Everything She Wants

Celebrate Earth Day with a few eco-chic beauty products that will leave you looking perfectly polished from your head to your toes – and help promote environmental responsibility.  Here are a few of Everything She Wants' eco-friendly faves: Dry, rough skin is no match for  SheaMoisture ’s natural and certified organic  Body Butters   ($9.99). Choose from three savory flavors:  Lavender & Wild Orchid : this delicate butter contains soothing lavender as well as wild orchid extract to repair damaged skin and prevent moisture loss;  Olive & Green Tea : this savory butter contains hydrating olive butter and avocado as well as antioxidant-rich green tea extract;  Coconut & Hibiscus : this delicious butter features coconut oil to nourish, hibiscus flower to treat dry, rough skin and vitamin E to protect free radical damage. Each absorbs quickly with no greasy residue, and does not contain p arabens, sulfates, phthalates, mi...

Like men, women suffer from thinning hair and hair loss.  And as much as it pains me to admit it, I have watched my own hair thin in recent months.  It started when I noticed that my part down the middle was much wider than it used to be. And more and more I saw whole strands of hair coming out when I twisted and un-twisted it. When it comes to hair loss in women , there are several culprits: heredity and age; illnesses such as thyroid disorder, polycystic ovary syndrome and anemia; skin conditions like psoriasis and dermatitis; chemical damage from dyes and perms; and traction alopecia caused by cornrows or too-tight braids. Several of those factors might explain my thinning hair.   So what's a girl to do ?  Well, I'm on a mission to revive and re-grow my traumatized tresses with the help of a hair/skin/nails multi-vitamin, my own mixture of essential oils (Jojoba, Baobab, Castor and more) and several hair products specifically designed to aide thinning hair...

Chlorine, salt water and sun exposure can dry out your luscious locks, so protect and moisturize your hair with Philip Kingsley Swimcap ($36). Originally created for the US Olympic Synchronized Swimming team to shield their hair from constant contact with chlorine, we can also use the super conditioning treatment to tame our tresses in and out of the pool. For best results, apply in sections to dampened hair and work through evenly before exposure to the sun.   Everything She Wants hasn't tried Swimcap yet, but I have used Philip Kingsley Elasticizer  ($47) -- a pre-shampoo, deep conditioning treatment that leaves my hair unbelievably soft and tangle-free. Philip Kingsley is the leading authority in hair and scalp health and his products are available   online  and at his trichological clinics in London and New York.

It's a new year, so it's the perfect time for a hair makeover.  I've been wearing my hair in twists for about a decade and during that time I've only had it blown out and trimmed a few times.  So I jumped at the opportunity for Dana Gibbs, celebrity stylist and CEO of dana's loft HAIR ( 96 Orchard Street, 212-677-7701 ), to give my hair some long overdue TLC. "More than half my clients have natural hair, and they can wear it straight or curly," says Dana, who specializes in blow-outs, perms, weaves and the Brazilian Keratin treatment . "[Black women] are the only ethnic group with so many [styling] options." My twisted hair before my makeover. Since my tresses are completely relaxer-free, in its natural state my hair shrinks up a lot after it's been washed.  And I haven't seen its actual length in at least a year.  I also had a resistant gray patch in the front that I desperately needed covered. Dana blowing my hair out. S...

As an African-American woman with natural hair, finding effective hair products and tools is a part-time job.  So when I discover something that works, I have to share it with my curly/kinky hair sisters. Ouidad's Double Detangler Comb I've been wearing my hair perm/relaxer-free for at least ten years, but usually get a little help from "Afro-kinky" hair extensions.  Lately I've been wearing my own hair out in twist styles.  But combing through the tangles to get my hair to a softened, twistable state is an arduous task. Ouidad (the curl expert salon and product line), however, has come to the rescue with the Double Detangler Comb , a revolutionary tool that detangles and minimizes breakage.   It's best used when your hair is still wet with conditioner and the comb's two double-spaced rows of rounded teeth painlessly slip through knots and tangles without ripping and tugging.  The ergonomic handle makes it easy to navigate through even the densest, ...

Perhaps you've seen the infommercials for Wen by Chaz Dean hair products .  I have.  And I'm intrigued by Dean and his thick blonde mane and "Faith"-era George Michael stubble. Chaz Dean What's also fascinating is the celebrity hair stylist's claim that due to its moisture content Wen works for all hair types -- from Holly Robinson Pete curly to Christina Applegate straight. The key to the shampoo-free and herb-and-natural ingredient-infused products is that they cleanse with astringent and antibacterial properties without lathering. I used Wen's Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner and was impressed with how soft my hair felt and how shiny it looked afterwards. One of Wen's newest products, however, has truly made me a believer.  I recently met Chaz Dean in the flesh at a beauty showcase in New York City for QVC. "I've seen you on TV," I gushed.  Dean responded by giving me a hug and then spritzing my hair, face, and hands with ...