Wedge Awards: Clean Up and Green Up Your Personal Care Products

Skin is the largest human organ. The skin absorbs whatever is put on it.

You pay attention to the food that nourishes your internal organs, so why not start paying attention to ingredients in soaps, shampoos and lotions?

The Good Guys!

Our staff reviews our products for quality ingredients. They give the "Wedge Award" to products and companies that meet our highest standards.

Look for the little green sign denoting this award when you shop at the Wedge. Select products labeled Wedge Award to effortlessly avoid "The Bad Guys," listed below.

Here are a few top of the line brands we love:

EvanHealy

Hands-down, this is the Wedge staff favorite. These products are worth their weight in gold. Clean as can be, purifying, and nourishing, these skin care products are made to order in small batches and sent directly to the store. Discover the radiance that rosehip treatment oils, floral hydrosols and clay masks can bring to your skin.

Sensuous Beauty

These "sensual" botanical formulations are made from fresh food and plant-based ingredients. Formulated by hand in small batches, this company uses only organic or ethically wildcrafted herbs. Check out items like their Hydrating Honey Facial Cleanser, Oil Free Facial Moisturizer, and their line of body pleasure products.

Dr. Hauschka

A complete line of holistic face and body care products, this company has offered us the highest quality of products for over 40 years. Their commitment to sustainable practices is evident in their use of biodynamically grown and harvested herbs in their products. If you haven't indulged yet, now might be the time.

Aubrey

All natural skin care products that are certified organic and handcrafted in small batches for each store order. Another seasoned personal care company, they offer a wide variety of products from shampoos and soaps to facial care and shaving cream. Come and try their ultra-hydrating lotions made with a variety of therapeutic herbs.

Alaffia

Sustainable skin care products made with fair-trade, hand-harvested shea butter -- the highest quality available. Ten percent of the company's profits go back to the African communities that produce their raw materials. Try their luxuriously moisturizing soaps, shampoos, lotions and creams... or my favorite, bulk unrefined shea butter.

Scrub Your Butt

An all natural, locally based company offering a variety of different body washes made from organic based soap. Great products with whimsical names like our best seller "Stinky Hippie" patchouli body wash.

The Bad Guys

Make a resolution for good health from the outside in! Replace body care products that contain the following common ingredients listed below with products that win the Wedge Award. You want to avoid:

sodium lauryl sulfate: This ingredient is used as a detergent, emulsifier, and foaming agent in thousands of cosmetic products. It is produced synthetically by the sulfation of lauryl alcohol. Sodium lauryl sulfate irritates the skin and dries the skin and hair due to its degreasing abilities.

propylene glycol: This is one of the world's most largely used cosmetic ingredients. It is a derivative of natural gas that is used as a moisture-carrying vehicle in everything from moisturizers and toothpastes to antifreeze and artificial smoke.

parabens: These preservatives are produced from synthetic chemicals and are considered toxic and allergenic to the body. Research done in the European Union has led many to believe that these chemicals alter hormone function and increase the risk of certain cancers and infertility.

synthetic fragrance: These synthetic substances used to impart odor into cosmetic products can trigger allergic reactions in many individuals. Common forms of synthetic fragrance, phthalates, have been shown to be mutagenic, cancer causing, and to adversely affect human male sperm.