Posts Tagged ‘all-natural skincare’

Homemade Holiday Gifts: Sugar Scrub

Posted on November 18th, 2011 by Tonia 2 Comments

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about what we’re going to give our loved ones for Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. Mike and I love to give and receive handmade gifts because the thought and time put into them make them so meaningful, they’re always one-of-a-kind, and usually it’s more economical than going to the store and buying something.

I’d love to hear what some of you are working on, and I’ll be sharing my gift ideas as well occasionally between now and Christmas.

First up, Jess asked me to share a recipe for homemade sugar scrub- a perfect gift for anyone! It’s all-natural, luxurious, and makes your body silky smooth by exfoliating and moisturizing.

It’s pretty inexpensive to make, but I would recommend splurging a little on a high-quality olive oil so you get the benefit of the most antioxidants possible. Cheap olive oil is more likely to be rancid, expired, or over-processed. I used Lucero Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They’re family-owned and operated and take the art of making olive oil very seriously.

Use equal parts brown sugar and white sugar {about 1/4 cup each for a 6 oz. jar} Fill to the top with olive oil, covering the sugars by an extra 1/2 inch.

Optional: Add 1-2 Tbs of vanilla extract for flavor, a couple drops of your favorite essential oil {something that you know your recipient is not allergic or sensitive to}, or 2-4 Tbs lemon juice for a scrub that lightens dark/age spots on skin.

Wrap it up pretty with a piece of scrap fabric and a ribbon. Done! Easiest gift ever! Thanks for the idea, Jess!

Winter Skin Therapy

Posted on March 11th, 2011 by Tonia No Comments

It’s March, which means my skin hasn’t seen the sun for about four months…and you can tell. Winter is really rough on our skin- especially a winter full of hockey games {the chin-strap on my hockey helmet is no doubt a happy haven for bacteria which causes pimples…}, followed by really hot showers {very, very relaxing but very, very drying for my skin.} It’s really no surprise that my face has been acting up with a combination of dry skin and pimples.

This is the most difficult combo to deal with because what treats the dry skin usually aggravates the pimples, and what dries out the pimples dries out the rest of my face even more! Needles to say, I am ready for summer, for sunshine, and for my skin to get back to normal!

But here we are in March, and we’re a few months away from summer still. So, I turn to yogurt and honey. Two delicious things to eat, and two wonderful things to put on your face! The yogurt balances your skin, calms and reduces redness, and makes your skin soft. The honey moisturizes.

A big key here is to use quality, organic yogurt and honey. The stuff with added sugar and preservatives should be avoided. I buy the most natural kind of yogurt I can find. Some people make their own yogurt, which I plan on doing sometime soon as well.

This honey was made by a close family friend who raises bees. We usually enjoy it on toast and in tea, but it works great for this purpose too.

It only takes a small amount of both ingredients to make enough for a couple people to enjoy this facial mask. You can store the mixture in the refrigerator for a few days if you cover it with something.

Keep mixing until the honey is incorporated into the yogurt. If your honey came right out of the refigerator, this step could take several minutes.

It can be slightly drippy, so do this over your sink. Just keep applying it until there is a good coating all over your face. It feels so cool and soothing on your skin. Leave the mask on for 10 minutes or so, and then splash it off with cool or warm water.

You might not even need a moisturizer afterward, but in my case I did apply a light lotion to lock in the moisture from the honey. If you have oilier skin, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice into the mask mixture. Lemon juice lightens dark spots and absorbs oil. I dab it directly on dark spots left by old pimples, and it works really well to fade them.

So easy!! And you will see and feel the difference immediately after washing the mask off. Tighter, smoother, calmer, happier skin. I hope this little pick-me-up facial helps get you through until summer!

Product Review: Wen Shampoo & Conditioner

Posted on November 10th, 2010 by Tonia 6 Comments

Remember when I complained about biodegradable hair products?  All the brands I have tried so far have left my hair feeling sticky and coarse.  I may be a rural-farm-dweller now.  I may chop firewood and chase mice with brooms…but why shouldn’t I still be able to have smooth and silky hair??  Ugh.  Luckily, my aunt Barbara, who is a vegan and a big inspiration to me, swooped to my rescue by sending me a sampling of her favorite all-natural hair products. 

The brand is called Wen, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I liked their “cleansing conditioner”.  They call it that because it is moisturizing for your hair like conditioner, yet still cleans it like shampoo.  I decided to do an official product review, since {hopefully} there are a lot of you out there who want to switch to environmentally-safe hygiene products.  Say goodbye to sulfates, people!

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Wen’s Cleansing Conditioner & Re Moist Treatment:

ittyBirdiconPro’s:

 -Gives hair a light, natural and delicious smell

-Smooths layers and split ends

-Tames fly-aways and frizz

-Leaves hair shiny and silky….YAY!

-Sulfate free and vegan

-Protects color-treated hair and is gentle enough to use every day

ittyBirdiconCon’s:

-No suds.  It feels like conditioner, even though it’s technically a shampoo, and even after vigorously massaging it into my hair, it doesn’t suds up.  That’s a little strange, but I’ll get used to it.

-You need to use like 20+ pumps of it to cover your whole head/hair {according to the package directions, and if you have long hair like me}, so a bottle of this stuff will not last very long.

-No “squeaky clean” feeling.  If you like to have that “tight” clean feeling after a shower, this product may not be for you.  It doesn’t really cut through oil very well- which is actually one of the good things about it {it doesn’t strip your hair of its natural/healthy oils}.  I will probably use the Wen product most days, and then throw in a “purifying” shampoo once a week to rid my scalp of any build-up that the Wen is not able to remove.

-Need to wash hair every day.  My hair feels dirty again about 24 hours after washing with Wen.  Other shampoos make my hair feel clean/un-greasy for at least 48 hours {unless I go running or do something to work up a sweat, obvs.}

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Thanks again, Aunt Barbara!  Back-story, this particular aunt has always been my go-to beauty consultant.  I learned how to wear makeup and style my hair from her when I was in junior high.  More recently, she has taught me how to make the most delicious green-smoothies to help keep my skin healthy.  

Aunt B has managed to make the move to veganism in her adult life without sacrificing things like beauty regimen and fashion…two things near and dear to my girly heart.  She keeps promising she’s going to write a post for me about being a vegan, so most likely this won’t be the last time Aunt B graces the blog with her presence.  :)

Natural Beauty: Avoid Toxic Make-Up

Posted on February 22nd, 2010 by Tonia 7 Comments

I don’t exactly consider myself a girly-girl. I ride horses {and have no problem mucking stalls}, I go camping {outside in a tent. I know some of you think camping means sleeping in one of these}, and from time to time I make un-ladylike jokes {“that’s what she said.”}

However, I enjoy a good facial/mani-pedi as much as the next girl, and I wear make-up almost every day.  Therein lies a teeny problem: my need {yes dear, it is a need, not a want} for occasional pampering and regular make-up usage conflicts with my ethics.36459As you may know, the majority of cosmetics and toiletries on the market today contain enormous amounts of toxic chemicals which have never been tested for safety by the FDA.  Not only are these toxins sitting on our faces all day long and being absorbed into our bodies, but when we wash them off we are washing them into our water system and the earth.  Some of the most common include:

  • Foaming agents such as sodium laureth sulphate, ammonium lauryl sulphate and 1,4-dioxane.
  • Synthetic colors and fragrances which are not always labeled or identified completely on labels and may be an amalgam of hundreds of chemicals.
  • Parabens, which are often used as preservatives and have been linked to breast cancer.
  • Propylene Glycol which can cause liver and kidney damage

{More information can be found at The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics which has one of the largest databases of products and ingredients online.}

True story: Recently I switched from using department store make-up to using Aveda products.  When I ran out of my Aveda stuff, I had to go back to using the department store brands for a little while, and I noticed that my eyes became red and irritated after wearing it all day long.  I quickly replenished my supply of Aveda make-up and never looked back.  Besides using natural ingredients, Aveda also manufactures using 100% certified wind-power.

{I am not paid/sponsored by Aveda at all.  I’m just sharing a good experience I had with their products.}

Aveda is certainly not the only option. Even Wall-greens carries all-natural brands of cosmetics and toiletries these days.  If you’re a make-up lover like myself, I challenge you to switch to an all-natural brand, and see what kind of difference it makes with your skin/eyes/allergies.  Even if you don’t notice any outward benefits like I did, at least you can feel good that you’re no longer washing those chemicals down the drain every day! If you already use natural cosmetics, please share you experience in the comments!

Check back later this week for more on the subject of natural skincare, including a recipe for a homemade facial!…