Essential Oils vs. Base Oils

I was determined to whip my pores into shape. Around my nose and on the front of my face they are just too large for my liking. I had recently read up on essential oils that help cleanse and purify pores, one of which being lemongrass. Being the proactive woman I am, I bought a small bottle, reading through my natural healing books and websites before using. And then I applied it to my face. Pure and undiluted.

For those of you that know the difference between an essential oil and a base oil, your eyes are probably bugging out of your head. For those of you that don’t, I will make this painfully, and I emphasize the painfully, clear. Essential oils, unless explicitly stated on the packaging or researched properly, are never, under any circumstances, to be used without first being diluted with a base oil. There are some, but very few, exceptions to this rule.

You may wonder, why? So he is a quick and simplified science lesson. Essential oils have a very small molecular structure. This means that they absorb into the skin at exceptionally high rates, thus their equally high effectiveness. When you put an essential oil on your face, for instance, it can be detected on your breath within minutes¹. Essential oils are high concentrations of the true essence of the plant it was derived from. Essential oils are created through the distillation of leaves, bark, flowers or other vital elements of the plant.

Base oils, often called carrier oils in aromatherapy, are pressed from the fatty portions of the plant, usually nuts or kernels³. Base oils are safe to use on skin, and can have a moisturizing effect to a slightly astringent effect, depending on the type of oil. Common base oils are Grapeseed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Apricot Kernel Oil. Essential oils can be added to this base, thus safely diluting the essential oil that you are trying to work with. Dilutions range in effectiveness depending on the potency of the essential oil you are using. Nature’s Gift offers some good advice and information on diluting your essential oils with base oils.

When buying any type of base or essential oil, or any other product that is going to be put on your skin, be sure to read the label very carefully. Different oils will help or exacerbate a wide range of issues with the skin, so be mindful And remember, the skin is the largest organ in the body, be careful what you put on it, because it does absorb.

Have a question, a comment, or a suggestion about Essential Oils and Base Oils? Let us know!

The statements, information and/or products listed and discussed in this blog have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any statements, information, and/or products listed and discussed in this blog are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:

¹Tourles, Stephanie, Organic Body Care Recipes: 175 Homeade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin & A Vibrant Self, 2007

²What are Essential Oils, Aromaweb, www.aromaweb.com/articles/whatare.asp

³What are Carrier Oils, Aromaweb, http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/whatcarr.asp

Sun Protection

It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, light streams quietly in through the window as the birds call to one another. Today, you are going for a run, or maybe just a brisk walk. You rinse your face, brush your teeth, pull on your shorts, wriggle into your shirt, put on your hat and are ready to go right? Wrong. Very wrong. You have forgotten one of the most important aspects of the morning routine. Sun protection!

Sure, the hat is on your head, covering the majority of your face and some of the frontal area on your neck, but what about the rest of you?  That t-shirt you slipped on has an SPF rating of only 15¹. And we all know what sun can do to our skin: make us look leathery, cause wrinkles and, worst of all, skin cancer. But with all the products on the market, what is the best choice?

Always look for a sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays sink in to the lower levels of your skin cells, damaging cells, ageing them prematurely and causing cancer. UVB rays cause surface burns and contribute to cancer as well. But beware the chemical components in your choice product. Some chemicals have the potential to increase the damage caused to your skin and its cells. To ensure that the product is best for your body and your comfort level, know the two types of sunscreen: chemical sunscreens and mineral sunscreens². Chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the skin and actually take in and disperse the sun’s rays.  Mineral sunscreens lay on top of the outer layer of skin, deflecting the rays.

Research on chemical sunscreens suggest that several of the ingredients, oxybenzone in particular, can cause allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage³. Mineral sunscreens, however carry their own risk with nanoparticles. There is still debate as to whether nanoparticles really are harmful, and you can read for yourself the potential effects of oxybenzone and nanoparticles.

Finding a sunscreen that has the protection you need with the possible side effects you don’t can be daunting. However, the FDA recently came out with new regulations on how sunscreen must be labeled, helping consumers determine whether or not their choice sunscreen blocked both UVA and UVB rays. This system should go into effect by summer of 2012.

Another great resource to help you find the sunscreen that will work best for you and your family is the Environmental Working Group. Each year they rate the top mineral and non-mineral options. All of their top rated sunscreens have none of the potentially harmful chemical oxybenzone, and provide broad-spectrum protection.

The most important factor to remember is to educate yourself. You have the opportunity and ability to choose what you feel is best for you, so learn all that you can, on all sides of the issue, before making a choice. And for goodness sake, take a break in the shade every once in a while and give your tired skin a rest.

Have a question, a suggestion, an idea about sunscreen? Let us know!

The statements, information and/or products listed and discussed in this blog have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any statements, information, and/or products listed and discussed in this blog are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:

¹Center for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov, 2011

²Kirschner, Chanie, What’s in Sunscreen?, Mother Nature Network, www.mnn.com, June 3, 2011

³Sutton, Rebecca, CDC: Americans Carry Burden of Toxic Sunscreen Chemical, March 2008

The Science Behind Acne

Acne plagues most of the human race at some point in their lives.  Some people are more genetically disposed to it than others.  Either way, acne is something that is unpleasant to deal with and can get frustrating after a while.  What is acne?  Really?

Acne is actually a skin condition that causes inflamed red growths, whiteheads and blackheads.  Acne occurs when the pores on the surface of your skin become clogged.[1]

How Does It Clog?

Each pore on your face is the opening to a follicle which contains a hair and an oil gland.  Oil glands are good!  They help remove old skin cells and properly lubricate the skin.  However, the glands may produce too much oil and inflammatory cells, dirt, debris and bacteria can form to make a plug.  This is a whitehead or a blackhead.1

What About Pimples?

Pimples form when the plug breaks open.  The material inside the plug then causes swelling and inflammation.  These are your red bumps.1

Causes of Acne

Hormones play a big part in when acne occurs.  This is why many teenagers get acne.  Medications may also contribute to acne as well as tight friction (such as headbands or hats).

Prevention of Acne

There are some things you may not be able to control.  These include genetic tendencies towards acne, your current hormone levels and more.  However, you can help prevent and get rid of acne quickly.  

1.       Don’t wash your face a bajillion times a day.  Over washing can cause your skin to dry out and produce even more excess oil to make up for the difference.  

2.       Remove all makeup before going to bed.  Don’t clog your pores!  Your skin needs to breathe!

3.       Wear loose-fitting clothing.  Don’t irritate your skin.

Treatment of Acne

1.      Be gentle!  Touch your face with care.

2.      Don’t pick at anything!  This can further aggravate any inflammation and leave scars.

3.      Eat a diet rich in antioxidants and omega 3’s.  The omega 3’s help sooth inflammation and the antioxidants help repair damages.

4.       Don’t cover acne with makeup.  This causes even more problems.  Help the body heal itself!

All in all, we all get acne sometime.  Just remember that it is only fleeting and if you take care of your skin, it will soon be gone!

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[1]

Acne. (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2011, from PubMed Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001876/

What Water Can Do For Your Skin

Water is an essential part of life.  Although you may not realize it, water is the essence of our being.  It’s why so many people claim that their number one beauty secret is water.  So will drinking plenty of water actually help you maintain your youth?  We think so, and here is why:

Water helps maintain the moisture level of your skin.  The more moisturized your skin is, the easier it will rebound to its normal state.  This will help reduce the formation of wrinkles.

Water helps all of your connective tissues and joints function properly.  Water helps lubricate your joints. 

When a person does not drink water, it starts to affect basic bodily functions and the body purification system does not work as efficiently, making is hard for our body to dispel toxins[1].

Water is a pure drink and can help purify the body and skin.  By continually drinking water throughout the day, you are putting into your body, a pure substance.

Drinking a glass a water right away when you get up will help replenish your body of the water you lost while sleeping.  As you sleep, you get dehydrated.  We lose about ten to twelve cups of water a day through breathing, perspiration and body wastes[2].

Drinking a glass of water right before you go to bed can also help prevent further dehydration while you sleep.  The original recommended eight glasses of water a day may not be enough to keep you hydrated, so it is important to continually sip water throughout the day.

As most of our body is made up of water, don’t deprive yourself!

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[1] Parentini, L. J. (1996). The Joy of Healthy Skin. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Pentice Hall, Inc.

[2] Guiliano, M. (2007). French Women Don't Get Fat. New York, New York: Random House Inc.

Are Organically Labeled Products Really Organic?

Anyone else out there love the boom of organic and natural skin care products on the shelves?  I know I do.  Or, I did.  Until I did some research on FDA and USDA regulations.

The truth?  Apparently the FDA and USDA do not regulate the use of the words ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ on skin care products.  The only way to tell that a product is 100% certified organic is if it has the USDA certified organic seal on the product. (picture of seal).  The FDA does not regulate cosmetics because they are applied to the outer body and considered to be very low dosages[1].

What?!  My organic hemp lotion is not really organic?!

That is correct.  Unless it has the seal.  Then yes it is.

Next time you are shopping for skin care products, keep an eye out for the USDA certified organic seal.  You will not see very many at all.  The use of organic skin care products is important.  It can help reduce the amount of parabens and chemicals that you put onto your skin, and eventually, into your blood stream.  The practice of remaining natural is helpful for long term effects.  It is unknown if the chemicals in non-organic skin care products can eventually contribute to cancer.  

So the next time you are shopping, take care.  Be sure to support the brands of skin care that are 100% USDA certified organic and support natural and green living.  If you can, support local businesses (I know, there are few that actually make 100% certified organic products).  Be green!

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[1] Cosmetics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogens/AtHome/cosmetics

Skin Care Jargon

Natural Skin Care Jargon EXPLAINED!

When dealing with natural skin care, organic skin care and any other kind of skin care, it is quite common to run into terms on bottles and packages that you kind of understand but not really.  Here are a couple terms defined that you may run into often with skin care:

Emollient - making soft or supple; also : soothing especially to the skin or mucous membrane <an emollient hand lotion>[1].  An emollient helps smooth rough areas of the skin.

Humectant - a substance that promotes retention of moisture[2].  Humectants lock moisture in and discourage the moisture from escaping.

Paraben - either of two antifungal agents used as preservatives in foods and pharmaceuticals[3].  These are added to commercial skin care products as a preservative.  Generally, this ingredient in skin care is meant to be avoided, although no conclusive results have been posted by the American Cancer Society.  Parabens have weak estrogen-like qualities and were found in breast cancer tumors in a small study in 2004[4].

Essential Oil - any of a large class of volatile odoriferous oils of vegetable origin that give plants their characteristic odors and often other properties, that are obtained from various parts of the plants (as flowers, leaves, or bark) by steam distillation, expression, or extraction, that are usually mixtures of compounds (as aldehydes or esters), and that are used often in the form of essences in perfumes, flavorings, and pharmaceutical preparations—called also ethereal oil, volatile oil[5]. 

Astringent - having the property of causing contraction of soft organic tissues[6].  Basically, an astringent will close up your pores.

Hypo-allergenic - having little likelihood of causing an allergic response[7].

These terms are only a few of the many that you may run into, but are some of the most common.  Take the time to figure out what you are putting on your body!

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[1] emollient. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emollient

[2] humectant. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humectant

[3] paraben. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/paraben

[4] Antipersirants and Breast Cancer Link. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/antiperspirants-and-breast-cancer-risk

[5] essential oil. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/essential%20oil

[6] astringent. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/astringent

[7] hypoallergenic. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/hypoallergenic

Welcome to Organic Skin!

Welcome to Organic Skin! Always striving to find organic, chemical free products to use on our hair and body, Bess and I (Marisa) are going to show you the joy and satisfaction that comes from understanding the way your skin works, and finding what works well with it.

Each of us has our own beauty conundrums to tackle; be it dry skin, oily skin, chapped lips, wrinkles, sun spots… you name it, we all struggle in some way. Our goal to you, our (hopefully) faithful readers, is to give you an interactive and informative area to help you understand and overcome your beauty roadblocks safely and organically.

Too often the products we buy are laden with harmful chemicals and ingredients that counteract the results we are trying to see in our skin. Products that we use to rid our face of blemishes end up drying our poor skin like a grape left in the sun, a.k.a raisin-face. Or, an opposite and equally frustrating scenario is that we try to nourish our dry skin with moisturizers that end up leaving us shiny, oily, and blemished once again.

The solution? Natural, organic products and techniques that help balance your body from the inside out. We all want a little balance in our lives, so let’s journey together!