Living in Oregon, being mindful of ecology is practically part of our nature. More than ever, looking out for one's health in conjunction with the environment is popular.

While not all toxins, such as those that exist in the air, are avoidable, there are many common products where consciously choosing to purchase organic may affect change in one's appearance as well as health.

While food may be the most obvious choice, many salons now offer products and services that are organic.

"Everything we offer is certified organic," Libbie Benson, owner of Psyche Salon (an Aveda salon) in Salem, said. "It's all plant based. There's different categories, but everything organic is grown pesticide-free. Even the processes are without chemicals."

These products usually consist of organic essential oils.

Aveda, which began using organic, sustainable products in the 70's, uses castor, jojoba, and sunflower oils in their products.

"These go in gently, leaving the rest of the hair intact during the dyeing process," Benson said.

Hair processes, like dye, can be particularly harsh due to the chemicals usually inherent in them.

"Many of these [non-organic dyes] have higher ammonia and peroxide content," Benson said.

In Albany, Rikki Downard owns Salon H2O which touts itself at the only "green, all-natural concept" salon in the city. It's what is not found in the products he uses that he emphasizes.

"Our products are free of parabens, sulfates, and detergents. Most of them are organic in nature," Downard said. "This means they don't carry any preservatives to keep the product alive."

Traditional hair dyes may often have a plastic or petroleum base. Using synthetic dyes, these products are what "bind" the color to the hair.

Incidentally, synthetic hair dyes have color right out of the tube, meaning they've already been processed.

"They use a direct dye that's already processed and completed, making it like a stain, Benson said. "It never really fully attaches itself to the hair. There's a bright burst at first, but then the pigments slough off."

According to Benson, one of the harshest ingredients to be found in hair dye are metals.

"Most people don't deal with metals well," she said. "There's a huge change to detox from metal poisoning, which naturopathic doctors have been working on for years."

Benson has her hair dyeing method down to a science.

"To get those larger molecules to carry the color into the hair they have to open the [hair] cuticle. They [non-organic dyes] blast it open and shove the color in there, so there's more ammonia and peroxide and thus more perfume to mask the smell."

Yeah, that's why there's such a stench in most salons.

"When people walk into one my salons it doesn't smell like a salon," Downard said.

Using vegan products at Salon H2O and his Corvallis salon Look N Good, customers breathe in the smell of the essential oils, without a trace of ammonia to be found.

Using these natural products, the processes become organic as well.

"A lot of other hair color uses heat or a processing machine that throws a bunch of extra oxygen to make it go faster," Benson said.

Benson and Downard, whose dyes oxidize in about the same amount of time as non-organic dyes are not completely free of the ingredients used in traditional dye.

"A lot of the active ingredients are similar [between organic and non-organic], like hydrogen peroxide," Benson said.

Organic beauty products tend to have an organic base, but may not be entirely made of organic ingredients. Aveda's hair color and makeup is 97% organic.

"The three percent is chelating agents and a couple of dyes," Benson said. "These man-made ingredients are what the FDA requires for it to be safe."

According to Downard, there is no such thing as 100 percent organic products when it comes to beauty.

Hair processes, such as dyes and perms that are organic, do tend to enhance the condition of hair.

"With Aveda hair color, a big component is keeping the integrity of the hair intact," Benson said. "If you're lightening hair, peroxide and ammonia meet together and eat up the color molecules that are naturally occurring. During that process if it's really aggressive, the actual outside of the hair shaft can be damaged."

These results can be directly manifested in the texture of the hair.

"That's why a lot of people, when they bleach their hair out, it feels like straw or chalky when they're done," Benson said. "This can also happen when going darker or covering grays because they use these really intense processes."

Organic products and salon services beyond hair to makeup application, and skin and nail services.

Downard's salons use a brand called Colorevolution, which is an all-natural mineral makeup that contains no fragrances or preservatives.

Aveda salons, such as Psyche, carry their own line of makeup which is based, along with their skin products, in jojoba oil.

Downard also offers other spa experiences, including facials, body wraps and scrubs along with toxic-free acrylics for their nail services.

Salem's Avalon Spa and Tanning use an organic skin care product call Eminence that is used for their facials.

For those who wish to use these natural and/or organic products at home on a more regular basis, many salons including Urbanbliss Luxury Salon in McMinnville offer a variety of products in their retail lines. They carry Australian Ken Murphy's haircare system which is vegan, organic, and biodegradable.

Whether going in for salon services is a regular part of a routine or a once-every-sixth-months venture, knowing what the products used contain allows consumers to understand what their bodies are ingesting and how natural versus synthetic ingredients affect the texture and health of skin, hair, and nails.

"I think finally people are becoming aware of how important being organic is for their personal environment," Benson said.