Natural Skin and Body Care

Many individuals have suffered from acne at one time or another in their lives.  It may lessen or worsen with the seasons, diet or with hormonal changes in the body.  While it is not a life-threatening condition, many who deal with acne may feel a loss of self-esteem, especially if the acne is severe or leaves behind scarring.  The acne may also be painfully inflamed or sore.  Certainly, the shelves are full of medications especially formulated for the elimination of acne, but these medications may cause dry, flaky skin and may also aggravate the condition.  Therefore, natural cures for acne may be the first line of defense because they can be less harsh on the skin.

Mix equal parts of fresh lime juice and milk and use a cloth or cotton ball to apply the resulting mixture to the inflamed areas.  Let sit for 15-20 minutes, then rinse clean.

Yogurt and oatmeal make a wonderful acne healing mask for the face.  The yogurt’s lactic acid content can serve to soothe the skin, reducing inflammation and cleansing pores.  Oatmeal can soothe irritation and reduce inflammation also.  Mix plain yogurt with enough finely ground oatmeal to make a paste.  Apply the mask to a clean, dry face and let sit for about 15 minutes.  Rinse gently with warm water and pat dry.  If necessary, apply a light oil such as olive or sunflower oil to moisturize your face.

Ripe tomatoes are a natural astringent for the face and are great for oily skin.  Simply cut a ripe tomato in half and apply to the acne areas.  Leave the juice for about 20 minutes, then rinse clean.  You may also use tomato paste for easier application.

Please remember to do a skin patch test before applying any of these recipes to your skin and/or face.  This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any condition.  Consult with your doctor or medical professional before undertaking any type of treatment.

I’ve been working with oils for the last three or so years, trying to find that perfect combination that would leave the skin smooth and soft.  Along the way, I’ve learned so much about these oils and their benefits.   While these oils are great for your skin, some of them are even more excellent when used in other ways.

Virgin Coconut Oil is one of these very versatile oils that is good for you inside and out.  Let’s take a look at this oil

Origins:  Virgin Coconut Oil is the oil that is pressed or extracted from the fresh meat of the coconut.  It melts on the skin and smells of fresh coconuts.

Benefits:  There are three ways that virgin coconut oil can benefit you and your body.

• Cooking – yes, you can cook with virgin coconut oil and it will not make your food taste like coconuts.  It’s a great monounsaturated fat that can be used for frying (yes, you’re not supposed to fry food, but you know full well we sometimes do), in smoothies ( a great energy source) and in salad dressings.
• On the skin – Use it straight as a natrually scented massage oil or as a lotion for those dry spots.  I often use it to cleanse my skin and remove makeup and the environmental “dirt” from the day.  It’s a gentle cleanser that leaves your skin feeling great.  (Did I also say it smells good too?)
• On the hair – I use coconut oil as an “cold oil” treatment for my hair.  I slather on as much as possible, pop on a plastic cap and tie a bandanna around my hairline because the oil will run in your eyes (ask me how I know).  After about 20-30 min, I rinse my hair using warm water and a dab of shampoo, not too much -don’t want to rinse all that good oil out of my hair!  I also use it as a hair oil for mine and my children’s hair.

Try a small sample of virgin coconut oil to see how it works for you!

Conclusion

Understand that while the USDA regulates agricultural ingredients that go into the organic body products, they do not regulate and have no authority over the labeling or production of products that do not utilize agricultural ingredients. Which basically means if that mascara you’re buying claims to be “organic” it’s most likely is not or it is “certified organic” by an entity other than the Department of Agriculture.

In addition, be aware that the organic body products that you may purchase in the store might also be certified by private agents that are not connected with the USDA and thus are subject to private standards, not the government’s.  AND containing organic ingredients doesn’t always mean chemical free.

I do not make the claim that my products are organic, although they are 95% natural.  The virgin coconut oil and the soybean oil that I use is certified organic because it can be and is used in cooking in the United States.  However, the shea butter that I use is not certified organic by the Department of Agriculture.  Shea butter is not recognized as ‘food’ in the United States and thus is not certified organic by the US Government.

Hopefully, this information will assist you in making an informed choice when you visit the personal care product section of your local store.

This is my first attempt at a “commercial” for my biz.  Let me know what you think!

There are many skin care creams and lotions on the market. They claim to fix everything from extreme dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, wrinkles, cellulite - there is even a lotion that will give you a tan1 Because of research and consumer demand for an all in one lotion fix, manufacturers of these skin care creams strive to offer products that will give the purchaser the lotion of their dreams. Even though the competing commercials for the various creams and lotions may claim the contrary, there is really not much difference between one lotion and another besides the added ingredients.

Choosing a skin care cream is a matter of personal preferences, which accounts for the fact that there are so many lotions available on the market. It seems though, that many consumers prefer a non-greasy skin care cream as opposed to a heavy, oily cream that may leave the skin feeling coated and greasy. Furthermore, as the natural products trend continues, consumers are even beginning to read the labels to choose a skin care product that contains more natural ingredients.

A skin care cream choice is personal for the consumer. If a person is suffering from dry, cracked skin, it is much better to choose a product that is more natural. Natural ingredients have been in use for years – there should be no reason to choose an artificially created ingredient when a natural product will do just as well, or better.

Cocoa butter is a great emollient. It can help fade stretch marks and keeps the skin moisturized and flexible. It is also used in many natural skin care products but careful reading of some of these labels show that while cocoa butter is featured on the label, it is not high up on the ingredient list. The same goes for shea butter or other exotic oils/butters that are being used in skin care products. More often than not, mineral oil or petrolatum jelly are the main “emollients” in these natural products.

The best choice is to choose a cream or lotion that has the most natural ingredients possible with a minimum of extra chemicals or preservatives. Read your labels and be aware of what you are putting on your skin.

Although I sell natural bath and body products, I am not reluctant to tell you that they are not the end all and be-all to clear, clean skin. As I wrote before, the products did help my daughter’s skin, but I also altered her diet and ensured that she was receiving clean, green food and the vitamins she needed to heal from the inside out.

That being said, if you are suffering from a skin ailment such as chronically dry skin and/or eczema, please read on for some tips on how your food selection can affect your skin condition. It is essential to create a clean body environment that your skin can mirror on the outside.

The skin is the largest organ in/on your body and often reflects what is going on inside your body. Many of us do not take the time to create healthy foods to eat, claiming that we are too busy or too tired to eat healthy. However, it is a fact of life that we make time for things that are important to us. For example, I take the time to work on a bit of crocheting every day. Even if I’m tired (and I do get tired!) it’s important to me to have at least 10 -15 min of ‘quiet time’ working on my afghan. The same thing goes for eating a more healthy diet and drinking more water. Certainly, that fast food hamburger is quick and temporarily satisfying, but it gives your body little to no nutrient with which to fight disease and replenish itself. On the other hand, natural foods and lots of water will serve to flush the toxins out of your liver, kidneys and intestines, which will in turn be reflected in your skin.

If you are truly pressed for time, you might want to try one of the “super food” drinks that are so readily available at health food and vitamin stores. They may also help you get the nutrient you need on the go. I remember watching a snipped from Kimora Lee Simmons “Life in the Fab Lane” when she took her two girls to some place where they were able to take liquid “vitamin shots”. From the look on the faces, it doesn’t seem like they tasted very good, but hopefully they helped.

As you are working on cleaning the inside of the body, be sure to take care of the outside. My natural bath and body products are especially designed to give you a natural spa experience with no preservatives and little incidence of chemicals. I use both manmade and 100% natural fragrances in my formulations. Shea butter, cocoa butter and other oils high in essential fatty acids, which are important to the skin, are artfully blended to create a skin cream that is both luxurious to apply and nourishing to the skin. Please browse or blog store or visit sheaproducts.info to see our selection.

Shea butter saved my daughter’s skin!!! This is not an exaggeration. As I wrote in my first post, my daughter suffered terribly from eczema. I suffered along with her, especially when I would see the scratches caused by her nails as she scratched her seemingly always itchy legs. It was terrible until I found out about shea butter and began mixing it with other oils to create a mixture that would soothe her skin.

In my experience as a bath and body products maker, there are two types of shea butter, refined and unrefined shea butter. To the inexperienced consumer, refined shea butter may be the best way to go, as its white color and odorless quality may be easier to blend with different fragrance/essential oils and colors. However, to be a well informed consumer and to truly get the skin benefits of shea butter is to know exactly how refined shea butter is made and how this process can detract from its skin benefits.

Refined shea butter is pure white and has no odor. Most makers of refined shea butter use hexane or other chemicals to strip the unrefined shea butter of its color and slight nutty/earthy fragrance. Through the refining process, the hexane also removes much of the healing components of the unrefined shea butter. While the white color and neutral odor of the refined shea butter may be appealing, remember that many of the moisturizing qualities and skin nutrients may be lacking. Refined shea butter may also be harder to the touch than unrefined shea butter and depending on where one purchases the shea, may be “grainy’ or have small granules. This is not to say that the refined shea butter is not suitable for use in many applications – often this type of shea butter is preferred when one wants the label appeal of shea butter without the variation in appearance and/or odor, which can occur with unrefined shea butter.

Unrefined Shea butter

Unrefined shea butter is extracted from the seed of the karite tree by boiling the opened shea nuts, which releases the shea butter from the meat. Then the shea butter is usually hand kneaded until it reaches the desired consistency. Though this process can take much longer than the hexane extraction process, the result is a creamier product that retains the nutritive essence of the shea nut.

Unrefined Shea butter is the preferred raw ingredient. It contains the natural Vitamin A and E as well as many antioxidants which are not found in refined shea. Unrefined shea butter is said to help heal wounds, sooth sunburn, prevent and/or lessen the appearance of stretch marks and to lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Unrefined Shea butter is also said to have many natural qualities that help skin cell regeneration and capillary circulation. My grandmother claims that that unrefined shea butter can help eased her arthritis pain! On top of it all, shea butter is an excellent skin moisturizer.

Our products use only unrefined shea butter for its skin-nutritive properties.

Welcome! If you’re reading this, it means you made it to my new blog for sheaproducts.info, a website owned and operated by neosoul.essentials, llc. The first thing I’d like to do is to welcome you to my business blog (which is finally hooked up to my selling site) and to give you a little insight into how I got started in the natural bath and body business.

I’ve always taken a holistic approach to life, even before it was cool to be “green”. I hated taking excess medications and never kept a whole bunch of remedies, i.e. antacid tablets, Alka-Seltzer, cough medicine and the like. I felt that these things only treated the symptoms, not the underlying causes of the problem. It also helped that my mother was a nurse with a firm belief in “riding it out” and was aware of the many side effects of medications that doctors sometimes prescribed so freely.

When I had my own children, I realized how doctors, either because they received perks from the drug companies, or they were trying to alleviate a parent’s worry, would prescribe medications for babies and toddlers that (to me) seemed too strong. However, I was a smart enough parent to use the doctor’s knowledge, my knowledge and my intuition to create a solution that worked for me and my children.

My daughter developed bleeding eczema when she was about 10 months old. Although she was my second child and had been through the alarms and “scares’ as a new parent with my first born, this was something totally new for me. Thinking it was because she was introduced to cow’s milk too soon, I immediately took her off the cow’s milk and began giving her soy milk. That didn’t work because she reacted badly to the soy milk. Next was rice milk with coconut oil and finally, goat’s milk. Her eczema stopped bleeding, but was still raw and irritated.

As she grew older and the eczema began appearing in cycles, I approached her doctor on how to control the itching. I was told to use Vaseline and/or hydrocortisone cream. I didn’t have such a problem with Vaseline, besides the fact that it didn’t really help heal, but was dead set against the hydrocortisone cream because I’d read it thins the skin. So, I began intensive research about other oils and/or butters that would protect and heal irritated skin. That’s when I discovered shea butter! And, you know, it was all good from there. I created balms that were a mixture of shea butter, cocoa butter, and different oils that really helped my daughter’s skin heal so well that at three, she only has the slight scarring of eczema on her legs.

So, that’s how I got started! I’ve enjoyed my natural product journey and look forward to creating more products for your use.

Currently I am offering whipped shea butter, which contains unrefined shea butter and organic soybean oil, as well as my signature megamix whip, which is a great combination of shea butter, hemp seed oil, organic virgin coconut oil and organic soybean oil Both products are simply wonderful for the skin.