Posts Tagged ‘lavender’

Posted on August 26, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Breathe, Be and Believe: Empower Yourself with Essential Oils

Essential oils positively purify three critical areas of your physical well-being: lungs, body and mind.

The Aromatherapy Bible, by Gill Farrer-Halls, cites the following benefits in his info-packed, go-to guide for all things aromatherapeutic:

• Lungs: The cleansing breaths you take at your favorite spa put you instantly at ease: that’s essential oils at work. Essential oils replace waste products like carbon dioxide with oxygen and essential oil particles, truly clarifying every breath you take.

• Body:  Once soaked into skin, essential oil circulates around the bloodstream, traveling to different organs and body systems. Extra bonus: different essential oils have a therapeutic affinity for certain organs. Rose essential oil, for example, is known to have a regulating effect on the uterus.  Lavender, when taken internally as a tea, has been known to help upset stomach, gallbladder and liver problems

• Mind: Essential oils have powerful mental, emotional and psychological effects. Lavender alleviates anxiety, depression and nervousness – no chemicals, nothing synthetic. Try this holistic approach and watch your mood lift and your frazzled nerves unwind.

Put the power of essential oils to work for you – whether it’s organic lavender (as always, our vote!) or something else and add a true scent-sation to your personal care routine!

Posted on August 24, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Rough patch? The ‘Why’ Behind Dry

Your skin is more complicated than it looks. The average square inch of your skin holds:

• 650 sweat glands
• 20 blood vessels
• 60,000 melanocytes (pigment skin cells)
• 1,000+ nerve endings

All three main layers (epidermis, stratum corneum and dermis) work in harmony with one another. If any of the following are a part of your daily life, dry skin may disrupt your natural ability to moisturize:

• Exposure to excessive sun
• Excessive bathing
• Use of conventional, detergent-based soaps
• Low humidity
• Central air and heating

It’s time to get rid of pesky dry patches one and for all!

Moisturizing Madness to the Rescue!

Napa Valley Bath’s Moisturizing Madness gift set includes 3 steps to moister, smoother skin:

1. 8oz. Lavender Lotion – Certified organic herbal extracts, the highest-quality natural food-grade safflower vegetable oil, nourishing seaweed (algae) and healing aloe vera blend with four lavenders selected from around the world. Decadent, delightful…and mortal enemy of dry skin.
2. 4 oz. Body Butter - Combines the highest quality shea butter from Uganda, healing herbs, health-food-grade fresh vegetable oils, natural vegetable waxes, and soothing aromatic lavender water from the Aromatic Plant Project. A must-have for cracked, callused and parched skin.
3. Hoof Cream – This tin of rich balm revitalizes your hands and feet with a blend of olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax, tocoperol, orange essential oil, lavender essential oil and peppermint essential oil

…given the prices of typical department store brands (which are chock full of synthetic ingredients, toxic fragrance and may even be tested on animals) the Napa Valley Bath Moisturizing Madness package is a steal at $58 – order yours here!

Posted on August 14, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Seek Out Essential Green Clean!

In our 3-part lifestyle series, we’ve covered clothing (organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and more!) and bedding (those marvelous organic mattresses). Less fabulous – but equally fundamental – is green cleaning.

Whether you scrub up at home yourself – or hire someone to do it – you should know that when it comes to clean, you could be living the ultimate irony: spreading dirty chemicals around in the name of clean. One example: antibacterial cleaning products are actually registered with the EPA as pesticides. Does that sound like healthy clean to you?

Western cultures spend up to 90% of our time indoors, so clean indoor air really counts. A clean green home is free of dirt and germs – but also free of toxic pollution. You can use the following ingredients – many of which you may already have in your cabinets – to create powerful DIY cleaning products (great cleaning recipes are easily found using a simple google search):

• White distilled vinegar: Use white distilled vinegar with 55% acetic acid; vinegar disinfects, deodorizes, loosens dirt, removes mineral deposits and more…
• Baking soda: Look for baking soda that is “pure” or 100% sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is abrasive enough to scrub off dirt and stains; deodorizes carpets, drains and fridges; and softens fabric in the wash cycle.
• Borax and washing soda: These alkaline minerals are stronger than baking soda so wear gloves. They brighten your wash, can be used to scrub stubborn stains from counters or bathtubs, kill mold and make toilet bowls sparkle.
• Soap and water: Experts agree that soap and water are less harmful than antibacterial products – many of which include triclosan – and are just as effective. Good old soap and water can clean everything from counter top to carpet to fabric stains. Don’t forget the basics when it comes to building your green cleaning arsenal!
• Vinegar: Kills 99% of bacteria and is not registered as a pesticide (afterall, you can cook with it too!). Use it in laundry, household filters, cutting boards…pretty much anything, safely and easily!
• Lavender Oil: Self-promotion aside, lavender is truly one of your critical green cleaning ingredients. Add it to all-purpose or glass cleaner or dilute with water to make a lovely antibacterial spray and spread aromatherapeutic love all over your home. 100% essential oil comes in dark glass containers; be sure to avoid the synthetic versions!

Let us know what all-natural, toxin free cleaner you use at home, right here!

Read More: 

Get Your Healthy Home Checklist Here

Three Ways to Avoid Toxic Air Fresheners

Posted on August 12, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Get Your Green ZZZs!

As we’ve discussed, lavender is an all-natural sleep aid. Organic lavender? That much sweeter the dreams.

In part 2 on our series of organic lifestyle love (clothing, bedding cleaning), let’s delve a little deeper into sustainable slumber!

To the Mattresses!

Pesticides, polyurethane, petroleum-based polyester, and chemical flame retardants…sounds more like a nightmare than care-free reverie. Yet these are typical ingredients found in your standard, ‘conventional’ mattress.

Green mattresses, on the other hand, are mostly chemical-free and naturally hypoallergenic. Look for:

• All natural latex, which is made from rubber tree sap: note that Dunlop and Talalay are processes by which natural latex is produced and both are of equally high quality.
• Organic cotton, organic wool components: chemicals and synthetics used in conventional bedding – inhaled or absorbed through your skin while you sleep – can cause allergies or chemical sensitivities in some people.
• Biodegradability: about 40 million used mattresses fill landfills every year; invest in a biodegradable one and rest easy knowing that at the end of its life you won’t be contributing to the mattress morgue!
• One-of-a-kind…most organic mattresses are ‘custom ordered’ – yes, they are more expensive, but my research has shown when it comes to organic mattresses, a commitment to your comfort and satisfaction is a major perk.

Read more on my Planet Green post, including recaps on green brand names like Essentia, Lifekind, Savvy Rest and others.

An Organic Snooze? You Simply Can’t Lose!

Make an organic lavender sleep pillow for yourself or a loved one. It’s super easy – and totally dreamy!

Posted on July 20, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Cleopatra, Real Dead Sea Salts, and You

Egypt, around 50 BC.

Cleopatra, the last reigning Pharaoh, demanded exclusive rights over the Middle Eastern Dead Sea, ordering factories built to harvest its healing salts for her toilette. From bathing in the dead sea salts to using them for customized cosmetics, the daughter of the Nile tapped into the  salts’ anti-aging power, magically holding on to her youthful looks – the original spokesmodel for ageless beauty.

Therapeutic. Beautifying. Rejuvenating.   Dead sea salts contain 10% sodium (vs. 90% sodium in ‘regular’ sea salt) and are bursting with essential minerals for the skin like Magnesium, Potassium, Bromine and Calcium.

A virtual feast for the oft-depleted dermis, Dead Sea salts…

• Relieve muscle tension
• Cure skin problems and diseases such as acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and even arthritis
• Exfoliate dead skin cells
• Stimulate blood circulation
  
• Remove toxins

When used in tandem with the healing power of lavender, Dead Sea salts are elevated to heady, aromatherapeutic heights. Napa Valley Bath opts for a coarse grain from Israel’s Dead Sea for their proprietary blend of bath salts, combining organic lavender and hops flowers spiked with lemon and organic lavender essential oil.

Treat yourself like a queen with the ancient healing that only real Dead Sea salts can deliver…and breathe a little Cleopatra into your beauty routine!

Posted on July 17, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Make Your Own Lavender Sleep Pillow

Tossing and turning? Here’s a do-it-yourself, all-natural way to catch some zzzs – and float away on sweet-smelling dreams!

This mini-pillow should be placed between pillow and pillowcase, and laid on with your head to release the therapeutic aromas.

What you need:

1 cup dried hops

1 cup dried lavender buds

¼ cup dried thyme leaves

3 Tbsp. cellulose chips (cellulose chips are fixatives used to absorb essential and fragrance oils and then slowly release them)

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops bergamot essential oil

Two fabric pillows 6 inches square, each with one end open – why not make it organic cotton?

How to:

In a glass bowl or measuring cup, mix the essential oils into the cellulose chips. Cover and set aside overnight. The next day, mix in the dried herbs. Place half of the mixture into each fabric pillow and sew or fasten the open end closed with lace, ribbons or a simple sewing thread.

From: Natural Beauty Basics, by Dorie Byers, R.N.

Note that these essential oils are also known for their relaxing aromas – feel free to swap one or more into your pillow based on  your personal preferences:

• Clary sage
• German chamomile
• Patchouli
• Rose
• Basil
• Neroli
• Sandalwood
• Tangerine
• Myrrh
• Orange
• Frankincense
• Cedarwood

What all-natural sleep remedies lull you to sweet slumber? Let us know here!

Posted on July 15, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

De-Stress with a Self Massage

We’d all love to dash over to the nearest deluxe spa for massage treatments a couple of times a week.

But who has the time – not to mention the cash flow – to do it as frequently as our levels of stress demand?

Hands On Control

Wiggle these treatments into your daily schedule – after you get home for work, or maybe on your lunch break in your office or cubicle.

Not only will these self-massages refresh and relax you, they’ll give you a jump start for what’s next.

Face It!

We think of stress as building up in shoulders, neck and back…but your face holds it own tension. Follow these steps to a simple facial massage:

1. Sweep your hands over your face and lightly tap your fingers against your skin.

2. Place an index finger on each side of the sinus cavity (the bridge of your nose) and gently sweep downward.

3. Take your index finger and middle finger on each hand and place them on your temples, gently rubbing them in small circles.

Optional: Use a droplet of Napa Valley Bath’s Organic Lavender Massage oil and tap into lavender’s calming effect.

Back Up

Don’t let the stress that builds up in your back lead to serious back injury down the road. Work it out now for a healthier back later.

1. Take a medium-sized ball and place it between your shoulders and a wall.

2. Bend your knees and slowly roll the ball up and down your back.

3. Feel the tension in your back dissipate.

Nectar for Your Neck

Anxiety and stress can cause muscle tension in your neck. Rolling your neck in a circle from time to time during the day is a simple and effective stretch. Try this quick neck massage too:

1. Use both of your thumbs and find the indentation where your neck meets your shoulders.

2. Gently press your thumbs into the indentation and rub slowly.

If time and location allow, light a soy burning candle and set the mood. Soy burns cleaner than traditional paraffin candles. We recommend our Organic Lavender Soy Massage candle for its glowing aromatherapy (and you can use the melted soy as a massage oil!).

Do you have a quick fix for stress relief? Let us know your favorite ways to de-stress right here!

Posted on June 29, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Personal Care Products: Taking Stock

Here’s an interesting exercise: count up each and every product you put on your face, body, hair, feet…the whole corporal gamut. Most likely it includes shampoo, conditioner, body soap, face soap, body lotion, face lotion, perfume/cologne, and deodorant.

Ladies (or some guys for that matter!): don’t forget the make-up: concealer, blush, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, lip gloss, powder…

Seriously. Count ‘em up. Each and every product.

What’s your total?

If it’s pretty darn high, you’re not alone. An Environmental Working Group survey indicates that the average adult woman uses 12 products a day.  And teens use more like 17.

With that personal care product number goes a super scary chemical count:

• 12 products a day = 168 unique chemicals
• 17 products a day = 174 unique chemicals

Kristoff Weighs In: “New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer”

We’ve reported on the danger of chemicals in your personal care products and encouraged you to choose organic and truly natural, plant-based products like Napa Valley Bath’s line.

We’re doing this because the shocking lack of regulation when it comes to chemicals in our products is truly egregious.

So much so that Nicholas D. Kristoff, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist known for hunting down human traffickers and reporting on the atrocities in Darfur, recently devoted some of his high-value, written real estate to the topic of dangerous chemicals in everything from home products to personal care to food. Highlights of Kristoff’s piece include:

• 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives
• The President’s Cancer Panel, typically the heart of the medical mainstream, has recently admitted the danger that chemicals pose to the general public in what Kristoff calls a “landmark 200-page report on the topic.”
• Kristoff says that the Cancer Panel’s report “blames weak laws, lax enforcement and fragmented authority, as well as the existing regulatory presumption that chemicals are safe unless strong evidence emerges to the contrary.”
• “One reason for concern is that some cancers are becoming more common, particularly in children. We don’t know why that is, but the proliferation of chemicals in water, foods, air and household products is widely suspected as a factor.”

All this from a Cancer Panel known for its conservative thinking: no wonder Kristoff took it on! Read the piece in its entirety, here.

When it comes to consumer products and the toll they may take on your health, you’re simply on your own (although that will hopefully change in the near future!).

Find out exactly what is in the products you use on your skin - and around your house.  Limit the personal care product you use and try to keep that count down…and choose the ones you do use wisely.

Posted on June 24, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

J. No: Secret Chemicals & a DIY Summer Scent!

Floral. Exotic. Musky.

Britney. Halle. Even Hannah Montana!

Such is the language and star-power of the perfume industry.

In an explosive new study, the Environmental Working Group found that beyond the sex-appeal of many of these fragrances lives a dark, unhealthy truth: a cloud of toxicity is living in tandem with popular scents.

The study found an average of 14 chemicals in each of the 17 fragrance products assessed in total.

The Environmental Working Group dubs a majority of the chemicals ‘secret’ since they are undisclosed and not listed on the label. These chemicals have been associated with:

• Hormone disruption
• Allergic reactions
• Reproductive toxicity
• The propensity to bio-accumulate in humans, from fat tissue to breast milk

When it comes to fragrance, there is a surprising lack of red tape: a review of government records shows that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not assessed the vast majority of fragrance ingredients in personal care products for safety.

Worry-Free Fragrance

Fragrance is one of the top 8 ingredients you should avoid as seen in my Skin Detox 101 post. But what’s a girl or guy to do when a spritz of scent is a standard part of your daily personal care routine?

When shopping for that ‘just-right’ scent, look for ones that are made from organic essential oils, botanical essences and natural spices. Summer Rayne Oakes, a noted environmentalist and eco chic model, recommends  Tsi La fragrances, Aftelier, any scent by aromatherapist Valerie Bennis, and Patyka in her green personal care guide Style, Naturally. And if you’re a fan of a super light mist of scent, don’t forget versatile hydrosol!

Check out two DIY perfumes we’ve already posted.  In the spirit of summer, here’s a lovely scent that redefines fresh!

Summer Garden Splash

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh tomato leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh geranium leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 cup vodka or witch hazel
• 1 teaspoon glycerin (you can find this colorless liquid in small quantities in your pharmacy, or buy it buy the gallon online if you plan on making your own scents, soaps and more)

How to:

1. Place the leaves and the grated lemon rind in a glass jar with a lid.

2. Pour the vodka and glycerin over the leaves and rind.

3. Cover and let mixture sit in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks.

4. train the liquid through a coffee filter to remove the debris. Pour into a spray bottle.

Source: The Green Beauty Guide, Julie Gabriel

Posted on June 19, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Top 10 Green Beauty Twitteristas!

Whether you’re a tweeting machine or an on-occasion tweeter – like me (follow me @lbillera!), it’s always fun to get a snippet of good information that will help keep your personal care routine clean, green and toxin-free!

First and foremost, follow Napa Valley Bath @NapaValleyBath (shameless plug!) for all the news about organic lavender and it’s healthy, wholesome beauty power. Then pick and choose from the rest of these brainy beauty gurus for good green news in 140 characters or less!

#1

@safecosmetics: Hear directly from Stacey Malkan, one of the founders of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of the green beauty bible Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Business.

#2

@theEcoDiva: Elena Lipson is on a mission of ethical luxury to educate and empower you to make better beauty choices for your health. Check out the special coupons and give-aways on her site and save a little too!

#3

@MyBeautyBunny: Jen Matthews’ mission says it all: cruelty-free and animal-friendly beauty, hair, skincare and makeup reviews for stylish ladies and gents. While the focus is on the serious issue of tested-on-animals products, her vibe remains fun and upbeat.

#4

@PureNaturalDiva: She calls her approach ‘GLAM Wholeliving’ – which basically means making healthier choices without feeling deprived. In addition to green beauty, her website covers eco fashion, food & nutrition, house & garden and more!

#5

@DawnMellowship: Author of the soon-to-be-published Toxic Beauty, How Hidden Chemicals in Cosmetics Harm You, Dawn Mellowship is a super smart Brit who also specializes in self-help and Reiki.

#6

@BrittaAragon

Truly inspiring: Britta Aragon, a cancer survivor herself, has created a line of products and services that ‘focuses on enhancing the way we live with cancer and ultimately, survive it.’

#7

@christycoleman

Renowned fashion and celebrity makeup artist. Christy Coleman shares lessons learned practicing her natural and green beauty techniques. Be a green beauty with celebrity style!

#8

@EcoGlam

This one is a treasure trove of quick links to ‘the news your body needs to know’ according to this self-described Beauty Activist. With over 25,000 followers (the most on this list), she must be doing something right!

#9

@jasminchua

A Managing Editor for eco fashion hub ecouterre, Jasmin Malik Chua is a bit more eco fashion than eco beauty, but her M.S. in biomedical journalism from NYU speaks to a certain savvy when it comes to toxic truths.

#10

@glamology

Charmaine Leah believes that glam and eco-friendly go hand in well-manicured hand. An esthetician, Charmaine offers tons of DIY green beauty recipes and fantastic tips. She’s also the resource for this list of green tweeting beauty bloggers, so a special shout out to her!

Did we miss your favorite Tweeter? Share your recommendations with Napa Valley Bath friends and family, right here!