Hello, Love: The Element readers!  My name is Jamie, and I’m the newest addition to Team Love I’ll be sending bits of beauty and love from my desk to your blog on a regular basis now.

I’m extremely thrilled about being here too!  Aromatherapy has been an interest of mine since I started making candles with my sister a few years ago.  The human sense of smell is the sense with the most potential to be mood altering, it is my belief we should take advantage of that!

I am also COMPLETELY sold on and excited about everything else Love: The Element is all about.   I’ve had some rough and tumble times, but because of them I learned that the single most important thing any woman can do is love herself.  The old saying about needing to love yourself in order to truly love others is, in fact, true.  I know better than anyone that it can be far from easy sometimes, and it is not necessarily something that we are taught or encouraged to do, either.

So that is why we are here, to teach each other to love ourselves, and give each other the encouragement to do it!  Now, I’m not as egotistical to believe I have a bearing on your self worth;)  But, I do believe that the little bit of time you take for yourself (whether it’s to light a candle and have a soak, do your hair, or simply read something that makes you smile), can REALLY make a difference in how you feel.  I am the mother of a toddler, so I truly understand how scarce time can be, and often need a good shove in the direction of taking it myself.

And THAT, dear readers, is why I’m so excited to be on board such a delightful blog, because I’m right at home here!!!

I hope you are having a wonderful day!  I will talk to you soon,

Jamie

If you’ve ever been asked by someone, “hey…what’s that brown thing on your face?,” then you know how embarrassing it is to have age spots.  You can hide these blotches with makeup, or, like me, you can use anti aging skin care products to get rid of these blemishes completely.  However, you need to know that not all age spot cream is created equally.  Let me explain.

You see, after many months of intense research into the best anti aging skin care, I have learned that natural extracts have emerged as the latest discovery in safe, effective age spot removal.

Scientists have discovered a unique compatibility between human skin and substances that have been harvested from Nature.  As such, they work closely together to bring about significant improvements in the health and appearance of skin.

Now, that’s not to say that traditional age spot cream isn’t effective.  It is.  However, scientists have begun to look closely at the safety of the main skin-whitening ingredient, hydroquinone.

Some studies have linked this substance to an increased risk for cancer.  Several countries have taken this risk seriously enough to ban hydroquinone from use in age spot cream and other skin care products.

You can still get cream with hydroquinone, here in the U.S., but you need to know that it’s combined with a slew of other synthetic chemicals that aren’t good for the skin.  Actually, this is true for the vast majority of skin care products.

Cosmetic companies have been reluctant to change their chemical formulas because they are so cost effective.  Mineral oil, dioxane, chemical fragrances and alcohols are cheap and easy to combine into products that feel creamy and smell good.  But when it comes to improving the health and appearance of our skin they’re useless.

This is main reason natural extracts are becoming the ingredients of choice when it comes to making safe, effective skin care products.  Rigorous testing on human volunteers show that natural ingredients support the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Age spot cream with natural extracts is also proving to be highly effective at erasing skin discolorations.  The main whitening ingredient, extrapone nutgrass root, is a plant grown in India and used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine practices.

Clinical tests on this plant extract have resulted in a whopping 40% reduction in the formation and clumping of the brown skin pigment, melanin…without harmful side effects.

Additionally, nutgrass root is combined with rich, natural moisturizers, emollients, and extracts that hydrate skin and nourish skin cells, so that the age spots are eliminated and replaced with smooth, firm, elastic, even-toned skin.

When you compare this with synthetic age spot creams that expose you to unhealthy, pore-smothering chemicals, it’s easy to see how creams made from natural extracts can be a smart choice.

So save yourself from embarrassment by putting a stop to unsightly spots and blotches.  Age spot cream with natural extracts can give your body what it needs to erase discolorations and restore your healthy, youthful appearance.

Visit my website to learn more about the natural extract products I personally use and recommend.

Olivia Romero has made a career of discovering the best natural methods and products for quality skin care.  When it comes to supporting healthy, beautiful skin, Olivia believes that, “Knowledge is power!”.  So she continues to share the results of her extensive research with interested readers.

Tea tree oil is an extremely versatile essential oil.  It is both an anti-fungal and anti-microbial essential oil.  This gives it many uses, both cosmetic and medical, from disinfecting cuts, to aromatherapy, to helping with dandruff.  Five common uses for tea tree oil are listed below.

[click to continue...]

My brother mentioned to me a few days ago that my nephew has colic. I’ve never experienced colic; really wasn’t quite sure exactly it was. All I heard when he said it to me was “my nephew is fussy and cries all the time”. I Love babies so this automatically sent me into my “fix it” mode. Looking around online for something safe natural for a baby was definitely educational and enlightening.

My journey led me to homeopathy. Unlike some alternative medicines, homeopathic remedies have to be certified by the FDA. That was comforting to me since what I’m looking for is for a baby. Of the few products I found for colic, I settled on Colic Calm’s Grip Water.  Being an ingredient Nazi, the fact that is lacks alcohol, sugar, and citric acid were plus number one. Its use of my two favorite soothing ingredients peppermint and chamomile solidified it for me.

Now hopefully I can convince my brother to at least give this a shot. I’ll likely spend 15 minutes trying to sell him on it and still end up buying it for the baby myself. Either way, the thought of my poor little nephew crying his eyes out miserable is enough to harass my brother until he gives in. Being the oldest does have its advantages LOL