The Power of Lavender

Lavender is the swiss army knife of essential oils. It has antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, anti-fungal, calming, moisturizing, and antimicrobial properties. It is the oldest and most popular known oil in essential oil history. If there’s a number one essential oil for all skin problems, it’s got to be lavender essential oil. Below are some amazing things you can do with it. 

*Add a drop of lavender oil to your mascara to make it last longer and help your eyelashes grow.

*Take 1 drop of lavender oil and apply it directly to acne or pimples. It should heal in 2-3 days.

*Mix a few drops of lavender oil with coconut oil (or any carrier oil) and use as a moisturizer. Lavender restores skin complexion and slows aging with its powerful antioxidants. 

*Gently rub stretch marks with a few drops of lavender oil to tighten skin and reduce the size and coloring of scars. 

*Create a spa-like retreat by adding 1 cup Epsom salt and 4 drops of lavender oil to a hot bath. 

*Lavender oil can be applied to prevent new scar tissue from forming and also reduce the evidence of existing scars 

*Add a drop of lavender oil to your shampoo each time you wash your hair. When massaged into the scalp, it can improve blood circulation, promote hair growth, and prevent hair loss.

*Add 5 drops of lavender oil, 1 tsp witch hazel, and 1 cup distilled water to a spray bottle. Use this facial mist to combat oil and heal breakouts.

*Add a drop of lavender oil to aloe vera to sooth sunburns.

*Lavender oil induces sleep. Rub a drop of oil on your palms then spread on your pillow before you go to sleep. 

*Make your own lavender body wash
1/2 cup Dr. Bronner lavender Castile soap
4 Tbsp vegetable glycerin
3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
Mix all ingredients together. Transfer to a bottle you can keep in the shower. Shake before each use.

When it comes to essential oil, please make sure you are using pure, organic, therapeutic grade essential oils. I use Young Living essential oils. As with many other essential oils, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid using lavender oil. It is also recommended that patients with diabetes stay away from lavender oil. 

Salt Scrubs

Salt is sugar's even twin. It can wreak havoc on your blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. It can also work magic on your skin. Salt scrubs are made with sea salt which make them excellent exfoliators. The most common sea salts are Himalayan, Dead Sea, and Mediterranean. All of these salts contain trace minerals which include, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and iron. These minerals  promote circulation, reduce inflammation, tighten the skin, and improve skin texture. Sea salts are also natural purifiers that remove toxins from the skin. Salt scrubs are more abrasive than sugar scrubs. This is mainly because salt has sharper edges where as sugar granules are round. You should only use salt scrubs once per week and don't use after you shave! Below are my favorite salt scrubs.

Pink Himalayan Salt Scrub
You need fine grain pink Himalayan sea salt (I get mine at Marshall's/T J Maxx), coconut oil, vitamin E oil, and grapefruit essential oil (optional). You also need a glass jar, those little 4oz mason jars work perfect. Fill the mason jar 3/4 of the way with the salt. Melt some coconut oil and pour over the salt, make sure you completely cover the salt. Then add 2 teaspoons of vitamin E oil. This is important because the vitamin E acts as a preservative. I also add a few drops of Young Living's grapefruit essential oil. This step is optional but I love the smell! Mix everything together. You can add more salt and/or oils to get the consistency you want. I keep the jar in my shower and use it in the morning. Your face will feel a little oily when you get out of the shower but your skin quickly absorbs it.

Coconut Lime Salt Scrub
I love to switch it up between sugar and salt scrubs and this is one of my favorites! To make one 8 oz mason jar, you will need:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup coarse sea salt ( I use Mortan Sea Salt or Bob's Red Mill Sea Salt )
1 tsp coconut extract
2 limes (or 10 drops of  lime essential oil)
Melt coconut oil until liquid. Add coconut extract. Zest both limes and add to bowl (if using essential oil, add 10 drops now). Stir in salt 1/4 cup at a time. 

The Dark Side Snarky Bar
This charcoal and shea scrubby bar exfoliates with Dead Sea salt. It's not recommended for your face so just use it on your body. It's amazing! I use it in the shower twice a week. As a reminder, all Perfectly Posh products are paraben free, paraffin free, phthalate free, sulfate free, gluten free, and soy free. The Dark Side Snarky Bar

Sugar Scrubs

We all know sugar is the devil. It can do a number on your teeth and your waistline. Did you know it can also do wonders for your skin? Sugar is an excellent exfoliator. It's small particles help to gently remove dead skin cells to keep your skin smooth and glowing. Sugar is a natural humectant, it draws moisture from the environment into the skin, which helps hydrate. Sugar also contains glycolic acid. This alpha hydroxy acid helps break down skin cells encouraging cell turnover. Glycolic acid is also anti-bacterial which helps the fight against wrinkles and blemishes. Below are some great sugar scrubs. Whether you make your own, or purchase (hopefully from toxic-free companies) you should only exfoliate 2-3 times per week. 

Orange Creamsicle Sugar Scrub
I love the smell of this! It really does smell like orange creamsicle. To make one 8 oz mason jar, you will need:
1/4 cup of coconut oil
3/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
10 drops of orange essential oil
Melt coconut oil until liquid. Add vanilla and essential oil. Stir in sugar 1/4 cup at a time. 

Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub
This is like vacation in a bottle! To make one 8 oz mason jar, you will need:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
2 limes (or 10 drops limes essential oil)
Melt coconut oil until liquid. Add coconut extract. Zest both limes and add to bowl (if using essential oil, add 10 drops now). Stir in sugar 1/4 cup at a time. 

Castaway Coconut Snarky Bar
Snarky bars are very exfoliating, almost to the point where it hurts (in a good way). It's a solid sugar bar you can easily rub all over your body making sure you exfoliate every inch. I even use it on the bottoms of my feet to removes calluses. All Perfectly Posh products are paraben free, paraffin free, phthalate free, sulfate free, gluten free, and soy free.
Castaway Coconut Snarky Bar

Whole Lava Love Face Exfoliator
Another amazing Perfectly Posh product! This face exfoliator is awesome. It contains charcoal powder, sugar beads, and volcanic ash with an all natural minty fragrance. Whole Lava Love

Lip Exfoliation

As a follow-up to my last post on dry, cracked lips, it's also important to exfoliate your lips. As the weather gets colder (sigh) we turn on the heat, which can dry out your lips. Dry lips lead to peeling, flaky, chapped lips. In order to properly moisturize chapped lips, you must first get rid of the flakes and dead skin. If you don't, the balms will just sit on the dead skin and never make it through to actually moisturize. Below are some DIY and store bought options. Don't exfoliate your lips more than twice a week.

DIY lip exfoliators:

Brown Sugar Lip Scrub - mix 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp honey, and 1 tsp brown sugar in a small bowl. Apply the mixture in a circular motion on your lips for a few minutes. Rinse with cold water.

Peppermint lip scrub - mix 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/4 tsp honey, and 3-4 drops of peppermint essential oil. Gently massage the mixture on you lips for a minute. You can rinse off with water or just lick your lips for minty fresh breath!


Other chemical free lip exfoliators:

Kiss Me Honey Lip Polish - this exfoliating lip polish will remove dead skin and create soft supple lips. It's USDA organic, all natural, paraben free, chemical free, gluten free, and certified cruelty free.
Kiss Me Honey Lip Polish

Tarte Maracuja Lip Exfoliant - As lips are exfoliated, maracuja oil simultaneously promotes hydration, cell recovery, and surface rejuvenation. Lips are left noticeably revitalized, fuller, and kissed with a hint of refreshing mint. It's formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, triclosan, synthetic fragrance, petrochemicals, and GMOs. 
Maracuja Lip Exfoliant

Perfectly Posh Snowed In Lip Scrub - this softening vanillamint lip scrub makes your lips feel refreshed and soothed. All natural sugar, shea and cocoa butters, honey, and macadamia, jojoba, and peppermint oils scrub away dry, tired skin and hydrate lips. Then protective beeswax and sunflower seed wax create a barrier to keep all that moisture where it belongs.
Perfectly Posh Snowed In Lip Scrub

Dry, cracked lips?

Its that time of year again. You wake up, it's freezing out. By noon, you are sweating. This can do a number on your lips. The weather and the sun can damage your lips causing them to dry out, crack, and even feel like they are burning. Unfortunately, that Blistex and ChapStick you put on is only making it worse. Most commercial chapsticks are filled with fragrance and chemicals which dry out your lips even more. They strip your lips of hydration. You become addicted to the feeling of soft, smooth lips and apply more. This leads to a vicious cycle of your skin relying on products that never solve the issue; lack of moisture. You should be using chemical free, oil-based, lip balms that actually lock in moisture. Below are some great recommendations. 


Hurraw! Balm - Hurraw! Balm started out of pure intent; a personal obsession to create the perfect balm: all natural, vegan, made from premium raw, organic and fair trade ingredients, complete with a bunch of natural and fun flavor options! They source honest, fair trade, organic, vegan and raw ingredients from reputable suppliers and are thrilled to share the labors with other balm lovin' individuals. Your purchase supports legit fair trade, organic farmers and suppliers here in the States and around the World. 
Hurraw! Balm is available online and at Wegmans

Dr. Bronner Lip and Body Balm - Dr. Bronner's Organic Lip Balms, made with organic beeswax, provide a protective barrier to the elements with no synthetic ingredients. Organic jojoba, avocado, and hemp oils help with extra moisturization. Only the finest essential oils are used for fragrance. Certified organic USDA National Organic Program Standards, because what you put on your lips goes into your body.
Dr. Bronner lip and body balm is available online and at The Vitamin Shoppe

Badger Balm - These creamy organic lip balms feature rich, Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Butter, which has the sultry fragrance of dark chocolate. Their Cocoa Butter is traditionally processed at low temperatures, allowing the butter to retain its natural, health-giving properties. Flavored with all natural steam distilled essential oils - no artificial sweeteners or fragrances. Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty-free. 
Badger Balm  is available online, at Wegmans, at The Vitamin Shoppe, and at Walgreens


Beautycounter Lip Conditioner - Nourish and protect lips with this ultra-moisturizing lip balm, formulated with soothing and softening avocado oil, shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil, and jojoba oil. That subtly sweet scent you smell? It's calendula and chamomile oils, which act as anti-inflammatories to help heal chapped lips. What’s not included? Approximately 1,500 questionable or harmful chemicals on their “Never List” that they never use to formulate their products. 
Beautycounter Lip Conditioner Calendula Balm is available online or through a Beauycounter rep

. 

Castor Oil

Castor oil is a vegetable oil made by pressing the seeds of the ricinus communis plant. It's a colorless, thick liquid, with a slight nutty smell. It's used by many as a liquid laxative but it does wonders for the skin and hair. If you click on the What Are Cosmetics tab at the top, you can read about how castor oil saved my eyelashes. It's a miracle in a bottle.

Promotes hair growth - castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid and omega-9 fatty acid. When the oil is applied to the scalp, these acids penetrate the hair follicles. They provide nourishment allowing the follicles to restore growth. Since the oil is thick and a bit sticky, warm it up in the microwave. Apply directly to the scalp and massage in with your fingertips. Leave on for 20 minutes and shampoo out. I shampoo 2-3 times after I use it to make sure it's all out. You can do this a few times per week. You will notice your hair is silkier and shinier right away. After a few weeks, you will notice hair growth. You can also use it on your eyebrows and eyelashes. Just take a q-tip, dip it in the castor oil, and apply to your eyebrow or eyelash line. You can also buy mascara wands to apply the oil directly to your lashes. Do this before bed and leave the oil on overnight. Wash face as normal in the morning. Castor oil will help eyebrows and eyelashes grow thicker and fuller.

Skin Moisturizer - castor oil is an excellent facial moisturizer. It penetrates deep into the skin tissue and nourishes it with the fatty acids. Apply the oil at night as a nighttime moisturizer. Wash face as normal and don't dry it. Immediately apply the castor oil while face is still wet. The castor oil is thick, and a little sticky, so the water allows you to rub it in easier. One applied, your skin absorbs castor oil very quickly so you aren't least with any oily feeling. Your face will feel super soft in the morning.

Reduces Acne - castor oil has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it great for treating acne. The rincinoleic acid fights off acne-causing bacteria. Take a q-tip and apply the oil directly to the acne as a spot treatment.

Anti-Aging - castor oil stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. This hydrates the skin and delays the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Castor oil is a great treatment for crows feet around the eye.

Armpit Cleanse

I'm a huge fan of natural deodorant. The deodorants and antiperspirants in the stores are filled with chemicals and aluminum. They are formulated to prevent us from sweating, even though our bodies are designed to sweat. I'm personally convinced that chemical based deodorant is directly linked to breast cancer. I know this is a very controversial topic, but there are just too many links between the two. I constantly tell my friends to switch their deodorant to an all natural one. They tell me the same thing over and over again, "the natural deodorants don't work because i smell"

The transition from a chemical base deodorant to more of a natural deodorant can be brutal. You might notice excessive sweating, odor, and even skin irritation. Unfortunately, this is normal. Those chemicals in conventional deodorants and antiperspirants can change the bacterial microbiome in your armpit, causing an overproduction of bad bacteria, which can contribute to a worse odor when you stop using them. What?!?

So the complaints I get that the natural deodorants make them "smell" isn't exactly accurate. What is accurate is that your armpits need to detox off the chemicals and get the bacteria back in balance. The best way to do this? An armpit cleanse.

1 Tbsp Bentonite clay
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Before you start, it's important that you don't use metal utensils or mixing bowls when using Bentonite clay. Mix the clay and apple cider vinegar together until well blended. The paste will be thick and have a mousse like texture. Apply a thin layer on the armpits and let dry, about 15-20 minutes. Wash off with water. 

Repeat this process until your body odor has settled down and you can use a natural deodorant without complaints. To learn more about the benefits of Bentonite clay, click here. To learn more about natural deodorant, click here

The benefits of Bentonite clay

Bentonite clay is an all-natural healing clay. It contains 67 trace minerals including calcium, magnesium, silica, sodium, copper, iron and potassium. It's composed of ash made from volcanos. It was named by Wilbur C. Knight in 1898 after the Cretaceous Benton Shale near Rock River, Wyoming. It's a very fine powder that is odorless and non-staining. 

Our bodies come in contact with toxins everyday. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the chemicals we put on our skin, and the processed food we eat all contain toxins. Bentonite clay can help draw out these toxins from the body. Bentonite clay is compromised mostly of negative ions. Toxins and heavy metals in the body are made of positive ions. Bentonite clay works like a magnet that bonds to toxins and helps to eliminate them out of the body. The clay also heals and regenerates skin tissue, unclogs pores, exfoliates, prevents blackheads, treats acne, evens out skin tone, and leaves your skin feeling super soft.

Below is the recipe for a clay mask. You can do this mask weekly.

Bentonite Clay Mask:
2 Tbsp Bentonite clay
2 Tbsp water OR apple cider vinegar
Before you start, it's important that you don't use metal utensils or mixing bowls when using bentonite clay. Mix the clay and apple cider vinegar or water together until well blended. The mask will be thick and have a mousse like texture. Apply to face and neck and let dry, about 15-20 minutes. You may feel tightness or slight tingling which is normal. Wash off with water. 

I bought my clay at The Vitamin Shoppe. A one pound jar only costs $7.49. Bentonite Clay

Beautycounter for Target

Beautycounter is launching a limited collection for Target, Beautycounter for Target. The line popped up in most Target stores on September 12th. It will be available in Target, and on target.com, for nine weeks or while supplies last. Prices range from $12 to $39.

If you follow this blog, you know I'm a huge fan of Beautycounter. It's a chemical free company whose mission is to get safer products in the hands of everyone. I'm obsessed with the charcoal cleansing bar, the purifying charcoal mask, and the cleansing balm. I also love their lip gloss in peony. Normally you have to buy Beautycounter products from a rep and you are responsible for the shipping charges. This is huge Target is carrying the products in the store, it's like free shipping! It will be a limited line but there will also be some exclusive for Target products. Stop in your local Target and check it out. I'm excited to see what they have!

FDA bans 19 chemicals used in hand and body washes

On September 2nd 2016, the FDA issued a rule banning the use of 19 chemicals in hand and body washes. This ruling, 40 years in the making, ends the debate over whether or not these chemicals are safe. The ban includes triclosan, which is the most widely used chemical on the list.

Triclosan has been around since the 60's. It's a synthetic anti-bacterial found in soap, toothpaste, face wash, deodorant, and mouthwash. It's a hormone disruptor, linked to antibiotic resistance, and causes environmental damage. Triclosan has been detected in breast milk, blood, and urine samples. Once it's washed down the drain, it can stay in nature for decades. Triclosan has been found in lakes, streams, oceans, and even in house dust. This posts significant health risks to both humans and animals.

Companies have until September 2017 take these 19 ingredients out of their products or remove the products from the shelves. Many companies have already removed ingredients like triclosan but simply replaced it with other chemicals like benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, or chloroxylenol PCMX. These chemicals have been given an extension to remain on the market for another year while they are tested for safety. Who wants to buy products that haven't been tested for safety?

You can read the full ruling and see a list of all 19 chemicals on the Federal Register. The bottom line is we need to read labels on everything we buy. Stay away from products that contain triclosan or any of the banned chemicals. Clearly these companies are just going to replace chemicals with other chemicals and we end up being the guinea pigs.