7 Ways to Love the Earth

7 Ways to Love the Earth

Earth day is a day that was created with the intention of inspiring awareness and appreciation for our planet. On earth day everyone is encouraged to turn off their lights (candle light dinner, anyone?) and conserve as many resources as possible. If we could close our eyes and make one giant wish for our amazing planet, it would be for all of us to find a way to help honor our planet on a daily basis (and not just on Earth day). Here are some simple habits you can adopt to help “be the change” that our Earth so desperately needs:

1. Recycle It is estimated that over 75% of trash is recyclable. Can you guess what percentage currently gets recycled? A mere 30%, which leaves us with a lot of opportunity to recycle more!

2. Re-use When we think of this concept, the first thing that comes to our minds is “grocery bags”. The average American goes through 6 grocery bags per week and there are roughly 300 million of us, so that equates to BILLIONS of bags per week (Yes, per week. Eeek!). Plastic bags take roughly...

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Skin Care 101

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Skin Care 101

Taking excellent care of your skin is one of the best things you can do to combat aging and maintain your youthful glow, but with so many skin-care products and treatments out there it can be really confusing to know how to best care for our largest organ. That’s where we can help! Our approach to skin care is simple and is centered around good habits and natural (we mean TRULY natural) products and ingredients. Here are our skin-care basics:

Use Products and Ingredients that are in Harmony with Nature
Mainstream cosmetics are chocked full of toxic chemicals, parabens and sulfates that can wreak havoc on your skin as well as your health. Some of these chemicals may help to temporarily alleviate symptoms such as acne, skin rashes and puffy eyes, but in the long run they can cause more damage than good.   For long-term skin health, opt for clean, natural and ideally organic products made without synthetic ingredients or additives. Our favorite natural skin care brand is Pangaea Organics, whose line of all-natural skin-care products...

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Edible Beauty

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Edible Beauty

Most of us don’t“guzzle” our facial moisturizer or eat our lipstick, but we might as well be.  What we put ON our bodies, ends up IN our bodies---in fact about 70% of what you put on your body gets absorbed into your bloodstream.  Its’ no wonder that most detox spas preach the motto “If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your body”.  We love this motto and make it a goal to live by it as often as possible. Here is one of our favorite DIY (and its edible too!) beauty treatments:

Anti-aging Honey & Avocado Mask      

You'll need:

  • *1/2 avocado: moisturizes, softens skin and reduces inflammation.
  • *1 tsp raw honey: high in antioxidants, which help slow down the aging process.  Also clarifies skin by opening and unclogging pores.
  • *1 tsp fresh lemon juice: contains citric acid, which cleanses and...

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8 Things You Never Knew About Aloe Vera

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8 Things You Never Knew About Aloe Vera

Although its wonders have only recently been rediscovered, aloe vera has been known as a powerful healing plant for many centuries. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians held it so highly that they considered it to be the “Plant of Immortality” and Cleopatra regarded it as her beauty secret. We can surely relate to Cleopatra’s deep love for aloe. In fact, our love for aloe vera inspired us to make it one of the primary active ingredients in our award-winning scar cream. Here are the top 8 reasons we love aloe:

1. Aloe is a nutrient-rich Super food: Aloe contains over 75 different vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and phenols. In addition aloe contains salicylic acid, which is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that also helps to unclog pores. To top it all off, aloe boasts sky-high levels of vitamin C, which helps promote circulation and is essential to the health of the adrenal glands.

2. Aloe helps prevent and treat acne. Aloe contains Auxin and Gibberellins, 2 hormones that have powerful...

Skin Food: 5 Foods that Will Give You a Glowing Complexion

Skin Food: 5 Foods that Will Give You a Glowing Complexion

Food has the power to either create beauty or to sabotage it. It’s widely known that diets high in sugar, processed food and chemicals can lead to skin irritations, breakouts and dark circles underneath your eyes. Time and again you have heard and read about the foods to avoid in order to create health and beauty inside and outside of your body. But what foods CAN you eat in order to nurture your natural beauty and help your skin glow its brightest? Here are our top five picks:

1. Kale: Kale is packed with a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which protect your body against free-radicals and prevent wrinkles. Kale is also very high in sulfur, a mineral that your body needs in order to produce collagen. Collagen helps keep skin soft and supple---so eat some kale and say “hello” to a youthful glow!

2. Turmeric: This brightly colored and aromatic spice is a potent blood purifier, which is essential for clear skin. Turmeric also helps to reduce inflammation and thus protects against premature aging.

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Easter Baskets Remade

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Easter Baskets Remade

Nothing says “Easter” like a basket full of jelly beans, chocolate eggs and marshmallow peeps. The “Martha Stewart” in us loves making and giving Easter Baskets---but we like ours minus the toxic chemicals, sugar highs and a tummy aches---so we figured out a way to fill them with healthier alternatives that are just as yummy and festive as the naughty ones. Here are the goodies that we recommend for a healthier basket this Easter:

1. Dark Chocolate: Cacao (the real, unprocessed stuff) is full of antioxidants and high in magnesium, which is an important mineral for heart health. For maximum nutrition, opt for an organic bar (organic bars almost always have fewer ingredients) that has a cacao content of 70% or more. Our pick for dark chocolate?  Chocolove Organic Dark Chocolate!

2. Fruit Leather: Choose brands that are...

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All Natural Guide to Preventing and Healing Acne Scars

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All Natural Guide to Preventing and Healing Acne Scars

What Is Acne?
Acne is an inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by pimples on the face, neck, back and chest. In severe cases, pimples are cystic and can lead to scarring.

What Are the Causes of Acne?
There are several contributors to this condition. One of the most common causes of acne is a change in hormones. During puberty this manifests as an increase in testosterone. In adulthood, there could be a number of catalysts for hormonal changes including birth controls pills, prescription medications and stress.   Other causes of acne include diets high in sugar and processed foods, pimple-causing ingredients in mainstream beauty products as well as hidden causes such as touching your face too much or using a cell phone.

Factors That Can Make You More Prone to Acne Scars
While its widely known...

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Fountain of Youth: 2 Habits that Will Keep You Looking Forever Young

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Fountain of Youth: 2 Habits that Will Keep You Looking Forever Young

Protecting your skin against the signs of aging isn’t rocket science, but it does require the cultivation of a few good habits. Aside from the obvious ones (drink tons of water, avoid getting too much sun and don’t smoke), there are two simply non-negotiable habits we suggest you adopt in order to preserve your youthful glow.

The first? A solid skin-care routine consisting of the highest quality, natural skincare products. And by “natural”, we are not referring to brands that are positioned as natural. What we are referring to are truly natural (and preferably organic) brands that don’t use harmful chemicals such as propylene glycol, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic fragrances. Your daily skin care arsenal should ideally consist of a gentle cleanser, a toner, a light moisturizer and highly effective wrinkle cream (our scar cream doubles as a wrinkle cream and significantly reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines).

The Second? A diet chocked full of...

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Spring Clean Your Skin

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Spring Clean Your Skin

As the temperature slowly rises and nature’s tiniest buds sprout into existence, we begin to feel an unmistakable nostalgia- and just like that we recognize that spring has arrived. It comes bearing the gifts of renewal and rebirth and has the magical ability to inspire us to soak up its life-giving energy into all of our cells. All of sudden we feel drawn to clean out our closets and clear the clutter from our lives, taking full advantage of this “fresh start” that nature has inspired.

Because of our deep love for healthy skin, we believe that revitalizing our largest organ is just as important as clearing all of the clutter outside of ourselves. We know firsthand how great it feels and how beneficial it is to give a big dose of attention and special care to our skin. So in celebration of spring, we would like to offer some inspiration for spring-cleaning your skin. The following deep cleansing routine is perfect for any change of seasons:

Start on the Inside: A 5-7 day nutritional cleanse is in order. Cleansing helps your body flush...

The Secret of Scars

The Secret of Scars

Whether it’s an innocent child’s accident, a fight against acne, or a mild or traumatic mishap, every scar has an origin story. First, it’s a fresh wound, then a pesky scab, and finally our own tough scar. It’s the evidence of our body’s complicated biological healing process. Before we can treat a scar, we have to truly understand what occurs below the surface.

So, what is a scar?

A scar is a physical blemish comprised of dense scar tissue. One may fade over the years, but for the most part, a scar is for life. They are the result of our blood vessels and tissue rebuilding themselves after an area of skin has been damaged. The discoloration and texture of a scar depends on the severity of the wound and the overall nutrition of the individual. Healthier, well-nourished skin and bodies are more receptive to a less impactful healing process.

How long does it take a scar to heal?

Typically scars develop in a month, several months, or...

Where Inactive Ingredients Hide in Skin Care Products

Where Inactive Ingredients Hide in Skin Care Products

A conscientious skin care routine means treating yourself to natural, nourishing products. For those of us attempting to reduce the visibility of a hard-earned scar or unanticipated stretch mark, it’s important to find a product that fulfills its promise of banishing the blemish while also supporting the overall health of our skin. What many of us don’t know is that potentially harmful chemical compounds hide in the inactive ingredients in many mainstream products.

Producers of cosmetics are proud to promote their primary active ingredients, but what about the rest of the stuff listed on the back of the box? Inactive ingredients are often used to give skin care products a longer shelf life or a better consistency, but these synthetics are in no way “natural.”

“Because your skin is porous, you actually absorb 60 to 80 percent of what you put on it, depending on the compound,” said Pieter Oosthuizen, creator of CELSUS Bio-Intelligence Scar Cream. “That means you shouldn’t put anything onto your skin that you wouldn’t put into your mouth.”

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