Welcome to guest post Monday! Want to know how to get skin back in shape after a harsh, cold winter? Read on…

Prepping Pretty Spring Skin

by Sarah Logan

When the sun finally begins to warm our faces again, and the world slowly looks a little greener, we always feel the need to freshen up our looks a bit. In an enthusiastic hurry to apply this season’s bright makeup colors, we may forget to stop and realize that the most important step is good skincare for a clean, smooth base. After the cold wind, dry heating systems, and dark days are done with our faces, most of us go into springtime looking a little dull.

To bring your face back to life, there are some basics that always help whether you’re at a spa or your bathroom sink. Firstly, be sure to exfoliate: it can be as simple as adding salt (for oily skin) or sugar (for dry skin) to your face wash or buying one with exfoliating beads in it. It always helps to add a product with something like fruit enzymes or hydroxy acids into your regimen for added results. Going to get microdermabrasion at a local spa is a great choice for deep exfoliation that will be noticed right away. Any of these options will reveal fresh skin that is glowing and smooth.

Pamper your skin this spring.

Second, you need to continuously moisturize to have skin perfect for makeup application. If you’re getting a facial at a spa, that’s great because they will both exfoliate and moisture your skin while you’re there. At home, be sure you’re using a formula appropriate for your skin type, like a gel for oily skin, a thicker cream for dry, or something in between. Some of the face lotions with radiance/skin brightening ingredients are perfect for dewy spring skin, and are a nice boost for any look.

If we just take a little extra care in reviving skin at this time of year, the reward will be a complexion that’s more awake and well-textured. Your face will look flawless all season long!

Content provided by Sarah Logan on behalf of Aesthetic Science Institute (ASI). ASI is a beauty school for new students interested in a career in aesthetics and licensed aestheticians interested in advanced aesthetics training and certification.

Stay natural, stay beautiful, go green!

What ingredient restores dry skin? Moisturizes sun burned skin? Soothes and protects? Aloe vera!

Even before I went organic, I used it after sun exposure.  It’s anti-inflammatory properties are healing for sunburned skin. Aloe also contains 18 amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it the perfect food for your skin. You can drink aloe vera juice for the internal health benefits but did you know you can use it topically as a face and body mask? You only need 3 ingredients and it’s really affordable too!

You will need:

• Aloe vera juice (organic)

• Aloe vera gel

• Rose essential oil (pure, not synthetic)

Visit From Nature With Love for affordable beauty ingredients, including aloe vera gel.

Watch the video below for exact instructions on how to make your own soothing, hydrating aloe mask. Let me know your results!

I just had to let my readers know about this great deal! 100% Pure is an organic skin care and cosmetic line with 100% safe, 100% natural, and 100% identifiable ingredients. They are vegan, gluten, and petrochemical free. Look at the contents of any of their products and you can honestly say, it is good enough to eat! Check out this post from the archives for my review on their fantastic body scrub: 100% Pure 100% Amazing

Right now the 100% Pure Special Deal of the Week is an 8 piece fruit pigmented cosmetic box + bubble bath and body scrub for $46! Normally purchased separately this would cost $85! For the bubble bath (7.5 oz.) and scrub (6 oz.) you have a choice between pink champagne and dark chocolate (yum!) In addition, you can also get free shipping with orders over $50.

This is a great way to try 100% Pure products while saving a bunch of bucks too! I know I am going to get in on this deal. I hope you do too! Visit 100% Pure to order and find out more, but hurry it may end soon.

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!
Robin

Disclaimer: While I did find this product on my own, the company sent me two samples. I was not paid for this review.

A while back, I got caught up in a great dialogue on another blog about makeup remover wipes. So many readers were leaving comments saying how their wipes burned when they used them and I was one of them! I used to use Jason makeup remover pads and when I wiped them on my eyelids, the entire area around my eyes would burn. The eye area is so delicate! You need to be careful with what you use around them.  Many of the other comments talked about commercial brand wipes filled with chemical toxins. As I read the comments I still had not found an effective natural makeup wipe.

One day I was browsing in one of my favorite stores looking for Christmas gifts. You never know what you will find at Ross! The stock changes every week and if you have a good eye, you can sometimes pick up natural or organic products. I was in the lotion and makeup section when my eyes beheld these:

Blum Naturals Daily Cleansing Towelettes for Dry and Sensitive Skin

I was going on a trip soon and when I travel, I like to keep a makeup wipe on hand to remove makeup easily. They are also great for makeup removal after a late night out. Come on, who really wants to wash their face at 3 am??

These towelettes come in a great re-closeable package, keeping the remaining wipes moist and fresh. The wipes smell great and are a nice size. Some wipes are tiny pads, but not these. Each wipe is about the size of a small paperback book, giving you more than enough space to remove face and eye makeup. And the best part….no burn at all when used around the eye area. Blum Naturals towelettes are quite effective at removing makeup and also leaves your skin feeling slightly moisturized. The chamomile extract really soothes the skin. I would still recommend using a moisturizer afterward though.

Even if you don’t wear makeup, you can still use these wipes to clean your face or refresh after the gym. One day, I took them with me to use after my workout and before I went into the sauna so my face could be fully free to release toxins!The wipes I bought are for dry and sensitive skin but they also make versions for oily and combination skin types. In addition to cleansing towelettes, Blum Naturals also makes exfoliating cloths, eye cleansing pads, face wash, and oil absorbing tissues. I have not yet tried any of these products, but I look forward to trying them soon.

And how does Blum Naturals make such a great wipe? With absolutely no synthetic preservatives, fragrances, or parabens! Nine ingredients do the job just fine:

Water, Decyl Glucoside (plant dervied,) Organic Chamomile Extract, Organic Aloe Vera Extract, Lavender Oil, Vanilla Oil, Patchouli Oil, Gluconolactone (sugar derived), Sodim Benzoate (sugar dervied,) and Glycerin

The day I found these great towelettes, I wish I had bought more, but I only bought one package. However, there is hope. Blum Naturals are carried at tons of stores! Visit blumnaturals.com for a complete list and to check out their other products. The only way you cannot find these wipes is if you live somewhere like Alaska, and even then I am sure you can find them online!

Has anyone else ever used Blum Naturals or found anther good organic or natural makeup remover? Do tell!

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!
Robin

Beauty alert! When personal care companies advertise, do you believe their claims?

In the previous post, I raised this question and now there is further proof that beauty companies deal in deception first, and your well-being last. The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ad for Johnson and Johnson’s Clean and Clear Spot Control Kit and deemed it as deceptive and misleading. In the commercial, young girls (who are not actresses, according to J & J) are depicted before and after using the product. In the before pictures, the girl’s faces are blotchy and shiny. In the after ones, their skin is smooth and clear. It was reported that in the before picture, the girl’s had no face makeup on. Their skin was completely bare. In the after shot, J&J admits a light powder was applied to their skin. If a company can be deceptive simply in their promotional material, isn’t it likely that they are deceptive about the effectiveness or safety of their product? Does something like this make you feel misled? Do you feel like you wasted money on products because the company manipulated the results?

Click here to see the actual commercial and let me know what you think.

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!

Robin

I always knew how healthy honey was for the skin, but not until recently did I make the step to purchase some quality honey. I bought Manuka Honey from Luckyvitamin.com. Honey is versatile and so much more useful externally then internally. Many skin care products contain honey as one of the top ingredients.

A reader asked….does it matter which type of honey you use? The best choice is organic honey but I know that can get pricey. So if your budget doesn’t allow, I am sure it is ok to use regular honey. If you do decide to buy organic, I highly recommend buying it online as it can be much more affordable. Try luckyvitamin.com for great deals on honey and more!

What else can honey do? The  benefits go on and on:

• Treat skin blemishes

• Promote glowing skin

• Protect skin from sun damage

• Cleanse skin

• Heal irritated skin

• Treat burns

• Moisturize severely dry skin

• Anti-bacterial agent

• Anti-microbial agent

• Vitamin and mineral rich, including copper, iron, silica, vitamin B, manganese, chlorine, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, aluminum and magnesium

• Pain relief

• Prevent scarring

• Tone the skin and tighten pores

By now you might be saying, “Wow! I didn’t know honey could do all that!”  Just try it and you just might be incredibly pleased with the results. See the previous post on how to use it as a moisturizing face mask.

Need an idea of how to use honey in your beauty routine? Check out this video for an amazingly yummy toning chocolate honey scrub. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Have you used honey before in your beauty routine? If so, how did you use it? Have any good recipes to share? Let’s dish!

On a sad and completely different note, I would like to dedicate this post to Karissa Gundling, a fellow green beauty blogger who passed away on Saturday. Her warmth and genuineness came through on every post she wrote. She was an inspiration to me and will be greatly missed. See her blog here:prissygreen

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!

Robin

Today I welcome a guest blogger! I am so happy to be able to share this page with others who share my vision of having everyone learn how to go green with their beauty routines and life. Today’s guest blogger is scientist Dr. Renee Lea-Currie , who has a Ph.D. in nutrition and is the Health Leader for the Philadelphia Seventh Day Adventist Church in Burlington, NC. Please take the time to visit her website and blog in which she promotes eating real “food” and shares coupons and deals for organic and natural products, making them more affordable for everyone. In the following, Renee, gives some great tips for smoother, softer skin at a price we can all handle. Thank you , Renee. Enjoy!

The Honey Skin Cure

by Dr. Renee Lea-Currie

www.thetakebacktour.com

I too was plagued with super sensitive skin and adult acne until I tried a very simple inexpensive recipe. Try this:
1. Wet your hands and then apply honey to your face. Feel free to massage it in if you wish
2. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes.
3. Rinse with water. NOTE: I don’t like the smell of honey so I use water and unscented pure glycerin soap like Dr Bronner’s to rinse. $2 sample bottles of the liquid version can easily be found at Target stores.
4. If you still feel dry, use a dab of olive oil and massage in while your face is still wet.

This simple cheap regimen has “cured” my acne, dry skin, enormous skin pores and lightened old scars! It was hard to find a regimen that works on African-American brown skin, but this one does. Every 1-2 months, I do a simple body honey treatment the same way for all over softness. The ingredients are simple, affordable and available most everywhere.

• As a research scientist, I am familiar with many of the chemical names in many products. Oddly enough, many of the same chemicals in cosmetics would have to be classified as hazardous and disposed of in special manner if they were in my lab at any concentration or amount! Scary.

• As a scientist, I also share with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and conduct local Natural beauty recipe workshops and shopping tours; this is how I found Robin’s blog a few months ago. I have been very pleased as it seems like we are of the same mind to share information about HOW TO be beautiful and safe. Keep searching and checking out blogs and website to find the information you seek.

On my next post, I will share with you even more about the health and beauty benefits of honey.

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!

Robin

Just before new years, I noticed my skin had lost some if it’s luster. Maybe it was because of the cold, dry air where I was vacationing…who knows…but if the chilly winter wind has your skin looking a bit dull, I have the solution for you (and it doesn’t even cost that much!)

I concocted my own at home facial! It was a 5 step process. You can use the products you already have on hand or even get creative and make some of your own recipes. I used a product line from Blissoma, an awesome company I just discovered through one of my favorite eco-beauty blogs,  ecochick.com. I jumped on the chance to try the starter kit (4 full sized products) for only $25! UPDATE: This deal is no longer being offered but visit iriestar.com for to sign up for future promotions! Wanna know more? Read the review of this amazing, affordable natural line here: ecochick.com

Read on for your step-by-step instructions for your DIY facial!

Here are the easy steps to your skin rejuvenating at home facial:

Step 1: Cleanse. Wet face and cleanse using a gentle cleanser. I used Blissoma’s Mild Rice Cleanser. Pat dry.

Step 2: Exfoliate. Use face scrub to remove dead skin cells. Since I didn’t have any scrub around, I created my own. Take about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and combine with 2 tbsp. of sugar. You can play around with the amounts. Gently apply to face and rinse. By now your skin will already be incredibly soft!

Step 3: Clarify. Apply a clay mask to skin, being careful to apply it evenly.  Blissoma’s Clay Renewal Treatment mask did an excellent job for me. Let dry and remove with a warm wet cloth.

Step 4: Tone. Blissoma’s set came with this great toner spray (Intense Hydration Tonique) which hydrated my skin. If you don’t have a product like this, you can skip this step or mist face with some purified water. Let dry.

Step 5: Moisturize. Apply moisturizer (it was night so I used Blissoma’s Evening Facial Creme.) The set  also came with a Morning Facial Moisture. I love the fact that it had different formulations for day and night. Your skin needs different treatment at different times of the day.

Step 6: Enjoy smoother, softer, and healthier skin!

This isn’t something you will do everyday but once in a while it is nice to pamper yourself! After I gave myself this facial, my skin was new year ready. Do you have any other tips for an at home facial? Please share!

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!

Robin

Green tea is not only great for your heart, but for your skin and hair too.

Did the title catch your attention? I hope so…The benefits of drinking green tea are many: weight loss, increased metabolism, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, and improving the immune system to name a few. Green tea contains EGCG, a powerful  antioxidant which kills cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. If green tea is not part of your daily diet, it should be.

Green tea is so healthy in our diet but what can it do in our beauty products?  There are times when your hair needs a break from regular shampoo and needs a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup of styling products. Enter Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo.

It deep cleans and rinses well leaving the hair healthy and manageable. It contains herbal extracts and nutrients which make the hair easy to style and cuts down on dry time (who doesn’t need more time in their beauty routine??) Green tea and nettle extract protect hair and tone the scalp. Aloe replenishes moisture while almond protein strengthens hair fiber, fullness, and manageability. You will be so pleased when you use this shampoo as it contains so sulfates, parabens, or chemicals. It’s also vegan and is not tested on animals. Here are the complete ingredients:

INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Coconut Oil-Corn Oil Soap, Organic Green Tea Extract (Organic Green Tea, Organic Nettle, Natural Grain Alcohol), Organic Aloe Vera, Carrageenan, Organic Lemon Peel Oil, Almond Protein, Organic Blue Camomile Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

You can explore the entire line of green tea products at Aubrey Organics.

Another company who have tapped into the power of green tea is Burt’s Bees. They make a collection of products utilizing this wonder ingredient. I was able to find a Green Tea set at Marshall’s (I am always looking for deals!) It contained a 12 oz. shampoo, 12 oz. conditioner, 8 oz. hand soap, and a soap bar. Burt’s Bees Color Keeper Shampoo and Conditioner uses green tea and fennel seed to help preserve color. This is a good shampoo, but when compared with Aubrey, I definitely like the results from the Aubrey collection better. My hair seems to stay cleaner longer than when I use the Burt’s Bees. If you decide to try both lines, it is up to you to decide which you like better. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the benefits of green tea or what is has done for you. Please leave me a comment.

Until next time, stay natural… stay beautiful… go green(tea!) -Robin

Save money by purchasing a skin care set.

By now, you all know how much I ♥ Aubrey Organics products. I love how they create skin care systems and products designed for different skin and hair types too. I like to coordinate my products and use all the same items from one product line.  After 30, I decided it was time to be on the offensive and start anti-aging activities.  I found out about Rosa Mosqueta after researching which natural ingredients were best for anti-aging. Rosa mosqueta originates from rosa mosqueta oil and is a powerful anti-oxidant, providing Essential Fatty Acids and promoting youthful skin. It also has amazing skin regenerating properties and can reverse sun damage! I started using Aubrey’s Rosa Mosqueta Moisturizing Cream for the daytime. It absorbs easily, makes a great base for under make-up, and moisturizes and hydrates the skin all day. To make it even better, all the ingredients are identifiable and contains no chemicals. I was so pleased with the daytime moisturizing cream that I decided to expand to the night cream.

The Rosa Mosqueta Night Cream is a bit thicker and when applied, makes the skin shiny and glowing. That  is not really a problem though as you apply before bedtime and the cream works it’s magic as you sleep. It’s ultra-moisturizing and restores softness to dry skin. Like the day cream it contains powerful antioxidants, liposomes, and alpha lipoic acid, which in combination helps smooth fine lines, wrinkles, and leaves the skin looking radiant. After using this cream for some time, I am so satisfied with the results and you will be too!

I was delighted to find out that Aubrey uses this fantastic ingredient in it’s hair care products as well. Rosa Mosqueta Nourishing Shampoo is especially for color treated hair but can be used on all hair types. It boasts that it can remove harsh chlorine, which your hair absorbs through the water if you are not using a shower filter (click here for more on shower filters.) It also leaves your hair soft and manageable and the scent is quite pleasant (rosy!) as you shower.  Rosa Mosqueta Nourishing Conditioner contains many healthy essential oils designed to condition, untangle, and fortify for healthy hair. This line starts at $7.98 and up for an individual product and ranges in price. You can get the skin care at a discounted rate if you purchase a set.

When used in tandem, all these products do exactly what they claim to do in a safe way. Aubrey does not use any harsh chemicals. They preserve their products with citrus seed extract and vitamins. Using Aubrey products gives you peace of mind in that you know your body will not be harmed. Aubrey products are organic, safe, and effective. Visit Aubrey Organics to discover them for yourself and find the product lines that match your needs. I know you will be satisfied! If you have any questions about the Aubrey line (or anything at all) please drop me a line through the comments or contact page.

Do you use any Aubrey products? If so, which line and product works best for you? If not, which product would you like to try? I would love to know.

Until next time, stay natural… stay beautiful…Go green! -Robin