Family Health Beauty Info

Make your own face cleansers

This information comes from: Informed
Voice, Vol 3 No 4, Summer 2006, p 68 (‘Skin deep: cleanse without going broke!’)

It’s fun to mix up organic ingredients and then feed our skin. Here are some alternatives to store-bought face cleansers – straight from your kitchen. Instructions are set out below the ingredients lists.

Face cleansers

• Apple cider is natural astringent
• Olive oil helps remove dirt
• The lactic acid in yogurt exfoliates
• Lemon juice tightens pores

Cleanser for dry skin

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• ½ mashed banana or avocado
• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Cleanser for oily skin

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• ½ teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Cleanser for normal skin

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Method

Combine all ingredients well. Scoop out approximately ¼ cup and apply to your face, neck and décolleté with a circular motion. Massage it into skin for at least one minute. Rinse well with cool (not cold) water. Gently pat dry with a soft cloth.

Store unused cleanser in the fridge for up to seven days.

Tip: If you run out of cleanser, use milk instead. There’s no need to wash it off. It leaves a natural sheen on the skin.

See related article ‘Recipes for masks and scrubs’ or watch the video

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Lucie

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Clean your home with natural wonders, not toxins

This article comes from Home Beautiful magazine [‘Seven natural wonders’, April 2009, p 64.)

These days we are more aware of chemicals and toxins then ever before. Here are some tips on cleaning your home, without poisoning it.

Eucalyptus oil

• This germ-fighter can be splashed into a bucket instead of bleach to disinfect floors. Use it to dissolve build-up stains, glue and sticker residue

Tea tree oil

• This antibacterial is great for mould. Create a shield for the shower by mixing 15 drops in 750 ml water, in a spray bottle. Spray generously and don’t rinse.

Lemon juice

• Cuts through grease on pots and pans, and removes perspiration stains from clothes. Mix one part lemon juice to two parts olive oil to create a solution that makes furniture shine like new.

White vinegar

• Run it though a dishwasher instead of Rinse Aid, and through the rinse cycle of a washing machine to soften clothes. Boil it in a kettle to remove limescale.

Cedar (oil, or dried cedar)

• Keep linens fresh and moth-free by storing this pest preventer in the closet or cupboard

Bicarbonate of soda

• Mix with vinegar to clean the bathroom and unblock drains. Try replacing your usual surface cleaner with bicarb on a damp cloth. Buy at the health food store or local market.

For more natural cleaning wonders visit

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Lucie

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Is your beauty routine harming your health?

This topic was posted by Dr Mercola in October 2009.

Sources:

Organic Consumers Association October 1, 2009

FoodMatters 

Do you enjoy a shampoo with a rich bubbles? A shaving cream that really foams? Relaxing in a tub full of bubbles?

SLS stays in the body up to five days. Other studies show it easily penetrates the skin and enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, the lungs, and the brain. Yet SLS is found in most cleansing, foaming products – and even in some toothpastes.

See safe certified organic products

See related blog ‘Why are there toxins in everyday products

See more ‘About organics’

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Lucie

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Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), and their cousins like ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium myreth sulfate produce a lot of foam very inexpensively. But SLS is so strong that it’s also used to scrub garage floors. And it has been proven to cause cancer in the long run.

Eczema’s link to asthma uncovered

I read interesting article about a connection between eczema and asthma (link is below). I remember when I was having trouble with allergies, eczema and asthma, I was very weak and got sick every 3 months. It was not a pleasant time.

My doctor gave me strong cortisol medication to stop itchiness, and an inhaler for the asthma. He basically ignored the cause of my trouble and suppressed it with drugs. So my health continued to suffer.

Then I started seeing a naturopath, to heal and educate myself (he’s a man who can fix anything- I love him). Interestingly all my troubles were interconnected.

After a blood test he found that I had an allergy to the animals I spent so much time with. He talked to me about how to change my lifestyle and I started to feel a positive change. It took two years to get better only because I did not want to give up my animals.

Now I’m healed and understand my own body needs.

Read this BBC article: Eczema’s link to asthma uncovered **

Scientists discover what appears to trigger many children with eczema to go on to develop asthma.

See more ‘Health topics’

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Lucie

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Women risk feet in fashion’s name

A poll has shown that nearly four in 10 women buy shoes knowing they do not fit.

I have studied foot care. We dealt with problems such as corns, ingrowing nails, fungus etc. These conditions can be very painful, but often those suffering are wearing shoes that are fashionable, rather than comfortable. When they took them off you could hear ‘Ohh, that’s better’ and after treatments they could walk without pain.

I remember when I was removing a corn from my lovely aunt’s foot. This corn was caused by wearing fashionable shoes. She said, ‘I’ve been in pain for more than six months, but I don’t want to remove the corn because it hurts and I’ll not give up my shoes.’

I removed her corn (after hours of drama and persuasion). It was not painful at all – she was surprised. My funny little aunty was happily jumping and walking after I did it.

We make our own choices based on what is important to us.

Read this BBC article about fashionable shoes and let me know what do you think.

** Women risk feet in fashion’s name **

Nearly four in 10 women buy shoes knowing they do not fit, a poll reveals.

See more ‘Health topics’

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Lucie

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Organic toothpaste; milk and antioxidants

More from my discussion with ONEgroup, about certified organic products.

Lucie: Clients have asked which ingredients prevent dental caries, in Miessence toothpaste and mouthwash. Dentists say fluoride is the key ingredient.

ONEgroup: Our toothpastes mainly consist of sodium bicarbonate, which has been used as a dentifrice for hundreds of years, and a known tooth brightener with a very low abrasive action. In solution it will kill micro-organisms associated with dental infections. It will also kill other disease-related bacteria. And it will help neutralise and detoxify the bacterial acids and toxins that form in plaques (bacterial biofilms).

Sea salt is also an excellent cleaning agent. It increases saliva, which helps dilute and wash away harmful bacteria. It is an effective antiseptic, which makes it perfect for our mouthwash.

Lucie: Can people use milk and hot water for the Berry Radical Antioxidant, and drink it as a tea? I’ve read that milk stops the absorption of antioxidants. Is the answer to use coconut milk, reis milk or soya milk?

ONEgroup: Hot water is OK. It’s oxygen exposure that is the enemy of antioxidants. A study of milk and antioxidant polyphenols in tea showed that the milk blocked the absorption of the antioxidants in the tea. We are erring on the side of caution until I can have it confirmed further.

See organic products

See related blog ‘The rules for certified organics’

See related blog  ‘The difference between natural and organic ‘   or watch the video

See related topic ‘Understanding product labels’

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Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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When are products truly organic?

Here’s a Q and A between me and ONEgroup, who produce Miessence, a certified organic product range.

Lucie: When products labelled ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ have no chemicals or preservatives listed, are they truly organic products?’

ONEgroup: The only real signs of truly organic products are the certification logos. This proves that the products have passed the strict organic standards and comply completely to these guidelines.

Lucie: Is there a law that every product label must show all the ingredients?

ONEgroup: Yes, there are some guidelines about listing ingredients. To comply with the European Union Cosmetic Product Regulations, we are now required to list the components found in essential oils.

We only purchase from suppliers that have authentic organic certification. This is a requirement of processing certified organic products.  If there’s no organic certificate, it ain’t certified!

Lucie: Why are so many companies that make organic products not certified?

ONEgroup: You’d have to ask the company, but the most likely reason is that they don’t actually comply with the standards!

See organic products

See related blog ‘The rules for certified organics’

See related blog  ‘The difference between natural and organic ‘   or watch the video

See related topic ‘Understanding product labels’

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

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Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Are the chemicals in personal care/beauty products harmful?

A scientist’s view

I asked this question of one of my clients, a scientist working in cancer research.

He said that the chemicals in beauty products are not harmful. Of course, if a child ate a lot of toothpaste (which has fluoride added) they could be harmed, but it’s also dangerous to eat massive amounts of organic carrots.

He pointed out that in nature, we only take the amount that we need. For example, to function properly our bodies actually need a little arsenic, yet this is poisonous in larger doses. So, he believed that chemicals in products are only harmful when used in large amounts.

ONEgroup responds

It’s quite incorrect to say that chemicals in products are harmful only when you use them in bigger amounts. Exposure to a small amount of mercury can kill or cause damage for example, so that already disputes that theory. Yes, we produce a natural amount of arsenic ourselves but that it is released as needed and in doses that our bodies can handle. The danger is in accumulation of additional toxins. The point of using organic skincare is to reduce the amount of chemicals that we absorb and that we pour down the sink and into our environment. – http://www.ewg.org/ 

See organic products

See related blog ‘Why are there toxins in everyday products?’

See related blog ‘Deodorants and breast cancer’ or watch the video

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Lucie

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Long-term effects of toxins

It seems that usually the amount of harmful chemicals and toxins in products and foods is very limited, so people don’t feel they can be affected immediately. But it’s hard to know the long-term effects of choosing a non-organic lifestyle.

The amount of toxins and chemicals added is not large enough to do immediate harm, but it is the accumulative effect that you need to consider. On average, people use nine personal-care products every single day. This adds up when you are exposed from babyhood. Add to this the increased number of pesticides used to produce our foods, the introduction of GMO foods, environmental and air pollution, and our bodies are soon in toxic overload.

Choosing an organic lifestyle means you buy into a philosophy that will contribute to better health, is kinder to the environment, safeguards the welfare of animals and enhances the working conditions of the people who make their living in agriculture.

See ‘Organic products’

See related blog ‘Deodorants and breast cancer’ or watch the video

See more ‘About organics’

See more ‘Toxins and chemicals’

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Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Why are there toxins in everyday products?

If personal care products and nutrition with chemicals, toxins and preservative can harm humans and the planet, why would governments and industries produce it, when the scientists know it’s poison?

The reason is simple: profit. Natural ingredients can’t be patented so companies make chemical versions, patent them and then market them. They also use these synthetic versions because they are cheaper to mass-produce. Most people assume that beauty products have been thoroughly tested for safety well before they appear in stores.

You would also think that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be watching the cosmetic industry to ensure the health and safety of consumers. Unfortunately, the FDA has little power to regulate beauty products. In fact, the only people ensuring the safety of personal care products are the very people who govern the industry: the Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA)

Scientists paid by the CTFA make up the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel (CIR) . They regulate the safety of the industry’s products. In 2004, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released findings, comparing about 10,000 ingredients in 7,500 different products against known and suspected chemical health hazards.

• Only 28 had been evaluated for safety by the CIR.
• One in every 120 products contained ingredients certified by the government as known or probable carcinogens.
• Nearly one-third of the products contained ingredients classified as possible carcinogens.
• 54 products violated recommendations for safe use that the CIR had put in place.

These products are still available for sale today. The worst offenders were those containing the cancer-causing ingredients coal tar (found in hair dyes), alpha and beta hydroxy acids (commonly used in products advertised to remove wrinkles, blemishes, blotches and acne scars), and those containing the hormone-disrupting ingredient, phthalate (nail care products).

From website http://www.naturalnews. com/016898.html

See related blog ‘Deodorants and breast cancer’ or watch the video

See more ‘About organics’

See more ‘Toxins and chemicals’

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Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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