Bright, Happy Eyes

For a totally fabulous eye cream check out my post on Feelgood Style. The eye cream I wrote about, Ideal Eyes, was created by my friend Ellen of Caren Online. Ellen has also come up with a natural, nontoxic skincare line targeted for women dealing with hormonal skin called The Answer for Skin. Eye Fix is from the same line and is perfect for anyone and any skin type. And Ellen is offering a 15% discount when you purchase The Answer for Skin products.  That includes Ideal Eyes, the perfect time try it out.  You will not be sorry.  I promise!

While we are on the subject of eyes and keeping them looking great…

Last night I was reading an article on eye makeup (not sure where, Better Homes & Gardens I think) and it said to apply nude eyeliner to the lower eye rim for youthful looking eyes. This is supposed to reduce any pinky redness and make eyes look bright and awake.

This morning was the most difficult of the week. Why are Thursday a.m.s always toughest for me? Thought it was supposed to be Monday or Wednesday. Anyway, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for an eye opener. Since I didn’t have a nude pencil on hand, I used a white shadow pencil instead. The result: my eyes did look brighter and more awake. I have never been a big fan of applying liner to the rim of the eye, but this really was not noticeable. Just took away the pink-ness like the article said.

My favorite way to make my eyes look whiter and brighter is black eyeliner. Give it a try. While I do love a good brown eyeliner pencil, there is just something about the contrast between black pencil and the white of your eye that really works. I usually whip on just a bit in the morning in lieu of mascara so my eyes don’t look quite so “naked”.

And that white eyeshadow pencil I spoke of? Love this product! It is so creamy and just brightens eyes without making it look like you are wearing... well, white eyeshadow. And it lasts all day long. Pretty cool.

I will be posting here soon about an amazing line of natural makeup products that I have been trying out. Including the white eyeshadow.

What are your fave tricks for bright, happy eyes? Please share!

Image:  Colton's Photography at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license.

Natural Cures

Have I ever mentioned how much I love learning about Ayurveda? How about how helpful it has been in our lives? And the skin care products? Oh…I have?

Yes, I know many of my posts lately have been on the subject of Ayurveda. But I am serious when I say that this ancient science is life changing. I mean, the notion that you can heal yourself? C’mon, who doesn’t want that ability.

Ayurveda is not nearly as hokey or New Age-y as that last paragraph may have made it sound. By “heal yourself” I meant take steps toward finding the root cause of your physical and emotional ailments, and then follow the Ayurvedic priniciples toward resolving said ailments. Taking a few other things into consideration, of course; like your dominant dosha, which season we are in and its corresponding dosha…I did not say that Ayurveda is a simple science. Effective? Yes! Black and white? Not so much.

So, on this Ayurvedic journey I seem to have hopped on, it has been helpful to have guides, like the lovely Ria, creator of the fabulous Skin Apothke skincare line. Ria contacted me in order to send samples for review and bravely offered her knowledge of Ayurveda in return. Well, an offer like that is one I could not resist and almost immediately I was grilling poor Ria on the subject. Ok, it wasn’t that bad but I did want a couple of questions answered. I’m sure there will be more to come.

My first question for Ria concerned my daughter and her dominanat pitta dosha (she is a pitta if there ever was one) and what I can do to cool her fire during the pitta season of summer. Well, she so kindly sent some written advice on tending to skin imbalances during the pitta imbalancing (at least for already fired-up pittas) season of summer. And also a family recipe cream she whipped up just for my little girl.

Let me just say that my daughter is pretty much as excited as I am when packages of samples arrive at our home. But to discover one has a cream made just for her? She felt like a rock star!

And guess what? The cream works! She has had tiny bumps that resemble pimples on her forehead all summer that I have been unable to cure. I used some of the cleanser that Ria sent for me on them and then she apply “her cream” each night. The cream is cooling and also has some moisture for her delicate skin. Smells good too. The little bumps have almost disappeared completely. We have also tried it on bug bites and it worked like a charm.

Another real-life experience with ayurvedic therapy was for my son’s eczema last spring. The poor guy had dealt with red, dry patches around his mouth and eye over most of winter. We had tried hydrating creams and even went to the pediatrician in a last ditch effort and used the prescription ointments they prescribed. For sure made with petrolatum and other nasty ingredients, but like I said, we were desperate.

About this time I did an interview with Dr. Pratima Raichur. At the end of our conversation I mentioned that my son had been battling eczema to no avail. Dr Pratima told me to call her the next day and she would give my son a complimentary session. I was thrilled and could not wait to hear what she had to say.

Dr. Pratima, as I have mentioned before, told me that diet is the easiest place to start when making changes to better our health because it is the most physical (as compared to thought awareness or meditation). She gave me a list of foods that my son could eat that would be beneficial and those that should be avoided. I would also like to note that it was about avoiding these foods and limiting them, not completely excluding them. Ayurveda is not as hardcore as Western philosophy.

My son was apprehensive, how do you easily explain this complex science to a 4th grader, but pretty much willing to try anything at that point. I had also noted during my discussion with Dr. Pratima that he had gained weight at or right before the time the eczema came on and he had never before had eczema. I had not put the two together until then.

Dr Pratima also talked with me about his digestion and how he deals with stress, which is definitely an upset stomach. I really started to wonder if his weight gain, eczema, and stressed out tummy were all tied together.

We started avoiding foods thought to provoke his eczema: red meat (most red foods in general), spicy foods, greasy foods, citrus, and milk. Things like vinegar and soy sauce were also on the “to be avoided” list. Dr. Pratima had explained that he was to follow this diet for 3 moonths, would feel better after one. That is another thing I love about Ayurveda – its devotees are so confident that the methods will work. It is not a “wait and see” mind-set, but a "this will work" assurance. Well, a month later his eczema had all but disappeared and, added bonus, so had much of his excess weight. After two months he was down to his original size (pre-eczema) and had no sign of redness or dry patches on his skin.

He can eat the foods on the “avoid” list, he just needs to not overdo it. But that is what Ayurveda is all about – balance. You may indulge, just be sure to balance it by not indulging the next day. Everything in moderation.

So, these are our real-life success stories with Ayurveda. It is well-worth taking a look into this vast subject and gaining a bit of insight on Ayurvedic principles. I have mentioned these before, but they are my go to sites/blogs for anything Ayurveda related:

Beauty by Girl

Hey Monica B!

Pratima Skincare

I know this post was really long, but I have so much exciting new stuff to share with you. Oh, there will be more…

Organic Skin Care Product Review -- Pratima Skincare Diamond Botanical Facial Refiner

During our last week of summer the kids and I kind of tried to pack in all of the fun stuff we wanted to do before the school year began. After a particularly long (but fun!) day of golfing, swimming, a party, boating, and fishing (Whew!) we got home pretty late. After I got the kids to bed and collected my mail I went through the two boxes that had arrived that day. Dont you just love getting packages? It never gets old.

One was a shampoo I’d ordered – a yummy Dr. Hauschka, I’ll do a whole hair post next week.

The other was a tiny product from Pratima Skincare. You remember Pratima, as in Dr. Pratima Raichur, the wonderful Ayurvedic whom I interviewed earlier this year. The product was a sample of a new product Dr. Pratima has created called Diamond Botanical Facial Refiner.

After our big day I was exhausted AND filthy. Since I was already off to the shower I grabbed the scrub, as a good exfoliation sounded like just the thing. I soon discovered this is no ordinary scrub, but a luxe facial refining product. Finely granulated for gentle exfoliation, this product contains Purified Diamond Bhasma. Organic Amla, an amazing oil used in Ayurveda for its intense anti-aging and healing abilities and gives this products moisturizing qualities, so skin is left hydrated. The fragrance is so light and elegant -- just luxurious.

My skin felt clean, pampered and comfortable after using the Diamond Botanical Facial Refiner and I feel like it is a treat each and every time I use it. This product is suitable for all skin types and may be used as often as you like, though I recommend exfoliating twice weekly. And never use an exfoliating product on irritated skin or when broken out. All Pratima skincare is chemical and cruelty free.

Diamond Botanical Facial Refiner is so new that it isn't even on the site yet, but should be in a few weeks.  I will post a reminder for you when it is up.  In the mean time, head on over to Pratima Skincare and check out the other fine products and take Your Dosha quiz.

I am constantly amazed by the simple purity of Ayurvedic products and how well they perform. Which reminds me…one of my fave Ayurvedics, Ria from Skin Apothke, has sent more samples and they are absolute little miracles in a bottle. Can’t wait to share them with you!

Book Excerpt -- Green Beauty Recipes by Julie Gabriel

In the mood for a little reading? Soon I will be posting a review on Julie Gabriel’s (author of The Green Beauty Guide) new book, Green Beauty Recipes. Can’t wait!

Today I have posted an article on Feelgood Style about emulsifying ingredient, vegetable emulsifying wax. Actually, it is a follow-up to an article I wrote on the ingredient a while back. After several questions and concerns cropped up over the article, and the ingredient itself, I decided to do a little more research to try and clear up the issue of safety concerning this ingredient. One expert I contacted for further info was Julie. Following is an excerpt from her new book outlining the details on safe cosmetic emulsifiers, including emulsifying wax.

Extracted from GREEN BEAUTY RECIPES: Easy Homemade Recipes to Make your Own Organic and Natural Skincare, Hair Care, and Body Care Products by Julie Gabriel (June 2010, available from Amazon.com).

Natural Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are substances that are used to blend oils and water together to create a cream or a lotion by surrounding oil with tiny droplets and forming a protective layer so that the oil molecules cannot stick together. This way, an emulsion is formed. You can make it thicker by adding more emulsifier or thinner by using less emulsifier. Sometimes you may even feel like adding an emulsifier to a facial toner so that you’d be able to add more essential oils without causing oil puddles at the surface! Egg yolk, honey, and mustard are common food emulsifiers.

Emulsifier is one ingredient that can make or break even the most natural product made with highest quality oils and mineral water. That’s why if you plan to make creams, lotions, cleansers, and body creams you need to make sure that your emulsifier is fail-safe and perfectly green.

Polysorbate and ceteareth (followed by a number) are frequently used in so-called organic beauty products, but these ingredients are not natural, and I do not recommend using them in your green beauty preparations. Polysorbate 20 is a polyoxyethylene derivative of sorbitan monolaurate, and ceteareth is a polyoxyethylene ether of cetyl alcohol or stearyl alcohol. You can use cetyl alcohol in your beauty products without any added petrochemical residue.

Emulsifying wax may sound natural but in fact, it is anything but green and is certainly not natural. In fact, emulsifying wax is made of cetearyl alcohol, Polysorbate 60 (a petrochemical), PEG-150 stearate (another petrochemical), and Steareth-20 (yet another petrochemical). There’s absolutely no reason to use this blend of synthetic chemicals in your natural beauty products!

Please note: if the ingredient name is followed by the initials NF, this means that it conforms to the specifications of the National Formulary, manual containing a list of medicines that are approved for prescription throughout the country. So far, 156 countries have national or provincial essential medicines lists and 135 countries have national formulary manuals. NF often appears before “Emulsifying Wax” which may add importance but not naturalness to this ingredient.

Another emulsifier to avoid is borax (sodium borate.) A recent research shows it may be carcinogenic, and evidence based research confirms that it is very irritating and even allergenic. It also dries out delicate, mature skin, and is not recommended for use on children.

Now, even more bad news. Most emulsifiers used in cosmetic products are derived from animal fat. These days, legislation does not require listing the source of an emulsifier, just their chemical names, and these give no clue whether the emulsifier is derived from pig fat or not. So you can imagine how much pig fat goes into so-called natural and conventional beauty products! If you see the word “stearate” in your ingredient list, there’s a chance that the emulsifier was made from animal tallow, unless clearly labeled as vegetable.

And even if the emulsifier is plant-based, it cannot be certified organic, so to call a facial cream 100 percent organic is misleading, to say the least. The best vegetable emulsifiers are derived from coconut or palm oils which can be certified organic, of course, but during chemical processing all the organic benefits simply vanish. Using fairtrade raw materials is ethical but has hardly any influence on the quality of the emulsifier.

Glyceryl monostearate (glyceryl stearate) is a glycerol ester of stearic acid derived from shea or coconut butter. Make sure this emulsifier is marked as vegetarian before buying! Stearic acid can also be derived from animal tallow. If avoiding animal ingredients is important to you, double-check with the manufacturer using contact information available online or on the packaging.

Cetyl alcohol is a popular natural emulsifier that is very easy to use. It is a fatty alcohol derived from vegetable oils such as palm oil and coconut oil. It is petroleum-free and is completely natural. Cetyl alcohol is more suitable for thicker creams intended for use on dry, delicate, mature skin.

Sucrose laurate, a sugar esther of plant fatty acids, is my favorite plant-based emulsifier, and it is amazingly easy to use! Simply pour into the oil and add some water to get a wonderfully runny cream for an oilier or mixed complexion. And the best thing, it is approved for use in organic products by Soil Association, an organic certifying body in the United Kingdom.

Sodium stearoyl lactylate is made with lactic (milk) acid, stearic acid (make sure it’s vegetable!) and then treated with sodium or calcium hydroxide. It must be used only in fat-in-water emulsions.

Cetearyl glucoside is made of corn-derived glucose and plant fatty alcohols. It is another failsafe emulsifier that is more suitable for products intended for use on mixed or oily complexions, and on the body.

Making your own facial creams, lotions, and cream cleansers is the best way to avoid animal fat and petrochemicals in your beauty products.

Image:  Pensiero at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license.

You Asked...Sensitive Skin + Acne

I'm 31yrs old, healthy, active and such .. but my face is super-sensitive and acne-prone without being particularly oily or dry .. more "normal" if such a state exists. I have tried the drugstore brands targeted for sensitive skin and have done nothing but break out in response. Any formulations specifically targeted for acne only result in parched skin to begin with and ultimately more breakouts.  ~Alexandra

Ok, while it sounds (and probably feels) like you have a lot going on with your skin, it is more than likely an issue of using the wrong products. You may have sensitive skin, or skin that is sensitive to certain ingredients, with average oil production but neither of these are causing acne. Most likely your blemishes are due to clogged pores from certain ingredients. I too have sensitive skin, and while I am on the dry side and have few breakouts, certain products for sensitive/dry skin will cause me to get zits, either the tiny bumps or big red ones. This is because of the emollient ingredient(s) used in the product.

One way I can usually tell if a product, and it can be a moisturizer OR cleanser, is going to cause clogged pores and blemishes is how it makes my skin look after I use it. Bright, healthy and glowing = happy complexion, dull and waxy = bumps. This is not to say that the product itself is bad, just wrong for my skin. With sensitive skin, and since you said you have a normal skin type which I read as average oil production, I am going to guess that you do not have thick skin or large pores. A complexion with finer pores usually does better with lighter moisturizing ingredients, and there are light moisturizers that deliver a big dose of hydration. For instance, Jojoba, Sweet Almond and Sea Buckthorn oils are light yet easily absorb into skin. Argan oil on the other hand, true moisturizing and anti-aging wonder that it is, is often too heavy for normal to dry or sensitive skin types.

Another cause of breakouts is overly drying acne products with ingredients like benzoyl peroxide. When you use these harsh products on your skin to dry out the blemishes it actually causes the oil glands to work harder and produce more oil to compensate for being sapped. The drying effect causes flakiness on the top layer of skin, trapping the increased oil underneath, resulting in…you guessed it, zits. You can also dry your skin by over-cleansing. Rule of thumb: If your skin isn’t dirty, don’t wash it. Often a splash of warm water or mild toner is all your skin needs to freshen up in the morning and you can leave the "real" cleansing for night or post-work out -- whenever skin needs it.

So, what is the best way to go about keeping your skin happy and healthy? I realize that not everyone will agree with this next statement, but I truly believe it. When it comes to skincare less is more. The more scrubbing, rubbing, and layering we do, the more irritated and upset our skin becomes.

A mild cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and an exfoliant are really the only products you need to maintain a healthy complexion. Those and a healthy diet, plenty of water, and exercise.

I feel that your skin could really benefit from Dr. Alkaitis Skin Care. Dr Alkaitis products are made with certified organic, wild crafted or biodynamic ingredients and contain no chemical or synthetic ingredients.  A friend of mine with “normal” skin type tried them and loved them.  The folks at Dr. Alkaitis have offered to send Alexandra free samples of some of their products to try!

More products recommendations:

Lavera Basis Cleansing Gel – This is a very gentle gel cleanser that works well to remove dirt and makeup and is suitable for most skin types.

My fave all time toner, as I’ve mentioned a time or two before, is chilled brewed green tea. Refreshing and loaded with antioxidants!

Lavera Calendula Balancing Cream – This moisturizer is designed for Normal/Combination skin types but works like a charm on my sensitive skin. Just the right amount of moisture without being greasy.

Exfoliant – Again, I will repeat myself here, but a simple sugar and milk mixture is the best exfoliant I have come across. Mix organic granulated sugar with enough organic milk to your desired consistency (not too runny is best). Gently massage into face and neck in circular motion while in the shower and rinse off with warm water. Can be used on face and body.

For eyes 100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Eye Cream is seriously hydrating without being greasy and the caffeine reduces puffiness and decreases the appearance of dark circles. Trilogy 100% Rosehip Oil is a super nourishing night time treatment.

Organic Hair Care Review – Skin Apothke Rejuvenating Hair Oil

Don’t you just love trying new products designed to do amazing things to your skin or hair? Me too, and I recently got the chance with a truly terrific product for hair from Skin Apothke – Rejuvenating Hair Oil.

My daughter and I had spa time at home the other night and did the tried and true Avocado face mask. Mash a ripe avocado, add a tablespoon or so of honey and apply to face.

We relaxed while the avocado and honey went to work, with cucumbers on our eyes. Before our showers I decided we may as well do a hair treatment too. My hair is fine and dry so I am always on the look out for a product that makes it smooth, soft, and shiny…but aren’t we all? Ria Kaushal, creator of Skin Apothke, recently sent me a box of her lovely Ayurvedic skincare products and had included the hair oil. The dark green hair oil is designed to add softness and shine, as well as repair damage and reduce hair fall-out. Massage into scalp and allow to set for 15 minutes before washing out.

I am going to tell you straight up that the smell takes a little getting used to. It is not too strong, but is a bit unusual (the amla and brahmi herbs, maybe?). Anyway, it is totally worth it for the after-effects. Our hair was so soft, shiny and gorgeous! And it had body that my hair rarely sees.

My review of this product – Excellent! Skin Apothke Rejuvenating Hair Oil will definitely become part of my permanent routine.  And her labels are so modern-cool.  I have yet to try the other products that Ria sent me, so stay tuned for my post on those. Also, check out Ria’s blog Beauty by Girl.

This product is 89% organic and is made up ONLY of pure plant oils. All Skin Apothke products are made following Ayurvedic principles.

Writing Spots Open

With summer quickly coming to an end (*sigh*) and the school ramp-up beginning I am looking to take on a writing job or two.  So....if you, or someone you know, needs a little (or a lot) of writing help with their blog, site, newsletter...please send them my way and we'll discuss details. 

Thanks!

Image:  Dia at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license.