Swap Pasty Skin for a Beautiful Glowing Beach Body - the Natural and Organic Way!

Summer is the time when our skin gets an airing, especially in the UK. We hardly get a chance to reveal our skin normally, as we shelter from wind, rain and cold weather most of the year. You maybe planning on a vacation abroad or just want to get the sun kissed look, so now is the perfect time to get yourself pampered and looking fabulous.

If, like me, you’re feeling a tad pasty and unconfident about revealing your winter body for the whole world to view on the beach, then take a few vital steps to create a confident new you. Not only will you look healthy on the outside, you will genuinely be healthy on the inside as you can easily achieve the look without the use of loads of nasty chemicals that could compromise your health, cause allergies or skin sensitivity.

Some of our recommendations are classic favourites that are time tested and really do work, rather than the latest new fads on the market!

It’s really important to get your skin ready for receiving new products that are going to revitalize and energise, so getting rid of old built up dead winter skin cells is an important first step; with this all important natural beauty care treatment, you’ll find your skin glowing and ready for the sun. This step is called exfoliation and can be done easily through some home made treatments such as granulated sugar. But for those of you that prefer all the aromatherapy oils formulated into an invigorating and beneficial ready made scrub, you must try our Spiezia body scrub, or Eselle Organics luscious and invigorating Lime and Coconut organic body scrub. Exfoliate your whole body from toe to décolletage (cleavage) at least once a week to keep your skin looking healthy throughout the summer. Don’t forget the hard to reach bits. Exfoliate gently but regularly for optimum results, its really important to follow with a moisturiser so that your skin doesn’t dry out, that’s why Eselle’s Lime and Coconut Body Scrub is so good, it’s a two in one that leaves you smelling fabulous and silky smooth afterwards.

If you have let the body lotions slip, then make sure you don’t forget this all important step now. Dry, flaky, greying skin will not look healthy and will easily damage under the sun. To get your skin beautifully primed, moisturize everyday after you shower or bath, with an all over organic body moisturiser. For lotions, try Essential Care Hand and Body lotion or Green People’s No scent Hand and Body Lotion, but if you really love to pamper yourself try Organic Apoteke’s Body Cream, one of our Raw Gaia or Eselle Organic Body Butters.

The next and final stage before hitting the beach is getting the tanned look. Wise sun worshippers will know that tanning beds are not such a good idea and increase the chance of skin cancer dramatically. So getting that tanned look in a healthy non-damaging way is essential if you are looking for the sun kissed look this summer. Even if you’re not going on holiday but want to look like you’ve been on the beach, then we have the natural, healthy alternative to getting the perfect tan. Green People’s Self Tan Lotion, like all of our products, has no parabens, phalates, petrochemicals, colorants or nasties, and can be applied 2-3 hours before needed. To build up your tan, you will need to re-apply again after 3 days. If you’ve followed the first two steps to getting your skin primed well, then the self tan stage will be easy!

When you finally do hit the beach, make sure you use organic sun protection, start off with a high factor such as Green People SPF22 and then reduce down to SPF15 as your natural tan builds. This will prevent you burning and also from damaging your skin. John Masters Sea Salt Mist gets your hair in the mood for the beach by protecting it and giving it extra Body and wave. Use a healthy bronzer such Inika’s Mineral Bronzer on your face along with a luscious lip gloss from Sante, and Zoya’s fabulous Kylie 299 Coral Pink nail polish to complete your summer look – and all without exposing yourself to one nasty chemical, how clever is that!?

Why Natural Organic Sunscreens Are Better For Your Skin and Your Whole Body

There has been recent debate over whether we should use sunscreens at all or if staying in the shade and covering our skin is better, since sunscreens are becoming higher and higher in factor – containing strong chemicals and additives in order to do increase protection – ingredients which could even themselves be considered harmful to human health. buyOrganics looks at the risks of sun exposure AND the products we use in the belief that we are protecting ourselves, and suggests that the ONLY true way to ensure health on the outside and the inside is to use organic sunscreens.

The most damaging aspect of the sun’s rays is its radiation – invisible to the human eye but the cause of cell mutation on and beneath the surface of the skin, which is how cancer develops. UV radiation is the single most important cause of skin cancer, especially when overexposure results in sunburn and blistering. This radiation is broken down into three main types: A, B and C. It used to be thought that UVB radiation was the main culprit when it comes to melanoma as UVB damage is visible in the form of sunburn, but in recent years research has discovered that UVA radiation penetrates deep beneath the skin and these cells are the most vulnerable and the hardest to treat should they mutate. UVA radiation is also the cause of wrinkles, so if you want to retain your youthful complexion the advice is simple – stay out of the sun altogether!

Slapping on factor 30, 45 or even 50 may seem like a good idea but recently it has been proposed that the more sunscreens we use, the more protection we feel we have, meaning we stay out in the sun longer, thus increasing our risk of sun damage and the chance of developing skin cancer. This disease is now rapidly on the increase, with 9,000 cases being diagnosed in the UK every year, and one of the reasons it is thought this is the case, is strangely, that we are using more and more sunscreens!

There are three forms of skin cancer – all of them caused by sun damage. Squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas are the least life-threatening, but melanoma is highly aggressive and is in fact one of the most aggressive types of human cancer there is and risk is higher in areas where there are high levels of ambient UV – such as Australia and New Zealand, where it is the most common form of cancer.

Sun worshipping is big business – there are literally hundreds of different brands and types of sunscreens on the market, all with several different levels of SPF (sun protection factor) which the bemused consumer is supposed to be able to calculate according to their skin type and how long they intend to keep reapplying the cream. And in fact, there is very little difference between a factor of 15 and 30 – apart from the level of preservative ingredients in the product to keep it fresh. Using a higher factor sunscreen in order to not have to keep replenishing it is, according to Cancer Research UK, one of the surest ways to increase your cancer risk – all these high factor creams lull us into a false sense of security, encouraging us to stay out longer in the sun so long as we keep on applying those creams.

Sunscreen products themselves also contain a host of manufactured chemicals in order to provide UV protection, but there are natural and organic alternatives available – these will contain microfine zinc or titanium dioxide which provide both UVA and UVB protection, and is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Sunscreen products by Miessence, Essential Care and Green People give great sun protection as well as containing safer ingredients.

Most regular sunscreens and self-tan products also contain a host of other known irritant and sensitizing ingredients such as phenoxyethanol – which is also present in most sunscreen products and, which is actually on the list of preservatives approved – although restricted - by The Soil Association.

Preservatives are necessary in cosmetic products in order to inhibit the growth of bacteria once jars and bottles are opened. They are particularly important in products which contain oil and water as these will go rancid after air exposure, unless preservatives are present. Preservatives work by killing bacteria cells – but can also do the same to skin cells, which is what gives them their toxicity. The higher protection factor a sunscreen has, the higher levels of the ingredients in the product which can go “off” – hence the occasional requirement for phenoxyethanol, says the Soil Association, which allows them even in some of their certified organic products.

An excellent compromise comes from Sonia Kalia-Sagoo, founder and director of Buy Organics Ltd, an online organic store which stocks only the safest organic sunscreens as certified by The Soil Association:

“I love the sun and I’m always out in it given the chance. However, when it’s hot I always keep in the shade and keep well-covered. Having just come back from visiting family in India I made sure that my 4 year old daughter was wearing full sleeve bamboo T shirts and leggings all day long. This amazing fabric not only kept her cool, but it also has UV protective qualities. For the skin that is exposed just apply a small amount of Green People or Essential Care organic sunscreen.”

However, there is a flip side to all the public hype surrounding shade and sunscreens. Whilst we’re told sun exposure is bad for us, in fact, we do need regular amounts of natural sunlight in order to produce and maintain vital supplies of Vitamin D. This vitamin is easily produced by 15-20 minutes a day of sunshine on our faces, arms and legs – preferably without sunscreens which can also inhibit absorption. Research has also shown that obtaining a tan, particularly in our childhood and teenage years could actually help protect against some diseases such as prostate cancer and multiple sclerosis.

What a dilemma! If we stay in the shade and slap on the sunscreens we could be covering our bodies in toxic chemical ingredients which can enter the bloodstream, let alone the risk of vitamin D deficiency. On the other hand, how do we protect ourselves from the equally unpleasant effects of overexposure such as cancers and premature ageing?

It seems that when it comes to the sun, along with most things in life, moderation is the best option, and nothing on earth feels as good as the gentle rays of the sun warming our faces and bodies.

Baby Massage...it’s got to be organic all the way

Baby massage isn’t the latest craze to hit our fad-hungry society; we’ve known for many years that not only does it help with the all-important mother/baby bond (particularly in cases of post-natal depression for example, where bonding is often one of the biggest issues), but also with many common problems such as colic, reflux, sleep, teething and crying problems. It’s even been proven to be a factor in enhancing brain development and more importantly, in healing conditions such as eczema. A daily massage can be easily incorporated into part of the all-important bath-bed routine or as a regular relaxing diversion during the day to help at naptime, and is often just as rewarding and relaxing for the mum or dad giving the massage.

However what you may not know is that what you use to facilitate the massage is just as important as how you actually do it!

Choosing organic massage oils and baby products is the main way of ensuring your baby isn’t exposed to the many harmful ingredients present in run-of-the-mill baby products. 100% organic products such as Earthbound Organics and Essential Care’s baby massage oils will not only ensure paraben, synthetic chemical and toxin-free products for baby’s precious newborn skin, but also the healing properties of the organic essential oils they contain. Esselle’s Sweet Organic Baby Oil contains Sea Buckthorn oil, which has been used since the 8^thTibet to treat a range of skin conditions. Century in All these products are available on-line at www.buyorganics.co.uk

One of the reasons baby skin complaints such as eczema and nappy rash are on the rise, is the increased use of allergenic and sensitising ingredients in skin care products and washing detergents, chemicals in disposable nappies plus of course the pesticides present in non-organic cotton clothing which can remain in the fabric even after several washes. A good way to cut down your child’s susceptibility to conditions like eczema and even asthma is to ensure organic clothing and skincare products wherever possible and wash using eco-friendly washing products – which is also better for the environment of course!

So, you’re armed with your organic massage oil, and baby’s wriggling around on a soft, clean (preferably organic cotton!) towel in front of you (on the floor please – not on top of a raised surface – you’ll have to watch your back but it is possible!) what on earth do you do next? Here’s our quick and easy step-by-step guide to baby massage – the simple Six Step I Love You massage…

Pour the organic baby massage oil you’ve chosen onto your palms and rub together to warm both your hands and the oil – you can sing or talk to your baby whilst you do this and look into his eyes to increase that one-to-one bond (and distract him from rolling over before you begin to massage!).

Step One: Use two or three fingers to trace the letter “I” on the right side of his abdomen, starting under his ribs and stopping at the hip, with a firm but gentle pressure.

Step Two: Stroke from left to right across baby’s abdomen forming the long side of a sideways “L”.

Step Three: Use a short downward stroke on the right side of baby’s stomach, completing the “L”.

Step Four: Begin the last letter, an upside down “U” by stroking up from baby’s hipbone on the left side of his tummy.

Step Five: The middle of the “U” is made by moving your fingers along the top of baby’s tummy.

Step Six: Finish the massage with the other side of the “U” with a final downward stroke on baby’s right side.

You can repeat this as often as you like until baby falls asleep, you get arm or back ache, or you’ve both had enough!!

Use the organic massage oil after baby’s bath too to seal in moisture and keep skin smooth and free from dryness and nappy rash. It will also be good for your hands!

Spiezia Organic Propolis Ointment - The Miracle Skin Cream

Bees create Propolis by collecting a resinous sap from trees. Certain trees, such as poplar, willow, horse chestnut and birch, exude a sap which has antibiotic qualities to protect that tree from infection. Bees gather this sap, remetabolize it with their own nectar secretions, and take it back to the hive.

Many scientists believe a hive to be more sterile and free from bacteria than a modern hospital. Tree antibiotic became a bee antibiotic and was hence named 'Propolis' by the ancient Greeks. Translated, Propolis means 'before the city', or 'a defense'. It is an exceedingly complex mixture containing a rich variety of vitamins, minerals and enzymes, as well as potent terpenes, benzoic, caffeic, cinnamic and phenolic acids, and flavonids. It is believed that the flavonoids contained in Propolis block the release of histamine by means of cell membrane lipid stabilization. This creates inner immunity against many illnesses.

Much research has been carried out into its use and benefits. Most significantly it has been linked to the prevention of colon cancer and use as a natural antibiotic. Professor S. Scheller, the head of a team of four doctors at the Institute for Microbiology at the Medical Academy in Poland found that Propolis is able to stimulate the immune system. It stimulates the formation of antibodies to build body resistance to many diseases. It also helps the body in releasing substance against cellular deterioration. He also concluded that other Propolis health benefits may include improved physical, intellectual and sexual performance and the ability to make injured tissue heal faster. The study also concluded that Propolis is non toxic. The evidence that it heals injured tissue faster can be seen directly in the treatment of burns. Research has shown that it effectively reduces inflammation, stimulates enzyme systems, cell metabolism, circulation, collagen formation and improved healing.

Another amazing quality of Propolis is that it can also fight against viruses such as upper respiratory infections caused by the common cold and influenza viruses (Focht J, Arzneimittel-Forschung, Aug. 1993; 43:921-3) which antibiotics cannot. It has also been successfully used to increase fertility in women, as a potential cancer drug, in dental care, liver protection and reduction of bowel problems.

Natural Propolis has been used for centuries. Evidence dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians using it internally and externally as an antibiotic, antiviral and antiseptic formula to bring relief for many skin and body ailments. Spiezia have harnessed this natural formula and created Organic Propolis Ointment which is available at buyOrganics to provide relief for cracked skin, spots, skin rashes, sever eczema, boils and other skin problems.

www.buyOrganics.co.uk - The Organic Lifestyle store