Find the Best Organic and Natural Skin Care Treatments

What does supporting organic and natural products mean to you?  What about organic or natural skin care products?

In the last 10 years startling news and information on how our food supplies and products are created have surfaced. We now know that unlike the pastoral advertising claims we are shown, our food sources comes from no less than horrific, sub-human conditions of pestilence and disease. And don’t think if you are vegetarian, you avoid the chemical runoff from these cattle warehouses, and massive vegetable plantations, contaminating the water sources we all use as well.

We live in an organic world, and we are organic beings. In terms of skin care, it should be a “no-brainer.”  Living in harmony with nature is perhaps the best overall health and skin care advice you can follow.

There are perhaps hundreds of skin care products in the market today that seem to lure you into buying them by saying they are natural. Further inquisitiveness would prove they are not what they prove to be by reading the back labels. Always remember that whatever substances we put on the skin of our body, they eventually end up inside our bodies. Scary, isn’t it? Most artificial substances used in skin care products are actually carcinogens that gradually build up in your system and become full-grown problems in the coming years.

Unfortunately, “natural” or organic skin care is not FDA regulated so that products with even one percent of organic ingredient can be called organic or natural.It is up to you as an informed , concerned consumer to learn what ingredients are, what they are derived from, where they come from and how they might affect you and your family.

The following are chemical offenders you need to watch out for.

Formaldehyde and imidazolidinyl urea are preservatives. The former is found mostly in nail polish, nail hardeners and cosmetics. Both have been associated with causing unfavorable skin reactions. Synthetic fragrances, being artificial, should be avoided. Opt for perfumes that contain natural fragrance or those coming from essential oils for your organic skin care.

Additionally, methyl paraben is another preservative with an extensive usage and suspected to cause skin irritations. It’s also possibly a xenoestrogen (a carcinogen that complicates human reproductive processes and is correlated with breast cysts). Look out for butyl, ethyl, and propyl paraben as well. Isopropyl alcohol might be anti-bacterial but the fact that it’s obtained from petroleum should make you think many times before opting to it. It definitely should not be used in your your organic skin care regimen.

Methylisothiazolinone is another known preservative. Its effects are not expressly given but its being artificial should be a turn off. Paraffin (ever heard of paraffin tests?) is extracted from petroleum or coal and is a substance present in cold creams, hair removers, eyebrow pencils, etc. It’s similar to putting the petroleum ore itself on yourself. Propylene glycol is also derived from petroleum and sometimes from vegetable glycerin and is an agent for moisturizing. Lastly, sodium lauryl sulphate (another one from the sulfate family) is a detergent cleansing agent that leaves a drying effect resulting to irritations.

The best way to go organic in skin care is make your own products! Mother nature provides milder substances for organic skin care great for your skin. For your moisturizer, honey is quite a good alternative for organic skin care. Use honey with oatmeal and a little yogurt and you have a facial scrub. Tea tree oil is a known organic antiseptic which can be used in the treatment of minor blemishes.

On the brighter side, organic skin care is much simpler and available even in your kitchens. It saves your precious time and is also much more beneficial to your body.

excerpts from Milos Pesic article: Be Natural – Organic Skin Care

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Herbal and Organic Skin Care Top Alternative

As consumers grow weary and suspicious of excessive chemical ingredients in their modern beauty products, herbal constituents and organic skincare continue to be a top alternative.

Current scientific studies have shown natural ingredients like Chamomile to contain healing and anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically, rendering old chemical formulations unnecessary. Indeed, analysis of many common herbs reveal that they too are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, enzymes and proteins as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties.

As a result of this rediscovered wealth of herbal healing, spas and skin care salons now focus on using more naturally derived skin care products. Natural products also tend to be safer and less toxic to our bodies as well as the environment.

The best organic skin care products contain carefully designed blends of healing herbs that use the actual plant constituents thus preserving their unrefined and natural characteristics.

Some examples of natural skin care ingredients include jojoba, safflower oil, rose hip seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, witch hazel, aloe vera, tea tree oil, and chamomile. Many of these natural ingredient combinations can be tailored specifically to the individual’s skin type or skin condition.

Natural skin care goes beyond the application of products on one’s skin. It also pertains to a holistic philosophy surrounding the care of one’s body. This includes the belief that what is ingested will affect all aspects of health, including the health of skin. People who use natural skin care products are less concerned with artificial beauty enhancements, as they feel that natural beauty is healthy beauty.

In modern skincare products, formaldehyde and parabens are commonly used preservatives and can provoke allergic reactions. Although the preservatives are needed to maintain product shelf life and only minute amounts are present in any given product, many products contain these same chemicals, including skin care products, makeup, medications, antiperspirants, toothpaste, and foods.

A note for those prone to allergic reactions

If you suffer from sensitive, allergic skin or severe dry skin, you may be among those who will have a problem or reaction to these chemical-laden products.

Vice President Noushin Adhami, stated, “Vivoderm would like all natural skincare consumers to understand - just because a product is labeled “natural,” does not make it any less potent or prone to cause an allergic reaction. Of course chemical substances have a greater chance of causing an allergy or toxic reactions, but you should always be aware of the products you are using and potential reactions you may have.”

The FDA recommends understanding the ingredient label and says, “There is no list of ingredients that can be guaranteed not to cause allergic reactions, so consumers who are prone to allergies should pay careful attention to what they use on their skin.”

It is your role as an informed consumer to carefully read the labels for all products that come into contact with your skin, whether internally or externally. Assure that they don’t contain the listed ingredients that you must avoid. Your skin barrier does a lot to protect you naturally, repay the favor and feed it nourishing chemical-free products whenever you can.

Helpful Hints to Heal Acne

If you have ever awakened to a big day only to find a BIG SPOT where it shouldn’t be, read the below tips to help prevent and heal acne more regularly to help avoid those nasty last minute acne issues.

While we all wish to have perfect skin, some days are more important than others - whether it’s a job interview, an important date, or a social gathering where you may be introduced to many new people, looking our best during these special occasions is usually a priority. While acne should be the last thing on our minds, many times the additional stress brought on by these very important occasions can result in just that – unwanted acne.

Acne Tip #1

Drink plenty of water – plain and simple. This is probably one of the best ways to prevent future acne. Doctors recommend this easy exercise to remember – whatever your body weight is in pounds, divide that number by two to get the number of ounces of water you should consume for optimal skin flushing and overall health. Add a slice of lemon juice to further enhance the cleansing effects. Your goal is to flush all the toxins in your body and cleanse your skin from inside out. This will also help your body run smoothly by cleaning out unnecessary toxins that help build bacteria onto your skin.

Acne Tip #2

Resist the urge to pop - popping your pimples incorrectly is something you don’t want to do. There are dermatologist recommendations how to do this properly, but most folks want the offending item removed much earlier than it is safe to do so. While it can be a quick fix to your acne, the incorrect action could result in a scar that could become very noticeable if you make a habit of popping. Even worse, most dermatologists tell us the majority of the plugged oil creating the acne goes back into the underlying skin layer, which will reform as more acne later. If you really need to pop, try to follow a safe procedure.

Acne Tip #3

Change your bed linens regularly –changing your linens weekly is ideal. Repeatedly placing your skin on the surface of a pillow or sheet will allow bacteria and oil to build up, creating an environment for further outbreaks.

Following these simple actions can help tremendously when it comes to having acne free skin.

Natural Skin Care Therapy Tips for Acne

Acne is not a new problem; people have been suffering from it for many thousands of years. In ancient Egypt for instance, oils were often used to soften and smooth the skin. It is only in recent times that people have begun to use acne creams made of chemical ingredients like benzyl peroxide, among others. These can not only have unwanted side effects, like the drying of healthy skin or the bleaching of clothing, but can be very costly.

It’s no mystery that our grandmothers seemed to know best. When it comes to health and skin, the more natural the ingredient, the better. Of course, there are times when natural remedies may not be as effective and that is Ok. However, just be aware of the natural options you have first, before you waste a lot of money on another product that doesn’t work. Many people today discovering the old-world secrets in caring for their bodies more naturally, and are turning to natural and herbal remedies, such as the following simple ‘kitchen cures’.

Acne Remedy #1: Make a paste of nutmeg powder and milk, and apply to your face in a thin layer. Leave on for up to an hour, or even overnight.

Acne Remedy #2: Take an orange peel and leave it to dry, and then grind it to a powder. Mix with water and apply directly to the pimple.

Acne Remedy #3: Applying garlic directly to a pimple can also be a great remedy, as garlic is a natural disinfectant.

Acne Remedy #4: Mix a spoonful each of fresh lemon juice and cinnamon. Apply to the acne overnight for several nights in a row to be effective.

Acne Remedy #5: Take fresh leaves of fenugreek and grind to make an acne remedy that is also said to be effective in reducing wrinkles. It should be left on for only fifteen minutes.

Acne Remedy #6: Papaya juice, which is high in natural enzymes, makes a wonderful acne solution all on its own.

Acne Remedy #7: Boil a cup of milk, and then allow to cool to room temperature, and add a spoonful of limejuice to make a acne face wash.

Acne Remedy #8: Mix rosewater, cucumber juice and lime juice in equal amounts. Apply to clean face and leave on overnight.

Chemical skin care ingredients you should avoid if you are acne-prone or have oily skin in combination with acne:
• Butyl stearate
• Cinnamon Oil
• Isotearyl isostearate
• Cocoa butter
• Jojoba oil
• Coconut oil
• Decyl oleate
• Myristyl myristate
• Myristyl propionate
• Octyl palminate
• Octyl stearate
• Peppermint Oil
• Isopropyl stearate
• Isopropyl, isostearate, myristate or palmitate
Try several of these natural remedies and see which one is best for you, be aware that it can take several days to have an effect. Make sure you use clean spoons and dishes to mix your remedies, and remember to wash your face as usual in between treatments.