Posts Tagged ‘skin’

Posted on July 22, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

5 Wrinkle Reducers

Yes, we want to age gracefully.

No, we don’t like wrinkles.

How do you marry these two simple premises?  If your skin detox program isn’t quite eliminating those lovely lines (after all, they are the calling card of a life well-lived!) here’s some more insights for glow-and-go wrinkle reduction.

Know Your Active Ingredients!

The following active ingredients may result in slight to modest improvements in wrinkles…while nothing is a miracle cure, these are considered top tier:

1. Retinol. An antioxidant neutralizes free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules that break down your skin cells and cause wrinkles. Retinol is a critical antioxidant and the first one to be widely used in nonprescription wrinkle creams.
2. Hydroxy acids. These are exfoliants that remove the upper layer of old, dead skin and stimulate growth of smoother, more evenly pigmented skin. Look for alpha hydroxy, beta hydroxy and poly hydroxy. But note: these are synthetic substitutes for sugar-containing fruits, so a DIY all-natural or organic option would be better!
3. Copper peptides. Antioxidant power is pushed even further when combined with copper peptides, small protein fragments that are combined with trace elements of copper that are found in every cell.
4. Kinetin. Derived from plant growth hormones, kinetin is another antioxidant that helps skin retain moisture and stimulate collagen production.
5. Tea extracts. Green, black and oolong tea…not just for sipping! With their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, these teas are often found in wrinkle creams, with green tea leading the way.

Don’t forget to avoid junk food skingredients…and don’t forget organic everything for the rest of your bod!

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 July 13, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Explore the New Safe Chemicals Act

“Chemical safety reform is not a Democratic or Republican issue, it is a common-sense issue and I look forward to building bipartisan support for this measure.”

–Senator Frank Lautenberg, one of the initiators of the Safe Chemicals Act, April 15, 2010

It’s been over 30 years of same old, same old when it comes to the safety of chemicals used in consumer products.

While red tape and over-regulation in D.C. can seem a bit much at times, chemical regulation is something that we do need – for the sake of our health and the health of our loved ones.

Enough to Throw a Toxic Tantrum!

Consider the facts about the current and outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):

• The main federal law designed to ensure the safety of chemicals used in consumer products in the United States hasn’t changed in 34 years.

• The original Toxic Substances Control Act requires testing on only about 200 out of 82,000 chemicals entering the market since 1976

• Under this outdated law, the EPA has only partially restricted five out of 80,000 chemicals on the market

• The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) – which considers the toxic topic “high risk area of government,” says that the original TSCA ‘places significant burdens on those most likely to be affected by these chemicals, requiring them to research products for themselves to determine risks, identify, and test the safety of alternatives.’

Those who manufacture safe, natural products — like Napa Valley Bath and others — are already keeping toxins out of personal care products like soap, lotions, bath products and more. But sadly, they don’t make up the broader product stream indulged in by the majority of the public.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

The new law would correct existing flaws in consumer regulation and would require safety testing of all industrial chemicals.

This testing would rightly put the burden on industry to prove that chemicals are safe in order to stay on the market. Highlights include:

• Provides EPA with sufficient information to judge a chemical’s safety.
• Requires manufacturers to develop and submit a minimum data set for each chemical they produce, while also preventing duplicative or unnecessary testing.
• Gives EPA full authority to request additional information needed to determine the safety of a chemical.
• Prioritizes chemicals based on risk.
• Calls on the EPA to categorize chemicals based on risk
• Focuses resources on evaluating those most likely to cause harm.
• Ensures safety threshold is met for all chemicals on the market.
• Places the burden of proof on chemical manufacturers to prove the safety of their chemicals.
• Ensures all uses are identified and determined as safe for the chemical to enter the market or continue to be used.
• Requires EPA to take fast action to reduce risk from chemicals that have already been proven dangerous.
• Empowers EPA Administrators to act quickly if any chemical poses an imminent hazard.
• Creates open access to reliable chemical information.
• Establishes a public database to catalog the information submitted by chemical manufacturers and the EPA’s safety determinations.
• Empowers the EPA to impose requirements to ensure the information collected is reliable.
• Promotes innovation and development of green chemistry.
• Establishes grant programs and research centers to foster the development of safe chemical alternatives, and brings some new chemicals onto the market using an expedited review process.

2 Things You Can Do Now

• Vote with your dollars – First and foremost, you can opt out of buying products made with harmful chemicals. Chose organic products that include natural ingredients like lavender, honey, aloe and check ingredient lists for bad chemical components.

• Write to Congress – Those who really know their stuff (like the folks at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families) say that while the legislation is one huge step in the right direction, it could be improved upon. Check out their letter to congress and if you agree, send it to your senator. Tell other concerned friends and family too.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this legislation and report back as we know more. Until then, keep reading your ingredient lists and be an informed, intelligent, and chemical-free consumer!

Posted on July 8, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

And the #1 Natural Antioxidant for Sun Protection is…

In a recent post, we told you what nasty ingredients to avoid when seeking a healthier, non-toxic sunscreen when lazing surf-side.

But what about the rest of the time?  You’re skin is exposed to sun radiation every day – not just on those gloriously long weekends. When you combine sun radiation exposure with any one of the following…

• toxins in the environment
• a weak immune system
• a so-so diet
• stress

…you’re skin may not be able to tap into it’s natural ability to protect itself from the elements, including the sun.

Tea Time!

Green tea to the rescue!

The polyphenol called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea has been proven in studies to prevent DNA damage from ultraviolet radiation.

Opt for iced green tea this spring and summer. Here’s one fun way to wrap the sun’s power into the very beverage you’re using to offset its ‘dark side.’

Sun-Soaked Green Iced Tea

In a glass jar or pitcher, place 1 teaspoon of loose green tea or 1 tea bag per pint or tap water (with sugar or honey, if you wish). Cover and set in the sun for 1 hour or so. Timing is not critical – because the water doesn’t boil, the tea will not get bitter.

Adding EGCG: An Alternative

If green tea – hot or cold – isn’t your thing, you can buy EGCG in a concentrated extract or powder form. Add it to your sun-protection moisturizer and prevent DNA damage from ultraviolet radiation that way!

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 26, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Sallow Skin? Give it Plant-Based Protein Power!

Did you know that without an adequate supply of protein, your skin might…

• Age prematurely,
• Lose collagen and elastin,
• Become dull and pale?

In addition, low protein can also translate to weakened hair and nails.

All this doesn’t mean you have to start pounding down the poultry. High protein plant-based foods are the way to go. Top picks for happy skin and healthy bod include:

• Rice, preferably brown
• Beans: Kidney, mungo, yardlong, white, navy, lima, great northern, black and yellow provide between 20 and 26 grams of protein per serving
• Lentils
• Tofu
• Soy milk
• Nuts: walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazi; try cooking with nut and seed oils!
• Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame, lotus
• Quinoa

Plant-based protein offers more antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins than animal-based foods. Plus, the cholesterol and fats in plant-based proteins are healthier.  Discover other non-edible stuff to avoid for great skin, here.

These foods not only provide a pick-me-up for your skin, they keep your energy levels stable and can help deter late afternoon fatigue. As always, try to splurge for organic, or seek out locally grown options at your local farmers’ market.

Read more about hale and hearty skin in my Skin Detox 101 post, keep scaring away scaley skin, and let us know what your favorite skin-tastic tips are to glow and go!

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!

Posted on June 15, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Baby Massage How-To, Plus DIY Massage Oil!

We love massages. Who doesn’t?

Even the ittiest bittiest among us adore this ultimate in spa treatments. After all, why should grown-ups have all the fun?

In fact, a baby massage is a greatly neglected nonmedical solution for many baby ailments. Various studies show that baby massage helps to:

• Ease colic
• Soothe stomach disorders
• Help sleep

Plus, it’s simply a lovely way to bond with your baby. Follow these 5 steps to a blissed out baby:

1. Timing is Everything: Choose a time when baby is relaxed – post bath but before feeding is a top option.
2. Location, Location, Location: Place baby on a clean receiving blanket. Play some soothing classical music or hum a special song reserved for massage time.
3. Light Touch: Close your eyes and press your eyelids: this is a great gauge for the proper massage pressure for baby. Unlike muscle-penetrating adult massages, baby massages shouldn’t go any deeper than the skin.
4. Flow from Head to Toe: Use fingertips to massage hands, feet, face. Use the palm of your hand to massage stomach area, legs and arms.  There’s really no right or wrong…the only requisite is to be gentle and loving!
5. Essential Oil No No: Don’t massage baby’s face with massage oil that contains essential oils.

This massage oil recipe can be used for baby massage as well as for use on your own dry areas.

Soothing Baby Massage Oil

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic olive oil, grape seed oil or any unscented organic plant oil
• ½ cup wheat germ oil

Optional

3 drops lavender essential oil (rose or calendula are also safe bets for baby)

How To

Combine all ingredients in a glass bottle with a flip-top cap. Shake well to allow oils to blend uniformly.

Via The Green Beauty Guide, by Julie Gabriel

Posted on June 12, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Create Your Green Personal Care Library

Whether you’re rocking a Kindle or committed to published paper and ink, there’s plenty of reading resources when it comes to greening your bath and beauty routine.

Style, Naturally

Summer Rayne Oakes

Green style guru and eco advocate Summer Rayne Oakes gives you a luxury-kissed directory with lots of product photos (think eco chic catalog). It includes the best and brightest in green and organic personal care. Other categories beyond beauty include clothing, shoes, handbags and jewelry.  Ms. Oakes is everywhere these days – from Planet Green correspondent to eco shoe designer (her label is Zoe & Zac for Payless); thanks to her deeply-felt commitment sustainability and her spirited, honest persona, you can never get enough!

Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Business

Stacy Malkan

Winner of Treehugger’s Best of Green Awards 2010 in the Fashion & Beauty category, this book is brought to you by one of the founders behind the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The book covers the science and politics of chemicals in personal care products, and offers an inside look at the five-year campaign by environmental and health groups to pressure the U.S. cosmetics industry to use safer ingredients. Malkan is particularly committed to the vulnerability of teens, a topic we’ve covered on NapaValleyBath.com.

The Green Beauty Guide

Judy Gabriel

One of my favorite resources, this book offers a fantastic combination of solid, well-researched facts about the toxins in personal care products and tons of DIY recipes, many of which have been reposted on Napa Valley Bath. With her smart green beauty style, Gabriel wants green beauty to ‘save the world, one face at a time.’ Julie will help you to say good riddance to phthalates and parabens and hello to a toxin-free beauty routine. And she makes it both fun and interesting.

The Beauty Myth

Naomi Wolf

It may have been penned in 1991, but the premise holds up: images of beauty are too often used to make women feel bad. Although not green in nature, this book reminds us to consider the source of the beauty message – and reject its negative impact. Millions of women dare to compare themselves to unrealistic ideals of beauty; on this topic alone, The Beauty Myth still has a lot to offer.

What books inspire you to up your organic ante and toss toxins out of your life? Let us know here!