Top Tips to Winter Proof Your Skin

As Briton braces itself against Arctic winds hitting our shores this week, we have some top tips for natural skincare lovers who want to keep their skin in peak condition despite the environmental onslaught.

On Monday, scientists from Bath University revealed that aqueous creams used by eczema sufferers may do more harm than good so switching to alternative products that re-balance and protect your skin naturally may be the best answer.

Showering Reduces the body’s natural oils

The tendency during the winter months is to have hot showers; however this strips the skin of essential natural oils. It’s better during these harsher months to shower every other day unless you are very sweaty. You can always spot wash important areas daily. Use a mild shower wash such as SAVE Body wash as it has no Sodium Lauryl Sulphates and is therefore gentler on skin.

Always Use a Body Moisturiser

After your shower make sure you put essential moisture back into your skin with a natural organic body moisturiser that uses natures finest oils rather than synthetic ingredients to seal your skin and block pores. We love La Claree Body Moisturiser which instantly transforms your bathroom into a Spa!

Turn down the Thermostat

Keeping the heating high isn’t just bad news for the environment, its also bad news for your skin. It strips the moisture from the air leaving your skin dry, scaly and itchy. Wear natural cotton layers with socks to keep your toes warm. Try organic bedtime clothing without the fire retardants in (yes they are secretly in there!!), that will help your skin too.

Drink Lots of Water

Just because its not hot, doesn’t mean you still don’t need essential hydration. Switch hot caffeinated drinks to a mug of warm water, taken first thing in the morning it will help detox your body, and it will counteract the diuretic effects of Coffee and Tea.


Protect yourself from the sun

It maybe cold but a bright sun can still damage your skin. Make sure you use a natural moisture cream such as Trevarno with spf15. Not only will It feed your skin with essential organic nutrients, but it will also protect you from sun damage. Try something stronger like gamarde spf50 if you are going skiing.

Don’t Forget Your Hands

Hands take a beating during the winter months, already subjected to a punishing routine through cleaning and cooking, the weather can further damage the skin. Make sure your hands stay young looking by using rubber gloves, latex free are also available in some stores for those with allergies. Use a natural hand cream after all chores and washing and before you go out and go to bed. Protect your hands from the cold with gloves.

Do Test different Products

If you find that you or a family member has particularly bad eczema or psoriasis, try changing the products your use one at a time. For instance I recently recommended an organic shampoo to a mum whose 6 year old was suffering terribly from eczema all over her face and upper body, she had never considered her shampoo and found an immediate difference when she switched.

Sarah Jessica Parker loves John Masters Organics

Fans of John Masters Organics, will be glad to know that there taste for perfection is shared by celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker! She is an avid John Masters Organics regular. And attends the John Masters Organics Salon located in trendy SoHo, NY. The salon is the city’s only clean air salon, no chemicals are used in any of the treatments. His mission is to provide the, “most organic, most natural products available on the market.” and he carries that through with an award winning line of natural hair and skin care.

For a limited time only while stocks last All our John Masters Skincare is on Sale. So Stock up now

Combat winter effects of dry hands and flaky brittle nails naturally

Natural skincare lovers will be interested to know the latest beauty secrets of one expert - Katherine Reeves, sales manager for nubar who has shared with us her essentials for having beautiful looking hands and nails throughout the winter season.
Her advice is to have a couple of items in your handbag at all times, these include a natural hand cream and a cuticle treatment.

Ms Reeves advised: "[Use] loads of hand lotion and cuticle oil. It really is just making sure that you are keeping the hands nice and hydrated with lots of cuticle oil before bed just ... to keep [your nails] nice and strong."
We particularly love Trevarno’s Nail Conditoner and Olive and Almond hand cream. A little of these on your hands every night before bed will have your hands and nails looking and feeling fabulous, and will help create strong, flexible and unflaky nails.

Ms Reeves has also suggested that anyone who isn't a fan of this season's look should stick to blues and purples for their autumn nail colour of choice.

Natural Health and Wellbeing harmed by excess Antioxidants

Natural health lovers will be disappointed to hear the latest news that excess Antioxidants can have a harmful effect on our health. But not for long! Mainly highlighted is the creation of breathing difficulties in elderly people. Excess doses of Antioxidant were found to have caused an imbalance of Pro-oxidants in the body (these are normally known as the evil twin of Antioxidants). The research is based on studies from Kansas State University in the U.S. where they tested animals with different doses of antioxidants. Now not to sound a sceptic, I fully support scientific research but it’s likely that these animals were probably given really, really high doses of antioxidant and that too in an artificial format.

Natural forms of Antioxidant come in the form Broccoli, Blue berries, Sweet potatoes, Lentils, Goju berries and Yogurt amongst other things and are essential as part of a balanced diet. These antioxidant rich foods are meant to combat aging, harmful effects of environmental pollution, smoking, stress and disease. In addition, all those that are dedicated to natural skin care will know that anti-oxidants are important for keeping us looking young.

Unfortunately, over farming and soil depletion have left our fruits and veg depleted of many of the important rich nutrients that we need on a daily basis. Therefore a good Antioxidant created from as natural means as possible helps to replace what is not there any longer. Intelligent people will realise that everything in moderation is good for us, too much protein has its side effects, as does excess fat, as does excess water, but neither can we survive without them.

Natural beauty comes not just from using pure creams and potions, but mainly from a rich varied natural diet, regular excercise and plenty of water. So if you want to look and feel well, antioxidants are still well on the list, but just in moderation

Can Makeup be dangerous during pregnancy?

A recent article posted by DANIELLE ROSE in northjersey.com points out the difficulties that pregnant women face in trying to avoid toxins, eat healthy and take care of their developing baby.

A firm follower of using natural products, Danielle often makes up her own blends and potions to ensure that she stays well and healthy. What’s wonderful is that the type of things that she blends herself, are mostly made of products you would use to cook with. That is the true beauty of using natural products. However creating safe makeup is not something that can easily be created from home.

Danielle points out that although most women will switch to organic foods, quit drinking and leave toxic jobs such as painting the nursery to their husband, they often don’t realise that what they put on their skin can be just as important to baby's health. So natural skincare products should be picked carefully. Daily moisturizers, makeup, foundation all sit on the skin for hours.
Danielle points out that the skin is a porous organ and it absorbs lotions and makeup into the body, along with the chemicals they are comprised of, which is the whole basis of nicorette patches and contraception patches.

According to Dr. Alan Greene, author of "Raising Baby Green," many cosmetics and sunscreens contain what are called nanoparticles, particles so tiny that they permeate the skin and body tissues quickly and deeply.

A regular issue of concern that Danielle raises is the difficulty of really knowing what is in the product you are buying, coupled with the fact that the list of ingredients that are safe during pregnancy varies from source to source. In addition, manufacturers are not required to list all the ingredients on the product label and chemicals can get hidden under generic terms such as ‘fragrance’. I recently had a customer who was buying organic shampoo and I pointed out to her that it contained Rosemary (Which is not considered by general aromatherapy circles to be suitable for pregnant women in the first two trimesters) I suggested that she switch to another shampoo which contained gentler ingredients such as lavender, the smell of which is also less likely to turn a pregnant woman’s stomach. Lavender naturally helps ease nausea. Some other natural herbs and essential oils - basil, birch, cinnamon bark, sage and tarragon should not be used during pregnancy.

Also a beauty product listed as "organic," may not always be organic. Many high street brands and less scrupulous brands may only add a few organic ingredients to a concoction of other less favorable ingredients. One of Danielle’s favorite sites and mine too for determining the safety of skin care products is cosmeticsdatabase.com. It rates thousands of cosmetics on a scale of zero to 10 with 10 being a high hazard and zero being low.

Another good resource Danielle uses is Greene's book. In his chapter "The Bathroom," he lists and explains the types of ingredients to be wary of and many safer alternatives to the common cosmetic.

Danielle recommends making your own moisturizer , body scrubs, and facial masks using simple ingredients such as olive, grapeseed, safflower and walnut oils. For instance you can add oil to Epsom salts to create a safe and effective scrub. Blending with Essential oils should be done more carefully, however. Essential oils are concentrated plant matter and should always be purchased pure (not blended with other ingredients) and used diluted in the proper proportion with a base oil (never used directly on the skin).

For many of these reasons sighted by Danielle and other beauty experts in the field I’m really particular that buyOrganics check ingredients, only take on reputable brands and help customers one to one as much as possible make the right choice. We have special herb blended teas by Earth Mama to sooth many pregnancy ailments such as morning sickness, postpartum blues and even a blend to help your milk increase naturally when breastfeeding baby. Coupled with pure natural skincare and makeup products that do not contain nanoparticles, parabens or phthlates, and that we have vetted ourselves for purity, you no longer need to blend away yourself!! And can just purchase and apply with confidence.

Trevarno Organic Skincare - New at buyOrganics

New to our shelves is the wonderfully natural, pure and certified range of organic skincare by Trevarno. Hand made in Cornwall, these luscious products will have your skin looking amazing, protected from the sun and all naturally!! Their special formulations are designed with the most sensitive skin in mind to retain the skins natural beauty but also to help cleanse tone and replenish skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Trevarno’s first organic soaps were launched in 1998, followed by their skincare range in 2000. Their organic skincare is a high performance and sustainably produced range, which is competitively, priced which means that you no longer need to sacrifice or compromise luxury, style or affordability in choosing the natural skin care option.

At buyOrganics I am particularly pleased that, with increasing awareness of the benefits of choosing Natural and Organic products, and the escalating health concerns over the inclusion of synthetic ingredients found in the majority of high street beauty products, Trevarno’s organic skin care range is a tribute to their philosophy of producing chemical free, truly organic skin care. Trevarno’s ethical focus is on taking beauty back to its natural roots using long established, traditional ingredients and sustainable, production methods.

What’s even more delightful is that Trevarno’s skin enriching creams are blended with fully certified organic flower waters and deliciously scented essential oils to produce light and easily absorbed beauty essentials that you will not be able to do without. As well as these daily facial products, the organic sun care range from Trevarno has been developed to provide essential daily protection without the need for all the chemicals that go along with sun creams providing any shelter from the sun. With Trevarno’s Day and Rose & Jojoba moisturising creams both being available with SPF15, you will be able to easily nourish as well as defend your skin against the sun and its aging effects. These two products are highly effective in any natural anti aging organic skin care routine.

Certified by The Organic Farmers & Growers, Britain’s longest established organic certifier, Trevarno have met strict standards to gain formal organic certification which guarantees the range as pure, ethical and sustainable.

Trevarno is committed to sourcing ingredients of the highest quality, from, socially just and ecologically responsible suppliers for their skin care range. Just a few examples of these practices includes buying locally grown West country herbs and obtaining sustainable Palm Oil from a producer who works closely with the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

“Trevarno’s creams are actually creams not balms! Their cleansers are effective and remove all of the daily grind you expect them to and your skin is left feeling completely amazing in the morning after having used the night cream. Trevarno definitely gets the thumbs up from me; otherwise I certainly wouldn’t sell it!”

Sonia Kalia-Sagoo
Founder of buyOrganics

Natural Skincare where do you stop?

When you’re worrying about the ingredients in your organic skincare it can be confusing when you don’t where to stop. How far do you go with cutting out stuff in natural skincare that might be bad for you?

That’s exactly the question that many people get confused about when they’re trying to figure out what is safe and what isn’t.

And although you will be well versed in reading the backs of bottles and pots, you may wonder who to trust and who to believe. I remember when I was pregnant and first started buying organic and natural skin care products. I was checking the ingredients of everything to the point that I became paranoid about using anything. It was very stressful and scary. I had what felt like pre-exam nerves every time I went shopping! I was ordering stuff from across the ocean in USA just because the natural skincare products here didn’t seem pure enough. It was killing my bank balance and my confidence.

An interesting conversation I had with a supplier at this time is something I’d like to share with you. I was buying something to stock on my site and wasn’t sure if the ingredients were pure enough. The answer I got back was like a gush of cool air on a hot day!! He said

“The fact that you are checking the ingredients and are avoiding the nastiest chemicals is good enough. If you cut out the major nasty groups such as Parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals and fragrances then you’ll be doing yourself and your customers a huge favour. Some preservatives for instance just can’t be avoided, but most of your customers will know that you are doing the best you can for them.”

Looking into things further I have found that its near impossible to avoid everything, even in natural skincare, because everyone is allergic to different things; any substance - natural or chemical can trigger a reaction. In addition, you will read about some substances within natural skincare products that are claimed to be unsafe or carcinogenic. There is nothing more carcinogenic than the cocktail of chemicals that currently grace high street skincare. A step towards natural skincare that lessens this burden is a step in the right direction. The main thing to watch out for is a complex array of chemicals gracing your natural skincare products that don’t look like they should belong there. That’s what I make sure I avoid when I’m picking products for the site. I’ve seen some other natural skincare sites that aren’t as scrupulous which is worrying.

You may not agree with me and I’d understand entirely, but my advice is not to get too hung up on every ingredient having to be purely organic and every ingredient having to be clear of all known allergenic reactions (unless you are allergic to that particular ingredient of course) otherwise you may find it very tough indeed to find anything to use in the bathroom everyday. You’ll find the majority of natural skincare products (even the ones we stock) to be as safe as can possibly be. Although it is the ideal standard that every ingredient should be certified organic, it is not always practical. If you demand a organic hair care product with no preservative you may be disappointed. Preservatives are necessary to stop the growth of dangerous bacteria that could make you ill, most natural skincare companies try and find preservatives that are as natural as possible.

I love natural skincare that has very little in it, just a few necessary ingredients that you can read in one sentence. That’s why Earthbound organic skincare tops high on my list of favourite natural skincare It may not have an organic seal of approval, but I just can’t see how a pot of cream made of four really simple things is going to harm me. I know Jo gets her beeswax from her local farm, it’s not certified organic, but I believe her when she says that it’s pure. She’s even started keeping her own bees and mashes the carrots for the carrot cream in her kitchen…..so my advice is to let common sense prevail and live a natural life, but not an obsessive one. Moderation is best.