.
7. What are your favorite green beauty resources? Are there resources people can use to help them become more educated and chemically safe with their cosmetics?
My go-to resource is http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. You can also check out the companies who signed the compact for safe cosmetics (the EU directive) at safecosmetics.org and, of course, http://www.paigepadgett.com. These are the resources I use myself and recommend to others.
8. If people choose not to 100% go green, what are some harmful ingredients you recommend that they avoid?
Omit fragrance. By eliminating fragrance you can cut out 30-300 potentially toxic chemicals. More than 90% of chemicals in fragrance are petrochemicals. Phthalates are especially of concern since they are fragrance and are linked to a birth defect in boys. If you see the word fragrance, perfume or parfum, don't buy it.
9. What do you feel is the most common misconception people have about green beauty?
That one must sacrifice beauty and performance to be clean and environmentally friendly. You don't have to sacrifice performance, taste or beauty. Especially today; there are so many gorgeous and luxurious chemically safe and eco-friendly products on the market. The colors have come a long way too. They are no longer muddy. You can have vibrant pinks now.
I do artistry for celebrities, television and magazine shoots using chemically safe make-up and it's always glamorous. There are so many options out there you simply have to find what works for you. As with all cosmetics, people prefer different textures, colors, smells, etc. You have to learn about every product individually to know if you like it. It is the same for all cosmetics.
10. Being a make-up artist - is it realistic to be able to do your job well by only using all-natural, green, clean make-up?
It used to be hard to be 100% clean as a professional artist because brighter, more vibrant colors are needed but that has changed in the past 5 years. I approach green beauty like a diet – in terms of our skin, it eats a high percentage of what you put on it (60%). At this point, I always say if you are clean all week and you want to wear the neon lipstick on the weekend, then wear it. It is the 80/20 rule -- you can pick and choose your chemicals for the other 20 percent.
11. What is a green beauty expert? What does it mean to be green?
Green beauty expert means that I specialize in chemically safe and eco-friendly make-up. For me, being green is both a micro and macro issue with respect to the health of the individual and the environment.
12. What are the top major toxic chemicals to watch out for? Why?
Look out for parabens, fragrance and petrochemicals. Parabens are in nearly everything so you are getting much higher accumulations of them than other chemicals and fragrance has potentially hundreds of toxic chemicals. Petrochemicals are linked to so many diseases such as birth defects and cancer.
13. You tell people to become a "box turner." What do you mean? Read the packaging and ingredient labels?
When a company is clean they will nearly always incorporate it into their marketing. They are proud of it. And the more specific they are the better. Transparency is everything. But you still have to know what you are looking for like key words, certifications, stamps and seals. Some are great, others mean nothing.
14. You talk about the 80/20 rule what is that?
I see cosmetics as a diet just like a nutritional diet. Your skin "eats" 60% of what you put on it so I use the 80/20 rule which means if I am clean in my beauty/hygiene routine 80% of the time, I can wear my favorite perfume or blue eye shadow, although most often I don't want to. That is what happens once you start educating yourself more. I also factor in my overall lifestyle...eating organic, buying chemically safe household items and cleaners, and organic clothes/cotton when I can. It's all connected as is evident on my website: paigepadgett.com.
15. Do your green beauty interests extend to all facets of your life?
Definitely. I think everyone should realize that little changes have big impacts. For instance, I purchase used cars, forego plastic bottles and any plastic bags when shopping – the usual stuff. But greening my personal and professional beauty kits had been one of my biggest efforts for the environment. Eating organic is also a huge part of who I am. I'm a Lacto-Ovo vegetarian (I only eat eggs and dairy) and I buy local produce. These are things everyone can do as they are not difficult. I look forward to doing more on a larger scale in the future.
Available wherever books are sold or to order directly from the publisher, contact: www.hcibooks.com or (800) 441-5569
The Green Beauty Rules: The Essential Guide to Toxic-Free, Green Glamour, and Glowing Skin
Paige Padgett
ISBN: 978-0-7573-1870-2 $21.95—September 2015
