Rock ’n’ roll goes organic
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RONNIE Wood, if you’re reading this, close your eyes now. Your rock ’n’ roll reputation could be in tatters. Forget sex, drugs and all-night parties, the Rolling Stones’ guitarist is partial to salt scrubs, body mousse and face oil, according to his wife, Jo.
“My husband absolutely adores my products. His current favourite’s the Everyday Langa salt scrub. ‘Jooooo, salt scrub my back?’,” she says, mimicking his bathroom demands.
But she’s quite happy to let her hubby indulge in his daily beauty routines because that’s what her new organic range, Everyday by Jo Wood Organics, is all about.
Launched three years ago, her first organic bodycare range, Jo Wood Organics, has been a huge success, but she found the sumptuous products were often reserved for treats.
“After my first range, I realised I should do something that was more everyday and affordable,” Jo says.
“The first range is all those luxury oils, which are lovely, but people were buying them as gifts.”
With her new range, Jo is encouraging women – and men like Ronnie – to inject a bit of rock ’n’ roll glamour into their everyday routines. Launched in this month, Everyday includes six core products officially certified organic by EcoCert with 99% natural ingredients.
The former model is well aware there’s a growing fashion for “going organic” in the beauty business.
“More and more companies are launching organic products now, like Stella McCartney. Women are demanding it more and I wanted to make something that looked pretty that everyone isn’t going to be afraid of. I didn’t want it to look ‘organic’.”
Jo herself didn’t go organic gradually. She radically switched to an organic lifestyle after a severe bout of illness in 1989, and her family followed suit. Passionate about all things organic, her food, beauty, household products and clothing now all have to pass her strict stamp of eco approval.
“I try my hardest to only buy organic,” she says.
“I’m still trying to find a good organic mascara and tights. Everything else I can make do with.
“I feel better about the planet, I feel healthier and I feel great about what I’m using on my skin because I know I’m not putting chemicals inside me.”
Jo, 54, may have been an organic lifestyle advocate for 18 years, but she can empathise with people who don’t know where to begin on buying into organic beauty.
“Some people are put off by the word, organic, alone, but you have to look beyond that,” Jo says.
Her switch to organic began with food, then turned to what was going on her skin.
“I started thinking about things like what was in my moisturiser. It was hard at first giving up luxury beauty products I was used to. I started off using Dr Hauschka and Jurlique – I still love them both – and now also use Vaishaly and Ila products.
“Look at the labels,” Jo advises rookie organics.
“Go with products certified EcoCert or Soil Association to be sure. Check out good organic stores and, more importantly, try out different ranges. Really, it’s all about using those testers and seeing which smells and textures you like and would want to use.”
She adds: “I love going online. While Ronnie’s watching some murder programme on the TV, I’m clicking online to do my organic shopping.”
The Organic Pharmacy (www.theorganicpharmacy.com) and There Must Be A Better Way (www.theremustbe abetterway.co.uk) are among her favourites.
Besides organic shopping and scrubbing Ronnie’s back, Jo uses her free time dabbling with natural ingredients to make her own face oils and perfumes. The beginnings of Jo Wood Organics can be traced to her brother, who gave her an inspiring book of recipes for creating organic perfumes and beauty products.
Jo still loves mixing her own concoctions to come up with new product ideas. Next project in the Wood pipeline is her organic face oil, which she’s keen to launch soon. Jo is currently trialling the oil at home, but supplies diminish quickly, thanks to Ronnie.
“I try and hide it from him,” she says, laughing.
JO’S DIY ORGANIC RECIPE“Making your own organic products is fun, and it’s easy,” Jo says.
Here’s one of her at-home recipes to get you started.
HONEY MASK
“Organic honey is a natural antiseptic and this mask is fantastic for removing dead cells and impurities,” says Jo.
“Mix together two tablespoons of clear honey and one tablespoon of almond oil. Apply over the face and neck, massaging in for three minutes. Relax for 20 minutes, then rinse off with warm water.”
