Natural Skin Care Products

I have been researching for hours trying to find a definition for "natural" skin care. Guess what? I can't find one. Natural can mean just about anything. In fact, in the food industry, "natural" has no nutritional meaning and isn't truly regulated by the FDA. (as opposed to organic which does mean something. I'll discuss this in a future blog)

When I think of "natural", I think of nature. (duh!!) So natural can mean that it occurs naturally in the world. I think of roses and lavender, birch and slippery elm trees, waterfalls and mountain streams, oregano and rosemary. I also think of poison ivy and oleander (both poisonous).

So if I put poison ivy or snake venom in my soaps that would make them natural--not good ingredients, but I could call my soaps "all natural". Where do you think cocaine comes from? Coca leaf tea. All natural. Nicotine? Tobacco leaf. All natural. Marijuana? You got it. A plant. All natural. In fact, for all the vegetarians, I could include any animal fat in my soaps and call it "all natural" because animals occur naturally.

I don't use the term "all natural" for this reason. It doesn't mean anything.

Now I could give a meaning to this term. I think I will call my soaps all natural that contain only oils, fats, water, and essential oils (EO). The EOs are distilled from plant materials (seeds, flowers, roots, etc) and do not contain synthetic products as some of the fragrance oils (FO) do. So, if you want Edgewater Cottage All Natural Soaps, purchase Lavender, Patchouli, Honey Oatmeal, and Tea Tree Mint. They are made with EOs only and are as All Natural as you can get and mean something by it.

Love Your Skin lotion (LYS)

Let's talk about why Love Your Skin lotion is so popular. I based this recipe on an old nurses's handcream recipe I found. If you are a person who is always washing your hands, LYS is for you. I have chosen the follow ingredients to make a rich, moisturizing emollient lotion. So let's look at some definitions.

Let's start with: what does emollient mean? It simply describes substances that soften and soothe the skin. It does three things (that I know of--could be more).

1. It leaves a layer of oil on the surface of the skin to hold the water in.
2. It is a humectant which increases your skins' water holding ability.
3. Lubes up the skin, adding slip and slide across the skin--makes it a good massage cream!

Here are the ingredients: (I feel so like Julia Child!)

Avocado Oil: It easily penetrates the skin and is used as an emollient (see above). Adds vitamins, especially A, D, and E. Soothes and nourishes dry skin. Helps with eczema and psoriasis and improves elasticity of the skin. It is said to block the suns rays. It is a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and is great to eat. Hey! If you can't eat it, why put it on your skin?

Macadamia Nut Oil: It easily penetrates the skin and leaves a velvety feel. It's nongreasy and is said to have benefits for scars, sunburn, eczema and the irritation of psoriasis.

Shea Butter: A fascinating nut (just like some people I know). It is processed from the nut of the African Karite Tree. The Karite Tree doesn't produce fruit for 20 years! Then it produces for over 200 years. Shea butter retards moisture loss and is marketed as being effective at: fading scars, eczema, burns, rashes, acne, dry skin, blemishes, chapped lips, stretchmarks, wrinkles and it lessens the irritation of psoriasis. It absorbs rapidly and is not greasy. Now if it could only cook dinner and clean up afterward!!

Cocoa Butter: Another great emollient. It easily penetrates the skin and is effective on stretchmarks, chapped skin and lips and dry itchy skin.

Beeswax and honey: Honey has been used since ancient times as "food of the gods". They say Cleopatra used in on her face and body as a moisturizer. So--if it's good enough for Cleo . . .
But seriously, honey is an anti-oxidant and is anti-microbial. It is said to rejuvenate depleted skin. It is a humectant which means it draws water to your skin.

So, these are the ingredients I chose for Love Your Skin. You can use Love your Skin all over your body--even on your face. I hope you love it as much as I do. I even make unscented, in case the man in your life doesn't care to wear Naked Ladies!

Essential Oils

Do you know what an essential oil (EO) is?

An EO is a highly concentrated substance derived from the flowers, leaves, wood, fruits, seeds, or roots of plants. It is totally natural. EOs are produced by one of three methods: expression (where plant matter is simply squeezed--like a lemon peel); steam distillation (plant matter is steamed at high pressure); and solvent extraction (crushed peels or flowers are soaked in solvents and then centrifuged to separate the essential oil , then gently distilled in a vacuum).

EOs are used in aromatherapy to strengthen our sense of well being. The scent can be inhaled to relieve stress, as an antidepressant, and to boost the immune system. When you think of aromatherapy, you think of essential oils. I love relaxing in a tub full of hot water with a bit of lavender and chamomile EO--maybe some milk powder to further soften my skin. Aah--bliss. And if I want some bubbles and don't have any bubble bath I just pour in some inexpensive shampoo. Try it sometime. : )

One thing that people don't do as much as they used to is soak their feet. There is nothing as good as dipping your feet slowly into a pan of hot water--throw in a handful of epsom salts and a few drops of lavender. Pick up a good book and soak your tootsies until the water is cool. Take a rough washcloth and give your feet a good scrub to remove dead skin cells. Or you could use a pumic stone on the heels and balls of your feet. Then give your feet a slow massage using Love Your Skin (in the blue jar)--I love to use Rosemary Mint to refresh them or if I'm going to bed, I rub in Lavender.

In future blogs, I'll discuss the EOs I use the most. I'll tell you why I use them and what they can do for your skin and overall well-being.