Twitter surfing this afternoon has once again caused a sharp pain in my side. Essence Magazine is holding an event today and it appears that Johnson and Johnson is a sponsor of some sort. There’s a series of tweets under the #jbaby trend that have gotten me completely riled up in under 2.2 seconds. There’s a speaker who has “educated” the women there on the benefits of incorporating baby oil and baby oil gel into their skin care and every day beauty regimen.
Somebody please catch me before I faint! Baby oil? For your face? Your hair and nails?! OMG please make them stop! Ok, ok, sorry let me calm down and give you some useful information instead of my angry ranting.
Quick facts you need to know about mineral oil RIGHT NOW:
Petroleum based – Mineral oil is a byproduct of petroleum, the same petroleum from which gasoline is produced. As a byproduct it is of little value to oil refineries.
Inexpensive – Because mineral oil is petroleum byproduct it is significantly cheaper than oils based from naturally occurring elements (olive, safflower, almond, etc). This makes its use much more appealing to larger manufactures whose bottom line more financially motivated than wellness motivated. There is a plethora of other alternatives to mineral oil these companies could opt to use. Please note the key work in that sentence is alternatives, not in addition to (See my thoughts on the use of Additional elements instead of Alternative elements)
Skin barrier – Mineral oil is not absorbed by the skin, it simply sits on top of it creating a sealant. While sealing in moisture is of the utmost importance, preventing oxygen and other naturally occurring beneficial elements from reaching your skin is a surefire way to develop dry skin, wrinkles, acne, and even rashes. You skin needs to breathe.
Mineral oil does serve it’s purpose in relation to use in and on the body. It’s beneficial in the birth process to help ease the baby out of the birth canal, can be used as a means of cleaning your ears, and has in the past been used as a laxative (Wikipedia) However, it’s use in skin and hair care products is certainly not in the best interest of your body’s needs.
Will using mineral oil kill you? Nope it won’t. Will it impact your overall health? Depends on your viewpoint on your health. If aging gracefully is of little importance to you, by all means, mineral oil is a great option for you. If persistent dry skin is a way of life that doesn’t bother you, feel free to continue your use of baby oil to achieve that “shiny” look you love. If brittle hair helps you achieve your fabulous look, then you are all set.
As long as you are making an informed decision on what you’re putting on your body, I stand back with my hands up and get out of your way. Be informed, be educated, and decide based on what you know, not just what’s marketed to you. Please read your labels.
Smooth skin is a term I hear all the time, emblazoned across magazine covers and being promoted as something you can’t live without. Here’s my situation: I don’t have acne, and I rarely break out. But I have bumps that never go away, scarring and redness from previous blemishes that continue to linger, and I just lack an overall flawless finish. It’s really aggravating because I seem to have settled into this state with my complexion where I am not overjoyed at its appearance, but I’m not losing sleep over it either. But enough is enough. I have a few friends with flawless complexions, and nothing creates more envy in me than to see how beautiful and perfect their skin is. How do I get that too??
So I started browsing around and researching, and stumbled upon the wonders of zinc. And I learned that if you are deficient in this mineral, your skin will never look as great as it could. Great. But isn’t that the same for practically every nutrient we hear about? How can we keep up with every single thing?
But desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Time to add this supplement into my diet. It is essential for skin repair, which I think is what I need. Zinc seems to be the band-aid my skin needs, allowing cells to properly construct and maintain their cellular makeup. A great way to get more zinc is to consume shellfish and pumpkin seeds. Shellfish once or twice a week and pumpkin seeds sprinkled on salads or by the handful should do it.
Other bonuses: zinc is a natural insect repellant and sunscreen. In order to protect your skin and get some zinc on a daily basis you can get some organic sunscreen containing zinc and use it as day cream to get the best of both worlds.
Let me know how it works for you!
Have you ever read the ingredient labels of your facial cosmetics? It’s like something out of a science fiction novel! With names like Para-Phenylenediamine and Butylated Hydroxyanisole, it’s not surprising that the ingredients in synthetic cosmetics can dry and dull skin. They have been linked to allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and some are even known to cause cancer.
Among the worst culprits? One of my personal addictions, eye makeup. Some VERY popular mascaras and eye liners can have some not-so-great effects on your health. Check out GoodGuide.com for information on virtually any retail cosmetic, cleaner, food or anything else you can think of.
I know, for many of us girls, it would be absolutely unthinkable to go out on a date or girls night out with out putting our “faces” on. The good news is you can be conscious of whats on your skin and look the way you want to, too! The full-range of cosmetics is available to you in all-natural form.
And where synthetic ingredients have negative effects, organic makeup ingredients many times actually benefit hair, nails and health. Many natural versions of mascara contain jojoba and other beneficial ingredients. There are no known negative effects for natural makeups.
Natural mineral face makeup, blushes and eye shadows are terrific for skin, won’t clog pores, minimize the look of fine lines AND have durability. They are ideal for any type of skin, even sensitive skin, because there are no perfumes or synthetic dyes.
Many people notice a more even skin tone after using mineral makeup for a little bit. This is because titanium dioxide and zinc dioxide (two common ingredients) have anti-inflammatory effects, making them ideal for people with problems like rosacea and acne.
The Mineral Makeup Blog has all sorts of information about mineral makeup, including informative articles, how-tos and product reviews.
When you pick up the bottle of body wash in your shower you will likely see one of these two ingredients: Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), listed as at least one of the top ten. This is the cleansing ingredient that not only cleans the dirt, oil and residue off you but also gives you the pretty lather you get when you squeeze the body wash on your sponge/loofa/wash cloth, mix in some water and proceed to scrub. Awesome, right?
The lather is the fun part about body wash, bubble bath, and even shampoo. It’s the part that gives you confidence that you’re getting clean, and let’s face it’s pretty to look at. It’s just as pretty to look at when you are washing your dishes, your clothes, or even your shower walls because the cleansing agent in your shampoo is the same as the lathering agent in your toilet cleaner. That’s some pretty harsh stuff to use on your body and in your hair.
Sulfates are unhealthy for your body from head to toe. The level of cleansing that sulfates provides is high, which is great for household cleaning, but unnecessarily high for one’s body. This contributes to stripping essential oils and nutrients from your body and hair. Reports have shown that sulfates cause skin irritations and rashes, especially to individuals with fragile or sensitive skin. They can also contribute to blemishes, especially on young skin. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacete (SLSA) is a milder, safer alternative that gives you’re the luxurious lather you desire and leave you clean, without subjecting your hair and body to a harsh irritant. While SLSA is almost a requirement for those with sensitive skin, to treat your body to the care it deserves using products that are made with SLSA versus sulfates allows everyone to preserve your skin’s health.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacete is commonly confused with both Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. When reading your labels it is important to note the difference in the name, as there is a drastic difference in the ingredients.
How safe is your skin? Take a look around your bathroom and take a peek at some of your favorites and see what you find.
Lavender seems to have found it’s way into a lot of my conversations this week. From headaches to burns to sleep aids, I’ve found myself sharing why lavender essential oil should be a staple in everyone’s household. Jamie gave a Five Uses For post on Lavender last month. I want to follow it up with a few recipes and practical applications for life and love.
Here’s a practical application – I burned my thumb earlier in the month. In the kitchen, whipping up dinner and I lifted the lid off of a pot and the steam that rose scaled my knuckle. If you’ve ever damaged the skin across a knuckle or knew you know that is a hard area to have heal without scarring because it’s always bending and flexing and doesn’t get a chance to properly heal(hence why we all have various scars on our knees from our childhood years). Well, when I initially burned it, I immediately rubbed a couple drops of lavender essential oil directly on it for two reasons: one – it hurt terribly and lavender is an excellent pain reliever for bites and burns; two – because lavender also promotes healthy skin growth and I did not want an ugly scar on my hand. Over the next two weeks, it darkened, hardened then finally peeled. The new skin that finally resulted appears completely normal. To look at my hand, you would never know I’d burned it.
I offer you a recipe for a spa at home experience - Blend the following ingredients in a resealable container for a simple, relaxing, skin softening bath experience
1 cup dead sea salts
1/3 cup lavender buds
1/3 cup of powdered milk
Sprinkle into bath tub as desired. Lounge in the tub with your favorite book, glass of wine, candle or any combination for a luxurious experience. Be sure to incorporate your favorite lavender scented bath products.
Keep this all purpose Lavender infused oil handy
1 oz jojoba/olive/sweet almond oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
Mix and store in a plastic bottle with a dropper or nozzle top. Keep this oil blend on hand to apply directly to your skin when you need to unwind and a bath or diffuser simply isn’t available to enjoy the scent from. Perfect for relaxing before bedtime, calming from a stressful work situation, or managing a migrane. Can also be applied to scalp to help treat hair loss and promote hair growth.
Can you see yourself in any of these experiences? Have you used lavender for any other real life solutions?
