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Who doesn’t want to look and feel their best? When it comes to beauty, various standards apply. Some of us seek out the most perfect volumizing shampoo to pump up limp locks. Others long for a super hydrating body lotion to baby our chapped skin during those bitter winter months. Different products serve different needs, but one standard is universal—no one wants to use anything on his or her eyes, hair, lips, or skin that has the potential for harm—that’s just not pretty!

Welcome to my beauty column! We will devote this space to a new product category for the month, be it body wash, nail polish, or bath salts. We’ll let you know which brand outshines the other in the categories of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging, practicality, and results so that you can make informed choices about what you slather on, dust on, and lather up with. This month we take on Shampoo and Conditioner. But first, what does it mean to be "green"?

Lately, beauty insiders have jumped on the green bandwagon. That's a great plus for consumers searching for harmless, effective products. But, the words "natural" and "organic" do not guarantee that a purchase is 100 percent toxin-free. For a product to be deemed "organic," it must receive a certification from the United States Department of Agriculture. “'Organic' means that at least 95 percent of the ingredients are organic," according to the USDA. The other 5 percent must be approved for use in organic products.

"At a given retailer, one may find personal care products such as shampoos and lotions labeled as 'organic' with no clear standards or regulatory underpinning for the organic claim," according to the Organic Consumers Association, "and unless the product is specifically labeled as 'USDA Organic,' the word 'organic' may be used with impunity."

Be leery of those products labeled "natural" too. An ingredient that is natural—like aloe or jojoba oil—is made in nature, but it could be grown using pesticides or herbicides. Tricky, tricky, beauty industry!

And let's not forget the pretty packaging that these products come in. According to the American Chemistry Council, 96 percent of all plastic bottles in the United States market are manufactured from PET or HDPE (57% and 39% respectively), which are recyclable. The council's "2008 U.S National Post Consumer Plastic and Bottle Recycling Report," released on October 28, 2009 indicates that 5.4 billion pounds of PET and 3.2 billion pounds of HDPE were used in the U.S. in 2009. Approximately one billion pounds and 1.4 billion pounds were recycled, respectively. That means that the industry is living up to their end of the bargain—using recyclable plastic; but a majority of the public is not—we're sure our subscribers don't fall into that category.

Shampoo & Conditioner

I remember interviewing John Masters, owner of his namesake salon in Soho, New York, for an article about the safety of hair products. That was 2004 when the “green" movement began to go mainstream. Mr. Masters had just released his new line, John Masters Organics. He schooled me on the dangers of parabens. When I sampled his Evening Primrose Shampoo, it cleaned my hair just as effectively as my favorite brands, sans the scary chemicals. Plus, it smelled great. I would never look at another hair product the same way again. Why use a shampoo or conditioner that could compromise my health when there are so many other, safer, options? Here, I check out five popular shampoo/conditioner combos touted for their organic qualities and recommend the best of the best. EcoPlum carries cosmetics/Personal Care Products that are produced by companies that have signed the Environmental Working Group's Campaign For Safe Cosmetics.

WINNER!

1. Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Shampoo & Conditioner
Safety:
• Signed the Environmental Working Group’s Compact for Safe Cosmetics and enjoys full-member status
• Ranked 0-1 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database(low hazard)
• Free of petrochemicals, sodium lauryla/laureths sulfates, parabens, lanolins

Environmental responsiveness:
• Certified Vegan, No Animal Testing, Cruelty-Free

Packaging: Max Green shampoo and conditioner are made from a combination of PET (bottles) and LDPE (caps).

Results: My senses screamed “wow” upon the pop of this shampoo top. The combo of tea tree, geranium and lavender generated an uplifting smell sensation. I wanted to close my eyes, take a deep breath in and zen out for a moment—and I did! Then, I got to cleaning. The foaming action is stellar—and surprising since the product is (thankfully) free of sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (we consider both toxic foaming agents). The shampoo/conditioner combo left my hair easy to comb through and feeling light, fresh, and clean. Plus, it outranked all the others in safety—that's why Max Green Alchemy is my Best of the Bunch!

Practicality: $15 each

SECOND PLACE

John Masters Organics Evening Primrose Shampoo & Rosemary and Peppermint Detangler
Safety:
• Signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. According to EWG, John Masters has “made progress toward compliance but may not meet all requirements: this company has not provided the Campaign with information needed to assess if all required product and ingredient information has been provided.”
• Ranked 3 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard)
• Certified Organic

Environmental responsiveness:
• This company does not test on animals
• Cruelty Free logo

Packaging: John Masters' sleek haircare bottles are made of PET plastic. All closures are made of HDPE.

Results: John Masters was the very first shampoo I ever tried that didn’t contain harmful parabens or sulfates—and I have been loving it ever since. Upon my first trial, I was excited to discover the difference between “clean” products like John Masters' and the brands I’d used all my life. John Masters Evening Primrose Shampoo gave me the same clean feeling, minus the dangerous toxins. BUY NOW! The Peppermint Detangler Conditioner is the perfect finishing touch for killer shine. BUY NOW! Once Mr. Masters provides the Campaign for Save Cosmetics with all the info needed to fully assess his products, this reviewer is confident that Masters will likely tie—or maybe even surpass Max Green Alchemy! Stay tuned…

Practicality: $16 each

THIRD PLACE

Klorane Citron Pulp Shampoo & Softening and Detangling Conditioning Balm with Oat Milk

Safety:
• Did not sign the Environmental Working Group’s Compact for Safe Cosmetics
• Ranked 5 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard)
• No silicones or parabens in the shampoo; no sulfates, parabens or sulfates in the conditioner

Environmental responsiveness:
• This company's animal testing policy is unknown.
• Klorane is committed to supporting farmers that harvest the ingredients the manufacturer uses in its products. Therefore, the company is loyal to one farm facility in each region—mango comes exclusively from a farm India, pomegranates are from Morrocco and chamomile is collected in Spain.

Packaging: Klorane's plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles are made from HDPE.

Results: Klorane is known as “king of the plant kingdom.” The company, made up of botanists and scientists, prides itself on using plant-derived formulas to treat a variety of hair types (from oily to dull to dry). The shampoo smells slightly sweet and citrus-like. There’s a huge foam factor, as the product contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate, a known no-no. (Representatives for Klorane note the toxin will be banished from their new stock, due out in 2010.) The conditioner smells super clean and fresh and contains oats, which offer hydrating, softening and repairing qualities. This reviewer recommends giving the products a spin—after 2010.

Practicality: $13, shampoo; $14, conditioner

FOURTH PLACE

David Babaii for WildAid Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner
Safety:
• Did not sign the Environmental Working Group’s Compact for Safe Cosmetics
• Ranked 6 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard)
• Free of sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, animal products

Environmental responsiveness:
• Ten percent of proceeds are donated to WildAid, an organization dedicated to ending the trade of illegal wildlife

Packaging: Babaii's tall and sturdy bottles are made from LDPE (a low density version of HDPE).

Results: It’s not terrible to feel as though you’re on the beach, sipping a pina colada, without a worry in the world, when you’re actually in the shower stall rushing through your daily ritual before a harried day at work. This shampoo and conditioner combo has the ability to transport a person! The awesome coconut-y smell and butter-y moisturizer are both thanks to the ingredient Cupuacu Butter, an extract from the Amazon rainforest. The result is hair that’s super-moisturized, healthy, clean, and shiny. Too bad the products are ranked "moderately hazardous" by the Environmental Working Group.

Practicality: $9.95 each

FIFTH PLACE

Amourai Organique Silver Spoon Shampoo & Her Highness Conditioner

Safety:
• Did not sign the Environmental Working Group’s Compact for Safe Cosmetics
• Products not ranked on the Skin Deep database
• Paraben-free, sulfate-free, sodium lauryls/laureths

Environmental responsiveness:
• This company's animal testing policy is unknown

Packaging: The totally cute packaging with crown and filigree design is made from PET.

Results:
Marketed to youngens who will fully appreciate the super-cute packaging and clever names, parents in-the-know will undoubtedly buy it for the lack of potentially harmful ingredients. The shampoo, infused with organic aloe juice, tea tree oil, and peppermint oil leaves the scalp tingly and fresh, while the conditioner soothes and smooths with essential tea tree oil. The fact that this product has not been ranked by the EWG leaves this reviewer a tad cautious, but there is something to be said for the ingredients the product doesn't contain — parabens, sulfates, and sodium lauryls/laureths.

Practicality: $11, shampoo; $12, conditioner

How Winners Were Chosen
These shampoos and conditioners were ranked in terms of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging, practicality, and results.

Tell Us What You Know:
Accuracy is key to ecoplum's work, so we're calling on the public and product manufacturers to write in with reviews of the products featured here and give us a heads up with updates within the beauty industry that could be reflected in this column.