Posts Tagged ‘lotion’

Posted on September 2, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Toxicity Fight Club: Boys & Girls Edition

If ingredients linked to allergies, cancer and other ailments deserve a one-two punch in grown-up products, they deserve an extra whammy when it comes to kids’ lotions and potions. After all, the wee ones count on us to make smart, grown-up decisions (even if they do scream over washing their hair or a smart slathering of sunscreen).

Here are some highlights of what to avoid when it comes to chemical-free kiddie care…

Shampoo & Conditioner:

Avoid these ingredients…

• DMDM Hydantoin: This allergen and irritant can form cancer-causing contaminants
• Fragrance:  As we’ve pointed out before, ‘fragrance’ is code for all kinds of funky allergens that may contain neurotoxic or hormone-disrupting chemicals
• Ceteareth & PEG Compounds: These harmful petrochemicals that may contain cancer-causing impurities are far from kid-friendly.

Body Wash & Liquid Soap

Avoid these ingredients…

• Triclosan: Like we said, try, try, try for no triclosan! It’s a potential hormone disruptor which can effect the endocrine system which regulates growth and development.
• DMDM Hydantoin: See above, and keep in mind that in Japan, DMDM Hydantoin is prohibited for use in some types of cosmetics!
• Fragrance: See above and always opt for ‘fragrance-free’

Play Make-up

Kids love to play dress-up. But when it comes to trying on mom’s make-up, keep in mind that…

• Your lipstick may contain harmful impurities that your child might swallow in trace amounts
• Most nail polish contains dibutyl phthalate and toluene, both of which are linked to hormone disruption and cancer
• Cosmetics in powder form might damage lungs when inhaled

Buy organic, keep toxins at bay for your tot, print the guide to learn more and don’t forget the ultimate in full-disclosure personal care for you and the kids – Do It Yourself (DIY!).

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 3, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

The Cold Coal Truth

Coal tar, a thick liquid or semisolid obtained from bituminous coal, is an oft-used ingredient in:

• Anti-dandruff shampoos
• Hair dyes
• Topical treatments for psoriasis and skin rashes
• Moisturizers
• Most of the synthetic colors and dyes found in our cosmetics

Why the Goal Should Be No Coal

Coal tar is a…

• known human carcinogen
• contributor to lung and urinary tract cancer
• potent skin irritant

The European Union banned coal tar in 2004. But yep, it’s still in play here in the U.S., even though it scores a 10 (highest hazard rating) in the super helpful Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database. And the Centers for Disease Control recommends that coal tar simply should not come in contact with your skin.

Coal tar can also be listed on ingredient lists as:

• Tar
• Coal
• Coal tar solution

What to do? Invest in organic personal care products. The Organic Trade Association says it best with their campaign Organic: It’s Worth It. I love this title since it frankly admits that yes, organic is more expensive…but it is a worthy investment in order to protect your health and the health of your loved ones.

Posted on June 8, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Get Your Healthy Home Checklist Here!

We’re big fans of the Environmental Working Group. This Washington-based non-profit uses the power of public information to protect public health and the environment.

Their latest endeavor is their Healthy Home Checklist.

The idea is to go through your home, room by room, checklist in hand. The list helps you assess how you can create a less toxic home for you and your family in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and cleaning closet and all around the house.

Check out this televised tour of one family’s Healthy Home Checklist adventure!

Do You Smell That?

On the Bathroom checklist, we noticed these two important points:

1. Do you use air fresheners? Don’t! Most contain a number of toxic chemicals that contaminate the air you breathe.
2. Is there fragrance in your personal care products? We don’t know what’s in “fragrance,” so it’s safer to choose all fragrance-free personal care products. Always check ingredient lists to be sure.

These two questions resonated with us since Napa Valley Bath boasts a bonafide  ‘pure cure’ for each!…

NVB Cure for #1 – All Natural Air Freshener:

You can’t get more pure than lavender hydrosol. Known also as lavender water, lavender hydrosol is the pure, water-based solution created when essential oils are steam distilled. It’s also the perfect antidote to toxic, over-bearing room sprays.

Plus, hydrosol is a workhorse. Uses include sunburn reliever, first aid cure, insomnia therapy (simply spray on your pillow), and much more!

NVB Cure for #2 – A Worry-Free, Longer Lasting Fragrance Substitute

Personal care experts suggest that buying a scented body lotion is a better investment than buying a cologne or perfume. Lotions soak into your skin, emitting a longer-lasting and more subtle scent than cologne or perfume.

Napa Valley Bath’s all-natural, chemical free Lavender Body Lotion steps this concept up a notch.  After all, the skin is your body’s largest organ, so slathering something healthy on it is the only sensible thing to do.

Plus, you’ll enjoy the ‘longevity’ factor of a lotion vs. spray-on scent.

Will you take EWG’s Healthy Home Checklist to task?  If so, let us know what you discover! We love hearing from you!

Posted on February 18, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Groom Your NVI (Napa Valley Intelligentsia)

Napa Valley conjures fields of lavender, sweeping vineyards and abundant olive trees.  But how much do you really know about Napa?

It’s time to ramp up on your Napa Valley dinner party parlance…

• Napa Valley is 30 miles long; its regions include American Canyon, Napa, Lake Berryessa, Yountville, Oakville/Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga.

• In addition to its famous grapes, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables thrive in Napa including oranges, prunes, apples, olives and more.

• The Napa Valley is a name derived from the language of the area’s native Wappo Indians and has come to mean “land of plenty.”

• The Wappo Indians had no written language. They shared their ideas, stories, and feelings by speaking only. Stories and customs were passes down by parents to their children.

• 1823 marks the first written description of Napa. Word spread of the region’s abundance, and by the late 1840s, quicksilver mines and lumber mills had set up shop.

• Steamships ferried people from San Francisco, and the railroad carried tourists seeking the healing waters of Calistoga.

• Tough times did darken Napa’s sunny days:  Napa’s famous Silverado mine dried up in 1875, a grapevine disease in 1893 killed off most of the vines, and prohibition shut down most wineries altogether in 1920.

• In 1968, California’s first Agricultural Preserve was created. This zoning ordinance established agriculture and open space as the “best use” for the land within Napa County. Known as the “Ag Preserve,” it’s an agricultural model followed by many others today.

Now uncork one of Napa Valley’s hundreds of wines, start simmering the sauce, and over artisan bread dipped in the local extra virgin olive oil, enjoy a northern California-style dinner peppered with Napa Valley love and lore.

Posted on October 27, 2009 - by Leslie Billera

Scare Away Scaley Skin!

Halloween means cooler temps lurking around every corner.  Don’t be haunted by dry skin – give it the extra TLC it deserves.

Napa Valley Bath delivers the decadent moisturizing you need this fall and winter with our Lavender Body Butter. Developed specifically to treat cracked, callused and parched skin, it treats your dry dermis to the nutrition and care it craves in cooler temps.

Highlights from this skin-tastic salve include:

• Aloe Vera Leaf Juice:   Used extensively in skin care and in health care to soothe and protect, aloe vera is also used to treat a variety of skin care disorders as well as burns.

• Safflower Seed Oil: This oil boosts the skin’s firmness, makes it smooth, toned and gives it more elasticity.

• Shea butter: Extracted from shea nuts, shea butter is a great moisturizer and emollient  (something that softens and soothes) with anti-inflammatory properties. Ours is from Uganda, where shea trees grow in abundance naturally.

• Lavender Hydrosol: We’re big fans of lavender hydrosol, the lesser-known and less concentrated sibling to lavender essential oil.  It tones, cleans and delights as only lavender floral waters can.

• Beeswax & Propolis Cera: Busy bees supply us with this natural wax rich in moisturizing fatty acid esters and propolis cera, the waxy component of the resinous material found in beehives.

• Orange Peel Wax: Orange is a natural skin refresher rich in vitamins.

• Wheat Germ Oil: Plant-based oils are the green alternative to toxic chemicals; wheat germ oil contains Vitamin E and essential fatty acids such as linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic fatty acids.

• Comfrey Root Extract: Used to repair damaged tissues, comfrey boasts a long list of nutrients including Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin, B complex vitamins, calcium and more.

• Lavender: As you know, we love our lavender. We use both lavandula angustifolia flower oil and Lavandula grosso (lavandin) flower oil for their soothing, healing qualities.

Feed your skin this beauty brew of goodness and keep spooky skin away all year long!