Who hasn't tried the make-it-yourself oatmeal facial or squirting lemon juice on their hair for highlights? Cucumber slices to tame puffy eyes? The honey facial? The latest edible beauty cure has always been a hot topic, making the rounds on morning talk shows and serving as a mother/daughter bonding activity on a Saturday afternoon.

But let's face it. Homemade foods-as-beauty-treatments don't always work. All I got out of the oatmeal facial was dried-out breakfast stuck to my eyelashes. And as I get older, I would far prefer an afternoon of pampering in the salon to juicing my own dye job.

But even while salon treatments are getting more and morehigh tech, the allure of all-natural beauty products is still pretty strong. I think we'd all like to believe that beauty cures can be fixed with ingredients from our gardens, or at least organic products that started out in someone's garden. Luckily, women today can get the best of both worlds-a day of luxury, amazing results AND the knowledge that only the most natural, organic ingredients are being used on their bodies. After all, if you wouldn't eat it, why smear it on your face?

Who's Doing It

Want to be treated like a movie star? Book an afternoon at Tracie Martyn's exclusive New York salon. According to the salon, Lauren Graham does. So do Cyndi Lauper and Kate Winslet. And Susan Sarandon is a faithful customer: "I use the Enzyme Exfoliant because it really works," she says. "It brightens my skin and leaves it glowing."

Not only do the stars swear by the products, but the experience is equally impressive. Feng shui expert David Raney helped design each room in the private Fifth Avenue location, and floral celebrity Anthony Todd does the flowers. The technique incorporates yoga, nutrition, and massage to create what they describe as "a truly nurturing and transformative space."

If you are more the Gwyneth Paltrow or Renee Zellweger type, you could always visit LoveLula.com to check out their latest chemical-free miracle products. For those of us unable to book a session on the upper East Side, we can always follow in the footsteps of Penelope Cruz and order products online from LoveLula. Their friendly website has a "New to Organic Skincare" section recommending staple products, and the company offers online consultation as well. Be prepared for a little wait, however-LoveLula is based in the UK, which may make ordering a bit more complex.

Why Organic?

For some people, organic products (whether food or cosmetics) just feel better, safer, and more natural. Other people have harsh allergic reactions to synthetic substances that the FDA has deemed"safe."

For me, the peace of mind and the feeling that we're utilizing Mother Nature's own beauty secrets is worth it. With all the complicated issues in today's world, I'd rather not have to worry that my FDA-approved beauty products could cause cancer, as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics claims.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, women's, environmental and consumer groups whose goal is to require the health and beauty industry "to phase out the use of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, and other health problems, and replace them with safer alternatives." According to a 2002 study, many off-the-shelf cosmetics contain harmful chemicals not listed on their labels. The campaign was inspired by the February 2003 amendment passed by the European Union that prohibits the use of carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxins in cosmetics. No wonder so many celebrities opt for organic products!

Not Your Mother's Cosmetics

Fortunately, today's young women have many options. Safecosmetics.org, for example, provides a list of companies who have pledged not to use harmful chemicals in their products. Even more exciting is the fact that many businesses are coming out with creative new products.

The Body Shop has always been dedicated to natural products, offering more than 600 naturally-inspired skin and hair care solutions. Sephora is now carrying the Cargo line, including a PlantLove Botanical Lipstick.The lipstick tube is made entirely out of corn to be environmentally friendly, and the outer carton is made of flower paper embedded with real seeds. "Simply moisten, plant, and wait for a bouquet of wild flowers to grow!"

Good for You, Inside and Out

Cargo is environmentally friendly and socially conscious. They even donate part of their proceeds to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, yet the company doesn't claim that all their products are organic. For those of us who want to focus on strictly organic products, there's Terralina, thefirst product line from Natural Beauty Innovations, LLC.

This company began in 2005, and, like Cargo, utilizes eco-conscious packaging and donates a percentage of their proceeds to charity. It all started when cousins Gina Garrubbo and Patricia Bazan Garrubbo were pregnant. They were eating healthy and conscious of what they put in their body, but they realized how little they knew about the dangers of what they were using on their bodies.

Now, pregnant or not, we can all benefit from their products. The company is devoted to open communication with their clients and provides a great deal of information about the ingredients they use on their website.

Starting the Smart Makeup Search

This article should give you plenty of ideas about where to start your organic skin care or smart makeup search. You might want to remember, however, that it's hard to recognize and enforce the "organic" label. The certification process is expensive and it's difficult to know for sure that company pledges are being honored.

And while organic advocates claim their products don't have side effects, remember that the plant world is not always so innocent. People with sensitive skin can react badly to mint extracts, and unfortunately, some people seem to be able to develop allergies to anything. Luckily, this can be solved with a little common sense: if a product is causing you discomfort, just stop using it!

But organic skincare, besides being popular with certain celebrities, really does seem like a step in the right direction. And I, for one, am looking forward to the day when I can rub my daily multivitamin in with my lotion and ditch the cucumber slices in favor of a cucumber eye mist that reduces puffiness in an instant. As a busy working girl, I have to get all I can out of my skin care. Don't you?

By Kathleen Bowers and Allison Pedrazzi