Body and Beauty and Living-Naturally

“How toxic are your kids” was for the most part a repeat of the previous showing. There was no real new information, just new audience-kids this time. It however gave me more of an opportunity to scrutinize the program and I was left with the feeling this time that  it lacked something. I felt there had not been enough research done.  Parabens and phthalates were still the focus of the show. I would have liked  them to mention what the consumer  should look out for in place of parabens for instance. There was great lengths to point out that man-made chemicals are bad and natural ones are good. This however is a dangerous generalization. The fungi, bacteria etc that could grow on a product are natural but I certainly wouldn’t want them near me…would you?!

Really for such a program I expected to see as bit more hard facts. Yep, I ‘ve gone back to being hard on it but seriously,if you are going to educate the public on an issue, do it right!

Going back to the first showing, something that has come up (which I should have mentioned  earlier but it isn’t skincare) in discussions with friends  is the coverage of breast milk showing the presence of these chemicals/toxins, what they do not point out at this stage is that in formula  there is likely higher proportions! And these chemicals do not change the properties of breast milk that make it best for the baby. I really hope that this programme does not discourage any women from breastfeeding. Breast is still best!!

 I do like that the teenage girl was taken off her makeup-routine…she looked so pretty without all the slap! And they had the right approach in getting her to also change her diet, afterall you are what you eat.

I admire the family featured who do the raw food diet and use all things pure, the Dad was the perfect poster child!!He actually looked younger now than 7years ago…that alone is enough to make me want to try the raw food regime but I love food!

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With young kids in the house, I like to keep my home relatively clean. I don’t aim to get it sterile.

Essential Oils that should be in every home are Tea tree, Lavender and Eucalyptus, You can get these in any health food shop and most likely even your local chemist.

Open up your windows for fresh air regularly. I do this everyday in the warmer months and then about three times a week in the colder months. When someone has been ill-with flu or so I will open it everyday as I can smell the sickness.

I mix baking soda with a few drops of lavender and tea tree essential oils, and sprinkle this all over my carpet, then leave it for a few hours and then hoover up. Baking soda is a great deodorizer, infact it is very versatile.

Using a spray bottle of half and half vinegar and water I clean most of the kitchen surfaces, including the fridge. (Note that you shouldn’t use vinegar on marble and certain tiles.) I also use this and old newspapers to clean my windows.

You are probably worried about the smell of vinegar but it does not linger. You can also get an oil burner with your favourite essential oil and put this on after cleaning.

Confessions: I must admit I do still use bleach in one place in my home-the toilet bowls. I still use washing powder in my washing machine too and in the dish washer. So if anyone is aware of any kinder or greener alternatives, let me know! I am hoping to try soap-pods in the near future so will let you know how I get on

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Sheabutter is also known as Karite butter and in Nigeria is known as Uriorio, Ori depending on what ethnic group you are dealing with. Shea butter is obtained from the shea nut of the shea tree which grows wild in most West African countries. It is an off white colour-almost yellowish cream with a greyish hue and has a characteristic nutty,smoky scent. This scent is from the way it is processed.

Shea nuts are picked after they have fallen from the tree. The nuts are then sorted to get rid of any bad ones and the rest are processed-roasted, and then pounded with mortars and pestles and the resulting mixture is boiled for hours to get rid of the water and the oil left behind is the sheabutter we know and love! In some factories Hexane might be used to extract a higher yield but this has the effect of destroying the properties for which shea butter is well known. The traditional methods as used in Nigeria usually involve a group of women who work together and then offer their shea butter for sale in the local markets.

You have probably come across pure white odourless shea butter in some shops. This however is refined and would have lost most of it’s efficacy.

Unrefined sheabutter traditionally fulfills a number of functions: It is used as a beauty aid in prevention of wrinkles, in the harmattan season for relief of chapped lips, wind burn, and cracked heals, promoting healing of wounds, as a decongestant. It is also used by pregnant women to prevent stretch marks before and after birth. It has a low SPF but don’t rely on this for your sunprotection. My own kids have tubs of shea butter by their bed sides, and in their school bags and will ask for shea butter for every itch, bruise or bump! There was a preliminary study done in 1979 in which it was concluded that It is concluded that shea butter may prove more efficacious in nasal congestion than conventional nasal drops.

It must be pointed out that some people with latex allergies might be concerned about the natural latex in sheabutter, so such people MUST do a patch test, as should anyone concerned about allergies.

If you have any questions about sheabutter, please send them in and we will attempt to answer them in our next shea butter posting.

Remember you can buy your natural unrefined sheabutter from us at www.nieriu.com!

And almost all our handmade soaps contain a generous dollop of sheabutter!

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This is a recipe for a cleansing oil for a facial cleansing oil.

• 20ml  castor oil
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil ( I sometimes use a part each of extra-virgin olive oil, jojoba oil and rice bran oil)
• a couple of drops of essentail oils(I use fennel, teatree and lavender)

Mix all in a clean dry bottle, break a capsule of vit e and drop in to the mix.

To use:

Pour a small amount in your palm and rub together.

Massage this over your face in firm but gentle upward and outward strokes.

Remember to include your neck in this massage.

Using a flannel or muslin cloth, and water as warm as you can comfortably bear, wipe off all the oil from your face. You are not going to get it squeaky clean but that’s okay.

Follow up with a toner such as rosewater if you have dry  or and sensitive skin. You may use witch-hazel if you have oilier skin. I also use a mix of apple cider vinegar and rosewater once in a while.

Not necessary but I like to end by splashing cold water on my face.

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In the winter months, with the heating on, dry cold, wearing non-cotton sweaters now and then because I think they look nice  and all that, my skin has a hard time. Dealing with excema and psoriasis means I have to pay that extra bit of attention to keep it not just smooth but comfortable.

This is a scrub I use especially in the winter months when my skin starts to play up. It’s really simple and the ingredients are available from your local shop, healthstore.

Here goes:

This quantity is enough for one use. I do not recommend making much more as you will be using this around water and be introducing moisture into it as you use it.

• Sea Salt:  4 Table Spoons

I prefer and use dead sea salt. If you use this, you do have to grind it  or else it will be too rough for your skin.You can buy dead sea salt in your local health store or in boots. Ordinary seasalt is available from any grocery shop,you might even have some already in your kitchen!

• Vegetable Oil: 1/2 cup(about 50ml)

For my oil here I use a mixture of Virgin Coconut oil and Extravirgin olive oil. I have found coconut oil especially helpful for dealing with my psoriasis. At times where it’s really uncomfortable, I also add a few drops of neem oil. Beware though that neem oil STINKS! Virgin Coconut oil is available from your local asian shop and some health food stores. Note that virgin coconut oil is different from coconut oil

• Essential Oil: 2 or 3 drops

My essential oil of choice is lavender. It mixes nicely with my dead sea salt.

Pour your oil(s) into a clean dry jar, including your essential oil if you are using any.

Pour in your salt.

Mix thoroughly with a dry spoon.

Make this a few hours before you want to use it.

Directions for use.

I ‘ve used this both in the shower and bath, but more in the shower as I barely have the time for a bath!

Simply wet yourself and rub the scrub all over working in small circular motions all over your body. When you are finished, rinse off or wash off as usual.

Enjoy:) 

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“Last year(2006) we spent over £6.4 billion on toiletries and beauty products, the manufacturers spent over  £600 million  pounds marketing them. I want to find the truth behind the beautiful sell”(Sarah Beeny, Beauty Addicts:How toxic are you?  Oct,2007)

http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/T/toxic/sarah-beeny.html

I really looked forward to this show. I am not sure what I expected of it but I did feel abit disappointed at first. Then I realised I might be being too hard on it,afterall, it was supposed to have a broad appeal and I do believe it had that. The main idea behind a show like this I suppose is to get people thinking about what they are putting on their skin, and I think it will do that.  And also make consumers actually start to try to read the ingredient listing just as they do for food.

Sarah Beeny states that in the wrong concentrations, manmade chemicals can cause problems, the same can be said about natural ones. A good example is essential oils which must be diluted properly before use. You still have to exercise the same caution with natural ingredients-if you are sensitive, do your patch tests, educate yourself about your allergies if any, and be aware of what you use.

A big deal was made about parabens. Parabens are a preservative used in cosmetic products (and some foods). The problem is that you really cannot get away from preservatives if you use an aqueous formulation(i.e a formualtion containing water such as cream, lotion,etc)

In the end,at least choosing to use more natural alternatives will reduce your exposure to questionnable  ingredients.

Natural creams or lotions or other aqueous formulations MUST contain a preservative, this might be a paraben or some alternative. If vit E or grapefruit extract or rosemary extract or essential oils are used as the sole preservative, then either you are not being told something or you are using a product that has not been adequately preserved. These extracts and vitE are antioxidants-they slow down how quickly oils and fats go rancid but they DO NOT preserve formulations.

Cosmetic labelling laws in the EU luckily require manufacturers to list ALL ingredients used in their products, however, no doubt some disobey this. The ingredients as they are listed though might be confusing to some, for instance, lavender essential oil will be listed as lavendula augustifolia. If you have any concerns about ingredients, ask the manufacturers, and if they won’t give you an answer you understand, go elsewhere. You are spoilt for choice!

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