The PRODUCT Blog - Pure Ingredients for Gorgeous Hair

Givin' the Dog a Bone

Bow-wow!  It's National Take Your Dog to Work (TYDTW) Day.  At participating workplaces today, your 'best friend' is permitted to tag along and see where it is you go for all those hours of the day when he/she is napping, eating, playing, chewing up furniture or shoes, and/or waiting patiently for you to come home.  This year marks the tenth annual TYDTW Day - a milestone for any annual event.  I'm shocked, though, that in a decade of "dog days," a Take Your Cat to Work Day hasn't yet been instituted (feline lovers, you now have a mission!). 

TYDTW Day was started by the organization Pet Sitters International.  Their goal was to build awareness of what wonderful companions dogs can be and encourage their adoption from shelters and rescue groups.  Being 'mom' to an adopted dog, I can attest that giving an animal a chance at a better life is rewarding beyond words.  Watching our dog make progress with socialization, obedience and learning to have fun and play (all things that were missing in her prior home) has been enormously satisfying.

   

The Pet Shop blog has some helpful tips for how to make sure dogs brought into the workplace stay comfortable, safe and happy.  And if you are so inspired by the fullness animal companionship brings to your life, you can also help our canine friends while social networking.  DogTIme, "the place for all things dog," has created a Facebook application that earns points to help feed and nurture shelter dogs - when they feel confident and secure, they're more likely to find a home.

There are a wealth of online organizations that facilitate dog (and cat!) adoption and fostering ... Daily Candy recently featured Mutts Like Me in their 2009 Dog Guide, Best Friends is an extremely dedicated organization, and the list goes on ...  Or, if you're not quite ready to take the leap into pet ownership, you can still help out animals in need of a home by taking a shot at trivia questions on either of the Free Kibble sites - one for dogs and one for cats!

Pop Rocks

The man of the hour this weekend is definitely Dad.  Plus, Father's Day coincides with the first day of summer this year, so there's plenty to celebrate this Sunday ...

Recently, I was impressed by the father/daughter story behind Chris Rock's heartfelt, personal and undoubtedly funny documentary, 'Good Hair Day,' which was honored with the Special Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.  I found it touching that Mr. Rock was inspired to make his doc after learning of his daughter's distress at not having, as she put it tearfully, "good hair."  Her strife spurred him on a quest to explore the "good hair" concept, to get enlighten himself on the subject in hopes of being of help to her, and to understand where she was coming from. What a dad!!

'Good Hair Day' apparently delves pretty deeply into African American hair culture, spending time with the general public in salons and beauty parlors, and interviewing celebrities and prominent social figures about their hair attitudes and experiences.  Rock expands his focus to include a history of and discussion about hair styling in the black community - a topic of great significance to many people individually, but rarely part of the larger discourse.  Ethnic hair care has its own world of issues, concerns, ideals and practices, and has developed as a part of African American social culture for generations ...  Who would have thought a father's concern would lead to a documentary about black womens' hair styling preferences?  Unexpected, and a delightful turn of events in my opinion ...

Enjoy your Father's Day!

Junebuggin

June is a dramatic time of year - schools let out & vacation begins, or there's a graduation ... and we can't forget prom!  Then there's summer camps, or family vacations and travel, etc.  I hope to make at least some of my summer days 'lazy.'  We'll see how that goes ...

June is a notable month, too, because our hair pomade for young people, LIL PRODUCT, received it's first online review, from mom & superdumb supervillain blogger Naomi Shapiro. 

Naomi, along with her daughter Roo and her son Jasper, gave PRODUCT and LIL PRODUCT a whirl in May and she shared the results of their experience with her audience earlier this week.  The best part of her post for me was definitely the photos - pretty sweet both of them! - but we also appreciated her positive feedback.  Happy kids, happy parents, happy hair - we like!

Speaking of happy, I wanted to share this article about the biological proof that happy is healthy ...

Bon weekend!

Fit for Beauty

Word is definitely getting out about PRODUCT - and we're happy to see awareness of our truly unique all-natural pomade growing!  Guests at two events here in So Cal next week will get to experience PRODUCT's organic hair styling goodness ...

An organization in San Diego, Pediatricians and Communities Collaborating Together (PACCT), selected PRODUCT & LIL PRODUCT to be included in gift bags for attendees at their annual luncheon on June 5.  PACCT is a valuable program that educates University of California San Diego and Naval Medical Center of San Diego medical students about pediatric care needs in the community.  Begun at UCSD medical school in 1984 as an elective course of study, the classes evolved into a requirement for all medical residents at both UCSD and NMCSD.  PACCT's Community Pediatrics Rotation works with over 40 local community programs to discover how circumstances influence the health and well-being of children.  To help budding pediatricians develop skills as advocates for children and families, med students are encouraged to select a culture, community, or agency with whom they develop a long-term relationship for the duration of their medical residency. 

PACCT's annual luncheon acknowledges the work of these community organizers and champions for children's health, and we are proud to be a part of that show of appreciation for their efforts.

Then, here in Los Angeles, PRODUCT was chosen to be part of a slightly more glitzy event - the June 3 grand opening of a Pineapple Fitness outpost.  Pineapple is an exercise experience - the yellow and grey platforms vibrate as you work out on them, to provide constant destabilization that forces deep core muscle work just to keep from tumbling off!  (The technical term for this is "bio-oscillation").  And anyone who marveled at Robert Downey Jr.'s physique in the movie Ironman will testify to its effectiveness - he trained on a Pineapple machine to achieve those results; and word is he's back at it, buffing up for the Ironman sequel.  Originated by international fitness instructor Nick Morris, the Pineapple Fitness Revolution has been gaining ground, and high-profile adherents, since 2002. 

Whether it's giving back or getting buff, PRODUCT is excited to be a part of these local celebrations of health and wellness. 

Hair of the Dog

The debate continues ... and no, I'm not referring to the dueling national security speeches given by President Obama and Cheney yesterday.  I'm talking about the 'no-poo' debate.  Can a person really, truly cut out shampooing and achieve healthy, manageable hair?  And does quitting the suds cold turkey actually lead to better-conditioned, more beautiful tresses?

I'm a sparse shampoo-er to begin with, and was nearing the end of an unwashed hair week earlier this month when I read an article on MNN in which the writer raved about her shampoo-free experience and the ravishing results.  I had a head-start, I thought, and was inspired by her enthusiasm - thus my personal no-poo experiment began.  I was thrilled at the possibility of improving the condition of my hair and forgoing the eco-sins of most shampoos - sodium-laureth sulfates, plastic packaging, etc. 

Sadly, my grand experiment ended ingloriously about a week later with unmanageable, heavy, slightly malodorous, dull strands that, I kid you not, would stand straight up from my head without assistance.  I was disappointed, but glad I'd given it a shot ...

Then today I read another post on MNN, by their family blogger Jenn Savedge, that mirrored my experience in nearly every detail (I, too, was disturbed by the similarities between my dog's hair and my own toward the end of those two poo-free weeks!).  My lingering guilt is slighty assuaged ...

I have not ruled out the idea of another attempt to eschew shampoo, but for now I'm sticking to my minimal washings - and feeling a little less green, but a lot more human.

Mow Betta

Spring is the season of growth.  Even in Los Angeles, where it's pretty mild all year-through, spring and summer host a lot of botanical events.  Right now the bougainvillea is brightly blooming, and the sticky jacaranda blossoms are beginning to carpet the streets and sidewalks ...

Yes, things are growing - including grass.  Which means mowing.  It turns out that even lawn mowing is being transformed by the  "green revolution."  Here in California, there's a program run by the South Coast Air Quality Management District called "Mow Down Air Pollution" that gives people a "deep discount" on battery-electric, non-polluting mowers when they trade in their gas-powered stinky ones.  And as reported in The Daily Green earlier this month, if all goes according to the plans of three Vermont Representatives, the Greener Gardens Act will give everyone a 25% tax credit on all low-emission lawnmowers.  Congressman Peter Welch, one of the sponsors of the legislation, says he hopes the Act will "incentivize smart steps toward reducing our carbon footprint."

I wonder if the legislators would be willing to incentivize the most nature-friendly lawn grooming machine of all ... the goat.  In today's tough job market, it's good to be a goat!  Increasingly, goats are being hired to trim landscapes, devour weeds and, um, fertilize the soil.  MNN relayed that Google is the latest to jump on the goat bandwagon.  It already happened here in California, when goats were hired to clear Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles.  I blogged about it, I thought it was so cute!

With such adorable options, who wouldn't want to try going green with their lawn care?

Word From the Mothers

Happy Friday, and Happy Mother's Day weekend.  Hopefully all of you who are mothers will receive gushing praise, messages of love, and thoughtful gifts ... and those who are not, may you find that perfect way to say 'Thank You' to your mother - it can be challenging.  What's even more challenging than selecting the ne plus ultra present for your mom, though,  is actually being a mom. 

Moms care and nurture, they worry, and they repeatedly battle feelings of frustration and exhaustion ... How do they do it?  A million moms will tell you as many methods, but probably the most important contributing factor is love.  So thank you to all the mothers in the world, for giving so much of yourselves ...

This week I got in touch with some mothers who have tried LIL PRODUCT with their kids, to find out both parties' responses to our organic, 100% natural pomade. I was ecstatic to hear that LIL PRODUCT was a help to Rachel, who has a son with "beautiful curly hair" whose curls get too "big" sometimes.  She says, "LIL PRODUCT makes his curls tight and helps him avoid looking like Richard Simmons (sad but true)"!  Rachel also told me she "loves the smell" of LIL PRODUCT, finds it is the perfect size to carry in her purse, and thinks it's something "every curly haired child should use."

Christie has a daughter with curls that she describes as "rambunctious," and she's found that LIL PRODUCT "tamed" her daughter's hair and made it "more manageable."   She says using LIL PRODUCT has turned hairbrushing into a more enjoyable experience for them both!  Christie also uses PRODUCT on her own hair, and said her favorite thing about it is how "light" it feels and wears.

It makes me smile to know that these moms are using LIL PRODUCT with their kids - and we're glad to offer a chemical-free, organic styling option that everyone can feel good about.  Thanks to Christie & Rachel for sharing your feedback - I enjoyed hearing it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Pro-Market Economy

May is here!  Hard to believe we're in the 5th month of 2009 already, but it's arrived ... 

About a month ago, in an effort to save money, we decided to re-institute the routine of going to our local farmers' market for produce.  We had been 'regulars' at the Sunday setup in Hollywood, but somehow in the hectic activity of everyday life we just kind of shifted to the supermarket ... We are so happy we've come back!

Last week, MNN's newsletter listed the top ten farmers' markets that they described as "a new generation of paradigm-shifters" - and our Hollywood haunt was number one on the list!  They also featured an article about how best to shop the stands ... It's been really wonderful to get our fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the source, and the quality (and flavor!) is leaps and bounds better than at the grocery store ... Highly recommended!

Also, some news to share:  LIL PRODUCT is now available at our very chic and cozy West Hollywood salon retailer, Indo Studio.  Indo's owner and hairstylist, Janet, said clients were enthusiastic about the idea of a healthy, organic hair styling option for their young ones ... We hope it's as much of a hit with them as original PRODUCT!

Tidying Up

Hello, hello!  Posting was a bit delayed this week, for reasons which I shall share with you later (so mysterious) ...

We experienced a heat wave in Los Angeles this past week that came on pretty suddenly, and kind of sent me scrambling for what to wear - and planning to set aside time to get my closet more user-friendly for the warmer months.  I also found myself struggling with the emotional effects of the heat - feeling sapped of energy, irritable, generally out of sorts.  Sounds fun, huh?  Not so much for those around me. 

Through the internet grapevine I came upon a post on Gwyneth Paltrow's site Goop that kind of reoriented me - not directly related to the way I was responding to the high temperatures, but related enough that it got the wheels of my mind turning ...

The topic was 'Evil Tongue,' a nasty phenomenon that becomes a part of poorly functioning relationships (or a poorly functioning personal state).  Evil tongue doesn't even have to be spoken, it can exist in thought patterns and internal emotional responses - it's tricky that way!  And it's present in everyone to a degree - it's up to each of us to tame it in ourselves.  As with all the 'Be' posts on Goop, GP consults various authorities/experts for their thoughts on the matter.  I found this particular discussion energizing ...

So in the spirit of 'Spring Cleaning,' I thought it would be a good thing to share.  Tidying up our attitudes can go a long way toward deeper and more full enjoyment of life, and resolutions for self-improvement need not be restricted to the onset of a New Year. 

Enjoy the weekend ...

Global Gratitude

 

It's time, again, to celebrate this amazing planet we call home - Earth Day is next week!

PRODUCT has a special place in its heart for the Earth, since every one of the five ingredients in our pomade is plant-derived ... We bring the Earth's bounty to your hair, and the results are gorgeous!

PRODUCT's main component is Certified Organic Shea Butter, derived from the nuts of the Karite tree, which grows in Africa.  Shea butter is a super-rich natural fat with excellent emollient properties that also offers protection from damaging UV rays.

We combined the conditioning power of Organic Shea Butter with soothing Aloe Vera, antioxidant natural source Vitamin E and White Beeswax collected from bees that pollinate in fields of wildflowers (not a pesticide in sight!) - then added a touch of Tangerine Essential Oil for an uplifting citrus scent.

And now the next generation can enjoy the benefits and safety of organic grooming and styling as well, with LIL PRODUCT pomade for young people.  Made with the same careful attention to quality and purity we adhered to when creating PRODUCT, LIL PRODUCT combines Organic Shea Butter, Organic Aloe Vera, natural source Vitamin E and pure White Beeswax, as well as Organic Chamomile to bring out beautiful natural highlights and a few drops of Organic Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil for a deliciously spicy natural fragrance.

Free of synthetics, parabens, and other harsh or harmful ingredients, LIL PRODUCT is a healthy way for kids & teens to develop their personal style!

Our connection to the Earth is in every jar of PRODUCT and LIL PRODUCT, and we look forward to next Wednesday's celebration of our incredible planet!