Tag Archives: holistic beauty

How To Make Your Own All-Natural Perfume

by DanielaTrevizo Posted on September 16, 2016

We all know by now that synthetic fragrances are majorly icky. The FDA doesnt require manufacturers to include the contents of fragrance on ingredient labels, so theres really no telling whats in there (all evidence points to nothing good). However, some of us scent-lovers enjoy wearing a little perfume every once in awhile.

Its no secret that scents can boost our mood, calm us down, get us hyped andeven turn us on. And with this strong human connection to scents comes a desire to smell like the emotions we want to embody. If you want to don a signature scent but are wary of conventional perfumes, heres what you need to know to DIY your own personal fragrance.

Fragrance Notes

The first thing you need to know about perfume is that it contains at least one top note, middle note and bottom note. Your top note will probably stand out the most, but it will fade the most quickly. The middle note is considered the true essence of your perfume, while the bottom note anchors everything down and lasts the longest.

Now you need to pick out your three notes. Essential oils are the best course of action, though you can also use essences (diluted essential oils)these, however, will fade more quickly and won’t be as potent.

Essential Oil Families

To select your top, middle and base notes, youll probably want to pick essential oils that are in the same scent family. Aroma Web categorizes essential oils as floral, woodsy, earthy, herbaceous, minty, medicinal, spicy, oriental and citrusy.

Sticking to the same family will guarantee some pleasant blends, but crossing between categories is where it really gets interesting. You have to be careful, though. Your best bet is to either stick to the same family or mix the following:

A floral scent with a citrusy, spicy or woodsy scent.
An oriental or spicy scent with a floral or citrus scent.
An earthy scent with a minty or woodsy scent.

Popular Combinations

To give you some inspiration, here are some tried and tested essential oil combinations from the lifestyle blog Overthrow Martha that may work for you:

Jasmine with orange and sandalwood
Lavender with orange and ylang ylang
Lemongrass with vetiver, lavender and lime
Rose with vetiver and lime
Orange with cedarwood and peppermint
Bergamont with lemongrass and sandalwood

Mixing it All Together

Once youve experimented with scents and determined which combination you like best, its time to mix everything together. Wellness Mama recommends the following recipe/ratio for your DIY fragrance concoction:

12-20 drops of your base note scent
25-30 drops of your middle note scent
12-15 drops of your top note scent
4 ounces of alcohol to preserve your mixture (Wellness Mamas genius idea was to use spiced rum, which smells WAY better than other kinds of alcohol.)

Youll start by adding your base notes first and moving up the list. After all of your ingredients have been added, cap the bottle and shake well. Let it sit for as long as possible (ideally up to a month) to let the scent of the alcohol fade and the combination of essential oils mature. Then its ready to wear!

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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How To Make Your Own All-Natural Perfume

Posted in Anchor, Aroma, FF, GE, LAI, LG, ONA, PUR, Radius, Uncategorized | Tagged first, following, Fragrance, green, holistic beauty, overthrow, Projects, radius, wellness-mamas | Comments Off

Earth Week Daily Action: Eliminate 3-5 Toxic Personal Care Products

by MitziDalgleish6 Posted on April 22, 2016

Less is more when it comes to how many creams, lotions, soaps and fragrances you use on your body.

That’s because, the less you use, the more money you’ll save and the healthier you’ll be. Earth Week is the perfect time to take stock of what you use and cut back 3-5 that you don’t really need.

Why bother?

Most personal care products contain a worrisome cocktail of questionable if not downright dangerous chemicals that have been linked to cancer, reproductive failure, learning disabilities and asthma.

Here are some of the worst ingredients your products may contain:

Phthalates – Phthalates are industrial compounds that soften plastics. But they also give perfume its slightly oily texture, give hair sprays their oomph and are found in nail polish and many other products. The problems with phthalates are well documented and include links to abnormal development of reproductive organs in baby boys and premature breast development in young girls, among other ills.

Parabens – Parabens are a preservative common in cosmetics and personal care products. Parabens havealso been linked to allergic dermatitis and skin rashes, and have been found in breast cancer tissue.

Synthetic Fragrances – Fragrances and preservatives are the main ingredients in cosmetics. Ironically, fragrances are also the most common cause of skin problems, like contact dermatitis. They also trigger asthma and less dangerous responses, like sneezing and itchy eyes. More than 5,000 different kinds of fragrances are used in makeup, shampoo, soap and lotion.

Triclosan – Public health officials are raising alarms about this chemical because its antibacterial properties may be giving rise to a group of “super germs” that cannot be controlled by available antibiotics. Doctors believe it’s important to build up natural resistance to germs, but triclosan inhibits our ability to do so.

Next Steps

During Earth Week, go into your bathroom and put every single cosmetic and personal care product you use out on the counter. Deodorants, mascara, shampoo, body lotion, foundation, blush, acne treatment, insect repellent, sunless tanning lotion, antiaging cream…put it all out where you can see it and get the full scope of what you’re buying and applying.

You should notice two things:

First, there may beat least 20 products you put on your body almost every day, and as many as 40 you use regularly!

Second, many of those products are “doubles,” in the sense that you may be using two or more products at the same time, when one would do just fine.

Weed out the doubles. Do you need a face cleanser, a face toner, a face serum and a skin “brightener?” Wouldn’t it be just fine to wash your face, put on a little lotion and then whatever make-up you feel you need?

Speaking of make-up, do you need lotion, foundation, blush AND bronzer? Since so many foundations have lotion in them and so many bronzers add blush to your cheeks, can you just use those two?

Look at everything you use and get rid of the doubles (or triples).

Now, check ingredients. Again, put everything aside that contains phthalates, synthetic fragrances, parabens and triclosan.

If that gets rid of just about everything you use, don’t worry. You can get started on a new path to using fewer but healthier products as soon as you clean out the cupboard.

You can find safer products at most food coops, online, and at health food stores. Care2 has also pulled together lots of recommendations. Check out these posts to help you set up a better beauty and health regimen.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Earth Week Daily Action: Eliminate 3-5 Toxic Personal Care Products

Posted in alo, FF, GE, LAI, LG, ONA, PUR, Radius, Safer, Uncategorized | Tagged chemical, earth week, first, health, holistic beauty, lipstick, Ona, personal care products, radius | Comments Off

5 Ingredients to Avoid in Your Hair Products

by DaciaMcGaw Posted on March 30, 2016

Many Americans are working to reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals and toxic ingredients. Few industries have faced more criticism for their ingredients than the cosmetics industry, and lately, it seems that more and more brands arereleasing organic or all-natural personal care lines.

Shampoos and conditioners, in particular, contain a lot of toxic ingredients. Some health-conscious consumers have taken to making their own haircare products, but others still prefer to use ready-made, expert-developed shampoos and conditioners. If this is you, rest assured that you have plenty of options. You dont necessarily have to spend a fortune, either! A quick glance at a products ingredient list can tell you a lot about its safety. Here are five toxic ingredients youll want to be sure to avoid when picking out a shampoo or conditioner:

Sulfates

Youve probably heard of sulfates by now; pretty much every natural hair care brand states proudly on itspackaging thataproduct is sulfate-free. But what are sulfates, and why should you avoid them?

The main thing to keep in mind when thinking about sulfates is that they are chemical detergents. That in itself isnt necessarily a bad thing, but it means that sulfates are extremely effective at removing dirt and oil … in fact, theyre a little too effective. Sulfates are harsh on the hair and scalp, so they can strip away that natural moisture that keeps your hair shiny and soft.

On a deeper level, they may carry some hormone-disrupting agents along with them. According to Natural Society, many sulfates contain traces of dioxane, a known carcinogen. Dioxane is also thought to disrupt kidney function.

Parabens

Parabens are another widely hated group of chemicals that youve probably been told to avoid in your beauty and personal care products. Parabens are xenoestrogens, which means that they have a similar composition to hormones found in the human body. Xenoestrogens are thought to disrupt hormones and could even post a cancer risk.

Real Simple even noted that British scientistsfound evidence of parabens in samples of breast cancer tissue. Though this doesnt necessarily mean the parabens caused the cancer,most natural-minded folks try to avoid parabens completely.

Fragrance

Fragrances are bad, bad, bad. If the fragrance in your product comes from a natural essential oil, it will say so on the packaging. If all the manufacturers have chosen to tell you about the ingredient is that its a fragrance, thats generally bad news.

The term fragrance allows manufacturers to opt out of including a list of the ingredients used to create that fragrance, as the term is not regulated by the FDA. So really, if fragrance is listed on an ingredient list, theres no telling whats in there. Natural Society even notes that there are more than 3,100 chemicals used by the fragrance industry to concoct these suspicious-sounding additions to your shampoos and conditioners.

Triclosan

Triclosan is an antibacterial agent thats often added to personal care products as a preservative. Dr. Ben Kim notes that we still dont have enough conclusive evidence to say for sure whether or not triclosan is safe for use, but there have certainly been some warning signs to the contrary.

Triclosan is thought to be an endocrine disruptor, which means it can be harmful in the same fashion as xenoestrogens. Its also been linked to immune system problems, weight loss and uncontrolled cellular reproduction, according to Dr. Kim.

Polyethylene Glycol

Polyethylene glycol, or PEG, is also thought to interfere with the body. According to Natural Society, the state of California has classified the chemical as a developmental toxicant, which means that it may interfere with human development. Its also known to be contaminated by the aforementioned cancer-causer dioxane.

If youre looking for shampoos and conditioners that are made with safe, reliable, natural ingredients, you have lots of options at your fingertips. And if youre feeling more adventurous, of course, you could always try making your own homemade hair care products!

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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5 Ingredients to Avoid in Your Hair Products

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16 Surprising Uses for Green Tea

by ElviraX973 Posted on February 26, 2016

Green tea has been around for thousands of years. Its no wonder the stuff sure is tasty, and is shown to have a number of great health benefits. But there are plenty of other reasons to keep green tea around. From cleaning carpets to giving your feet a much needing pampering, read on for some surprising ways to use green tea.

Quick Tip: Store your used green tea bags in the fridge so they dont spoil.

Beauty and Health

1. Reduce Eye Puffiness. The tannins and caffeine in green tea helps reduce both puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. Brew two bags of green tea. Take the bags out of the water and, with your fingers, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and let them cool to room temperature. Put one tea bag over each eye and wait 10 minutes before removing.

2. DIY Facial Toner. Green tea is found in a number of commercial skincare products but you can make some at home, too! Its also ridiculously easy: just brew some green tea, let it come to room temperature and transfer it to a clean spray bottle. Store in the fridge. Twice a day, spritz some on your face before using moisturizer. Its that simple!

3. Soothe Sunburns. Green tea contains properties that help with inflammation a major thing you want to combat if youre dealing with a sunburn. Soak a clean piece of cloth in cooled green tea and apply it to the affected area.

4. Pamper Your Feet. Green tea works well on puffy eyes because it reduces swelling and the same is true for your feet. After a long day, who doesnt want to relax with a nice, aromatic foot soak. Click here for a recipe.

Odor Fighting

5. Reduce Fridge Odor. Nobody wants a stinky fridge. Combat that by placing a dry, unused green tea bag in the refrigerator to absorb moisture.

6. Reduce Trash Odor. A couple unused green tea bags will also help stop foul odors that come from the trash. Keep a few unused bags at the bottom of your garbage can.

7. Clean Greasy Dishes. A used green tea bag is a great DIY sponge for cleaning greasy and grimy dishes.

8. Keep Litter Boxes Fresh. Adding some dry green tea leaves to kitty litter will help keep odors at bay and, whats more, your cat wont mind one bit!

9. Stash In Your Underwear Drawer. Green tea infuses a nice, subtle scent to your unmentionables. Keep an unused green tea bag in your lingerie drawer.

Cleaning

10. Clean Yoga Mats. One great way to clean yoga mats is to wash them in water with diluted green tea. Itll help keep them smelling fresh.

11. Clean Carpets. No, really! Sprinkling some used (but dry) green tea leaves 10 minutes before you vacuum the carpet will help you pick up more grime AND lightly deodorize both the carpets and the vacuum cleaner.

12. Clean Glass and Mirrors. Instead of tossing your green tea bag after you use it, brew it again, and use that weakened tea to clean windows and mirrors. Transfer room temperature tea to a spray bottle and wipe with a clean, dry cloth.

13. Clean Toilets. Deodorize your toilet by tossing a few used green tea bags in and letting them sit for an hour or two. Remove the bags, scrub and flush. Easy!

More Uses

14. Toss in the Compost. Green tea bags can absolutely be composted as long as the cloth is biodegradable, which many brands are.

15. Perfect Plant Watering. The big benefit of using green tea in the garden is that it absorbs water. Placing a used and dried tea bag at the bottom of the soil will absorb excess moisture and, over time, help redistribute that moisture more efficiently.

16. Naturally Dye Paper, Easter Eggs and More. Green tea is a great way to dye things, well, green! Click here for detailed instructions.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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16 Surprising Uses for Green Tea