New Years Skin Resolutions

Well Christmas is finally over, and Im still full from all the baked goodies Ive been vegging on all week long while home with my youngins! Time to gear up for the new year! People across the world will be starting to ponder their NYE resolutions once again. While there may be a few things you want to work on in your life, I always suggest putting personal health, and your skin as top priorities. Unfortunately, more often than not, the determination to shape up lasts about as long as it takes the ball in Times Square to drop!

The key my friends is to think of something feasible! Think good resolutions you can make without major stress or strife. I figure as long as it helps me to make strides in the right direction, it’s worth it. There are plenty of easy, affordable ways to stick to your new years resolutions. Real skin care is much more than just skin deep. Your skin is a living, breathing organ of your body. As such, just like every other organ in our body, it needs to be fed from the inside – it requires nutrients.

Check out the 5 basic ingredients that you need to feed your skin. These could be some great suggestions for your 2012 resolutions and inspire you both mentally and psychically!

Good nutrition: Keep it simple, fresh and unprocessed. The cells that make up your skin need the right nutrients for proper development, and growth. Try starting to eat more organic, locally grown fruits, and veggies instead of meat. You could start with one meatless day a week and work up towards more days as you progress. Eggs also make a great substitute. They are full of essential vitamins and minerals, and provide a high-quality source of protein that has been shown to keep hunger satisfied throughout the day. Eggs are also a great part of a balanced diet for people trying to manage their weight for the new year. Attaining some of these healthy eating habits can even help reduce big world problems too like drought, soil depletion, and hypoxia.

Exercise: Okay, so this might coincide with a lot of people’s New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, but it is worth saying again. Many place the cliche label on “working out” as a new years resolution. Little do they know how easy it can be to place it in your schedule, or how beneficial that 15min a day can be to keep blood circulating to all of the skin on your body, creating new glowing cell regeneration. Hop on that treadmill!

Sufficient water intake: that’s a biggie. Most people (irrespective of were they live) will utilize around 3 liters of water per day. If you do not drink at least this amount, your body will either not function well (on some level) or it will take it from where ever it can. That is called dehydration. You know, dry lips, dry flaky skin, parched mouth, cracks on you tongue, premature wrinkles… the list goes on. So, drink up (water, mind you) or shrivel up – it’s up to you. Watch this video for extra inspiration and more facts about water and skin: http://youtu.be/CvxMV2DJPl0.

Sleep & Relaxation: Adequate rest and relaxation: don’t work yourself to an early grave – it’s not worth it. Make sure you get the sleep you need. Did you know that a study in England showed that your IQ (intelligence) drops if you do not have 8 hours sleep per night? Think about it, do you get more work done if you feel well rested? Can you concentrate better if you’re not tired? – I bet you can. Some people might scoff at the idea of making a New Year’s resolution to sleep for at least 8 hours a day, but it is a very valid resolution, especially for your skin. Not only can sleep help you keep those dark circles under your eyes at bay, but it also reduces stress, which can cause allot of skin problems you will read more about below.

Stop Stressin: Did you know that stress can cause wrinkles, and acne? Sorry to say, but its true! Stress not only affects acne flare-up, in general it worsens the overall skin condition. It induces the adrenal glands into overproduction of cortisol, a steroid, which in turn makes sebaceous glands produce more oil and make skin extra oily. This the reason why in stressful periods, people experiencing an increase in acne get more inflamed, pus-filled papules than simple whiteheads or blackheads. Stress can also decrease the wound healing capacity of immune systems up to 40%. This factor doubles the impact of stress on acne, and the possibility of acne scaring (especially if you are picking your face). Wrinkles: A small but significant study in 2004 showed the first link between chronic stress and aging. This study showed that telomeres (structures at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with aging) also shorten prematurely in persons experiencing long-term psychological stress, in effect, prematurely "aging" the cells. Stay Positive: Everything happening in your life, you have attracted. Its true. We are like magnets. Like attract like, you become and attract what you think. If you think about what you dont want, you will attract more of that. How can we tackle our negative thoughts? By watching our “feelings”, and shifting your awareness. Start feeling GOOD this year, and the universe will react accordingly. For more info on positive thinking, you might enjoy this movie/book-> http://thesecret.tv/.

I really hope 2012 brings you beauty, confidence, and prosperity. Take advantage of the momentum that the new year brings. A chance to have a fresh start! Progress = happiness, and the new year can mean a new life. Make 2012 your best year yet. 

Oh, and as always, choose organic beauty products & skincare!

Love and Encouragement,
-BeautyCritic Ashley!

Reports of flat organic beauty market irrelevant to cosmetics, says market researcher

Market research company, Organic Monitor, has hit back at the findings of a recent survey in 2009 by Tabs Group that concluded organic beauty products in the US are a niche market.

Organic Monitor research shows positive growth

Organic Monitor’s predictions, based on a different approach to the research carried out by Tabs Group, paint a contrasting picture of the US natural and organic personal care market in 2009.
“Our methodology involved surveying leading producers, distributors and retailers of natural & organic beauty products. We therefore got sales data directly from companies & retailers, rather than asking consumers if they are buying more or less products,” Sahota said.

Organic Monitor predicted an 8 percent growth rate in the US market for natural personal care products earlier this year, and, based on the data obtained so far, is expecting the prediction to hold true.

Although the company has not yet finalized the market growth rate for 2009, “the general consensus is that growth is positive this year (not stagnating and definitely not negative)” Sahota stated.

Certification a key trend in the US market
As well as predicting that positive market growth will continue for 2009, Organic Monitor highlighted the fact that product awareness and consumer demand is increasing due to more natural and organic products being certified by bodies such as Ecocert and the Natural Products Association (NPA).

Sahota explained that previously, organic beauty products could only get certification from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Organic Program (USDA NOP), which is designed for organic foods.

Amongst the brands to have been certified against this program are Origins Organics, Care by Stella McCartney and Dr Bronner’s.

Certification options for natural and organic products are increasing, with Sahota noting that Ecocert organic certification is becoming more popular with American cosmetics companies.
Organic Monitor also expects that the introduction of the American National Standard for personal care products containing organic ingredients (NSF ANS1 305), will also lead to an increase in the number of certified organic beauty products on the US market.

Organic beauty is popular with eco-conscious consumers

Organic beauty products are becoming increasingly popular as more consumers are becoming concerned about their impact on the environment, it has been suggested.

In an article for IslamOnline.net, cosmetic chemist Amanda Foxon-Hill said that 50 or 60 years ago, cosmetics companies relied on petroleum-based surfactants and mineral oil creams - a trend which consumers were happy to go along with.

However, she argued that more recently, shoppers have begun to question the ingredients which make up the moisturisers and creams which they use on a regular basis.

Nowadays, a number of people link oil-based products with the hydrocarbon industry - which she said in turn is connected to "pollution, environmental destruction and toxicity in relation to the chemical processes employed in refining the oil feedstock".

Elsewhere in the article, Ms Foxon-Hill pointed out that the cosmetics industry is currently divided over the definition of natural beauty products.

This view is shared by Weleda's export marketing manager Claudia Karle, who told the New Straits Times that the company has teamed up with a number of other brands to ensure strict standards are set over the contents of natural beauty goods.

Target Beauty Going Green

by Andrea Toochin

One of America’s most loved big box retailers is expanding its “green” product offerings with the addition of new brands that are free of questionable chemical preservatives and foaming agents. Minnesota-based Target announced it will carry a number of new brands that do not test on animals and are free of parabens, phthalates and sodium lauryl sulfates, which are used as preservatives and foaming agents. The news came one day before the long awaited release of the Rodarte for Target line.

The newest brands to grace the shelves at our beloved Target  include: Green by Nature, JASON, Kings & Queens, J.R. Watkins, Lavera, Nature’s Gate and Softlips. Among those brands, Green by Nature offers biodegradable hair accessories in packaging from recycled, BPA-free materials. J.R. Watkins is certified by the Natural Products Association, while Nature’s Gate and Jason use herbs and botanicals, and Kings & Queens uses herbs and spices. Lavera offers skincare, haircare and makeup, using organic ingredients where available, while Softlips’ products speak for themselves.

Target also includes a list of Natural products. Disclosure: according to the FDA, Natural means nothing and requires no extra measures are taken. Nevertheless, the list includes: Alba, who makes an amazing passionfruit line; Avalon Organics, which “uses 100 percent vegetarian ingredients”; Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Kiss My Face, Weleda, which just released a pomegranate bodycare line; and the rags-to-riches brand Burt’s Bees’, which now serves all needs from haircare to tinted lip balm, and a few of our favorite brands.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps has been in the personal business for centuries! A family business, their pure-castile soaps are USDA certified organic and are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic cylinder bottles.  They are free of surfectants and petrochemicals, and feature omega-rich hemp oil. Furthermore, Dr. Bronners just went fair trade, changing the way they source some ingredients, namely coconut oil, which is a base for many products. They are also involved in the industrial hemp farming movement.

Eco-Tools, a new maker of cosmetic brushes and bath accessories, uses recycled stainless steel and aluminum,  bamboo, crushed walnuts and soybean oil. Finally, a brand people continue to discover at drugstores and subsequently rave about, is Yes to Carrots. Appreciated for its rich ingredients and reasonable price points,
Yes To Carrots fuses antioxidant-rich beta-carotene, with Dead Sea mud and minerals, and offers hair, face and body products made with with organically-sourced orange fruits and vegetables. It also has a Yes To Tomatoes collection.

Studies on the impact of chemical preservatives and foaming agents are in the early stages and in some products, these chemicals may be just 1% of ingredients. However, wherever available, some feel safer with chemical free products. Please note that if a product has no preservatives, it might have a shorter shelf life.

Read the cosmetics labels as you would food labels, check the price per ounce, and shop smart this holiday season.

Beauty Product Trends For 2011

A cosmetic that eases depression? Nighttime beauty creams that helps you sleep better? It may sound like futuristic science fiction, but the future of beauty products in 2011 is now!

Mintel, a company that tracks consumer behavior, has released their forecast in Beauty product trends for 2011.

They track what consumers are buying so companies can create products we need, when we need them. Mintel works with companies to help them make smart moves that consumers will respond to.

A trend toward Austerity chic, has had women everywhere looking for lower cost replacements for their higher cost cosmetics This has paved the way for mood-enhancing cosmetics. Products that promise to make you look good and feel good at the same time. If the idea of mood enhancing cosmetics has you thinking about the heavy Lavender and Ylang-Ylang fragrances found in many aromatherapy treatments, the company says not to worry, these products will contain ingredients that will actually affect neurotransmitters in the brain.

The company reports that there is a trend toward modern holistic products for example imagine deep moisture beauty cream, that will enhance sleep, or boost immunity.

A trend the company calls Pro-tech-t, and renewal of the need to protect our skin from the sun has created a new range of products that will also protect our skin from the environment. These beauty products will promise protection from the sun and the man made oxidative stress.

We will be introduced to a new vocabulary, to describe the next generation of beauty products. Nu-Natural, Sustainable, and Free-Form. Nu-Natural will be products that are less focused on organic certification, and more focused on results. Free-form and Sustainable will mean the products are natural, but enhanced with some not so natural ingredients to enhance results. Ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides or collagen.

How Organic Is Your Beauty Product?

Want to go more organic with your skin care? Take a look at your products' packaging, and then compare them to these USDA organic labeling standards.

100% organic: The product must contain only organically-produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).

Organic: The product must contain at least 95% organically-produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).

Made with organic ingredients: The product must contain at least 70% organic ingredients (excluding water and salt).

Less than 70% organic ingredients: The product cannot use the term "organic" anywhere on the front label. However, it may identify the specific ingredients that are organically produced on the ingredients statement.

Products made in other countries may have different but similar standards. Look for those governments' organic seals, or that of a private certifying agency.

Organic Spa

Don't you agree that the rushful, stressful pace of your daily life often makes it hard to find ways to relax?  Like many people, you look to create a restful retreat in your home - one in which you can relax and rejuvenate your mind, body and soul? Anyone who is overstressed, too plugged into the computer, and as far away from human touch as possible can enjoy the many benefits of a great day at the local organic spa whether it be a week, a day, or a few hours, the therapeutic benefits will be worth your while. A Spa experience can restore your sense of balance and inner peace, give you take-home techniques to cope with daily stress, teach you about good nutrition, and jump-start a weight-loss or exercise program.

There are many different spa's and spa treatments available these days, you can find anything from a sauna, to hydrotherapy, mud baths, salt rubs, steam baths, tone therapy, wraps, sponge, makeup and massage's. These spa essentials contain many beneficial ingredients including vegetable oils, butters, essential oils, hydrosols, cosmetic clays, detoxifying muds, naturally harvested bath salts, herbs, and many other nutritive or functional ingredients.  

Organic spa's seem to be most essential for those traveling. Now days you will find that many upscale hotel chains have built natural spas directly in their premises. This makes for an easy taste of the organic spa life while you are traveling for business or pleasure.

Within our organic beauty products directory, you'll find a wide variety of bath & body spa products including soap dishes, bath poufs, natural sea sponges, wooden brushes, massage tools, and other accessories that complement your handcrafted skin care products. You can also browse the homade recipes in our fantastic eco blog as a great priceless reference collection of product recipes designed to create a relaxing spa atmosphere right in your own home.

Whether your looking for a day spa, or a stay spa, you can easily browse http://www.spaindex.com/ to find what your looking for. They share information by location if your looking for a spa nearby or while your vacationing.

Spa Essentials

Vitamins In Natural Spa Products And Treatments

The spa industry is the fourth largest leisure industry in the United States, and continues to be highlighted in movies, television, articles and advertising.  All of these factors have gathered to make the spa experience more mainstream -- and growing numbers of consumers are searching to add the spa experience to their everyday lives.

Vitamins have become extremely important in helping spa professionals and personal care suppliers achieve the kind of balance that is being demanded from clients; in this case, scientifically proven efficacy from natural ingredients.

Despite the fact that many vitamins are produced in a highly industrial fashion, they are among the most trusted of health and well-being ingredients and are universally recognized as natural and beneficial nutrients. At the same time, there is plenty of scientific evidence to support their role in health, so it is no surprise that the spa industry has successfully piggy-backed on the popularity of vitamins in food and beverages to extend their usage into spa products and services.

Particularly popular in the spa essential arena is pro-vitamin B (panthenol), which is used widely in hair care and accounts for three-quarters of total vitamin use in the cosmetics and toiletries market; and vitamin E, which is finding increasing favor as an antioxidant and anti-aging ingredient in a wide range of spa products, including most notably skin care and sun protection. In fact, vitamin E is now used as standard in a number of major sun and skin care brands. Researchers at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, are also studying the efficacy of tocotrienol, a topical form of vitamin E, to prevent or diminish surgical scars.1

However, the star attraction in the essential spa vitamins category is retinyl palmitate, an ester of vitamin A that is also known as retinol. This stands out as by far the fastest-growing sector in the vitamins market, with projected personal care growth of almost 5% per annum from 2009–2014. This strong growth is due to its growing use in anti-aging skin care, which remains one of the best-performing areas of the personal care market. Retinyl palmitate is now used in many popular anti-aging brands and is widely believed to be effective.

Check out some great spa essentials listed in our organic beauty products directory!

Beautiful Skin Naturally

Natural beauty starts with beautiful skin. The following article provides some insight into why good skin care is important and suggests a simple skin care regime anyone can follow to help your skin perform at its best.

Our skin’s functions are too many to go through here in detail, however it protects our ‘insides’ from the external environment, acting both as a barrier and a filter between ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ our bodies. The skin helps in regulating our body’s temperature, like when we have a fever or we’re physically working hard, we tend to sweat, which is the body’s way to attempt to lower the temperature. The skin also protects us from harmful substances entering our body, and it eliminates many toxins. This takes workload off our Liver and Kidneys to filter out by-products from our body’s metabolism. The skin also breathes! These are just some of the important functions of our skin and as you can see, looking after your skin is vital, not just for your outer beauty, but for maintaining your inner health.

Now there is skin care and there is skin care… well, we all (hopefully) wash our body (skin) every day and we may even rub some body cream on and that is pretty much that. Women (most) go one step further when they make-up their face. Often using a cleanser and then a moisturizer before applying make-up. But is that really skin care?

I think not. I would consider it an attack on the skin rather than caring for it. You see, most of the products marketed to women are full of artificial colors, stabilizers, emulsifiers and other chemical, which are supposed to help in achieving a ‘beautiful complexion’.

Some products are advertising hormones, which are supposed to make your skin re-gain that youthful (no wrinkles) look – but more often than not these ‘hormones’ are artificial or synthetic and may well cause problems with the hormonal balance of the body. This is NOT Skin care – this is plain old manipulation and marketing.

Real skin care is much more than that and is more than just skin deep. Your skin is a living, breathing organ of your body. As such, just like every other organ in our body, it needs to be fed from the inside – it requires nutrients. There are 4 basic ingredients to feeding the inside: Good nutrition: keep it simple, fresh and unprocessed. That is the best nutritional advice I can give. The simpler the food, the less processing and the fresher your food is, the better it is for you. Fresh fruit and vegetables contain so many of the nutrients we need to maintain our health. Sure have the odd processed, high in fat meal when you’re enjoying a meal out or have to attend a Luncheon or what ever. But make sure you have more natural foods than not.  Sufficient water intake: that’s a biggie. Most people (irrespective of were they live) will utilize around 3 liters of water per day – hey, don’t believe me, all the medical texts say so. Our body simply needs water to function. If you do not drink at least this amount, your body will either not function well (on some level) or it will take it from where ever it can. That is called dehydration. You know, dry lips, dry flaky skin, parched mouth, cracks on you tongue, premature wrinkles… the list goes on. So, drink up (water, mind you) or shrivel up – it’s up to you.

So what does all this have to do with skin care and achieving beautiful skin naturally? Well, that is the point of putting expensive, beauty products on your skin, when you do not give it the stuff of life from the inside? The cells that make up your skin need the right nutrients for proper development, growth and all that… You can help your skin by using good quality, natural skin care products, but you have to support this from the inside as well. Only in that way can you expect to get good results from proper skin care.

So what’s proper skin care? The primary key is to use a natural skin care system that addresses the following 3-steps: Cleanse and Condition Hydrate and Tone Moisturize and Revive.

OK. Cleansing the skin seems obvious and I know, you do know how to use soap – wrong, this is one sure way to make your skin dry-out quicker. Most soaps remove the natural oils of the skin, change the natural pH levels and do nothing to remove the dead layers of skin, which can block your pores and lead to blackheads. And, oh no, not pimples! The skin produces oils and acids to help it function, to protect it from loss of excessive moisture, to form a barrier… etc. So please do not use soap or detergents unless it is necessary. Using a loofah or a gentle ‘scrub’ will remove the dead skin cells and this in turn will promote better blood circulation and help your skin to breath.

The next step is to hydrate and tone the skin. Say what? Well, you’ve just removed the dead skin layers, rubbing the skin with a loofah and or a specially formulated cleanser, now it’s time to remove the residue, sooth the skin and prepare the skin for getting a good feed of nutrients from the moisturizer.

Preparation of the skin prior to putting on the moisturizer is not dissimilar to preparing a surface about to receive a new coat of paint. You wouldn’t just paint over a wall that hasn’t been cleaned and prepared for the new paint, would you? It would be a waist of time and money… well, good skin care is the same. You first get rid of the old layer of paint, than you give it a primer and finally the top-coat.

Ah, I already use a moisturizer… Great, at least that’s a step in the right direction. But, have you looked at the ingredients? Are they natural, or are there numbers and words you don’t recognize on the label? If so, then consider that your body absorbs these substances and if they are not useful, (preferably of a natural kind) then the body has to eliminate them – and that’s more work and not necessary.

In some cases, the body actually can’t eliminate these substances and has to store them. This is a potential problem and could cause health issues down the track. Pure essential oils, or herbal extracts are usually good ingredients to have in your skin care products.

So there you have it – the importance of good skin care for beautiful skin naturally. These steps, if you follow them, will help you to achieve the results you want and your body will thank you too.

Natural Beauty

“If it can be done naturally, why go for artificial means” – this is the basic premise on which ‘organic skin care’ works. Natural beauty care is the most natural way of ‘skin care’. In fact, ‘organic skin care’ was probably the first one to be used by man when it first woke-up to the needs of his skin. ‘Organic skin care’ is not only friendlier to skin, but also inexpensive. If exercised in the right way, organic skin care can prevent the occurrence of a lot of skin disorders and can help keep your skin healthy and young-looking for a much longer time.

Organic fruits and vegetables are the most popular things on organic skin care routines e.g. cucumber is very common in organic skin care routines. Turmeric, apple, papaya, ginger are others that find a wide use in organic skin care routines. These organic materials have a very refreshing and vitalizing effect on your skin. Almost every skin care book/guide has section on organic skin care (including the actions of various fruits and vegetables on skin). So choose the ones that are more suitable for your skin type and start experimenting with them until you finally select the ones that are most suitable for inclusion in your organic skin care routine. It’s important that you use fresh organic fruits/vegetables. Don’t try to utilize the rotten ones for your skin, their only place is the garbage bin.

Milk is known to posses good cleansing properties; in fact, the name of some skin care products contains the word ‘milk’ in them. A combination of milk with ground oatmeal acts as wonderful cleanser.Ground oatmeal is especially good for oily skins and is a popular ingredient in organic skin care regimen. It is used in various combinations e.g. with egg, honey, milk and fruits, for preparation of organic facial packs.

Wheat germ is another ingredient in organic skin care procedures. It is rich in vitamin E and is known for its exfoliation as well as moisturizing properties. Wheat germ, in various combinations with other organic materials, is used to prepare facial masks for normal and dry skin types. Wheat germ oil is another way in which wheat germ is used for organic skin care.

Yogurt and sour cream are other organic materials that are popular for their exfoliation and moisturizing properties. Use of organic honey is also popular in organic skin care procedures. It helps in retention of moisture and helps impart a glowing look to skin.Rose water takes its place as a toner in organic skin care routines. Lavender water is popular too.

Natural beauty care uses combination of various organic materials that complement each other and enhance each other’s effectiveness. Moreover, these combination's are also helpful in over-riding the harmful effects (if any) of various organic materials that form them. Natural skin care is really an art that, once perfected, can give wonderful results in a very cost effective manner with organic beauty products.