Natural Skin Care Products

As more people are becoming aware of the effect of pesticides and synthetic ingredients on our environment and health, more women are interested in using natural skin care products.

With the increasing demand comes more widely available natural skin care products which may be chemical-free, completely organic, or even vegan. It is estimated that, during a typical skin care treatment, a woman’s skin, hair and nails come in contact with over 100 chemicals, many of them harmful to health. In her lifetime, the average woman will ingest around four pounds of lipstick, and lipstick can contain tar, aluminum and many other poisonous or carcinogenic substances. Therefore, natural skin care products are more in demand these days, as awareness of health increases.

Natural skin care products are available in the following forms:

Cosmetics
Shampoos and conditioners
Cleansers
Skin conditioners
Skin toners and hydrators

There are also natural perfumes, moisturizers and skin treatments. Natural and organic cosmetics are free of synthetic dyes and the color can be obtained through plants and minerals. They usually have a shorter shelf-life than conventional cosmetics, and should be replaced often. Natural cosmetics are available as foundations, lipsticks, eyeliners and other beautifying products. Many natural cosmetics use animal products such as beeswax and lanolin, and vegans, those who avoid animal products completely, should find cosmetics using vegetable oils such as palm and shea butter.

Many of consumers of natural beauty products enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy along with cleansing and conditioning their skin and hair. Aromatherapy is the art of affecting one’s sense of well-being through the use of essential oils from flowers and herbs. Some blends stimulate while others relax. Many natural skin care products are available in sets which include a shower gel, soap, shampoo and conditioner, a scrub and cologne. Orange, bergamont and cedar have stimulating effects and refresh the skin. Many report a tingling sensation after using natural citrus and cedar products. Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang soothes and prevents stress.

Natural skin care products are usually made of bases and essential oils. Depending on the product, the base may be a wax or a cream made of moisturizing oils and plant butters. Unrefined shea butter from Africa is a common choice and Tamanu from Madagascar is prized for its soothing properties. The best essential oils are expeller pressed, which means that they are extracted without chemical solvents. The bases and oils are combined to produce skin creams, cleansers, perfumes and lipsticks.

Skin masks and treatments are in-depth processes and require several types of natural skin care products for an entire treatment. Mud masks may contain real, vitamin-rich mud or clay from certain regions of the world known for producing nourishing products. A mask, which draws out the impurities from the skin and improves circulation, is usually followed by a hydrating spray. Rosewater is often used for this purpose, because of its nourishing and moisturizing properties. The skin is cleansed using a scrub, made of crushed peach pits or another rough material that sloughs off dead cells. Cleansers are used according to one’s skin type; those with dry skin may use a cleanser with a fruit such as avocado or banana, and those with oily-skin or acne find tea tree oil cleanser to be quite effective. A moisturizer completes the treatment, and is made of oils from plants such as cocoa or palm that gently add moisture without clogging the pores.

One should be careful when purchasing natural skin care products. Many conventional skin care products claim to have natural ingredients, but this might mean that they use a bit of a plant or an herb, and the other 95% of the lotion is made of chemicals. Read the label to ensure that the products you are using are all-natural, if this is important to you, and work with a company that you trust.

By: Matt Garrett -

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Home Food Storage and Healthy Food Choices

Eating Vagen is essential to your health we all know that, but keeping the food at it`s peak is as important as knowing the recipes needed to prepare the food (side note: Here`s our great recipe book if you`re looking for that too, it will open in a new window so you can check it out after you finish reading this article, now on with the show).  A home food storage program can be the gateway to controlling the additives in the food we eat.

"Our products do not contain aluminum, artificial fragrances, artificial flavors, dyes, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, phtalates, artificial preservatives, triclosan or other unwanted artificial ingredients." Thus states The Green Beaver Company, a Canadian firm manufacturing "healthy all natural personal care products", as they describe the toothpastes which they include in their lineup of products.

This is all part of a growing trend, a trend to go back to the natural, and the organic. Many consumers now actively seek products that are not filled with unknown and, to them, suspect chemicals. They don’t want cosmetics that have gone through much animal testing on the way to marketability. They want products that are environmentally safe and people friendly.

This thinking, however, is not limited to toothpaste and face creams. Our food supplies are also now coming under increased scrutiny by those who want to address these legitimate concerns. The typical North American now enjoys unprecedented choice, convenience and abundance when it comes to choosing food supplies for fridge, freezer or kitchen cupboard. Yet, is there a hidden price being paid? The answer to that depends upon what you feel about food additives, and to just what you consider to be an additive. Even fresh food can sometimes be suspect. Is it possible that those tomatoes might have a trace of pesticide residue left upon them? What really is in that waxy substance that is used to make those apples so shiny and attractive?

Often preservatives are necessary. They can extend shelf life, add flavor, and hinder bacterial growth. They are what have made possible much of the abundance and variety that we enjoy today. But is there anything that we can do to cut back on at least some of these chemicals that we almost unknowingly consume each and every day? Well, that is one area in which home food storage can play a role.

Consider a package of beef jerky. It is relatively inexpensive, easily available, and tasty. Check out the package cover. It likely says right on it, "High in Protein - Low in Fat." That certainly sounds like a nice, healthful snack, but what’s all of that in the list of ingredients? There’s beef, water, sugar, soy sauce, salt, spices, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed corn protein, sodium erthorbate, sodium nitrite and mesquite smoke. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. There’s no other choice. This is on a "take it or leave it basis." You could, of course, look for another brand, but, again, you cannot remove what has already been added, and there is sure to have been something added.

Yet, making beef jerky at home is also a possibility. You’ll probably want a dehydrator and some lean ground beef. You will probably want to add some things yourself, but now you do get to choose. There is a commercially available product sold under the brand name Jerky Works. They provide jerky making tools and flavorings. Typically, you would mix one of their flavor packets and one of their cure packets with one pound of that lean, ground beef. Try your best though to stick to a raw vegetable diet, it`s just the wiser choice.

Yes, this means there are still "additives", but now you are only adding Dextrose, Salt, Natural Spices, Hickory Smoked Flavor, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, and Imitation Maple Flavor in the seasoning, and salt and sodium nitrate in the "cure". Is that better?

Many would say, "yes", but if you are saying, "no", you still have the option of doing your own flavoring and curing. One recipe calls for flank steak, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning salt. Is that even better? It might be, but you might want to consider the fact that Worcestershire sauce also has a list of ingredients - malt vinegar, white vinegar, blackstrap molasses, soya sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, sodium benzoate), brown sugar, salt, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, tamarind concentrate, caramel color, anchovies, citric acid, spice extract, polysorbate 80, sulphites and natural flavor as found in one brand.

One could choose another recipe, but the simple fact is that you are unlikely to be able to entirely eliminate these so-called food additives whether you are buying it from the store, or whether you are doing your own food processing. Even salt, which is so often used and so often termed a "natural" ingredient, is actually a chemical - sodium chloride, so with it, you are still adding chemicals. On the other hand, by doing it yourself you do get to exercise control. You pick. You choose. They’re additives which you will have approved.

Beef jerky might not be something that would appeal to a vegan, but it does make for a good example. The fact is these choices can be made in relation to all sorts of food storage. Check out the additives in that can of tomato sauce. What could you eliminate if you made your own sauce?

Would a food washer put your mind at ease when it comes to those pesticide residues? Are you a hiker and enjoy trail mix, but have trouble finding something suitable for you personally? Again, you can do it yourself, and control it yourself.

Home food storage can indeed save you money, but it can also allow you to make more healthful food choices.

By Gary Palmer Published: 6/2/200

More Food for thought on storage…

The link to the "Foodie Food Storage"

So the first reality of food storage is that we’re headed back to the peasant cusines - as they existed for ordinary people. [...] The cookbooks are written mostly for Americans and their huge, seasonless quantities of milk, eggs and meat … Then I worked on getting rid of corn derivatives and getting as much organic as possible, until I was getting almost nothing at the local supermarket.

Overwhelmed by learning about long term food storage?

Overwhelmed by learning about long term food storage? Relax, here’s a plan. I know how you feel. Just take a deep breathe and compartmentalize…..it can be very overwhelming at first. That’s one reason I found the easy open buckets for … A year’s supply of organic< fef /b> sugar for our family is 50lbs. Stored right in the bucket in the pantry. As that gets low we restock to be prepared for a year. 

The Benefits Of Vacuum Sealer Food Storage

… bags are the right size, you may even store important legal papers in a vacuum sealed bag for your protection. Tilia vacuum sealers food storage is a practical method for you to preserve your family’s food. Not only could you extend the life of your foods, but you could also protect them from spoilage and be able to preserve their natural flavors. The vacuum bags can be used for simplifying food preparation as well.

Transition to Biodiverse, Organic, Local Food

In addition to reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience, biodiverse organic farmingalso produces more food and higher incomes. If all US cropland became organic it would increase soil-carbon storage by 367 million tons and would …

Grandmom’s guide to Green Living: Living without refrigerators …

The first way is to use only fresh food. Here in the Philippines, we have limited refrigerator storage and a lot of employees to feed. So our cook shops every day for meat/fish and vegetables.

Food Storage: A Crisis Savings Account

Unless your cupboard is bare, you have food storage. Most families in America can eat from the food stored in their pantries and freezers for three days to.

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