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Product Review: Morrocco Method International Hair Care

June 1, 2013 in Featured Posts, Product Reviews

I have had to pleasure to try out Morrocco Method International haircare products for the last six weeks (as many of you probably already know, I typically like to try products for a good long time before writing a review).  Make sure you read to the bottom for a coupon code!

You might already know that I gave up using shampoo just over a year ago (see here).   At the time, my autoimmune disease (a skin condition called lichen planus) was not improving much despite being on the autoimmune protocol (it turns out this had more to do with the fact that I was still eating paprika, coffee, and chocolate under the mistaken belief that I was okay with them).  I was also having issues with scalp psoriasis and had developed an allergy to yet another organic paraben and sulfate-free shampoo (after years of switching shampoos every few months for the same reason and pretty much running out of options in both high-end salons and the shampoo aisle at Whole Foods).

At first when I went no-poo, I used vinegar and lemon juice.  The grease built up too much.  So, then I used baking soda and vinegar.  The baking soda was too harsh and I found it irritated my scalp and dried out my hair.  Then, I settled on using coconut oil soap or castille soap.  Not bad.  My hair would be a little bit too dry and frizzy for 4-5 days, then gorgeous for a week, then slightly too oily for a week before I would give in and wash it again.  Not like my hair was ever really greasy.  After the first month of no-poo, my scalp adjusted its oil production well.   My hair seemed much healthier for giving up shampoo and had a lovely shine, but it did seem to permanently loose it’s bounce.  Switching to a natural boar bristle brush helped distribute the oils better and I felt relatively content with what my hair was doing.  And going no-poo really helped my scalp, although I did sometimes still get some small flakes which was always frustrating.  And, I can’t say that I loved my hair.  It just was what it was.  Flat and boring and meh and occasionally a little too greasy but healthier than it has been in a long time.  I decided to start growing it out  so that I could start wearing it up now that it didn’t  have enough body to sustain a short cut without product (and I so wasn’t going there).

Skip to a month and a half ago.  I received an e-mail offering some free product to try in exchange for a review on my blog.  I get these e-mails quite frequently now and say “no thank you” to the majority of them.  When I do say “yes”, I do so with the caveat that I will only write a review if I like the product (you know, if you can’t way anything nice…) and I only accept product if either I am interested personally and/or I think that you all may be interested to know what I think too.  So, I said yes.  We had a little discussion about which products might be best for me, and 2 days later I was opening a box of cute little sample-size bottles and feeling as excited as if it were Christmas.

Okay, so Morrocco Method International.  Let me sum it up by saying: WOW!

Morrocco Method International specializes in holistic hair care (they also have some skin and body care products).  Their products are  raw, vegan, cruelty-free, soy-free, GMO-free, gluten-free and sodium lauryl sulfate-free (and important one for me).  They are actually completely chemical free and every ingredient is the recognizable name of a plant or mineral (the shampoos are botanical and clay-based).  Morrocco Method International products are top ranked for using safe, non-toxic ingredients according to Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database.

As great as all that sounds (and it does!), what’s even more important is whether or not the products work.   The products are carefully designed to  both detoxify and nourish your hair.   They are designed to strengthen, balance the moisture level of your hair, and support a healthy scalp.  They have five different shampoos (themed after the five elements: earth, air, water, fire and ether) each with a unique formula and unique beneficial effect on your hair and scalp (I got to try them all), and also a variety of conditioners (I tried two of the size they sell).  You can stick with a favorite one or two that work well for your particular hair/scalp challenges or rotate through them all.  The shampoos are moisturizing (without leaving any kind of greasy feel whatsoever), that you don’t actually need to use conditioner unless you are dealing with particularly dry skin on your scalp or hair.  They also have styling products if you want those!

So, after 6 weeks of using their products, what do I think?

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Total aside: my husband took this photo. What do you think? Should it replace the head shot of me on the side bar?  I’m kinda thinking the black background won’t really work.  Plus I’m not as tan as I was when that head shot was done. ;)

I finally figured out how to have the best of both worlds.  Chemical free so my scalp is super happy.  And, my hair is strong, shiny, silky, but light and bouncy.  It has a luscious and soft feel.  It smells good.  I have never been a person with hair worthy of admiration… until the last month.  Seriously.  Doesn’t my hair look great?!  Yeah, I could use a better hair cut, but c’mon!  My hair is freakin’ awesome!

Uh, not that I’m bragging.  I’m just ridiculously happy that I agreed to try Morrocco Methods International.  Happy enough, I signed up to be an affiliate and negotiated a discount for you so you can try them too!!!!

And, my scalp has never, not even when I was a kid, been so healthy.

Chemical free.  Beautiful hair.  Wow.

Want some nitty gritty details on my favorite shampoos?  My top favorite was actually Sea Essence for my hair and scalp, even though it was my least favorite smelling (although my hair smelled fine afterward).  Tied for second place are Pine Shale (I got the most compliments after washing with that one, but maybe just because I was out in public more) and Heavenly Chi (which was when my husband really noticed and started commenting).  But really, I liked them all.  In fact, I plan to purchase the full set and rotate between all five.

Their shampoos have absolutely no chemicals in them.  They do not sud at all (which might be strange if you are used to shampoos, but if you are used to baking soda and vinegar, then no problem!).   It’s kinda like a mud bath for your hair.  It seemed a bit strange at first, to basically have a handful on nice-smelling mud and slather than onto my hair and massage into my scalp.  But, holy moly guacamole, does my hair ever love it!

I now “wash” my hair once or twice per week.  I’m so used to not washing more frequently than that and kinda like not having to bother washing my hair every day.  And my hair stays beautiful for a full week, so there’s really no need to wash more frequently (if you’re used to washing every day with regular shampoo, you might not experience this–I figure this is more because of being completely no-poo for so long).  By the way, I still love my natural boar bristle brush (got a second one for my kids because they loved it too).  And in fact, Morrocco Methods International recommends them too.  Actually, I still consider myself to be “no-poo” even using Morrocco Methods International products because they contain absolutely none of the usual ingredients found in regular shampoos.

Oh yeah.  And I’ve decided to keep growing my hair long, even though it got its bounce back, because my hair is just too wonderful not to.

I also got to try the Feng Shea Facial Scrub.  Which is also pretty darned awesome (it has some similar ingredients to the Sea Essence shampoo, which might be why I liked it so much–go seaweed!).

So, did I promise a discount? 

We are very special because Morrocco Methods International doesn’t give out discounts very frequently!  They are giving all of my readers 15% orders with the code paleohair22 until June 30th!  Make sure you take advantage!

Also, all of the links in this post are my affiliate links.  As I’ve mentioned before, I only join affiliate programs for products I wholeheartedly endorse, and this is one of them!   And, I know that you will be just as thrilled with these products as I am!  In addition, you can connect with Morrocco Methods International on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.

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Teaser Excerpt from The Paleo Approach: The Trouble with Stevia

March 11, 2013 in Baking Ingredients, Is It Paleo?, Sugar/Carbs, The Paleo Approach Excerpts

The Paleo Approach by Sarah BallantyneI get often get asked why I do not endorse the consumption of stevia (see my post Is Sugar Paleo? for more information on what sugars/sweeteners I do endorse).  So, as I found myself including a section on the trouble with stevia for The Paleo Approach, I felt like this was a good topic to include as a book teaser on the blog.  I have a section of Chapter 3 that describes the role that sugars, blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity, fructose, sugar alcohols and nonnutritive sweeteners play in propagating inflammation in autoimmune disease.   This excerpt is included as a standalone text box following the subsection on nonnutritive sweeteners.

This excerpt is from Chapter 3 (The Diet Link to Autoimmune Disease chapter).

Stevia is often recommended as a natural sugar substitute because it comes from the leaf of a plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni).  It tastes sweet on the tongue, requires very small quantities to sweeten baking, and contains no sugar.  While some experts advise caution against purified and manufactured forms of stevia, green leaf stevia is typically endorsed.  On the surface, it sounds like a perfect solution.  However, I do not recommend the consumption of stevia, even in its most natural form.  The chemicals responsible for the sweet taste of stevia are called steviol glycosides (there are at least ten different steviol glycosides present in the stevia plant).  Purified/manufactured forms of stevia often isolate one or two of these steviol glycosides whereas green leaf stevia (which is simply the dried and powdered leaves of the stevia plant) contain all ten.

Steviol glycosides are synthesized in the same pathway and end up being structurally very similar to the plant hormones gibberellin and kaurene.  This means that steviol glycosides have a hormone structure.  The majority of toxicological studies establish that stevia is safe, however there are some studies showing that it can act as a mutagen and may increase the risk of cancer (these studies are in the minority and tend to use quite high concentrations, so they are readily discarded in discussions of the overall safety of consuming stevia).  Whether or not stevia causes genetic mutations is not the only cause for concern, however (even if safety studies focus on this particular property).  For those with autoimmune disease, in which hormones have such a dramatic impact on disease development and progression, the impact of consuming stevia on hormone regulation is relevant.

There is evidence that steviol glycosides have contraceptive effects in both males and females.  In particular, one specific steviol glycoside, called stevioside, has been shown to have potent contraceptive properties in female rats, implying that stevia may have an impact on estrogen, progesterone or both.  In another study, male rats fed stevia extracts showed a decrease in fertility, reduced testosterone levels and testicular atrophy, potentially attributable binding of steviol glycosides with an androgen receptor.  Although no studies have been conducted evaluating the impact of stevia on fertility in humans, the stevia plant was traditionally used to control the fertility of women by the Guarani Indians in southern Brazil.  While small and occasional consumption of stevia likely has little to no impact on general health, it should not be consumed on a regular basis especially by those with altered hormone balance and dysfunctional immune systems.

Brusick DJ. A critical review of the genetic toxicity of steviol and steviol glycosides. Food Chem Toxicol. 2008 Jul;46 Suppl 7:S83-91.

Mazzei Planas G and Kuć J. Contraceptive properties of Stevia rebaudiana. Science. 1968 Nov 29;162(3857):1007.

Melis MS Effects of chronic administration of Stevia rebaudiana on fertility in rats Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1999 Nov 67(2):157–161

Melis MS. Chronic administration of aqueous extract of Stevia rebaudiana in rats: renal effects.  Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1995. July 47(3):129–134

Oliveira-Filho RM et al.  Chronic administration of aqueous extract of Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni in rats: Endocrine effects.  General Pharmacology: The Vascular System. 1989. 20(2):187–191

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Guest Post by Mickey Trescott: How Do You Balance Th1 and Th2 in Autoimmune Disease?

January 16, 2013 in FAQ

mickeyphoto2This is the second of two guest posts written on the subject of Th1 versus Th2 dominance in the context of autoimmune disease by Mickey Trescott, blogger behind Autoimmune-Paleo (the first post is here).   But first, let me introduce you to Mickey.  Mickey is a personal chef and blogger from Seattle, WA who has both Hashimoto’s and Celiac disease. She writes about her struggles with autoimmunity, alternative treatments and protocols, and shares many AIP-friendly recipes on her blog. She is busy writing a cookbook for the autoimmune protocol that is coming out early this year (and yes, I will let you all know when it’s released!  how exciting!). You can also find Mickey on Facebook and Instagram.

In my last article I explained the basic roles of Th1 and Th2 in the immune system as well as how they can be imbalanced in those suffering from autoimmune disease. In this article, I am going to cover the nutritional compounds that can shift the balance between Th1 and Th2, as well as those that are known to modulate them.

How do I tell if my immune system is imbalanced?

 A Th1/Th2 Cytokine blood panel is the best way for a person to find out which side of their immune system is dominant. Alternatively, a person can also participate in a supplement challenge, where they take a nutritional supplement that stimulates Th1 for a few days and then switch to a supplement that stimulates Th2 for a few days, while noting the effect this has on their symptoms. (Update:  there are some newer tests that can establish Th 1 versus Th2 dominance, discussed in the comments on this post)

What is the protocol for balancing the immune system?

 Dr. Kharrazian is the practitioner who has developed the protocol for treating autoimmune disease by balancing Th1 and Th2. If Th1 is dominant, he will use Th2 stimulating compounds to raise the level of Th2, and vice versa. In addition, he uses other vitamins and compounds that are known to modulate the balance between Th1 and Th2. His view is that by balancing Th1 and Th2, the autoimmune attack is lessened and the body is able to function closer to normal. He also places his patients on an autoimmune gut-repair diet (which is very similar to the autoimmune protocol). Many people have been helped by using this protocol for the treatment of Hashimoto’s disease.

 That being said, balancing the immune system for those with autoimmune disease is still tricky business and baffles even the most skilled practitioners. There are many people who have had a negative experience using this type of treatment, most likely because it is easy to accidentally stimulate their dominant pathway, causing the autoimmune attack to worsen. The Th1/Th2 stimulating compounds are as follows:

TH1 stimulating compounds:

 Astragalus

Echinacea

Medicinal Mushrooms (Maitake and Beta-Glucan are common)

Glycyrrhiza (found in licorice)

Melissa Oficinalis (Lemon balm)

Panax Ginseng

Chlorella

Grape Seed Extract

TH2 stimulating compounds:

 Caffeine

Green Tea Extract

Pine Bark Extract

White Willow Bark

Lycopene (found in tomatoes and other red fruits excluding strawberries and cherries)

Resveratrol (found in grape skin, sprouted peanuts, and cocoa)

Pycnogenol (found in the extract of the French maritime pine bark and apples)

Curcumin (found in turmeric)

Genistin (found in soybeans)

Quercitin (a flavanoid found in many fruits and vegetables, such as onions, berries and kale)

Why is it important to know about these compounds?

 As you can see, many items on the list are common and are used by many people on a regular basis. Echinacea, for example, is a common herbal cold and flu remedy, but it can cause someone with a Th1 dominant condition to worsen. Likewise, a person with a Th2 dominant condition that is drinking a few cups of coffee everyday could be unintentionally stimulating the already dominant Th2 pathway. The opposite could be true – a Th1 dominant person may benefit from the consumption of caffeine, although this gets a little messy when you add a person’s adrenal status to the mix (caffeine may help them if they have low cortisol, but they could still be Th2 dominant and have worsening autoimmune symptoms from it).

 If you suffer from an autoimmune disease, chances are you are going to be sensitive to supplements that effect the immune system. Just knowing how powerful these compounds are is useful information even if you are not going to attempt to use them to balance your levels of Th1 and Th2.

Is there a safer way to balance Th1 and Th2?

 Playing with the balance of Th1 and Th2 is tricky and some people do not do well with it, even under the care of a practitioner. Using vitamins and nutrients that naturally modulate the balance between Th1 and Th2 or support T-regulatory cell function is much less risky than taking supplements that directly stimulate either one. The following compounds have been shown in studies to do this:

TH1 and TH2 modulating compounds:

Probiotics (found in fermented foods like kimchi, saurkraut, yogurt, kombucha, kefir as well as supplements)

Vitamin A (found in liver and cod liver oil as well as butter and eggs from pastured animals)

Vitamin E (found in red palm oil, pastured egg yolks, avocados, as well as nuts and seeds)

Colostrom (a mother’s first milk that is available in supplement form)

T-regulatory supporting compounds:

 Vitamin D (obtained by sunbathing, also found in liver, cod liver oil, sardines, raw dairy and pastured eggs)

EPA and DHA (found in fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel as well as in pastured meats and eggs in smaller quantities)

In conclusion, I believe that it is good for autoimmune patients to know which compounds stimulate Th1 and Th2 because of how they can better or worsen the progression of disease. Knowing one’s Th1 or Th2 dominance and treating with supplements to achieve balance can be helpful to some, but I don’t believe that is the best and safest approach for everyone. If you do decide to go this route, make sure to enlist the help of a practitioner who is skilled at using this treatment for autoimmune disease. A safer alternative is to focus on compounds that have been shown to modulate the immune system, in addition to implementing other strategies that have been shown to help autoimmune disease.

 

http://chriskresser.com/basics-of-immune-balancing-for-hashimotos

http://allergyclinic.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/clinical-aspect-in-th1-and-th2-balance/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_helper_cell

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/rr-green-tea-hazards

 

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Happy New Year! My Resolutions, Some Reflections, and Some Changes…

December 31, 2012 in 2012

Happy New Year!  I hope you are all having a marvelous holiday season, filled with fun, family, friends, relaxation and joy!

I have greatly enjoyed my week off, although it has flown by with me accomplishing very few of the things I wanted to do over the past week.  I did get to sleep in one day, made it to one yoga class, and I did get to go see a movie (like a real movie in an actual movie theater!).  My days were mostly taken up with the bustle of the season–lots of cooking (and eating!), opening presents, overstimulated children, visiting with my mom, and shopping.  But, also my oldest daughter is currently quite ill, which has meant the last couple of days were taken up with a doctor’s appointment, runs to the drugstore, surviving on very disrupted sleep, finding things for a bored sick kid to do, and tons of extra cuddles (she’s getting better though! phew!).

Do I feel recharged?  A little.  But not completely.  If I was a battery, the red light would still be on on the charger and you’d be starting to wonder if I can even hold a full charge any more.  I can.  Just leave me plugged in a little longer…

But, even if I don’t feel particularly rested or energetic, I do feel really jazzed about some upcoming projects and ideas for the blog for the New Year.

This past week has given me the opportunity to spend some time reflecting.  Reflection comes naturally to me this time of year.  I am a resolution-setter (and very typically, I really do follow through with my resolutions too).  I don’t limit resolution-making to New Year’s, but I do have a habit of saving the most challenging resolutions for January.  So, as I contemplate my priorities for 2013, I have been thinking quite a bit both about my accomplishments over the past year but also my plans moving forward.

My blog has grown dramatically over the last year.  I feel so grateful to all of you for reading, sharing and connecting with me.  I am greatly looking forward to continuing with informative and impactful posts.  I love being able to answer your individual questions.   My skills in the kitchen have improved substantially over the past year, as I get more and more comfortable with paleo ingredients.  I have some awesome ideas for exciting new recipes to try out.  At the beginning of last year, I was so nervous to be a guest on Low-Carb Conversations with Jimmy Moore.  Now I co-host a podcast, which I love, both for the time I get to spend with Matt and Stacy from www.PaleoParents.com but also for the ability to reach and help so many.  I’ve been doing guest posts and interviews galore and will be a guest on the Balanced Bites Podcast for a special autoimmune protocol-themed show in late January.  I gave a rockin’ awesome seminar at 4.0 Martial Arts in Sandy Springs (was that seriously only a week and a half ago?) and have plans for more seminars.  Oh yeah, and the new huge project that I’m going to tell you all about in about three weeks.   Whenever I stop to think about what my little blog has turned into in 14 months, I am blown away by how crazy awesome this all is!

All of this started in my spare time while my kids were napping and in the evenings after they go to bed.  But over the last few months, the time commitment has increased dramatically (and my youngest gave up naps, dangit).  I seem to have slowly made the transition from full-time stay-at-home mom to full-time working mom (but without the paycheck to go with it).  And trying to do and be everything for everyone has started to impact my health.   It’s time for me to start evaluating the best uses of my time and sort out my priorities.

When I started my blog, I never imagined I would ever have to choose what I spent my time on.  It’s amazing to me and I consider this dilemma a privilege. Thank you!!!

Don’t be afraid!  I am not stopping!  Blogging has become part of my identity.  I love it.  I love researching topics, writing, drawing, sharing.  I love developing and sharing recipes and hearing about your successes with them.  I love connecting with you all through blog comments, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  And my blog will continue to be and will always be completely open and free (ugh, unless you are viewing my blog with IE and then there’s a compatibility problem that I would totally fix that if I had any idea how to do so).  But, I do need to scale back to free up time for my growing list of other endeavors.

I’m going to scale back one post per week (from 6 to 5 posts per week).  Even just posting one less post per week is going to free up 6-8 hours of my time for my other projects, and for making sure that sleep, exercise and spending time with my kids remains a priority.  My plan is to try this for a few weeks and then reevaluate to see if I need to scale back more (fingers crossed that this will give me enough time to work on my other projects!).

Making sure I keep balance in my life is my number one New Year’s Resolution this year.  I’m not sure if an earlier bedtime is realistic for me right now, so I’m tweaking my supplements (mainly adding some adrenal support supplements) and am going to reduce my consumption of green and black tea (with my adrenal glands in mind).  I am going to try to find more short time commitments for exercise on a daily basis (since at best I seem to be making it to only two yoga classes each week and only two good walks per week), which means simply finding small chunks of time to add things like a few sun salutes, or some push-ups, burpees, and/or lunges scattered throughout my day.  I am also going to commit to doing at least 5 minutes of mindful meditation every day.

I have one more BIG resolution.  I am going to do a modified 21-Day Sugar Detox starting tomorrow (Wednesday’s post will be dedicated to talking about why, what and how).   I am excited to be joining the biggest group of 21-Day Sugar Detoxers ever this year and will be the featured blogger for January on The 21-Day Sugar Detox Blog (woot!).  I will be sharing my experiences through the next three weeks here on the blog and also on my Facebook page, the 21-Day Sugar Detox Facebook page and Twitter.  If you are interested in learning more about the 21-Day Sugar Detox, click here.

I hope that you understand my need to scale back on the number of posts I produce each week.  I really just need to free up time for my other endeavors that doesn’t take away from things I need to do to stay healthy (like exercise, sleep, and enjoy life).  I figure I wouldn’t be very inspirational, if I didn’t practice what I preach.  Plus, I feel that most of you appreciate quality over quantity, if you have to choose between them.  But, I really see this change as being positive.  What started as “just” a blog has become so much more.  And I don’t mean more in terms of actual projects or time commitment (although that’s true too)… I mean more.  More important, more meaningful,  more fulfilling.  And that makes me so excited for 2013!  Happy New Year!

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