It started with a harmless quest for perfect wash-and-go hair which every girl wants it. Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt finally found it in a fancy salon treatment. They were thrilled…until they discovered that the magic ingredient was formaldehyde.

Shocked, O’Connor and Spunt left no bottle unturned in their quest to discover what other toxic chemicals are lurking in our beauty products. If it went on their body (and thus, was absorbed into their skin and blood-stream), they researched it. As it turns out, many of those unpronounceable ingredients in your self-tanner and leave-in conditioner are not regulated and the “natural” on your face wash doesn’t mean what you think it does.

Now, with the help of top scientists, dermatologists, and makeup artists, the authors share their compelling findings and the easy way to detoxify your beauty regime. No More Dirty Looks also reveals the safest, most effective products on the market and time-tested home recipes. Finally, you don’t need to sacrifice health for beauty–because coming clean is the best look yet.

I began reading No More Dirty Looks on an ideal day–out of work early, 85 degrees, sitting at an outdoor cafe with a new book in hand. I sat face washed, hair shampooed and conditioned, sprayed, styled with styling cream. My legs were cleanly shaven, my body lathered with lotion, my skin spritzed with perfume. My makeup looked, in my opinion, great–mascara darkening my lashes, concealer covering my new found pimple. My face bronzed, giving the illusion that I was tanner than I really am. My cheeks were sun-kissed with blush, my lips plumbed with gloss. And, on top of all that, I made sure to apply powder on my face, knowing wholeheartedly that the sun would soon cause my skin to oil. It’s a routine that I had gotten used to doing, until I finished reading Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt’s new book: No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics.

I had the pleasure to sit down with Siobhan in Manhattan for an exclusive SHEI interview to discuss the book and how it has changed her life.

SHEI: Could you talk a bit about he book and how the idea began?

Siobhan: The way the idea began is really exactly what it says in the book. We were girls that lived conscious-clean lives. We were girly girls that loved beauty products and doing spa things. Alexandra and I decided to get a Brazilian blow out when it was in the very beginning stages. We thought that it would be a good idea because it was the summer and, as you know, the humidity in New York City can be horrible. As soon as the procedure started, we knew something was wrong. Our eyes were watering, it smelled weird, but we figured that the hair was going to look good, so whatever. A few weeks later, our hair started looking like garbage. Naturally, our investigative journalistic backgrounds kicked in and we decided to look into it. We found out that formaldehyde was the main ingredient in the procedure. We had some questions like: How is that possible? Why is that legal? What are the structures in place that make that okay? The more we investigated, the more we realized that the entire cosmetics industry is a free for all. We started wondering: What’s is in our shampoo? What’s in our foundation? It was like one was worse than the other.

SHEI: How do you and Alexandra know each other?

Siobhan: We moved in together when we were sixteen years old in Montreal. We worked at an alternative news weekly magazine. We answered phones, did a bit with fashion and news stories. We formed a friendship through writing and living together and we just maintained it.

SHEI: What I loved about the book was that there were so many facts and quotes from experts, which makes the book so much more believable. How long did it take you to gather all of the facts?

Siobhan: It was a full year of daily reporting. At first, it took a while for experts to talk to us. But when they finally did, we called them as much as we could. One of our biggest fears was getting the science wrong. We needed to have bullet proof reporting, so it was important for us to talk to the experts.

SHEI: The tone in the book is great. It makes a difficult topic so much more fun to read. That had to be fun to write!

Siobhan: It was super fun to write! It was great having someone else there to have fun with. We started talking to our friends and then our bosses. We decided to spread the message far and wide. The problem was that we didn’t want to be like the other books out there. Not that those books aren’t great, because they are, but sometimes they’re too scary. Women are easily scared when it comes to their health, so we needed to make sure it was written right. We wanted women to know that the message isn’t necessarily dire, but that cosmetic products these days certainly aren’t doing your hair and body any health favors.

SHEI: I read the book and was appalled with so many of the facts. But people have such a routine when it comes to beauty products that it seems difficult to “make the clean change.” What would you suggest doing?

Siobhan: That’s a really good point because it’s so true. Alexandra and I are completely different. She’s freelancing now, so she can sit around and not wash her hair. For me, it was hard because I’m in New York and I’m constantly running around. For me, the hair was easiest. People just don’t know that there are so many multi-purpose things that you can do–licking your lips and doing certain things like that instead of using lip gloss. One of the hardest parts about the change is learning how to apply natural makeup.

SHEI: Is it much harder to apply?

Siobhan: Natural makeup is different in the sense that they have a richer pigment. You don’t want to use too dark of a tone. You also have to reapply it a lot more than regular makeup. It doesn’t last as long, but that can be a good thing because if makeup is lasting for hours and hours, you have to wonder what’s in it!

SHEI: In the book you mentioned that you still do dye your hair. Is that something you’re planning on stopping?

Siobhan: You know what–I haven’t dyed my hair for eight months. You have to pick your battles when it comes to this stuff. I decided that I was going to make a lot of changes, but that I was still going to highlight my hair. I haven’t done it in a while and you know what–I can tell there’s a difference! It’s softer. I’ve been getting more compliments on it. I haven’t been using the products I normally do and my hair is so much less frizzy.

SHEI: And you have a website that you update daily with beauty facts. Why did you decide to launch that?

Siobhan: Initially we got it because we thought we needed it for the book. We already have a sizable number of readers. There’s not a venue for women to talk about beauty products with each other. We want women to be able to give advice and exchange tips. We keep up with it daily, doing three or four posts a day.

SHEI: So, the book is organized into different chapters: hair, face, makeup, body, nails, diet, and lifestyle. Which one was the most fun to write?

Siobhan: They were equally the same to write. We would pick a month and focus on one thing. It was great because we were writing but detoxing at the same time. One month we’d pick nails and focus on just that. We were learning so much during the research. My boyfriend at the time was like “Oh my God, it’s hair month” because there was shampoo and different hair products all over my bathroom. It was fun because we were testing things out while we were writing. What we learned and what is a huge part of our message now is that women are under the impression that there is some sort of “magic” in these bottles to make you healthier and more beautiful. But, at the end of the day, if you eat well, have sex, exercise, and get enough sleep, you’ll be just fine. You don’t need as much as you’d think.

SHEI: It’s horrible to me that Europe has banned more than one thousand ingredients for use in personal-care products, but the US has only banned nine. What can we do to change that?

Siobhan: Just two weeks ago, three Congressmen introduced the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, which is the first time in twenty years that someone has acknowledged the problem. If you want to do something, you can write your congressman.

SHEI: I find it so disturbing that people don’t know how to read labels. And I’m part of that group! Do you find yourself reading labels more often now?

Siobhan: Constantly. There are two ways to do this process. You can either buy the book and read the products that we suggest and go shopping. Or you can learn how to read labels and you’ll be totally obsessed with it. There are thousands and thousands of chemicals in cosmetics. How do we familiarize ourselves with this stuff? You’ll find that it’s easy to get the hang of because there are the same bad chemicals in so many products.

SHEI: And you mention a Cosmetics Database website. Do you use it a lot?

Siobhan: I don’t really anymore because I’m so familiar with the bad ingredients. One thing I will say is that the website has some flaws. It’s not perfect–nothing is. It can really scare the living daylights out of you, so it’s important to take it with a grain of salt. There are ingredients that we name in the book that we refuse to go near. All women should look at that list of products and become very familiar with them.

For reference, the contaminants are: 1,4-dioxane, aluminum salts, chemical sunscreens, coal tar, the ethanolamines (diethanolamine, triethanolamine, monoethanolamine, and ethanolamine, also known as DEA, TEA, MEA, and ETA), formaldehyde, fragrance, hydroquinone, lead and mercury, nanoparticles, parabens, petroleum fistillates/dolvents, p-Phenylenediamine, phenoxyethanol, phthalates, propylene glycol, sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate, talc, toluene, and triclosan.

SHEI: Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda, was kind enough to sit down with you girls and discuss healthy alternatives for washing your hair. He suggested “washing your hair backwards.” What exactly does that mean? Do you do it?

Siobhan: Alexandra does it, but I don’t. I’m too quick and rushed in the shower to take the time to do it. What it means basically is that you put conditioner in first and let it sit for a couple minutes. Then you rinse it out. Put a bit of shampoo in your hair and rinse that out. Alexandra actually doesn’t use shampoo. She hasn’t used it in months. She doesn’t need it!

SHEI: For some reason, I make the mistake of associating suds and bubbles with being “clean.” But it’s true that the best kind of shampoo for you doesn’t lather. And you don’t need much of it!

Siobhan: I’m the first to admit that there’s nothing like a good lather in your hair. But, it’s not good for you. I’ve noticed a huge difference in my hair. And it’s interesting because I’ve developed such sensitivity. When I get my hair done at the salon it leaves a horrible feeling in my hair. I used to have this inflamed thing on the back of my neck. My doctor gave me tons of different explanations and stuff to use on it, but it never worked. I changed my shampoo and it totally went away, so I can’t help but think it has something to do with my shampoo.

SHEI: What kind of shampoo do you use, if you don’t mind me asking?

Siobhan: I use John Masters’ shampoo. I love it, but it’s expensive. It’s a good gateway brand because it’s not bad for you but it still smells amazing.

SHEI: So has your daily routine changed dramatically?

Siobhan: You know, I use fewer products and the ones that I do use, I have so much fewer of. The products I use now are a bit more expensive but when I look at the ingredients, it’s just so much better. I’d rather spend more on a few really good products than money on a ton of different products.

Right now I only use shampoo and conditioner, no other hair products. If I want to wear my hair slicked back, I’ll use Aloe Vera and it looks amazing. I use facial milk on my face and a washcloth on the rest of my body. I also swear by argan oil as a moisturizer. These products leave your skin alone, which is perfect for people who have sensitive skin. It takes a while to adjust, maybe a month to six weeks. But, I’ve noticed a complete transformation. I feel like my complexion changed so quickly after I made the switch.

SHEI: The book mentions “experimenting with the dirty” and I’ve heard that not washing your hair daily is better. But, personally, I feel like I have to shower at least once a day or my hair starts looking dirty. What do you suggest for that?

Siobhan: I actually shower twice a day sometimes and I always wash my hair daily. I’ve just stopped cleaning parts of my body that don’t need the chemicals. Obviously there are parts of your body that need to be cleaned daily (ahem), but you don’t have to do as much as you think you do.

SHEI: I’m a big perfume person. But No More Dirty Looks suggests not using chemical fragrance…

Siobhan: Back in the day, I loved perfume. I wore a Chanel one for a while and I loved the Hermes summer perfume. But when you stop wearing perfume, you become ultra-sensitive to the smells. I’m not repulsed by it for the most part, but sometimes I’ll walk by someone who just reeks of Pantene or a type of perfume and it just grosses me out. It’s like food. If you eat nothing but organics, Cheetos just doesn’t do it for you anymore. It’s the same way with fragrance. Alexandra makes her own perfume with vanilla and cedar and lavender. I’ve experimented a lot with natural perfumes, but haven’t found one that I really loved. I’m always being told that I smell good, though, so I don’t feel like I need the fragrance.

SHEI: I was shocked that argan oil can help with acne because it has Vitamin E in it. When I think of oil I think of breakouts!

Siobhan: We really believe in the power of slathering your face with oil. Obviously it has to be the right kind of oil, but they can definitely be skin-friendly.

SHEI: No More Dirty Looks says that it’s not good to wear concealer for a pimple because the skin is broken and it can be irritated more easily. What would you suggest doing instead? No one wants to walk around with a big pimple on their face.

Siobhan: If you have a zit, our advice would be to use a mineral powder and just dab it on the area and sort of blend it in. I did it today to hide a pimple and it works well.

SHEI: It’s true that we don’t wear makeup just on our face–we ingest it. We breathe in our powder, consume our lipstick and lip gloss, which is known for having lead in it. But the book mentions making your own makeup, like using beets as lipstick or blush.

Siobhan: Alexandra and I have been used beets as makeup. I have a funny story about the beets, actually. I was at a dinner party one time and the salad we had contained beets. I suggested that the girls at the table kissed the beets. They all did it and every single one looked great. Beets can give your lips an incredible, incredible lip stain that looks good on every single woman.

SHEI: Have you had any temptation to use “dirty” products?

Siobhan: We still cheat. We both still use waterproof mascara two days a week. If I’m going out at night, I’m wearing the mascara. I cheat with antiperspirant deodorant a few times a week. If I have an important meeting or I’m going to be on television or I have a date, I’m cheating with the deodorant. I have a few things that I have around…a Nars blush and a Chanel lipstick. At first, I missed the products, but I don’t anymore. For me, the face stuff was the most difficult. I’ve always had slightly problematic skin. And you’re so engraved and trustworthy of your products. But the proof was in the experiment. Our skin is better and holding so much more moisture. To see the difference is encouraging at our age, being in our early 30s.

SHEI: I have to be totally honest. I was getting a pedicure while reading chapter eight about nails. What stood out to me the most was when the book discussed whether it’s best to cut or push back cuticles.

Siobhan: Cuticles are there to protect your nails, but so many people make the mistake of getting them cut because it feels “cleaner.” The more you leave your cuticles alone the less they build up.

SHEI: Since SHEI targets college students and, let’s face it, college students drink, I’d like to talk about the alcohol section in the “Your Diet” chapter. You say that a drink a day is good but mainly when you are drinking wine and simple drinks. Cosmos and things with color are bad for you.

Siobhan: Those drinks are bad for you and they’re really bad for your skin. It’s going to wreak havoc on your face because there is so much sugar involved. By all means, drink and have fun but try to avoid the pink and blue colored drinks.

(Note: The shark bowl at Rick’s is probably NOT the best idea!)

SHEI: So what’s your drink of choice?

Siobhan: A vodka soda or a glass of wine.

SHEI: Soda is better than tonic, right?

Siobhan: Tonic is loaded with sugar and, truthfully, I don’t think it tastes as good anymore.

SHEI: At the end of the “Your Diet” chapter, there’s a shopping list that I loved! Ten things that are really good for you. Out of all of them, which do you eat most? (Tomatoes, green tea, broccoli, salmon, extra virgin olive oil, dark leafy greens, walnuts, blueberries, avocados, and dark chocolate)

Siobhan: Honestly, that’s like my shopping list. I eat salmon three times a week. I eat a piece of dark chocolate every single day. I drink green tea every morning. I don’t eat blueberries year-round mainly because I’m not into frozen fruit, but I’ve been eating a lot these days because they’re in season. They have so many antioxidants and they’re so low in calories!

SHEI: Do you cook a lot?

Siobhan: I do cook a lot. And I love cooking for other people, including my boyfriend!

SHEI: Speaking of your boyfriend, what does he say about the whole “clean cosmetics” quest?

Siobhan: I think he and boys in general are constantly surprised by how much makeup and products women use. I mean, no woman wants to admit how much makeup she wears. But then when they find out that you don’t use much it’s exciting to them! My legs are soft and they smell good. I’m still a girl. Even though I’m secretly a dirty hippie, I definitely don’t look like one.

SHEI: The book suggests sleeping well, remembering to breathe, enjoying meditations, getting massages, and doing yoga. Do you do all of that?

Siobhan: Alexandra and I did a lot of that stuff to begin with. I’m really big on yoga. I try and do breathing exercises every day before bed. I think that meditation is really, really hard, but sitting still and just calming your mind is easy and important to do. And, of course, having a blast, calling friends, having fun!

SHEI: Just out of curiosity, how many hours do you typically sleep a night?

Siobhan: I’m a sleep hog! I like getting nine hours of sleep. I don’t always get it, it depends on my day and night, but nine hours is amazing!

SHEI: So how long did it take you to make the change?

Siobhan: It didn’t take long at all before I fully believed in it. Every little change we made, we realized we felt so much better. We really thought we were writing the book to tell women “we know this sucks, but we’ll get through it!” Turns out that it doesn’t really suck and it’s amazing. My suggestion would be to replace your dirty products with clean ones as soon as you run out. There’s no point buying new ones if you still have full bottles of products. Wait until you run out of something and then make the change. Whole Foods and places like that are amazing because they sort of do the work for you. You can shop there with relative ease because there aren’t really bad products in the entire store.

SHEI: Would you want to write another book? What are your plans from here?

Siobhan: We’d love to write another book! We’re still looking to spread the word. For us, it’s never been about the money. We’re like Evangelists–we made the switch and we love it!

If you want to make the change to safe and clean cosmetics, purchase No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt online or at your local chain bookstore. It will truly make you re-think every product that you put on your body. And, as the book says, becoming clean is the best look yet.

Photo credit.