Natural Skin Care

Dry Skin?

Tips and Tidbits to Help

Dry winter air and central heating zaps moisture from your skin and may leave you with dry, itchy, irritated skin. Try these suggestions for preventing and treating dry skin:

·    Liquid soap tends to dry skin more than bar soap.

·    Hot showers tend to dry skin. Try turning down the hot water a bit when showering.

·    Try soaking in the bath for a short time. While you soak, your skin is being hydrated.

·    Apply moisturizers as soon as possible after showering/bathing while the skin is hydrated to help trap in moisture.

·    Use moisturizers with little or no water in the ingredients. Many lotions and moisturizers list water as the main ingredient which is evaporated soon after applying.

·    Avoid harsh soaps. Antibacterial soaps can be especially drying. Commercial soaps often extract the beneficial glycerin and add synthetics that contribute to dry skin. Try using natural soap.

·    Adding lots of olive oils and other good oils to your diet aids in keeping skin moist and supple.

·    Drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated.

·    Use a humidifier in your home.

·    Wear natural fabrics such as cotton next to your skin.  Cotton sheets are also a good choice.  Synthetic fabrics (and wool) next to your skin can cause irritation.

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Bath and Body – Going Green

Friendly Tips for a Healthier Home and Environment

Staring in the Bathroom

A Few Reasons for Going Green:

Healthier for you and your home

Healthier for the environment

Healthier for your pocket book

Going green and going natural are synonymous.  Have you ever stopped to think about how many toxic chemicals you use in your home and on your body every day?  We actually create tons of toxic waste using personal care products and household cleaners each day.  Studies have shown that many of these toxins are damaging to our health and damaging to the environment.

Many chemicals we use in the bathroom, such as personal care products and cleaning products, contain chemicals which are known carcinogens, allergens, and cause environmental damage and pollute our homes.  Making a few simple changes will be easier on your health, your budget, your home atmosphere and the environment.  The bathroom is a great place to start cleaning up.

A Few Simple Green Tips

~ Use natural or organic products.  Natural is a healthier choice for you and the environment by keeping toxins out of your body, homes, and pets and preserving our air, ground water, natural waterways, soil and wild life.

-Make your Own Natural Cleaning Solutions, Room Sprays, Body Spritzers, etc.  These are simple to make, easy on the environment and on your pocketbook and work just as well.  Buy good spray bottles and use them again and again for your solutions thus saving tons of plastic from the landfill.  And since you are making your own products you are not paying a high price of the water in the product.  Click here for some simple recipes you can make at home.

~ Use bar soap instead of liquid soap.  Liquid soaps create 2.5 million pounds of plastic trash per year.

-Avoid Toilet Bowl Cleaners.  A study showed that in a city of one million, about 31 tons of toilet bowl cleaners are discharged into city drains each month.  Click Here for instructions on better toilet cleaning methods.

~ Use Crystal Deodorant Sticks.  These work very well and do not contain ingredients harmful to you and the environment and lasts up to a year which means less to throw away.

-Avoid anything that list “fragrance” and other toxins on the label.  Use all natural essential oils to scent instead of fragrance which is a petroleum by-product.  There are thousands of toxic chemicals used in personal care and household products and too many to list here so we have listed a few of the most common toxins used in products:

Common Ingredients to Avoid

Parabens (methylparaben, butylparaben…anything ending with paraben), phthalates, EDTA, DEA, MEA, TEA, Talc, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, fluoride, mineral oil, petroleum derived ingredients, toluene, formaldehyde, FD&C colors, coal tar, fragrance.

The ingredients can be found in soaps, shampoos, deodorants, cosmetics, hair dye, perfumes, and many other personal care products, pet products, household cleaning products, laundry products, fabric softeners, aerosol sprays, candles, etc.

The use of products with these ingredients are linked with triggering asthma, allergies, migraines, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, disrupting hormones, male development problems in boys, various cancers, air, water and ground pollutants..Toxins in soaps, shampoos and other products that go down the drain are causing long term damage to our health and environment.  Water treatment plants are not designed to remove synthetics from water and these synthetics end up in our environment.

Each step you take in making our space a greener place makes for a healthier and happier place for all to live.

  To visit our Natural Recipe Page for recipes you can make at home

(personal care and household cleaning solutions)

CLICK HERE

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and merchandise displaying Pink Ribbons are practically everywhere. Here are a few things to keep in mind while shopping:

-There is not a patent on the “Pink Ribbon”.  Anyone can use it.

- Pink Ribbons help sell merchandise.  For the retail industry, displaying the pink ribbon boosts sales and some companies may mark up the product as much as 4 times the typical price and then only donate a small percentage of that to breast cancer causes.  Some deduct the expenses and very little is given to the cause while with some products not a penny is donated.  Be cautious of the retail sector displaying the pink ribbon and read the small print.

-Pink Ribbons do not mean “Safe Products”.   Some of the products displaying pink ribbons and some companies donating a percentage of profits to breast cancer organizations actually sell products that contain chemicals linked to causing breast cancer.  The number is probably much more than what you might hope.

You may want to consider donating directly to charitable organizations that focus on prevention of breast cancer.

Recommended reading:

Think Before You Pink, Donating Wisely During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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