Sorting Through The Mess

"Natural": Sorting Through

the Mess

What Mess? The mess that confronts us when we attempt to buy so-called
natural body care products from a natural foods store. How can the educated person decide what to buy when:
a. The ingredients on the bottom are not pronouncable, and
b. Each brand defines “natural” in its own way?

Use this article as a tool to help you define natural for yourself. Your definition might differ from mine in the end, but what's important is that you are knowledgeable about ingredients, and that you learn not to trust the establishment! (You don't have to sport a bandana and Birkenstocks to believe this.)

I’ll start by outlining several popular renditions of the word 'natural' and then explain why they don’t make the grade (in my humble opinion).

1. plant-derived
2. coming from nature
3. containing all vegetable-based ingredients
4. containing some vegetable-based ingredients
5. containing minute amounts of vegetable-based ingredients whose
   purpose is solely to harness the shopping power of the average intelligent,
   trusting consumer who feels that “natural” is somehow better, and is
   soothed by the presence of words such as “aloe” and “lavender” at the
   very bottom of the ingredients list after the word fragrance, which only
   makes up .05% percent of the formula.

All of the above have one thing in common: They all purport to have ingredients derived from plant materials, and assume that this fact is equivalent to the concept of “natural”. But where does the concept of “natural” come from? People who are looking for natural products are suspicious of man-made products for many reasons. The reasons can be as amorphous as the concept that Nature knows best how to maintain a balance, and has created more wonders than man/womankind can ever dream of.

Another reason could be the perpetuation of the age-old folk wisdom that claims that certain plants have healing properties that are beneficial to us. Then there’s the information that screams at us from the media on a regular basis: “A chemical spill resulted in a whole generation of townspeople having deformed children!” “Don’t eat too much tuna or salmon, the mercury toxicity is at unprecedented levels!” This or that is NOW known to cause cancer, even though it was approved by the FDA years ago. (Can you say “guinea pig”)? Whatever the reason, when people are
searching for “natural” products, they are specifically searching for non-synthetic, non man-made products! So, let me explain why these common presentations of “natural” don’t match this concept.

Let’s begin by asking some crucial questions:

1. If an ingredient is “plant-derived”, how was it derived?
2. Does the extraction process result in an ingredient that is
   chemically different that it's source?
3. Does the extraction process destroy the purported healing
   capabilities of the plant? (After all, the majority of us have acne when we’re
   young, acne and dry skin at the same time when we’re middle-aged, and
   wrinkles when we’re older, so we are in fact, looking for something to
   “fix" us).

To illustrate my first point about extraction methods of plant materials, I’ll tell you a little story. When I first started making my own body-care products, I read about shea butter, about how women in Africa had been using it for centuries, and swore by it as a moisturizer and hair treatment. So I decided to buy some in bulk to use in the manufacturing of my lotions. Not being internet savvy at the time, I called the corporate office of NOW foods after purchasing a small jar of their shea
butter from a store shelf. (It’s since then that I’ve begun chanting the mantra: "Don’t trust the establishment", and this certainly refers to health-food stores). The employee who answered the phone gave me a price for a 20-kilo bucket if I bought it from NOW, and then promptly gave me the name of the manufacturer who distributed it to them. (!?) So naturally, I called the manufacturer, who supplies to many, many companies who manufacture so-called “natural” products. I ordered my twenty-kilo bucket, and it arrived, white and waxy, with a slight chemical
odor. But not knowing better, I began making my lotions with it. Several months later, after continued research on the subject, I realized that what I had bought was not shea butter at all. It was a wax that had been chemically extracted from the karite nut, and then manually, and chemically refined. The product that I had bought was classified by the venerable FDA itself as a synthetic. Well whoopdie-do, didn’t I feel stupid! I gave myself two dunce awards: one for having bought something so new to me in such large quantities, and two for not having done
adequate research.

I spoke to the manufacturer (or processor, I should say) at great length, and this is what I was told: The wax is extracted using solvent-type chemicals. Solvents are something like paint-thinner, and are very toxic. How do we know they’re toxic? Because after refining, including bleaching the wax further, the solvents are vacuumed out! Down to a residual percentage, I was told. Hmmmm.

At this point, I need to stop and take a minute to reiterate the mantra: “Don’t trust the establishment!” Case in point: One of the tenets that you will hear over and over from the body-care industry, and especially the chemists who produce the products, is this: “Small amounts of toxins won’t hurt you”. CONSIDER THIS CONCEPT A TRAIN WRECK AND YOU; THE HELPLESS WRETCH TIED TO THE TRACKS. Let me take a moment to tear apart this odiously fragranced concept.

1. The human skin is an organ and absorbs up to 60% of everything that is applied to it. As an example: How many drugs now use the skin as the method of delivery into the human system? The nicotine patch has been around for years, and now we can see women cavorting on T.V. explaining how easy birth control can be with a hormone patch.

2. Many chemicals DEPOSIT, meaning, STAY in the body after the carrier, such as a lotion, or a cosmetic, has long been washed away. So every minute percentage of these chemicals that you absorb builds up over time to become a potentially fatal pile-up. For example, methylparaben and proplyaraben, explained on 365 brand bottles of lotion as “plant-derived”, and whose purpose is to maintain freshness, are routinely found deposited in cancerous tumors extracted from the deceased. What do innocent freshness maintainers have to do with cancer? That’s another long story, but you can read about it at this link: www.livingnature.com. Go to the news and talk section of the site. Then turn over every body care product and cosmetic that you have at home and look at the bottom of the list. Multiply those products times how many times you use them per day, times 365 times your age, and then try to figure out if your organs have paraben deposits in them.

The wholly unfunny thing about all of this is that if you walk into any grocery store, there are food products lining the shelves, advertising “no preservatives”. It screams out at us that there must be something wrong with preservatives, yet they are in all of our body care and cosmetic products with the exception of very, very, very few brands.

How is this possible you say? Because the FDA does not regulate body care products in the same way that it does food products. The rational is that these products are being used on the OUTSIDE of the body (Can someone please forward this article to the FDA so that someone there can read the information about the percentage of product absorption through the skin, though I imagine that they already know about it since the FDA approved the patch delivery method for pharmaceuticals!)

But I digress. Back to the shea butter. So this company supplies this chemically treated wax in bulk to the natural products industry, and the manufacturers in turn make lotion with it, and label it “shea-butter lotion”, even though it simply is not. Not shea-butter lotion, and not natural. The manufacturers are either ignorant, or count on us being so.

Here is a list of ingredients that are often solvent-extracted and/or bleached:

• Apricot Kernel oil
• Jojoba oil
• Castor oil
• Almond oil
• Beeswax
• Cocoa butter
• Mango butter
• Kokum butter
• And many others

To avoid these “residual” solvents and bleaches, Look for the words, “cold-processed", or "cold-pressed oils" on the labels.

Another extraction method that is used is heat. Heat is natural, right? But as we all know from the culinary field, the longer that you cook a vegetable, the less of the vitamins and minerals are present in it at time of consumption. Oftentimes, extremely high heat is used to extract fatty esters, for example, from plants. An example is stearic acid. Stearic acid is used to emulsify, or combine oil and water in a product to make it resemble a lotion instead of a bottle of Italian dressing. Palm stearic acid has nothing resembling palm oil in its chemical makeup, due to the fact that the heat destroyed all of those elements. The shea butter that I bought came in a bucket, and had a sink-hole in it from having been poured from a melted state. Good, cold-pressed shea butter should come wrapped in plastic in a chunk. That’s how a manufacturer can be more sure that it hasn’t been heated at all.

So, extraction methods can turn simple ingredient like jojoba oil into carriers for small percentages of toxic chemicals that build up over time.

One other very large problem with the word “natural” is that not all “natural” ingredients are good for the human body. Talc, for example, is simply not a healthy ingredient. Again, look at the industry for proof: Johnson and Johnson now offer a “talc-free” version of baby powder. Yet talc is a completely natural ingredient, mined from the ground. It is in Aveda’s eye-shadows.

Carmine, an extract of a beetle’s wings is called “natural” by some, because it comes from “nature”. Not only is it an inappropriate product for those who don’t want animal-based ingredients in their products, but it causes irritation to the skin of many women, and was linked to heart failure in an incident involving Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice. It is, despite all of the controversy and evidence, in Burt’s Bees, and Ecco Bella lipsticks, as well as many other “natural” brands of cosmetics.
Have I chipped away at any of your trust yet?

So... (drum roll)... Here is a new definition of “natural” as it relates to body care and cosmetic products.

100% of ingredients are:

• Plant-based
• Cold-processed
• Not chemically refined or bleached
• Fragranced only with essential oils or Co2 extracts
• The products themselves are produced with the lowest possible heat if
  any to preserve the botanical properties of each component

PHEW! There it is! The magical definition. Now, good luck finding
manufacturers who live by these golden rules. Here is some of what you’ll
come across as you begin your journey.

Let's say that you notice an editor's pick when browsing through Organic Style magazine. The editor recommends a Kathleen Lewis collection of Narcissus-scented products, including a candle, a soap, and a lotion. Narcissus certainly sounds natural. After all, it's a flower, right? And the products look handmade and trustworthy with their simple packaging, and home-made looking labels. The editor even calls the product "Kathleen Lewis all-natural Narcissus-scented lotion" ("All" means 100% right? Or has the Webster Dictionary redefined it to mean "partial" and I'm the ignorant one? The editor of Organic Style couldn't possibly
be confused about the words "all-natural", could she? Well, in fine print on the candle, is the evidence that Kathleen Lewis herself knows that the products are synthetically fragranced: "Ingredients: Beeswax, and Narcissus fragrance oil". The word fragrance oil means that the person who made the product bought a synthetic fragrance from a supplier who bought it from a lab. It has no connection at all with a flower of any kind. In fact, there is no "natural" fragrance distilled from the Narcissus flower. Some flowers' essential oils can be distilled from their leaves and buds in a steam-distillation process that nets minute drops of oil that give off the wondrous scent of the plant itself. These oils are called essential oils. If you see the words. "lavender fragrance", that's a synthetic, and if you see the words, "lavender essential oil", that means that the actual oil from the lavender buds has been distilled into a bottle for your smelling pleasure. The problem of course, is that essential oils are much more expensive than fragrance oils. Mais bien sur! But of course! Man-made materials are usually cheaper than natural ones. "Exotic" essential oils such as orange flower (neroli), jasmine, and sandalwood are very pricey. The wonderful thing is that one drop can scent an eight ounce bottle of oil, such as almond oil. Then the almond oil can be applied as a scented perfume oil. The essential oils are very powerful and concentrated.

"So, what's the big deal?", many women say. Here's the big deal... SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES CAN KILL YOU! No kidding! Really! "And so can a car crash", I hear a lot, and here's another one: " I'm gonna die somehow, someway". Another person says "I can't spend my whole life worrying about things!" Well, I think to myself, "Why don't you spend time in a hospital room with a fifty-year old woman who is dying from breast cancer, won't see her daughter finish college, won't ever see her son score a goal again, and so on. It's not necessarily about when you die,
or if you die, but how, and the quality of your life up until that point. "Cancer comes from unidentified sources". WRONG! Cancer comes from the overload of chemicals that has invaded our lives in the last 50 years. At first, plastics seemed so wonderful until PVC plastic was found to cause birth defects. Then hundreds of thousands of teething toys were retracted because they were made of PVC plastic. But whaddaya know? The pthalates that are the health culprits embedded in the chemical makeup of these plastics are still in the perfumes and colognes that are
sprayed directly on the skin every day. Women have been tested and found to have much higher rates of this and other fragrance-related toxins than men, because they use many more scented products! Women are the childbearers! So the toxic teething toys were retracted to protect babies, but the same toxins were not mandated to be removed the products used by the women whose bodies create, nurse, and nurture babies. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, isn't it?

So what is a fragrance made of? Here's a few of the 300 or so chemicals that can make up a typical fragrance:

• acetone
• benzaldehyde
• benzyl acetate
• benzyl alcohol
• ethanol
• ethyl acetate
• limonene
• linalool
• methylene chloride
• a-PINENE
• g-TERPENTINE
• a-TERPINEOL

Well, manufacturers and handcrafters like to say, "It's a small percentage of the formula." That tired, old argument again. Let me ask you a question. Why are public baby pools rigorously drained by pool maintenance staff on a sometimes daily basis? As soon as the day is done, and sometimes mid-day, the water is tested, and then changed and chlorinated. But, if we follow the logic of cosmetic chemists, based on the size of a baby pool, a little wee-wee from a baby can't be much more than .05% of the overall volume of liquid in there! So, would you swim in there? Well, consider your "all-natural" lilac shower gel with 05% lilac fragrance oil to be the equivalent. It's a drop of sludge. A drop of leftover petroleum products that the oil industry pawned off to the cosmetic industry; toxic alcohols, solvents, and infertility-inducing pthalates all rolled up in a prettily decorated bottle labeled, "natural". ( It would be interesting to entertain the notion that there is a conspiracy on the part of the pharmaceutical companies to deliberately interfere with human fertility in order to boost sales of fertility drugs.... but we'll save that for another occasion)

So let's scratch the .05% theory once and for all, okay? Remember: absorption, deposits, baby pool.

Now, to help you figure out which products are fragranced, and which are natural, here are some scents that cannot be distilled from flowers. One point to make, however, is that some brilliant aromatherapists have been able to approximate the scent of orchids, for example, by blending many essential oils (those are the truly natural ones) together. So always ask if you don't see the word, "fragrance" on the bottle.

Here's a brief list of some synthetic fragrances:

Freesia
Strawberry
Banana Nut Bread
Coconut
Lilac
Begonia
Almond
Cookie Dough
Apple
Apricot
Sea-breeze
Blueberry
SummerRain
Honeydew
Cranberry
Melon
Cucumber
Mango
Gardenia
Lily
Hyacinth
Candy
Honeysuckle
Peach
Pearberry
Plumeria
Violet
Watermelon

As well, some essential oils that can be synthetically duplicated, such as:

lavender
cinnamon
vanilla
vetiver
frankincense
myrrh
sandalwood
orange
tangerine
lime
mint
basil
and more. Remember, just look for the word "fragrance" vs. "essential oil" to determine how a product is scented.

If you are still not convinced of the potentially fatal consequences of using synthetically fragranced products including perfumes, lotions, shower gels, shampoos, soaps, candles, etc, then here's the story of a soapmaker, a young woman, who ran a very successful business making handmade soaps for many large clients, including stores, hotels, and salons. They all requested the delectable and intoxicating fragrances that only nature can produce naturally, but at a low price, so she worked with fragrance oils for many years. She now cannot let anything synthetically fragranced touch her skin, or be close enough for inhalation, or her whole body will break out in a rash, her throat will constrict, and her eyes will tear uncontrollably. She is dying from toxic exposure. She cannot halt the process and is slowly deteriorating from a disease born specifically out of her professional and prolonged contact with fragrance oils. This is not unusual. There are many, many instances of soapmakers dying young of cancer due to the unscrupulous sale and promotion of fragrance oils by so-called "natural" products suppliers. Every time that I order my unbleached beeswax from a popular soapmaking supplies site, a small box of fragrance oil is in the box; a gift for my smelling pleasure. The bottles line my shelves, untouched. These suppliers are not required by law to publish the already-proven toxicity levels of fragrance oils on their sites. It reminds me of the blithe promotion of cigarettes by the tobacco industry when it was already aware of the studies linking the chemicals in the cigarettes to cancer. Of course there is now a Surgeon General's warning on the package of cigarettes. It all comes down to cost, but it begs the question, " What could possibly be more costly than a beautiful life, needlessly lost due to ignorance? " Don't kid yourself: Just because the concentrated contact of these women is much is higher than your contact with these chemicals doesn't mean that you are immune. The quantity of chemicals imbedded in a modern adult human body is astounding.

But the horse's hide is getting sore, so let's continue our journey. Perhaps you have become disheartened with the pages of the "Organic" magazines, and find it impossible to find any products without synthetic preservatives in your health food store. So you get on the computer and do a search for "natural skin care products". You find what looks like a promising site that advertises "all-natural" products made with only botanical oils, no fragrances or synthetic preservatives. You click on the ingredients list for a lavender face cream: Lavender hydrosol, Apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, vegetable emulsifying wax, vitamin E, Rosemary Extract, GSE. GSE is short for Grapefruit Seed Extract, and there is some controversy about whether it preserves well, but the ingredient that needs to be brought forward and discussed is vegetable emulsifying wax. There is no such thing, anywhere. Anyone who claims that the product called emulsifying wax, is "vegetable" is either lying or being lied to.

These are the ingredients in emulsifying wax NF: Polysorbate 60, oleth-10, PEG-75 lanolin, PEG-150 Stearate and Steareth 20. Doesn't sound like a vegetable to me. I like my veggies green and crunchy with easy to read names like broccoli, or avocado. Call me a dunce, but one word ingredients that I can actually recognize make me feel so comforted.

So, as we all know, an emulsifier is designed to combine oil and water to create a creamy lotion. Some natural alternatives to emulsifying wax are:

• beeswax (unbleached) and sodium borate (borax, a natural mineral salt )
• xantham gum (from corn)
• Irish Moss ( a sea plant)
• Acacia Gum (from the Acacia Tree)

I promise you that if you keep looking, you will find some companies that have a very stringent definition of "natural", and offer pure products for customers that are tired of being confused by complicated chemical names and explanations that smell suspicious. So continue on your journey, and please invite others to join you. We can succumb to hopelessness, or we can caringly spread our knowledge and concern to others. What is amazing about living in the "modern world" is that in many third-world countries, growing organic foods is the default method, due to the high price of pesticides and chemical feeds and fertilizers. Skin care is often as simple as handmade soap, and olive oil as a moisturizer. We, in the first world, have the capability and the knowledge to begin to create stringent laws that will reign in the runaway cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry that is knowingly placing toxins in the hands of the human family. It is criminal that this still goes on. Please, if any of this article touches you, use this following bibliography to do further research, and spread the word.

Join The Thousands Of People Who Are Looking Better, Feeling Better, and With A Renewed Sense Of Self-Esteem...By Using Natural Skin Care Products..Look And Feel Naturally Sexy And Attractive

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After 15years in the beauty industry I have realised that Natural Skin Care is the SAFEST and most EFFECTIVE option when it come to beauty and lets face it, NO-ONE wants to take a chance when it comes to their skin.......I will show you how to create your own 100% NATURAL MONEY SAVING recipes and ideas, STOP wasting my money on over-the-counter products!

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Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

Just because you’re asleep, doesn’t mean your beauty treatments have to stop working. Keep your skin soft and supple in winter months by giving them a little overnight care and attention…

Hands

Your hands are usually kept busy from the moment you rise to the moment you head back to sleep, so the perfect time to give them a little rest and recuperation is while you’re asleep. An ordinary hand cream will suffice, but it is worth choosing a product that is rich and moisturizes deeply. There are a number of Natural Beuaty products you can use or you could reap the benefits of making you own creams which are just as potent and more econmical- try putting on cotton gloves after applying your chosen product, as this stops you losing most of the cream on the sheets. For a deeply moisturising treat for your mitts mix a base oil, such as sweet almond, with an essential oil of your choice.

Feet

Like our hands, feet only get a really good rest at night and are prone to dryness all year round. To keep them soft and smooth rub gently with a pumice stone before bed, or use a foot scrub – there are lots on the market now and many contain pumice. Once your feet are scrubbed up and thoroughly dried, apply a rich foot cream such as a Dry Skin Relief Foot Cream or an Overnight Foot Treatment, put on some cotton socks and when you wake your feet will be as good as new.

Face
Using a night cream is essential to maintain the skins fresh look as well as aiding skin repair during the sleeping process. Night creams work their magic while you sleep, and you shouldn’t even think about going to bed without removing all traces of dirt and make-up and applying a good night cream. Choose a product that’s best for your needs; night creams are often enriched with a range of ingredients to help moisturise and nourish your skin. There are also a growing number of new products available, such as anti-ageing night creams.

Body
Select a body lotion with a subtle, relaxing fragrance to help you drift off to sleep while simultaneously treating your skin to an overnight moisture boost. Essential oils including lavender, bergamot and marjoram are said to relax and soothe, so look for products containing these ingredients.Or you could simply make you own 100% NATURAL potent products which are becoming increasingly popular.

For Help you get a good nights sleep, I recommend you try using a herbal bath treatment or essential oils. You will soon see the benefits when you wake up after your sleep feeling REFRESHED and ENERGISED

Click Here To Get More Information

Nadia xxxxxx :-)

Facial Steaming

Are you ready for a heavenly way to rejuvenate yourself and encourage some peaceful relaxation? We suggest creating your very own Facial Steam.

Facial Steams help rid impurities and hydrate the skin. It is one of the best ways to clean your pores and release toxins.

How to Create a Facial Steam

It is recommended to have a facial steam once a week.

• Boil three cups of water and pour into a bowl. Let the water cool down until warm.

• Add a few drops of Ballymoon’s essential oils (perhaps Lavender, Sweet Orange or Ylang Ylang) to turn your facial steam into a spa experience

Tip: Are you starting to suffer from a cold or flu? Eucalyptus is one on the best oils to use as a decongestant. You will be amazed how fast it will clear you right up.

• Use a towel to create a tent over your head and shoulders.

• Hold your head close to the bowl, close your eyes and breath in deeply.

Did you know that everyone’s face has fine vellum hair follicles that act as sensors for many different stimuli? The amount of water in the surface of the skin is tracked by these vellum hair follicles. The brain will not readily release oil out of the pores, if it is determined that this oil will be needed later for lack of hydration.

So when you are giving your face a fine mist of moisture with your facial steam or sauna the vellum on your skin sends a temporary message through that there is indeed enough water so extracting oil from the pores is easy through this process.

After your facial steam, you might want to continue on with your Spa treatments by applying a facial mask. This is a wonderful way to remove excess oil, skin and toxins off the surface of the skin.

Homemade Facial Mask Recipes- For that great Home Spa Experinece

Here are two great facial masks that you can easily whip up in your kitchen and apply.

Face Mask (helps to soften and tighten pores)

1 egg

1-tablespoon whole milk

1-teaspoon of honey

½ teaspoon of brewers yeast

Beat egg and then mix other ingredients.

Put on over wet face and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Papaya Mask (helps to remove dead skin)

¼-cup mashed (ripe) papaya

1-teaspoon plain yogurt

½-teaspoon of honey

Mix all ingredients until paste like. Put on face, leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Note: if you have oily skin – do not allow your mask to over dry. Your brain will register the loss of water in the over-drying process and produce more oil.

This oil will not show up on the skin until about 48 hours after the treatment.

For More Great Beauty Tips or to get the Great Spa Experience at Home Click Here NOW

Nadia xxxxxxx:-)

Going Natural All the way...Discover the benefits of Natural Skincare

Skin Booster

Eight Simple Foods to Boost Skin Health

Whether you are looking to defeat a particular skin problem, or simply wanting to gain -- or keep -- that youthful glow, herein our experts offer a list of eight simple foods that can feed your skin head-to-toe.

1. Seafood 3 times weekly. The key is omega-3 fatty acids, and salmon, tuna, and mackerel have the highest amount. If you're worried about toxins in fish, remember the FDA says up to 12 ounces a week is fine -- so three 4-ounce servings are fine. They recommend a variety of fish. In addition, studies show adding fish to your diet can also help reduce the inflammation associated with psoriasis and even eczema.
2. Nuts, grains, seeds. A handful of walnuts -- about 1 ounce -- gives you the same amount of omega-3 as 3.5 ounces of salmon. Flax seed sprinkled on cereal or used in muffins also offers a generous supply.
3. Olive oil. Your skin needs at least 2 tablespoons of oil a day for proper lubrication -- so if you're watching your diet and cutting down on fatty foods (a good thing) be sure to douse your salad with olive oil daily, or use it in recipes in place of other fats. For Great Recipes using olive oil click here
   
4. Fruit. While all fruits are great for healthy skin, chose a variety. The recommended serving is two to four per day.
5. Vegetables. You just can't enough of these -- and their powerful antioxidant benefits. Try lots of leafy greens, plus squash, pumpkin, and sweet potato for loads of vitamin A.

6. Whole-grain cereals and breads. The key here is to use these items to replace white flour and other refined baked goods and cereals in your diet, all of which are linked to an inflammatory reaction that can be harmful to skin.
7. Brazil nuts, tuna, and turkey. Studies show these selenium-rich foods can help reduce the inflammation associated with acne breakouts.


8. Tea. Be it white, green, or black, studies show the polyphenols found in tea have anti-inflammatory properties that may be beneficial to skin. Plus, one study published in the Archives of Dermatology found drinking 3 cups of oolong tea a day cut eczema symptoms for 54% of those who tried it.

Eating natural Wholesome food can be great for your health and your skin, but if you continue to put chemically filled products on your face, you could be reversing the effects of good nutrition and the benefits it would have on your skin.

Isn't it time you too started to realise the BENEFITS of natural skincare like the thousands of other women who have discovered nature' s beauty products and are now enjoying a chemical free beauty regime, they look and feel better and they know that later on in their life the benefits of natural skin care will promote a better look as natural produst actaully help to benefit and nourish the skin.

For An All Natural Total Body Beautifying Experience, Click Here Now

Nadia xxxxxx:-)

Doing It Naturally

You work hard to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. You know that organic foods can help you avoid ingesting nasty hormones and chemicals but did you know that these toxins are creeping into your system in other ways? Your moisturizers, eye creams, and make up may seem harmless, but check out the labels and you'll find a laundry list of tongue-twisting ingredients, many of which could be hazardous to your health. In a recent survey, conducted by Health, eighty three percent of responding consumers indicated that they would rather use all natural body products. The skin care industry is responding to this demand. The natural and organic skin care product sector has seen a growth of thirty nine percent over the last year. Some of these products may claim to be all-natural, while still containing a slew of chemicals and toxins. Here's what you need to know about natural skin care and how to determine if the product you are using is free of harmful chemicals.

Why Choose Natural Skin Care Products?

There is approximately six pounds of skin on your body which provides a porous membrane into your system. Dirt, dust, pollutants, and other environmental pollutants enter the body through the skin, providing a more significant gateway to your system than food. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that 884 chemicals used in personal care products and cosmetics are known to be toxic. And a recent Canadian study in Pediatric Drugs found cosmetic and personal care products as the most common cause of unintentional poisonings of kids under six.

The chemicals and toxins found in most commercial skin care products also have a detrimental effect on the environment, although this effect is just beginning to be understood. In March, a team of US Geological Survey scientists showed that a variety of chemicals from personal care products were among 95 wastewater contaminants found in US waterways.

Why poison yourself and the environment with toxic chemicals and pollutants? Natural skin care products are healthier for you, for your skin, and for the environment. But many products may claim to be all-natural while still containing a number of harmful ingredients. Make sure you read and understand the product label to ensure that the product your using is as natural as it claims to be.

Reading the Ingredients Label

Organic personal care manufacturing needs strict standards and enforcement in order to be effective. Currently, some manufacturers claim their products are organic merely as a marketing gimmick. One look at their products ingredients clearly suggests otherwise. Only by tying organic beauty care closely to the National Organic Program standards can the "lifestyle" marketed by the manufacturers represent the values at the core of organic agriculture.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies cosmetics into 13 categories, but it does not regulate them. According to the FDA, "A cosmetic manufacturer may use any ingredient or raw material and market the final product without government approval." Seven toxins are banned, but many more known toxins and carcinogens are allowed in cosmetic formulations. Less than one percent of the FDA's budget is for the evaluation of skin care products.

Many commercial skin care products have been regularly found to contain toxic chemicals. Surprisingly, most personal care products are not tested for health and safety. And because the FDA does not regulate skin care manufacturers, questionable ingredients often make their way into their formulas. These ingredients may seem harmless in the short-term, but their chemical components are stored in the fatty tissues of the body where they accumulate and magnify over time.

Cosmetics and personal care products are marketed based on the quality and content of their formulas. Many products claim to be filled with expensive vitamins, oils, and perfumes. Others claim to utilize an all-natural formula. But how can you be sure that the products you buy actually contain the ingredients they claim to have? Read the label, right? But unless you happen to be a scientist or chemist, the ingredient list on most cosmetics and personal care products will look like a long list of mind-numbing, tongue-twisting names.

This is where natural and organic skin care products should stand out. If a product claims to be all natural, its ingredients should be easily recognizable as natural components. Also, the ingredients should be listed in descending order with the most prominent factors listed first. Scrutinize the first several listings in the product to be sure that they are the natural ingredients you are looking for. If a skin care product contains an ingredient that you are unsure about, write down it's name and do a little research. A quick online search should reveal it's true nature. As a consumer, you need to be on the look out for chemicals and toxic ingredients that can be harmful to your skin and your body. You would not even think about eating a food that contained chemicals or cancer causing agents. Don't let these toxins enter your system through your beauty product either!

Join The Thousands Of People Who Are Looking Better, Feeling Better, and With A Renewed Sense Of Self-Esteem...By Using Natural Skin Care Products..Look And Feel Naturally Sexy And Attractive

You Have The Ability To Change The Way You Look And Feel About Yourself...Right Now!

After 15years in the beauty industry I have realised that Natural Skin Care is the SAFEST and most EFFECTIVE option when it come to beauty and lets face it, NO-ONE wants to take a chance when it comes to their skin.......I will show you how to create your own 100% NATURAL MONEY SAVING recipes and ideas, STOP wasting my money on over-the-counter products!

BUY Nadia's Natural Homemade Beauty Recipes

For More Natural Skincare Beauty , please click here or check out my website at:

www.beauty-elements.net

Nadia xxxxx :-)

Facial Exercices...Part 2

Facial exercises for lips

Give your face a lift -without surgery!

As we age facial muscles weaken, and skin begins to sag. But just as gym workouts can promote the body's youthful strength and suppleness, facial exercise - based on the same principles of dynamic resistance - can strengthen facial muscles. Independent studies have shown that using Facial Flex for two minutes twice daily for 60 days can noticeably improve skin circulation and muscle tone in the face.

If sagging muscles In your face chin and neck are aging you beyond your years, this medical discovery may reverse the process and make you look healthier, more vibrant, younger! Effects similar to a non surgical facelift.

Believe it or not, your face is probably the most neglected part of your body - wouldn't you agree? Think about it... constantly battered by the sun, wind and pollution, scrubbed with harsh cleansers and ointments, rarely exercised. That's right, exercised. The key to maintaining fitness in the rest of your body, exercise is also vital to facial fitness. In fact, exercising your facial muscles on a regular basis can have effects on your appearance that rival expensive face-lift surgery! Effects similar to a non surgical facelift Exercise your face.

How do you exercise your face, chin and neck? Contrary to popular opinion, day-to-day activity (talking, laughing) is not enough to promote facial fitness. You need to isolate and exercise the muscles of your face, chin and neck.

Exercises for the Lips

# 1 Sit upright facing forward and purse your lips together. Lift your pursed lips towards your nose and keep there for 5 counts, relax and repeat 5 times.

# 2 Pucker your lips slightly and when in this puckered position try with your mouth muscles to bring the corners of your mouth together as close as possible. Keep lips in this position for 5 counts, relax and repeat 5 times.

# 3 Sit upright facing forward and keep your lips closed and teeth together. Smile as broadly as possible, without opening your lips, keep there for 5 counts and when relaxing start puckering your lips in a pointed kiss. Keep there for 5 counts and relax - repeat 10 times.

# 4 Move your lips into a puckered kiss and while relaxing the kiss keep your lips closed and curl your lips into your mouth across your teeth. Hold this position for a count of 10 and repeat 5 times.

# 5 Sit relaxed with your lips hardly open and pucker your lips outwards. While your lips are in the outward position, move your puckered top lip towards your nose. Hold in this position for 10 counts and repeat 5 times.

Facial exercises for cheeks

# 1 Sit upright facing forward with lips closed but relaxed. Pucker and pout your lips using the muscles in your cheeks. (Feel with your fingers that you are using your cheek muscles.) Keep puckered for a count of 10, relax and repeat 10 times.

# 2 Have a relaxed smile with your lips closed and then suck in your cheeks towards and on to your teeth. Hold this for 10 counts, relax and repeat 10 times.

# 3 Look in a mirror while doing this exercise. Pout your top lip, turning the corners of your lips upwards and move your cheek muscles towards your eyes. You should at this stage try to get your top lip touching your nose. Keep in this position for 10 counts, relax and repeat 5 times.

# 4 Look in a mirror while doing this exercise. Smile as widely as possible - while keeping your lips closed and your mouth corners turned up. Try to make your mouth corners touch your ears. Next wrinkle your nose and see your cheek muscles move upwards and feel these muscles work. Keep for 5 counts, relax and repeat 10 times.

# 5 Keep your teeth and lips closed and blow air under your top lip and keep it there for 10 counts, then move it to your left cheek, hold for 10, to your lower lip, hold for 10 and then to your right cheek while holding it for a count of 10. Repeat 5 times.

Natural Beauty Recipes

Nadia xxxx:-)

Facial Exercises- Part 1

Facial exercises Part 1

Tired of wrinkles and an old face, then try doing some facial exercises.

Facial exercises to achieve that ageless face

• Prevent slack facial muscles
• Never mind how good your skin care might be, you may get to the time in your life where all your facial muscles simply go slack, lax, saggy, baggy and crepey. The effect is that of a pile of washing - untidy and not that great to look at.
• Achieve a smooth wrinkle-free skin
• Facial exercises will do a great deal to promote a smooth wrinkle-free skin, and a vibrant glowing picture of health. Start your free facial exercises now to achieve a more youthful look.
• Facial exercises are economical - they are for free
• Facial exercises will not take great effort or too much time, and pay handsome dividends in achieving a more smooth skin, with less wrinkles, lines and bags, glowing with health and vitality - a picture of a youthful looking you. You can't get more economical than these free facial exercises - so try the free facial exercises now.
• Tone your facial firmness
• These lines, wrinkles, folds and bags are not really wrinkles and lines as such, but are the supportive muscles in your face going soft - losing firmness, and not supporting the skin any more. Facial exercises can help with this - creating that facelift look with a non-surgical procedure.
• Facial exercises for all ages
• Facial exercises are not only for mature people to achieve a youthful, young, ageless and anti-aging face - but also for young people to maintain their youthful looks.
• Facial exercises are great for fighting wrinkles, and promoting a smooth, ageless, anti-aging skin, but also look at my Natural Skincare Products to really help you achieve that youthful looking you again.
• Facial exercises do not create wrinkles
• Facial exercises DO NOT cause wrinkles if done correctly - they actually help to make women and men look younger for longer, without a surgical facelift, by toning facial muscles. Surgical facelifts can be effective, but this type of cosmetic surgery is expensive, and can be traumatic. Why not try the free facial exercises as an alternative to a surgical facelift. The free facial exercises will not be as radical as the facelift, but will assist in achieving a younger looking face, without wrinkles and lines.
• Facial exercises do not cause baggy skin
• Facial exercises DO NOT cause loose and baggy skin - just the opposite. Incorrect exercises may cause problems, in the same way that incorrect exercises can hurt a muscle in your body. Some plastic surgeons promote and encourage the use of facial exercises, but many don't - why should they promote an exercise that achieves a firm, young, ageless looking face?
• Surgical facelifts and facial exercises
• Facelifts do work, but why go through a surgical procedure to achieve an ageless face, when you can simply and easily, for free and taking very little time, prevent these aging problems, and also turn back the clock to your young self. What more can we say - for free, you can have exercises to help achieve a more smooth skin, less wrinkles and a younger looking face.
• A droopy double chin, or a couple of double chins, hanging cheeks, puckered up mouth, folds in your throat, puffy and droopy eyelids - does this sound familiar to the picture in the mirror? You have worked hard all your life to achieve a deserving ageless existence, and worked out your body muscles to stay in shape - but nobody ever told you to exercise your facial muscles to achieve that ageless look. Try the free facial exercises now.
• Facial exercises have been around for a long time, but because there is no financial gain they are not well promoted. It makes you think, doesn't it?
• The facial muscles connect to both the skin and the bone, and form the "cushion" on which the skin rests. If this cushion is flat, worn-out, compressed and not consistent in thickness, the skin will also not look its best.
• Facial exercises not only benefit the supportive muscles, but also improve the skin and skin tone, as the increased blood flow to the skin assists in bringing nutrition to, and removing toxins from the skin.
• The elasticity and health of the skin is determined greatly on the underlying tone, strength and vitality of the supporting facial muscles.
• Facial muscle exercises, just like body muscle exercises, must be done regularly to achieve and maintain results. To get your facial muscles up to speed again, do these facial exercises daily, for at least a month, or until the desired effect is achieved, and then do these exercises at least three times a week to maintain the results.
• Never mind how good your skin care regimen, or the skin care product you use, you may still need facial exercises to maintain the base muscles of your skin. In the same vein - facial exercises do not negate the use of cosmetics - these two disciplines go hand-in-hand - and for a truly ageless look, both must be used together.

Instructions

Facial exercises should be done once a day, and this regimen can be continued for your entire life, or you could scale down to three times a week, after completing a month of daily exercises.

Some people report that minor spots or blemishes appear after starting facial exercises, and yes, it is normal.

The skin is once again stimulated to produce its natural oils and lubricants and these minor spots may appear when starting facial exercises, until the skin is functioning efficiently and correctly again. Skin cells get lazy and stagnate, but with proper exercises these cells are once again activated to work with renewed vigor.

Neck and throat facial exercises
# 1	A great exercise is to sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling while keeping your lips closed and then start a chewing movement. You will feel the muscles working in your neck and throat area - and will be truly amazed at the results. Repeat 20 times.
# 2	Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Start puckering your lips together in a kiss and stretch the kiss, as if you were trying to kiss the ceiling. Keep your lips puckered for 10 counts, then relax, bring your head back to its normal position and repeat 5 times.
# 3	Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Open your lips and stick your tongue out as if you were trying to touch your chin with the tip of your tongue. Keep your tongue out in this position for 10 counts, and then return your tongue and head to its normal position.
# 4	Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Next move your lower lip over your top lip as far as possible and keep it there for a count of 5. Relax and repeat 5 times.
# 5	Lie on your bed, with your head hanging down over the edge. Slowly bring your head up towards your torso and keep it there for 10 counts. Relax and lower your head towards the floor again - repeat 5 times.
# 6	Sit upright and face forward and while keeping your lips together, separate your teeth by dropping your jaw and then push your jaw forward, keep for a count of 10, bring back to starting position and repeat 5 times.

Eye exercises

# 1 Gently tone the muscles of the eyes by pressing two fingers on each side of your head, at the temples, while opening and closing your eyes rapidly. Repeat 5 times.

# 2 Sit upright with your eyes closed and relaxed. While keeping your eyes closed the whole time, first look down and then look up as far as possible. Repeat the facial exercise 10 times.

# 3 Sit upright with your eyes closed and relaxed. Keep your eyes closed while lifting your eyebrows and stretching your eyelids down as far as possible. Keep in this position for 5 counts, relax and repeat 5 times.

# 4 Sit upright with your eyes relaxed and open. Lift your eyebrows while closing your top eyelids until about halfway closed, then open your eyelids wide until the white of your eye shows over your iris.

# 5 Sit upright looking straight ahead with your eyes open. Look up then down, while keeping your head still. Repeat 10 times. Then look left and right - repeat 10 times.

Forehead exercises

# 1 Frown as much as possible and try to bring your eyebrows over your eyes while pulling the eyebrows toward one another. Then lift your eyebrows as far as possible while opening your eyes as far as possible. Repeat 5 times.

# 2 Lie on your bed facing the ceiling your head hanging over the edge. Lift your eyebrows as high as possible, with your eyes opening very wide. Relax and repeat 10 times.

# 3 Sit upright facing forward and while bringing your eyebrows down over your eyes, wrinkle your nose as far up as possible while flaring your nostrils. Keep for a count of 10, relax and repeat 5 times.

Join me next time for part 2, where I will show you how to exercise cheeks and lips

Nadia xxxxx:)

For More Natural Skin Care Tips, Please Click Here

Go Bananas

Since the beginning of time people have concocted various recipes to promote beauty, anti-aging and conditioning for their hair and skin.

Documented skin and hair softening formulas for ancient Egyptians included hippopotamus fat, gazelle dung, writing fluid and ground donkey teeth mixed with honey. The ancient Romans used finely ground narcissus bulbs, honey mixed with wine to prevent wrinkles and soften the hair. In the 17th century women slept in special hair and face gloves that were actually made of silk, linen or leather stretched over various creams and oils to iron our skin wrinkles and soften hair.

Modern day beauty spas have adopted their own form of special recipes made with a wide range of fruits, honey and other natural ingredients.

Banana Beauty Benefits

Bananas contain tryptophan, a rich amino acid that is known to be extremely beneficial for hair and skin. They are chock full of potassium which adds super softening properties to the hair shaft. Along with vitamins A, B, C and E bananas contain rich natural oils and carbohydrates. All these goodies shore up the natural elasticity of the hair and prevents split ends.

Besides all the softening and beautifying properties bananas smell wonderful. The aroma of bananas was found to be the most popular aroma in a study published in 1988. The trend continues for 2006.

Try this Recipes:

Banana Mango Hair Mask

For a deep, penetrating hair conditioning treatment, head to your fridge and pantry. You Will Need:
2 Vitamin E Capsules 1 Small Ripe Banana 1/2 Soft Mango 1 Egg Yolk What To Do:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until thoroughly mixed. Wet hair and work the mixture through from the dry ends to your scalp. (if you have oily hair at the scalp, do not put the mixture there).

Honey-Banana Smoothie

Been too busy to stock up on beauty supplies lately? These hair treatments can be mixed up at home as long as you have been able to make it to the market this week.

For An Intensive Once A Week Treatment, you will need:
1/8 teaspoon of lecithin
1/2 banana
1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 teaspoon sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon of honey


To Make: Put all the ingredients into a blender. Whip until smooth like a smoothie. Resist the temptation to drink the mixture. Dampen your hair thoroughly
Work the mixture through your hair using downward strokes (use an old hair brush or comb to be sure to reach each strand of hair). Wrap an old towel around you neck to catch the drips
Leave the treatment on for 45 minutes. Rinse out. Shampoo as usual. If your hair is in need of extra moisturising; put the mixture on your hair an hour before bedtime so it has time to dry. Put an old towel on your pillow and sleep with the mixture in overnight. Rinse out. Shampoo as usual. Use the mixture right away. Do not store.

For more amazing Natural Beauty Recipes, please click here


Nadia xxxxxx:-)

Grandma Knows Best!!

Skin care technology has come a long way in the past few years—or has it? What are all these wonderful new ingredients like alpha-hydroxy acid, glycolic acid, and retinyl, and where do they come from? Quite simply, from things we all have in our kitchens! Our grandmothers knew what they were doing when they used oatmeal, honey and cucumbers to improve their complexions, and now science has finally caught up. Learn how to make your own natural facial masks, bath products and skin treatments, all in the comfort of your own home.

As you will be preparing fresh, natural products (preservative free), you need to ensure that these jars of goodness are refrigerated and not kept for more than a week. Therefore make them in small quantities and store them in china stainless steel containers with screw top jars so that the ingredients do no setoff chemical reactions that can harm your skin. One more thing one must be kept in mind that not all herbs work on everyone and many have to be used over a period of time to yield favorable results. Good Luck and most importantly have fun !!!!!(I know I certainly did when using my OWN beauty products).

Try Making Your Own Beauty Recipes NOW!!!

Nadia xxxxx:)