Great Read!!

I happen to stumble upon this book while browsing the beauty section of a prominent book store. The title of course drew me in and as I thumbed through it I found that this could be a very good reference book for learning even more about the natural/organic beauty world. Being the "frugalista" that I am, I didn't pick it up there but instead got it at a discounted price at another notable book store in NYC, I'm on a tight budget and I do whatever it take to stay on it. I say all this to tell you that if you seriously want to learn about harmful ingredients to avoid in your personal care products and to learn how to make some of your own at home this is definitely the book for you. From the moment I picked up this book, I haven't been able to put it down, it has been added to my library of reference books on green beauty. Once you read this book you will not look at your everyday personal care products the same anymore. Julie Gabriel, a lifestyle expert and holistic nutritionist offers advice about how to adopt an all-natural beauty routine that will help you look and feel better, which toxic ingredients to look out for, and how to become a smart green shopper when looking for beauty products as well as which organic gimmicks and tricks to be aware of. What's also great about this book is that the author Julie Gabriel points out products that she thinks are completely bogus green companies and beauty lines that are truly the real thing, if not close, all this is based on her extensive research of course. You can pick up "The Green Beauty Guide" here at Amazon.com or at your local discounted book store.


xoxo,


Nydia

TOP TEN SYNTHETIC INGREDIENTS YOU SHOULD AVOID

1. MINERAL OIL
Is derived from petroleum and is found in everything from lotions to mascara. When applied to the skin it leaves a shiny layer on top of the skin which prevents the skin from breathing

2. SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES
Companies uses hundreds of chemicals to mimic the smell of your favorite flower or dessert treat because it's cheaper. A lot of times these chemicals irritate the skin, cause dizziness, headaches, rashes and hyper pigmentation. Don't use products that use the term "fragrance" instead look for products that uses essential oils.

3. PROPYLENE GLYCOL
Is used as an humectant in creams, suntan lotions, mouthwashes and many more products. In 1992 the FDA proposed a ban on propylene glycol in louse-killing products because it has not been shown to be safe and effective for it's claims. Need I say any more!!!!

4. TRIETHANOLAMINE
Used as a foaming/emulsifier, it is know to be harmful to the body in large amounts. Causes skin & eye irritation, drying hair & skin.

5. IMIDAZOLIDINY UREA
The most commonly used preservative in personal care and is the second most identified cosmetic preservatives causing contact dermatitis according to The American Academy of Dermatology Standards.

6. PHENOXYETHANOL
Another commonly used preservatives that the FDA states can depress the central nervous system as well as cause dermatitis.

7. METHYLPARABEN
If you don't know by now, then you will know now that anything with the word paraben attached to it is usually not good. Parabens are on everyone's radar because of it's ability to mimic the human hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role in the development of breast
cancers. New studies are demonstrating that whole parabens can be found intact in breast tissue and are an endocrine disruptor. Synthetic chemicals such as parabens, like fat, collects in fatty tissue, i.e. breast tissue, which the body can not eliminate.

8. DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol)
Often used in cosmetics as emulsifiers and/or foaming agents, they can cause allergic reactions, eye irritation and dryness of hair and skin. DEA are "amines" (ammonia compounds) and can form cancer-causing nitrosamines when they come in contact with nitrates. Toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time.

9. SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE
Used as a water softener, mostly in baby products this ingredient can cause eye and skin irritations and skin rashes

10) DIAZOLIDINYL UREA
Another preservative used in everyday personal care products. It releases formaldehyde when mixed with water which makes the environment less favorable to the microorganisms to grow. Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which provides sufficient evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Ingredient of the Week

ROSEHIP OIL ---- "Cosmetic Surgery in a bottle"

From the moment I first read about this little known oil, I knew that I wanted to incorporate it somehow into my products. What impressed me the most about it was the amount of scientific research that has been done on the oil and the very impressive results that has been shown. But before I get into that let me give you a little background info on rosa mosqueta oil, as it's also known as.

BACKGROUND

Rosehip oil is extracted from the hip or fruit of the rose. The hip is the round tomato red fruit that occurs on rose bushes anytime from late summer to autumn. The plant is native to Chile where it grows wild. The oil has been used by the native people of the Andes for centuries.

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES

In 1988, two scientists published their findings on the effects of rosehip oil on three groups of patients over the course of 4 months. The three groups consists of, women with pre-mature aging caused by the sun, scars from surgery and patients who suffered from burns. After each group applied rosehip oil twice daily the results were considerably noticeable. Scars and wrinkles smoothed out, age spots disappeared almost completely and burns improved by 97%. There's also additional studies done that has shown that rosehip oil is great for hair care, especially perm, colored and damaged hair.

QUICK FACTS

• Suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive
• It can be used directly on the skin, dilution not necessary
• Can be used on all ages, including babies
• It's considered a "dry" oil which means it absorbs easily in the skin, leaving no greasy residue
• Has high levels of topical tran-retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, this is what helps with premature aging caused by the sun
• Great for burns,scars, wrinkles, age spots and stretch marks (will even help scars that are over 20 years old)

So, before you go under the knife or even laser to get rid of scars or wrinkles, try a bottle of organic rosehip oil first. Take a picture of the area that you want to apply it to and date it, use the rosehip oils twice daily for about months to see results. After four months take a picture of the area again and compare side by side to see the difference, I guarantee that you will not be dissappointed.

xoxo,

Nydia

Ingredient of the Week

ARGAN OIL

Predicted as being one of the the top ten beauty ingredient to look out for in 2009, this "liquid gold of Morocco," is made from the nut of the Arganic Spinosa tree. This oil is high in Vitamin E, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. It is one of the rarest oil in the world due to the small and very specific growing area. Traditionally, the oil is produced by hand by local Berber woman. It is a time consuming task where the pit of the seed is cracked with round rocks. One to three kernels are removed from the pit and the kernels are gently roasted. The roasted kernels are then grounded into a paste with the use of water and then oil is extracted out of the paste.

Moroccan women have been using this oil in their hair, nails and skin. It's high concentrations of vitamin E and linoleic acid makes it ideal for treating scar tissue and reduces active blemishes. It is also known to revitalizes and improves the skin's elasticity, relives symptoms of eczema and psoriasis and reduces redness.

Another great important fact about this oil is that the women are solely responsible for extracting this oil in fairly traded co-ops and because of it's growing popularity, it has helped employ 2 million people. Be on the lookout, this oil could very well be your skin's liquid gold.

Recession-Proof Beauty

We've read the headlines and have watched the news. The US economy is experiencing an economic downturn which is having a global effect on the world. So whether you are a small town girl or a big city hipster you are in some way or another feeling the squeeze in your wallets. You're cutting your spending, from leisure activities, to clothing, from dinning out to transportation. We here at the Luxe Essentials Blog don't believe that tight wallets should result in forgoing beauty regiments. In fact, this a great time and opportunity to explore natural and organic recipes at home. So instead of spending a week's paycheck at the spa, create your own spa at home. It's inexpensive, effective and better for you. Look around you kitchen, there's plenty of ingredients that you can use to create hand made products. Where do I start, you ask? No worries, I'm here to shed some light. If you have a pretty decently stocked kitchen, then you can probably find at least 6 different ingredients that you can use such as oatmeal, honey, olive oil, lemon juice, brown sugar, avocado or bananas just to name a few. Oatmeal and brown sugar makes great scrubs, olive oil, bananas, and avocados makes great hair and face masks, and lemon juice lightens the skin naturally. You can also look back at my previous posts filled with recipes that you can try as well. Remember, be creative! Here's an example of what you can create!

HYDRATING HONEY MASK

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon honey
1 small avocado
1/2 cup of olive oil

Blend together in a blender until it becomes a paste like consistency and apply to the face and let sit for 30 minutes. Wash the face thoroughly. Smooth skin will result.

F.Y.I

Milk is skin-softening, moisturizing

Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture

Avocado is rich in vitamin A, vitamin K, fiber, folate, vitamin B6,
vitamin C, copper and potassium and have been used in treating a
ton of skin ailments

Olive Oil is high in oleic acid and is a good skin cell regenerator

Recycle & Reuse Luxe's Packaging

One of the great things that drew me to use the cute little clear lid silver tins that our body butter comes in was the fact that I thought, after our customer was done using the body butter, they could wipe it down with a little water & soap and reuse it for something else. For those of you who stopped by our booth at the Go Green Expo you received an small envelope filled with organic daisy seeds. We had a few of those envelopes left and I decided to try my green thumb and put some tins to use. I had about (6) 16 oz clear lid tins which I turned into planters for my organic daisy seeds. In order to create some drainage, I placed some small rocks at the bottom of the tins. You can pick up a bag of small rocks at a arts & craft store like Michael's for less than $2. I then lightly filled up the tins to about a half an inch from the top with organic dirt from Home Depot. A small bag is less than $5. Then, I made tiny holes in the dirt with my finger or you can use a stick and dropped a few seeds in each hole cover with dirt and water. Place near the sun and wait. After being away from my apartment over the weekend I came back on Monday to see these lovely little plants sprouting from the dirt. I just hope that I can keep this up. We'll see how they look in the upcoming weeks. Remember, you can use these to start planting almost anything. Fresh herbs for kitchen, lavender, sunflowers be creative. You can also use these tins to organize your office medicine cabinets or even your arts and crafts. (see picture above) The idea is to reuse or recycle.


xoxo,

Nydia

The Sun Friend or Foe?

I recently spent the past week working outdoors for 8 hours under the hot sun. As you can imagine, although I slathered sunscreen on every couples of hours, I still managed to get a deep tan. I don't remember being this dark since my youthful days swimming and playing soccer. (not that I'm complaining) I got to thinking about the sun and how in American culture we're told to avoid it like a plague. As many of you may know, I spent my early childhood living in the Caribbean with my grandmother. A lot of my influences and memories comes from those early childhood years. I remember a culture where the sun, in moderation of course, was good for you. In the Caribbean, I don't necessarily recall anyone necessarily instructing people to go out and burn but the sun and ocean seemed to be viewed by the elders around me, as one of the lifeline of health and elements that bring forth life, basically, "the sun is good for you, good for vitamin E, and good for giving you a nice slight healthy glow." When I arrived stateside suddenly the sun became the enemy, the main causes of skin cancer and wrinkled damaged skin. If you take a look at ancient cultures the sun was an object of veneration. Is there some truth in what the elders and ancient cultures believed? Is the sun rays today alot different than those of an earlier time? Have we fell under the brainwashing of beauty advertisers, media, news outlets who have created an extreme phobia of the sun so they can sell the latest sunblocking formulations? So I decided to research this and see what I could find. Well according to research done by Stanford University, sunlight triggers the synthesis of vitamin D within the body, this action causes immune cells to travel to the outer layers of the skin where they are available to protect and help repair damage such as that caused by sun exposure. I remember, in his late fifties my father suddenly developed psoraisis. The doctor basically told him this was due to the fact that living here in north American spending most of his time indoors therefore he was getting less sun and that he should go back to the Caribbean to get some sun. Was the doctor on to something or should he/she should be shot for giving such advice. Ok, I know what you all are thinking. This doesn't mean that you should just abandon you sunscreen and lather on that suntan lotion and lay out. But I also don't believe that you should walk around thinking that you shouldn't be in the sun at all and avoid contact completely. Believe me, I've met individuals who do that! In moderation, I believe the sun can be good. Keep in mind, what can be considered moderate varies for person to person. You know your skin and what it can tolerate. Do I think the sun in excessive amounts can cause cancer and damage to the skin yes. Do I advocate extreme sun tanning no, but a brisk walk down a block or two on a sunny day once in a while won't kill you, remember know your limitations.