I have something I have to admit. I was an addict once. I couldn't go a day without using. In fact most days I had to use several times a day. It was so bad in the winter that I would wake up scratching myself uncontrollably. It would consume my thoughts and if I was ever caught without it I would have to do anything I could to find it. But I'm not talking about drugs, I'm talking about BODY LOTION! haha, it sounds similar though right?
Coconut oil has saved me. I have been 6 months body lotion sober and I'm never going back. My skin has never felt better and it actually looks better too. I have heard that coconut oil prevents wrinkles and aging, and I am hoping that is true because I can't fathom the idea of spending big bucks on anti-aging creams, serums, and potions with god knows what chemical ingredients.
I use it on my face and my entire body. I thought maybe it wouldn't be great for the summer because it is so hot and who wants to walk around slippery and shiny when it's sweltering out, but it is a wonderful moisturizer for the summer. And BONUS! It gives you that glistening look that accentuates all the good muscle curves.
But even better than all that is I am putting something 100% completely natural on my skin that has no man made chemicals that I am going to have to worry about. Your skin is an organ just like your heart and lungs. Your skin absorbs everything you put on it. The thing that really gets me about putting chemicals on my skin is this: they say most of these chemicals are safe, but when they are tested they are tested alone not in combination with other chemicals. When does it ever occur that chemicals do not come in contact with other chemicals? NEVER! Flip your bottle of lotion around and read the label with the ingredients. I guarantee you won't be able to pronounce most of the ingredients. Which means that those "safe" chemicals might not be so safe when they interact with other "safe" chemicals.
Oh, and if you are going to try coconut oil instead of lotion get organic unrefined coconut oil.
Just something to think about! Anyone ever made the switch? Good, bad, indifferent?
I set up a few Google filters so that everyday I get emails with links to everything that's going on on the web related to the topics I'm interested in. One of them is "raw food" and for the past few weeks I've been seeing stories about how the herb thyme "may" be more useful in curing acne than products that are benzoylperoxide based.
Acne is big business. So is skin care and anti-aging. Wouldn't it be great if we could change our skin by changing what we eat?
The herb thyme may be more effective at treating acne than current medicines, research has found.
A tincture made from the plant may also be kinder to the skin and, unlike powerful peroxide-based treatments, will not leave bleach marks on pillow cases and clothes.
Scientists at Leeds Metropolitan University compared thyme’s spot-busting potential with marigold, myrrh – three plants already sold as acne treatments by herbalists – and acne-fighting chemical benzoyl peroxide.
They steeped the herbs in alcohol to draw out the active compounds before adding pimple-causing bacterium propionibacterium acnes. The thyme tincture was the most effective at killing bacteria, destroying around 100,000 bacteria per ml – or half a million per teaspoonful. It was also slightly more effective than benzoyl peroxide, the chemical in some prescription treatments and acne products such as Clearasil and Oxy 5 and 10.
Tests also showed the antibacterial effects were not simply due to the alcohol in the tincture sterilising the skin.
Researcher Dr Margarita Gomez-Escalada said more tests were needed but added: “If thyme tincture is proven to be clinically effective, it may be a natural alternative to current treatments”.
Treatments containing benzoyl peroxide can cause a burning sensation, she said.
She added: “Herbal preparations are less harsh, while our results suggest they can be just as, if not more, effective.” - Daily Mail
This article is talking about using it as a topical treatment. However, what would happen if we juiced and drank it? I may just have to come up with a recipe including thyme as one of the ingredients. I'll get back to you on this!
before- not as bad as it used to be but still painful
I know I've mentioned how I have been prone to awful acne over the past few years. Well, I have finally found something that gets rid of it. And guess what? It's not a magically high priced cream. It's literally dark green leafy vegetable juice.
I started drinking it about 6 weeks ago and slowly my face cleared up 90% of the way. Then, because I was busy starting Raw Generation, I stopped for a little over a week. Well wouldn't you know my acne started to come back. I was like W-T-F?
A few days ago I made a few jars for myself and literally after drinking it for 2 days my acne is almost gone- AGAIN! And I didn't do anything different with my cleansing routine (if you want to call it that).
2 days later- not photoshopped
The more I read about all this health stuff, the more I am convinced that skin problems like acne and aging are solved from the inside out not the other way around (which is what the cosmetic companies want you to believe).
So! If you juice, add more dark green leafy vegetables. If you don't juice but want the benefits...we will be open for business in about 2 weeks!!!!
So Monday morning I started drinking dark green leafy vegetable juice- convenient timing considering how I am also working on starting a business that sells dark green leafy vegetable juice. Let me tell you...it is amazing (I added alot of fresh pressed apple juice!). If I didn't get full after a giant glass, I would drink more. I was literally chugging it like I had been deprived of water in a desert.
These are the veggies that I used:
kale
collards
spinach
broccoli
parsley
dandelion greens (sooooo healthy for you!)
cilantro
celery
carrots w/ their tops
I wrote a few weeks ago how I literally have been craving vegetable juice now for a few weeks. I watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (again) and was like I NEED VEGETABLE JUICE!!!!! Well now I have it and I am taking advantage. I'll let you know if there are any breakthroughs along the way. Psst...I don't want to speak too soon...but...in the past week that I have been mostly raw and drinking this green juice my skin has majorly cleared up. Crossing my fingers! The real test will be when I get my EPISODE which is due to destroy me within the next week or so.
When I was first introduced to the dark green juice many many years ago by my grandfather (who's 87, still physically healthy, and drinks this stuff everyday!) I was completely grossed out. It was dark and pungent smelling and unbearably undrinkable. That was when I was in college and I'm sure I was slightly hungover, had just finished McDonald's (or similar), &/or wasn't the slight bit interested in the benefits of dark green leafy vegetable juice.
Fast forward 6 or 7 years and I have a whole new perspective. Plus I am mixing the dark serious stuff with fresh pressed apple juice which is what makes it drinkable (at least at my stage in the game). But after reading all about the health benefits of incorporating more dark greens leafy vegetables into your diet it doesn't matter to me what you have to mix it with to get it into your stomach- so long as it gets into your stomach. I know plenty of people who are afraid of fruit because they have been brainwashed by mainstream that it is high in sugar, and are going to be afraid of mixing it with fruit juice. But seriously, even though fruit juice (I'm talking fresh pressed not the junk you buy in stores) is sugary they are 100% natural and all of the vitamins and healthy stuff is still there and hasn't been cooked off. P.S. all fruit juices you buy in a grocery store have been cooked so there is not much nutritional value if any.
This brings up a whole new idea that I had which is most people are going to need to mix fruit juice into this stuff so they can actually drink it....
Should we sell different strengths? Like one for beginners which is mixed with say 75% fruit juice, then the novice which is 50% fruit juice (I'm somewhere in between those two), then the serious level with 25% fruit juice, and finally the master level at 100% full strength dark green leafy vegetable juice.
So I ask you...if you were buying this stuff and you needed to mix it with fruit juice in order to actually drink it and get the health benefits, would you rather buy it pre-mixed OR would you rather buy the full strength stuff and mix it yourself?
About a month or two back, I started to think about all of the beauty products I use (not many compared to most women I'm sure) and how they are probably not safe. I thought about all of the chemicals and preservatives that are put into processed food, and figured it is probably 100 times worse with stuff that just goes on your skin. I was right.
Your skin is an organ too, and the amount of heavy duty (cheap) moisturizer I have used in my lifetime is ridiculous...and gave me cause for concern.
I found a website Saffron Rouge that actually does all of the research for you. They review products' ingredients and if they don't pass...they don't sell!
Why settle for beauty products that don’t live up to their labels? At Saffron Rouge, we evaluate every ingredient so you don’t have to. All the products you see here are made without the plastics, silicones, petroleum, artificial fragrances, dyes, and other unsafe ingredients found in most beauty products, and are guaranteed to give you results. - Saffron Rouge
I thought this was great because I had originally bought a book of cosmetic ingredients (it's like a dictionary) and had planned on doing this myself with all of the products that I use. I started and stopped almost immediately because in any given bottle there was literally dozens of chemicals listed.
But before I had gotten into reading the ingredients of my beauty products, I switched from my globs of cheap, thick moisturizer to using coconut oil (and just recently sesame oil). I like the thought of being able to eat what goes on my body. That is how nature intended. I'm sure people in coconut growing regions use coconut oil for their skin and hair.
Back to the rest of my beauty regimen. I had found a brand on Saffron Rouge called Suki. I was looking for new face wash and found Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser. The reason I picked this product is because I checked out all of the reviews and majority of them were raving (especially the people with sensitive skin). Saffron rouge was generous enough to send me the product to try (Thank you!)
First of all let me tell you that I am relentless about using products that make my skin feel good. Over the past few years I have developed adult acne (AWESOME) and have always had EXTREMELY dry skin especially during the winter months. While I am trying to correct this through my diet, I need some quick relief in the meantime. If something doesn't make my skin feel good or cause me to break out (pretty easy) I stop using it.
So I have been using the Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser for the past two weeks and I love, love, love it! It starts out really grainy (I scoop out a little on one finger) and then you wet it and lather in your hands to moisten it up...then scrub your face. As you scrub the granules dissolve and it turns into a lovely face wash. When you rinse it off your face feels clean without feeling stripped. Also, the smell is AMAZING! It's like sniffing a sugary lemon. Very refreshing first thing in the morning. Two thumbs up!
that amount is all you need for your entire face and neck
(unless you have a really long neck- haha)
I also got a chance to try out a few other samples of products by Suki Skincare. The Suki Butter Cream Healing Salve was my favorite by far. It is sooooo thick and the type of thing that you put on your really dry spots like elbows, knees, ankles, and heels.
*BONUS- I put it on my face because I was at the BF's house and forgot my face cream and this was the only thing available. At first it was a little greasy, but as it absorbed in it made my face feel super moisturized...AND! It made all of my tiny wrinkles go away! I'm not exaggerating. I have 2 spots, one on my forehead and the other under my eyes, where if I am really dry they are really obvious (Damn sun damage from life guarding for 5 years w/o caring about sunscreen!). Anyway I would not recommend this for everyday use, but it works in a pinch or if you are really, really dry.
I have been slowly but surely switching over my beauty and hygiene products to non-toxic brands. This is an expensive process so I figured I would share my thoughts with you guys so you don't have to waste money on crappy products. Arbonne is a Swiss company that does not use any of the following in its products:
Animal products or animal by-products
Parabens: preservative
Formaldehyde-donating preservatives
Petroleum-based ingredients
Benzene: a solvent most used in nail polish remover. Harmful amounts can be absorbed by the skin
Mineral Oil: derived from petroleum
Petrolatum: derived from petroleum
Phthalates: chemical compounds used in the production of plastics, cosmetics, and pesticides that is thought to be mutagenic, cancer causing, and adversely affects male sperm
Toluene: used as a solvent, obtained from petroleum, can cause liver damage and is irritating to the skin and respiratory tract
PABA: an acid found in the Vitamin B complex, used in sunscreens to prevent skin damage, however it can cause allergic eczema and sensitivity to light
I have been using the body wash, shampoo and conditioner now for about 2 weeks and love them except for a few things:
FC 5 Body Wash: I checked the ingredient list on the box (the full ingredient lists were not available on the website) and the second ingredient is Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate. This is supposedly a less harsh sulfate, but a sulfate all the same. Sulfates are a cheap lathering detergent used in many shampoos, however this body wash doesn't lather like drug-store brands so I'm a little confused. I like it though, and since I ran out of face wash I have been using this instead and it is light enough for my sensitive acne-prone skin!
FC 5 Shampoo: Same sneaky sulfate found in ingredient list. Also, I have so much hair that I have to use quite a bit of the shampoo to get full coverage. I realize that I have an unusual amount of hair on my head (and it's long) so many of you may not have this problem at all.
FC 5 Conditioner: I love this conditioner, checked the ingredient list...it passed! It's not too heavy and leaves my hair silky and shiny.
Shampoo Cleansing Ingredients To Avoid: (source: Savy Skin Blog)
Extremely common
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate
TEA Lauryl Sulfate
Sulfur (in dandruff shampoos)
Selenium Sulfide (in dandruff shampoos)
Less common
Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Alkyl Sodium Sulfate
Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate
TEA-Dodecylbenzene
Sodium C12-15 Alkyl Sulfate
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfonate
According to a NY Times Article, Sulfate-Free Brands Have Some in a Lather, there is one drug store brand that is boasting sulfate free: Loreal Paris' EverPure and EverStrong. I am not sure of the rest of the ingredients, however I am going to check them out because I am positive they are cheaper than Arbonne. Aveda is another company that does not include sulfates in their products. On the flip side, stylists are saying that some of their clients are seeing lackluster hair because they are using sulfate-free shampoos.
The VERDICT: For how expensive Arbonne's products are, some of them still have a form of sulfate in them. The conditioner is the only one that I would DEFINITELY buy again. As for the use of sulfates, the verdict is out. I am getting yays and nays so it is up to you to make the decision for yourself. I am not convinced that they are aweful enough for me to throw away everything with sulfates in them (like I did with everything containing soy ingredients). I am still going to use Arbonne as I really do love the way my hair looks and feels.
Do you have any opinions on sulfates? Are you more confused than you were before? Do you even care about this issue?
*I am not being paid at this point to promote anything by Arbonne. The three products listed above are the only products I have reviewed from Arbonne, therefore I do not have an opinion on any of their other products.
If you are interested in buying Arbonne products or have any questions about them please contact kellytalty27@gmail.com.
I am not exaggerating when I say that for as far back as I can remember I have had horrible dry skin, especially on my legs. It is common for me to have a year supply of lotions, face creams, and Chapstick (just in case the world comes to an end... at least I can continue my addiction for a little while longer). I am constantly waking myself up from scratching in the middle of the night. Sometimes I have to even get out of bed and rub cream into my legs to get them to stop itching. It's uncomfortable to say the least.
Although most of my focus has been on nutrition and foods, I have read in several different books that the additives put in beauty/hygiene products are just as toxic as some of the food like substances we eat. One for instance would be aluminum in deodorant. The aluminum acts as an anti-persperant, and makes up a large percentage of most deodorants. The problem with aluminum is that it builds up in our bodies and becomes toxic. This is mostly a problem for women who shave their armpits (all women I hope- there is nothing worse than little scraggly hairs peeking out!).The aluminum is absorbed through the broken skin most often when deodorant is applied right after shaving. I switched to Tom's of Maine deodorant which has no aluminum in it. Anyway the moral of my story is that along with changing my eating habits I am also starting to look into natural food based beauty products.
Back to my dry skin!
I could very well write a book about all of the different body lotions and face creams that I have tried ( it wouldn't be very exciting). I have to admit I am never satisfied. My dry skin is never quenched. When I started the 4 week eating challenge, one of the things that I wanted to see if I could remedy was my dry skin from the inside out. Well, I cannot quit body lotion cold turkey, because I would have to check myself into an insane asylum. SO...I decided to try natural oils. I have read of people using coconut and almond oils. Well, I couldn't find unrefined almond oil at my local Whole Foods, but I did find an unrefined coconut oil.
IT IS A MIRACLE IN A JAR!!!!
I kid you not. I have taken 3 showers since I bought the unrefined coconut oil. I keep the jar in the shower, and the heat warms it up into a liquid state (it is naturally a saturated fat so it is solid at room temperature). After I am done showering I dry myself off while I am still in the shower, and lube myself up with the liquid coconut oil. The reason I do it while I am still in the shower is because your pores are open to absorb more of the oil. You will be slightly oily after you get out, but it is not ridiculous because most of it is absorbed rather quickly.
No exaggeration- I do not feel the need to constantly scratch my legs any more. If you have dry skin PLEASE try this. There are no chemicals, nothing but natural, unrefined coconut oil. It is roughly $10-$13 a jar, which is comparable to a bottle of lotion, however since it is an oil you will use much much less. It is also a natural remedy for dry itchy scalp, which I also suffer from. So I will be trying it for that too and will let you know how it goes. I will specifically be looking to see if it makes my hair an oily mess because I know that many women would be hesitant to try it for that reason.
If you are interested in more information about all of the uses for coconut oil please visit Organic Facts. I also use it to cook and bake.
DON'T go into another dry skin season without trying this. I hope it works for you as well as it did for me!
