Archive for the ‘Natural + Organic Skin Care’ Category

Pick up a copy of Natural Solutions magazine this month for some of our skin care tips. If you aren’t familiar, Natural Solutions mag is an absolute treasure trove of green living information, tips and resources every month – definitely worth getting a subscription.

The more uses you can get out of one product, the better.  Less packaging, less energy, less waste, and less money spent are all good things but memories of those “shampoo plus conditioner” horrors of the 80’s and 90’s turned us off to them.  While they are the greenest way to go, “jack of all trades, master of none” is not what you want from your beauty products.  We’ve discovered, sometimes by accident, a few products that master ALL of their intended (and some non intended) uses…

Patyka Huile Absolute Serum is as fantastic a makeup primer as it is a frizz tamer for hair as it is a cuticle healer as it is an after-shave serum that leaves skin silky, not shiny.  It really does all four of these well and many have reported even more uses! Silicone free and rich in active organic plant extracts, this serum is great to have around for many reasons.

Skinny Skinnys Basil & Mint Shaving Soap is great for men and women, smells fabulous, lathers well and when shaving, lets the razor glide right over the skin. As an everyday soap, it works beautifully on combination skin with tea tree and aloe that soothe and refresh. The greenest part about this soap is not just it’s use for shaving as well as cleansing but the fact that it lasts forever!  We’ve had ours for months!

Our little Sustainable Sea Silk Sponges have replaced all of our cotton pads and latex sponges.  Dampen with water and you have the perfect foundation sponge that will give you an airbrush finish.  Rinse clean and apply your favorite makeup remover to gently yet thoroughly wipe away makeup.  One sponge to apply and remove and no waste!  These are naturally antibacterial, wont fall apart and can last ages.

Patyka Biokaliftin Intensive Cleanser is a makeup remover, cleanser, and moisturizer in one bottle!  Use as a makeup remover first, then use with water to cleanse thoroughly. The perfect blend of organic ingredients leaves skin clean and hydrated. Luxury skin care is rarely multitasking (think: neck cream, eye cream, bust cream, face cream, face serum, night cream, day cream…) so its nice to have a high quality, high end product that does it all without sacrificing the beautiful scent, look and feel of luxury. At $42, it’s quite economical considering its multiple uses.

Stress, hormones, lack of sleep and dehydration left me the other night with one of those shiners you feel before you see.  Deep, sore and red, this was my first big zit in a long time and I had all the organic beauty products in the world to deal with it.  I reached for my Jurlique Blemish Cream but I will be honest; I didn’t expect it to work.  Oh don’t get me wrong -  Jurlique is one of my all time favorite skin care lines and everything I have ever used from them has left my skin no less than clear and soft but, I thought,  this was one of those zits that only time could heal.  So I slathered it on, said a little prayer and went to bed.  I immedeately noticed not getting that shriveling up feeling I remember from benzoyl peroxide pimple creams or the burning you get from some tea trea ones.  Instead, it felt more like a moisturizer.  It is loaded with all the natural ingredients bumpy skin needs from oil absorbing kaolin to calming calendula and healing aloe to that fabulous anti bacterial, tea tree oil.  Well, it looks like they got it just right because I woke up and not only wa the PIMPLE GONE but my skin was smooth and hydrated, not shriveled up and dried out. With these superfast results, Jurlique’s Blemish Cream should be in every girl’s emergency kit!

Did you know that how you wash your face is as important as what you wash it with? Did you ever find that with conventional chemical based skin cleansers, they work great and then after a few weeks, your skin starts to feel drier or oilier every time? That’s because typically, the chemicals used to give you a great squeaky clean foam or that baby soft feel or that wonderful fragrance, are actually wreaking havoc on your skins natural ph balance and ability to self-renew. With organic and natural based cleansers, you can use less product and get better, lasting results without the yo-yo, as long as you know how to get the best of them.

There a two basic types of facial cleansers: Milk or Lotion cleansers and Foaming Cleansers. Both are available for all skin types but you may find that cleansing lotions work better for dry skin and foaming cleansers work better for oily skin. Cleansing lotions usually double as great makeup removers while foaming cleansers are perfect post-workout.

Lotion Cleansers
I often hear people say their skin doesn’t feel clean when they use cleansing lotions. Often it is because they are not meant to be used the same way you use conventional cleansers that you rub, scrub and rinse with. By following these tips may get you much better results. With a lotion cleanser, the first thing you want to do is moisten the face with warm water, loosening the dirt and oils in your skin. You may pat a wet washcloth to the face if you’re not in the shower. Next, you would pump the cleanser into your hand and apply evenly, directly to the skin. This is the part where we usually mess up. DO NOT rub your face with cleanser! This action could potentially only cause dirt and oils to be shoved into your pores, so to speak, rather than lifted from them.
Instead, press your palms, not fingers, to your face and roll them back and forth and then lift and repeat. You’re trying to create a suction action that will actually draw dirt out of your pores and onto the surface of your skin to be rinsed away. You don’t want to rush this process. Take your time as the natural, active oils and nutrients in the cleanser rebalance your skin. With any type of facial cleanser, washing it off too soon is the most common mistake and can leave your skin unbalanced.
If you are wearing eye makeup or a lot of face makeup, you may skip the pre-moistening step. Apply the cleanser directly to the face and use a warm, soft washcloth to wipe the makeup off. Then proceed with regular cleansing.

Foaming Cleansers
Think of foaming cleansers as concentrates. The most common mistake is applying them directly to the skin, foaming them up and then washing them off. By applying the concentrated cleanser without foaming first, you may be using too much product. This process can leave your skin unbalanced, overdry or unclean. With most foaming cleansers, instead of rubbing your face with them to build up a lather, you should rub them between your hands with water first and then gently rub the foam to your face. Rub only enough to evenly distribute the cleanser and then begin to pat and roll, creating suction. This process should take at least 30 seconds. Don’t rush it! Rinse thoroughly. If your skin feels tight or dry after using a foaming cleanser, it is posible that the product is not right for you but you may need to rinse longer or you may have used too much product.

As with any new skin care product, it can take some getting used to and not seeing results right away can be frustrating.  If you are trying natural based cleansers for the first time, when you don’t get the same feeling you’re used to right away, you might think about going back to conventional products but remember, that feeling never seems to last does it?  By being patient with the process, and using these tips, you may end up finding an effective, healthy cleanser that you can use for years to come and continue to get great results like I have!

It’s that time again; time for most of us to slather on the body oils, lip balms, and deep conditioners or face the flaky, itchy, dry skin that cold weather and dry indoor heat can cause.  We’ve picked out our favorite, most protective, deeply hydrating products to help you stay soft and supple all winter!

Besides a balanced diet, preventing dry skin starts by not stripping it in the shower.  Most organic body cleansers are less likely to strip the skin of its natural oils than chemical or petroleum based ones but of the many choices we offer, we found skinnyskinny’s organic bar soaps to leave our skin the most balanced.  Remember, squeaky-clean is too clean.  It just means that you’ve broken down and washed away your skins protective lipids.  Think you want more of a slick-clean than squeaky and with skinnyskinny’s base of evoo, coconut, palm, avocado and jojoba oils, your skin will be left hydrated and clean.

The best way to keep skin hydrated for the longest amount of time is to apply moisturizers directly out of the shower while your pores are “open” and quenched.  This is when a body oil will work best by being absorbed most.  Our body oils range from very light to deeply hydrating.  If you are looking for quick absorption, especially for use before a body lotion, try Organic Apoteke Body Hydrate Oil.  For drier skin Patyka’s Rosewood Body Oil is luscious and leaves the skin lightly scented.  Our favorite for the driest skin is ila Body Oil.  It is the richest in ingredients that actively heal dry skin like wild-grown Argan oil and rosehip seed oil.  While it is a little heavier, it seems to keep the skin deeply hydrated longer than any other oils.

If body oil isn’t for you – or you’re like me and need body oil and body lotion, hands down, our favorite body lotion is Jurlique’s Rose Body Care Lotion. It smells beautiful and although it’s very light, a little goes a very long way.  Also, winter might be a good time to go a little heavier with a body cream.  Body creams have less water content than body lotions and can really be slathered on.  The most fun and protective one we’ve found is Sweet Beauty’s Pot de Creme.  We found it to be easily absorbed but also form a bit of a skin barrier (probably due to it’s vegetable wax content).  Unlike petroleum barriers that are often used in dry skin protection products, vegetable emulsifying wax can ward off the environmental damage to your skin without doing damage to the environment!

Now that we’ve got your body juiced up, we’ve got to protect that pretty face!

Just like with your body, dryness prevention starts with your cleanser.  We offer many dry skin cleansers but the question I get most often is whether or not you can use them without breaking out if you are acne-prone or sensitive.  Some cleansers designed for oily, sensitive or combination skin may not be hydrating enough in drier climates but cleansers for dry skin may not prevent acne.  There is nothing worse than having oily-dry skin.  Yes, it’s possible!  One of our favorites just for this issue is Jurlique Daily Exfoliating Cream. The perfect combination of oil absorbing almond meal and oat bran meet light, moisture balancing seasame seed oil and leave all types of skin magically balanced.

There are too many moisturizers for too many different skin types to reccomend just one for winter but if you happen to get stuck undecided, we would love to help.  Feel free to post a comment, LIVE CHAT with us  or email us and we will try to help you find one formulated just for you!  Our Veep, Mariah J. loves Patyka Face Cream with tea tree and spearmint for her combination skin and Spirit loves the glow you get from ila face oil.

One of winter’s most common annoyances is dry, dry lips and lip balms that don’t last more than 15 minutes.  Our favorite lip treat has to be the  All the Better to Kiss You With 3-pack.  One for the purse, one for home and one for work with the fun of getting to try all three flavors!  Lips love the hydrating organic oils and protective beeswax and we love not having to reapply all day.