[ i . a m . aquaplane ] [ i . a m . a consumer ]

product round-up I'm in laundry-and-cleaning mode today. While I'm waiting for the first round of laundry to finish, I thought I'd fulfill one of the purposes of the people's web--to recommend products that I really like without the taint of corporate sponsorship. So, some things I'm enjoying lately: Giovanni's Direct Leave-in Conditioner. It comes in a very cool square bottle, and it is perfect for when your hair needs conditioning but you don't have time to spare. You just glob it on, comb it through and go, go, go. It's also good for folks like me whose hair is prone to tangles. Then there's my perennial favorite moisturizer, Skin Trip. I discovered Skin Trip in college, and was amazed at how un-greasy it is. The formula seems not to have changed at all since then. It absorbs instantly and the smell is heaven--pure coconut. Plus you get the sense when you're using it that you're supporting a really good company where everyone wears crisp cotton clothes and is nice to everyone else...and they probably all live together on a farm and listen to Burl Ives. "But Aquaplane--what about shampoo?" Well, I'm getting to that! I am very picky about shampoo, and my shampoo buying resembles my cereal-purchasing patterns, in that I don't like to use the same product twice in a row (product build-up and general product-promiscuity, y'know). But I often make an exception for Avalon Organics. Their shampoos (and to a lesser extent their conditioners) satisfy several of my requirements: they smell really good, they don't have a lot of test-tubey soapy crap like Sodium Lauryl and Laureth Sulfate, and they lather up well (unlike many organic shampoos). Also, attractive packaging doesn't hurt the cause. OK, how about household products? Well, I'm jes' in love with Citra-Solv. To be honest, I don't think it necessarily does a better job at cleaning than other brands, but the smell alone is enough to recommend it. No choking on fumes, no unpleasant hospital smell, just oranges, oranges, oranges. (And it's organic and cruelty-free). OK, that's enough for today. More tomorrow.