The Secret to Glowing Skin: (No) Magic Bullets

I get asked by hopeful customers if there is a secret, a magic bullet (hopefully organic and safe) out there to achieve beautiful, vibrant, healthy skin. The simple answer is....Smile (And OIL!) A simple smile will exercise all the facial muscles, increase blood and oxygen circulation to head and neck...and make you and the people around you feel better, and that is what really matters. Believe me.

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The Secret to Beautiful Skin:


Don’t believe everything you read in a magazine

There are no magic bullets or short cuts to achieving glowing and healthy skin

Do not expect overnight miracles

Stop using petroleum-based, synthetic chemicals and junk cosmeceutical ingredients

Don’t fall for the promise of ‘cutting edge science’

Just because an ingredient is ‘organic’ doesn’t make it good for the skin

Your skin is part of your immune system and wins fights you never even know are happening - it's only the ones you loose that you know about

Allow 60 days for your skin to detoxify and transform

Breathe deeply, this nourishes your entire body and calms your mind

Believe in the inherent wisdom of your body and its ability to heal itself

Stop buying scented laundry detergent and dryer sheets, your olfactory system will thank you

If it burns your skin, stop using it! Don’t wait for your skin to magically adjust to a purposeful burn, it won’t.

If you have impure skin and just treat your skin without also addressing diet, digestion and assimilation, you're just shooting the messenger.

Your epidermal layer is there for a reason - don’t dissolve it with acids or fruit enzymes.

Understand that your skin works hard (along with your lungs and kidneys) to rid your system of toxic metabolic byproducts, it exhales impurities

Pay attention to what you eat, drink and how you feel - this is the beginning of conscious skin care

Eat dark chocolate*, studies find it can significantly protect the skin from UV light

Your skin is constantly changing and adapting you to your environment

As your external nervous system, your skin reflects your thoughts, moods by changing color and temperature

Use more plant oils on your skin – not less!

Use the whole plant. The whole plant contains the whole wisdom. If you extract a part from the plant you’ve created an imbalance

Saturate your skin with plant waters (hydrosols) – this brings refreshment, tone, purity and hydration to all skin conditions

The oilier your skin, the more you need to saturate with hydrosols, this will balance excess oil, and loosen clogged pores

Mask with natural clay masks once a week, this will purify your skin and shrink the appearance of large pores

If you have dry, delicate, dehydrated or sensitive skin use Whipped Shea Butter as a Mask Treatment once a week

At night before bed, give yourself a warm foot bath and massage, you will sleep better and your face and shoulders will be relaxed

Respect your body




* (a specially produced dark chocolate with high flavanol levels)


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“Honor your body, which is your representative in this universe. Its magnificence is no accident. It is the framework through which your works must come; through which the spirit and the spirit within the spirit speaks. The flesh and the spirit are two phases of your actuality in space and time. Who ignores one, falls apart in shambles. So it is written . . .”
- from an ancient Sumerian text


sketch courtesy of bible origins [dot] net

Retinoids, Retinols, a Q + A:

A customer asks - Question:

"Hey there, I was just curious to know what you think about vitamin A in skin care... Too harsh?"

Answer:
The simple answer to your question is: Yes, in my opinion and based on my experience as a holistic aesthetician, synthetic 'Vit A' in skincare is too harsh. Here’s why:

Retinoids are compounds derived from Retinoic acid, a form of Vit A. Skin care products such as Retin-A Micro® and Renova® are brand names for tretinoin, a form of retinoic acid, are topical retinoids. Accutane, on the other hand, an isomer of tretinoin (a retinoid), is used orally for chronic or severe acne. It is a teratogen (connected to birth defects) which strikes me as a particularly vile and hideous way of ‘treating’ the skin.

‘Vit A’ (for simplicity) treatments focus on a purposeful burning of the skin. The theory is that this will jump start the skin into recovery but I disagree with this inflammatory method that’s at the core of almost all conventional skin treatment/products today. Continued use of Vit A leads to chronic skin irritation (rosacea, a condition I have seen increase in alarming amounts over the last 10 years), topical product addiction, skin thinning, hyper-pigmentation and finally, it also weakens the skin’s ability to protect us from the environment. Simply put, continuous exfoliation/desquamation mortgages the future health and look of your skin. And, Vit A, an oil soluble vitamin (ok, not sure of its derivatives, but who wants to take that chance?) might possibly build up in the body’s fatty tissues, and who needs that?

Yet there are effective, results-oriented, ECO- alternatives:

It has been my experience that nature always provides an answer (plants and the skin speak the same language), one that won’t harm or pollute the environment, one that builds and supports organic agricultural methods and one that also support indigenous, tribal, and other small local farmers and distillers, increasing the awareness of our ‘global garden’. I rely on the of ‘eco physiology’, that medicinal plant actives such as essential oils and other nut and seed oils can heal more completely and with long term improvements than any synthetically derived substance, especially one as potentially toxic as synthetic Vit A.

There are many different products containing various forms of Vit A. Retinol, the weakest form of Vit A, is a form that also occurs naturally and in abundance (along with naturally occurring Vit C) - in plant oils such as the cold pressed oil from the rosehip seed (Rosa mosqueta). The research on rosehip seed oil shows that consistent, daily use over a period of 4-6 months will positively affect cellular turnover rate, boosting collagen production which will help to reinforce the supportive scaffolding nature of the skin while also minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as scarred, burned or sun damaged skin. Seed oils with as active a chemical profile such as rosehip, pomegranate, sea buckthorn, etc, appear to optimize and reestablish cellular activity without compromising the integrity of the epidermal layer.


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About our artisan distilled Lavender Facial Tonic Hydrosol

courtesy: everything-lavender [dot com]


Question:

"I have a new client who has rosacea, she bought the trial sized BLUE KIT, tried it, loved it, and came back and bought large sizes of everything - so far so good!

She likes it all and it is helping calm her redness, but isn't a fan of the Lavender Tonic Hydrosol, and wonders if there is something else she can use, or, wonders if she'll get used to its fragrance? Her condition is pretty bad, and I wonder if this degree of heightened sensitivity is also affecting her emotions? What do you think?"


Evan Answers:

Yes, I love our Lavender too! It is a work of art, (thanks Mother Nature) and a true 'artisan quality' distillation, as is our Rose Geranium. These are exceptional waters with remarkable potential to heal skin..

RE: not liking the scent – This is usually temporary and transitional. While it is true that we all prefer some scents more than others, often people discover after using these pure plant waters that they do like them after all! Such is the beauty of restorative skin care (restores a sense of smell too).

Many (if not all) skin care products, as you well know, contain either extracted, single aroma molecules which are supposed to approximate a natural scent, or worse, a toxic cocktail of petrochemical, phthalate-laced, synthetic 'aroma' molecules. When an olfactory system is exposed to highly toxic aroma chemicals daily, as happens with skin care or chemical perfumes, at the very least, their sensitive olfactory system needs a few days/weeks to detoxify from the chemical overload. The Facial Tonic Hydrosols provide a gentle detoxification, reorienting our sense of smell back to its healthy normal.

In short, I have seen, time after time, that the more people use the waters (Facial Tonic Hydrosols) the more they like them, also finding their beneficial effects very compelling.

Our Hydrosols ~~~~

Our waters (hydrosol) are distilled with the focus and goal being for the hydrosol alone.

Our grower/distiller’s focus is on the alchemical process of distillation, one that creates and enhances the beneficial qualities that are inherent in a really good Hydrosol - rather than the focusing on the distillation of the essential oil - with the hydrosol being the by-product, as is typical in most hydrosols. For instance during the gathering of plant material they are careful to weed out all the dry, hard, twiggy, or rooty parts of the plant, and no dirt clods either - just sweetly fragrant, certified organic, lavender flowers - pure and simple.

Over the past few years we have been working closely with our distiller - see her pic on page 20 of our booklet - to blend certain types of lavenders (there are hundreds of different varieties) together to take advantage of both their fragrance and healing potential to create a Hydrosol that is uniquely 'ours' (and Mother Nature's). The fragrance of our Lavender Facial Tonic which is distilled in a manner that respects and maintains the full range (rather than the isolated molecule) of beneficial aromas, reveals sweet, gently floral and grassy notes that calm the skin and soothe the emotions, an important part of healing inflamed skin, and in fact, aren't we as aestheticians, sometimes really working more on a subliminal level of their nervous systems + psyche instead of their skin?

With rosacea, and depending on the severity of it - I feel that the Lavender Tonic, for all the above reasons, is the best choice. It is such a gentle 'wetness' for the skin adding valuable, anti-infectious, naturally-occurring aroma molecules that work so well for healing and calming the heightened sensitivity of rosacea, or any irritation that occurs on the skin.

USAGE: The key word with regards to using our Facial Tonic Hydrosols is: saturate.

Spray saturating mists on the skin, and always apply along with the RoseHip Serum or Pomegranate Repair Serum. This combination releases the skin-drenching magic of WATER + OIL, restoring a hydrated balance, leaving the skin calm and refreshed, cooled and serene, glowing and incandescent.

Simple, uncomplicated plant-based skin repair, thanks Mother Nature.


Not a lavender flower, but still lovely, no?

Faces of the earth

YOGA for Skin

"Natarajasana is a standing pose, a back bend, and a balancing pose all in one, so it has great physical benefits. The beginner’s version builds leg strength, opens the shoulders and chest, and enhances inner steadiness and poise. Natarajasana also provides a wonderful psychological lift. The name Shiva literally means “benign” or “noble”. Shiva, who is supreme goodness itself, is the reality that underlies all creation. So each time you practice Natarajasana, the pose can remind you of your own innate goodness." John Friend - AnusaraYoga.com

Breath work, the regulation of breathing that comes with a practice of yoga, and which can also be achieved by adding, for instance, a regular and vigorous walk to your day, is at the foundation of what I consider a necessity for creating healthy skin metabolism, balance and regulation. It begins to address in real and significant ways the cause of, not the symptoms of skin problems. Deepening the practice of breath work can stimulate the circulatory system and increase the oxygenation of blood, which in turn brings nourishment to the entire body.

Did you know that sweating is very beneficial for the skin? Increased rate of breathing, the kind that comes naturally during a yoga practice (or a vigorous walk, etc) leads to producing a good cleansing sweat, releasing salts and metabolic impurities from pores. This is purifying and cleansing for the entire body.

Think of it as taking a sauna!

If you can encourage your breathing to become deeper, slower, quieter and more regular, over time the results can lead to harmonizing the central nervous system, decreasing inflammation in the body, lowering blood pressure, increasing the ability to cope while in stressful situations, and more efficiency in digesting your food, etc..All of which contribute in significant ways to increasing the skin's glow, luster and muscle tone. And it's waay more green and clean than a botox injection, needless to say.

This interesting photo is from the Contortionists Gallery

Fragrant Attars - Sutras for the Soul

Good view of the receiver(bhapka) sitting in the waters of the of the cooling tank(gachchi) where the vapors of the distilled plant materials collect in sandalwood contained in the bhapka

In the next month, as we get ready to launch our newly designed website, I will be releasing my line of limited edition natural fragrances. This fulfills a long held dream of mine which has been to offer a select range of my favorite scents from around the globe. These fragrant offerings called Puja, will only be available on our website.

This selection represents years of searching and researching, inhaling (and exhaling), traveling and wandering around making contacts, giving me the opportunity to learn and observe the traditional and ancient processes that go into producing the fragrant offerings from the aromatic plant world. These precious fragrances will include my absolute favorites of traditionally distilled attars, ruhs, absolutes; the gentle CO2 extractions, solo-note essential oils, hand rolled incense, and my own perfume blends in organic grape alcohol, as well as a solid perfume hand made in beeswax and jojoba.
One such example is an absolute I just received: the stunning and rare Night Queen (Cestrum nocturnum) which may be one of the last batches ever made. Night Queen, from the Nilgri Hills in South India has been harvested at night by the local villagers who abandoned the project because the sweet scent of the flowers was said to attract cobras!

I have also searched, rummaged and fossicked around the globe looking for an exquisitely simple crystal glass bottle to present them in, itself a representation of all that is elegant and divine, an apt vessel for the daily ritual of anointing our bodies with these sacred, precious and aromatically healing oils. In fact, the more you anoint with attars, the closer to the gods you ascend, the Latin words per fume literally meaning to ascend 'through smoke'...Your own rhythmic breath, the process of simple inhalation and exhalation being the vehicle of this ascension and purification through scented vapors, ethers... prana. In Ayurveda, attars are ancient healing aromatic substances, imparting a quiet serenity to the mind and body. In the mornings, chanting the Peace Invocation in Sanskrit (w/help from Manorama's cd!) I apply my favorites of Saffron Attar or Summer Rose Attar to marma points at wrist pulses and over heart before my morning yoga practice.

The traditional attars of India are rarely found in their pure form today. They are often adulterated with synthetic chemicals or the base oil, sandalwood, is stretched with liquid paraffin and other substances. In the traditional process various flowers, roots, herbs, spices, etc are hydrodistilled in copper vessels into a receiving vessel containing sandalwood oil.

It means that a certain proportion of flowers or other aromatic plants is put into a copper vessel containing water, sealed and the aromatic vapors produced from a wood or cow dung fire, rises through bamboo pipes and passes into another copper vessel containing sandalwood oil, sitting below the larger distilling one. There the vapors condense and after the days distillation the water and oil separate, allowing most of the aromatic molecules to become adsorbed into the sandalwood oil. The water is decanted off and added back to the distilling vessel for the next day's distillation. The process, in the case of single flowers like rose, jasmin, kewda, night queen etc is repeated for a minimum of 15 days until the sandalwood becomes totally saturated with the perfume of that particular flower.


receiving vessels

The process for making Hina, Shamama, Amber, and Saffron Attar is much more sophisticated and requires numerous other steps as as many as 60 natural ingredients go into their production which takes place over a couple of months. Some of the best-known attars are rose, saffron, and parijata.

Close up view of chonga bamboo pipes connecting the distilling unit with the receiver

It is worth noting that many many oils in India in the common marketplace are called Attar but they are not at all what their names claim to be. Authentic Attars require a huge amount of labor and fresh materials which makes them costly items to produce, think of them as fragrant precious gems.


Healing with Fragrances:

The daily use of pure plant based perfumes produces mild euphoria and peaceful feelings. Gifts from nature, these rich and complex aromatic molecules are bathed in the ethers of ancient knowledge. In Ayurvedic Medicine, these perfumes are known as attars or ruhs, and their production is an art and science that has been passed down over hundreds of years.

Applying an Attar on the wrist pulse points, or on the marma points (subtle energetic pathways) called ajna or sthapani in the mid-forehead area, or over heart center, behind the ears or under the hair line allow the fragrant oils to absorb fully into the skin encouraging their fragrant silage to gently and subtly surround the body. The aromatic effects are soothing, calming and regulating to breath, the heart, and nervous system...and uplifting to the spirits of you and those around you. We become the embodiment and human diffuser of aromatic plant wisdom, carriers of light and prana, vital energy, the subtle life-sustaining force of all living beings.

Antique Silver Attardan shaped in the form of a lotus. Small vials in center contain attar.

Om

May all beings be happy

May all beings be free from sickness

May all see and experience what is auspicious

May no one be unhappy

Om. 

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be free from sickness

May all see and experience what is auspicious

May no one be unhappy

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A word about the sandalwood used in Indian Attars:
Several times a year in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, sandalwood auctions are held at the government centers where sandalwood is stored which has been collected from legally harvested sandalwood trees. The attar makers, incense manufacturers, furniture makers etc go to these auctions and can legally procure the sandalwood logs, chips, dust etc there.
There is also a government distillery in Tamil Nadu from which sandalwood oil can be legally procured by businesses situated in India.
This is only for sale within India and according to current law very few permits for legal exportation of pure sandalwood are currently being issued but there is no ban on exporting the attars created from this sandalwood.


No toxic diluents. No phthalates. No synthetic chemicals.


Please note: Puja Aromatics will not be available till November 1, but they will be ready just in time for the Holidays. Ho Ho Ho!


article sources: 

1/Christopher MacMahon, White Lotus Aromatics 

2/Marma Points of Ayruveda,  by Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.S.Sc. - and-  

Anisha Durve, MSOM, DIPL. Ac., A.P. 

The Ayurvedic Press 

Albuquerque, New Mexico -  2008

ISBN-13:978-1-883725-08-2

3/ Manorama's website: SanskritStudies.org

Agarwood - Oud oil: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem

agarwood/oud seedling plantation - Assam, India


This is an earlier post that I am bumping to the top again because of my recently renewed love of, and addiction to, oud. Yowsa, I simply can't get enough of it, and though I dab only the tiniest, most sclerotic amount on my wrist, it lasts and lasts, enduring, unfolding and transforming from an 'animalic' note (read: fecal) into something that is so compelling and addictive, if a fragrance can be, that I finally understand the full and complete power of scent... more articulate and sweeter poetic words are escaping me here, perhaps finally too much oud?

These days if you pass me on the street you'll see a woman with her nose squished against her arm, inhaling oud...

Where to buy?
I can recommend both Floracopeia, a site mentioned here in my blog, as well as Enfleurage.com - and Trygve, Enfleurage's owner, is constantly on the move traveling to, among other places, the Middle and Far East and has now an incomparable agarwood (Aquilaria crassna), a Lao oud: "This is the superior quality oud, completely fabulous, rich, deep, ethereal and bottomless. Very limited production" yes, an expensive addiction to have, yet, so very soul-expanding...and wish fulfilling! Read on:



Mature Agarwood trees/ Aquilaria Agallocha

True agarwood also known as aloes wood and Oud is rare and precious. Pieces of agarwood produce a sweet, soft, and warm fragrance. Called the "Wish-Fulfilling Gem" in Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicines, this ancient, renowned, and sacred incense is deeply meditative, tranquilizing, and mood uplifting.

...and this from David Crow: (visit his website - floracopeia.com - where you can purchase this precious oil):

"Agarwood is... mysterious, unusual, and highly exotic, this true oud oil is distilled in the mountains of Assam from sustainable groves of Aquilaria agallocha trees. These trees have been planted over thirty years by a family dedicated to protecting this valuable botanical resource from unregulated plundering by the local eco-mafia....Not every agarwood tree growing the in the mountainous areas of Southeast Asia produces the treasured black resin that delights the mind and intoxicates the senses. First, the bark of the tree must be pecked by a certain species of bird, which then renders it vulnerable to fungal infection. If a fungal infection sets in, the tree responds by producing a dark resin within the heartwood....Because of its high value agarwood is now one of the foremost agro-forestry products, so valuable that it offers a sustainable economic alternative to destructive logging."



This agarwood oil comes from the first distillation of the agarwood, which produces a deep, dark, and thick oil. It is not sweet like the CO2 extracts of the resin, although a sweetness is present as the oil absorbs in the skin. A classic oud oil, its predominant notes are smoky, animalic, urinaceous, resinous, and musky...fragrances that are highly desirable to Arab and Japanese cultures, but somewhat of an acquired taste for the unaccustomed Westerner.

Agarwood distillation Unit


This agarwood oil is surrounded by myths and legends: it is reputed to have magical powers of attracting wealth and love. The agarwood is burned as a sacred incense in temples, and used in numerous Ayurvedic, Tibetan, and Chinese herbal preparations.


Agarwood tree developing oud/agarwood resin

Harvesting Lavender with Anita

Anita is in the upper corner of this picture

I spent a few hours with my dear friend and organic gardener, Anita Boen this past Monday learning how to harvest lavender at a lovely local home here in Rancho Santa Fe. She showed me how to clip the blossoms while also leaving a round shapely plant, not just a buzz cut!
Anita is harvesting this crop for immediate distillation...I'll post more after I smell the results. The yield will be both hydrosol and essential oil, and so far, initial reports have both the hydrosol and the essential oil being very good, and with age will improve, becoming sweeter and more floral.
San Diego in general and where we are in North County, is an area considered semi-arid/ coastal. This often yields a lavender with a fragrance that is more camphorous and sharper; it's action on the skin is therapeutic and anti-infectious. It is not as sweet as the lavender found at the higher altitudes of the Haute Provence, for instance...
This distillation and harvest is the start of the development of our "Garden" a venture that I will describe in more depth in coming blogs... stay tuned!

Make-up Removal - Blasting pigments from pores!

Feel like you need a jackhammer to remove your mineral powders?

I am often asked about how to thoroughly and completely remove mineral powder makeup from skin. Here is an answer to one customer who writes that she is having a hard time removing all the mineral pigment powders from her skin and the residue is contributing to clogged pores and infections.

The secret is to pre-cleanse, details below:

Mineral powders do pose a problem with regards to being able to completely remove them from the surface of the skin, in fact one company who sells mineral powders advises buying their wash mitt to facilitate complete removal (it is some sort of magic material!).

It is the nature of crushed pigments, “raw” minerals, to lay on the skin with an amazing ability to adhere, an attribute that makes them so very effective for covering flaws on the skin – yet almost impossible to completely remove. This is the problem I see with many skin conditions.

Often other ingredients such as talc, bismuth oxychloride, the parabens, dimethicone are added to the mineral makeup powders contributing to irritation and clogged pores.

There are two pre-cleanse methods I suggest. One uses my Cleansing Milks: 2 pumps on a cotton pad; the alternative method uses either a cold pressed oil such as sesame - or - my Whipped Shea Butter. Both should be followed by an additional quick cleanse with steamy water and wash cloth. With either method, Clay is always an appropriate addition – about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp – or more! And yes, I do add Clay to Shea Butter and/or Oil – this is a super effective method for really cleansing makeup off of skin – and disinfecting pimples and loosening the hardened waxy deposits that are blackheads.


Here’s how with my Cleansing Milks -

1/ Pre-cleanse by putting 1 or 2 pumps of undiluted cleanser (or the Tea Tree Gel) on a cotton pad and wipe thoroughly all around face that is slightly wet from splashes of water. The Cleansing Milk on a cotton pad, and swirled around on the face, works to breaks the minerals up.

TIP: a few minutes spent steaming the face over a bowl of boiled (NOT BOILING) water will help in significant ways to loosen and soften congested makeup in pores.


2/ Follow with a more thorough cleanse by adding splashes of water to the remaining cleanser on skin and massaging this water + cleanser combination all over face.


TIP: It is helpful to add a 1/2 tsp of Green Tea or French Rose Clay Mask to one pump of Tea Tree Gel Cleanser (by combining the two, with dribbles of water, in the palm of the hand) this increases the detoxifying activity of Tea Tree Gel Cleanser, and adds Clay's significant drawing action.

3/ If needed add one more pump of cleanser and add more water. Then wipe thoroughly with a wash cloth, adding water as needed. You can't use too much water. Seeing makeup on the wash cloth indicates that you are removing it.

Here’s how with Oil or my Whipped Shea Butter:

1/ Splash warm water on your face.

2/ Take a finger full of Whipped Shea Butter –or- approximately 1/2 tsp of one of above veg oils and massage all over skin.

3/ Wipe all over face with a steamy wash cloth (I get inexpensive ones at Target). Follow with a more thorough cleanse & rinse and Facial Tonic patted into skin.

Check your pores after pre-cleanse with a 5X magnifying mirror available at drug stores or Whole Foods Body Care – skin pores will be exquisitely clean.

I actually love using my Whipped Shea Butter (fragrant and creamy soft) as a massaging pre-cleanse when removing makeup and/or mineral powders. The oils that are in my in my Shea Butter formulation are idea for loosening and softening the makeup and any debris in the pores...You can also use any cold pressed oil such as olive, almond, apricot, sesame. Plant/vegetable oils, or Whipped Shea Butter are the best at dissolving the mineral pigments and allowing them to be easily and thoroughly rinsed off.
Follow the Oil or Shea Butter pre-cleanse with a more thorough cleanse with hot, steamy water and a wash cloth, then sprays of Tonic Hydrosol.

You may feel, as I do, that after this enriching (but not clogging!) pre-cleanse that you actually don’t need any additional night moisture, if you were using one.

By the way, I love -and wear- natural crushed mineral powders! I am not advising that you stop wearing them, heavens no, just suggesting how to completely remove them in a way that will allow your skin to breathe...and your face to glow.

~~~~~thanks to: tall pauls rentall - dot com - for the picture of a jackhammer as makeup remover!

The Skin Breathes... but it also purges

Recently I received an email from a woman who is devoted to turning around her skin's condition using our range of natural, holistic therapies. For many years she had been using a common OTC drug store brand cleanser and other similar products and attached a picture of her bathroom counter full of brands that are...well, not my favorites.

She writes that the natural scents and silky feel of our serums, hydrating Tonic Hydrosols, hand made creams, and whipped shea butters have already contributed to increasing the light in her skin, it is more supple and luminous.

But within a week her skin began to break out and she wondered if the Clay Treatments (which are actively detoxifying and drawing) and the oils were too 'much' or too rich for her skin. I told her to hang in there and allow her skin to purge, and release (the skin literally exhales the impurities) the built up toxins from her previous skin care products.

The action of blocking, counteracting or suppressing is often how conventional skin care is designed to work, but it goes counter to how the skin is designed to work.

In my capacity as a holistic aesthetician I consider my role as an educator to be the most important. I want my clients and customers to understand from a holistic perspective why their skin is doing what it is doing, and to realize that if they follow the body's innate wisdom, trusting that the skin knows what it is doing and stop manipulating from the outside, that the result will be long term, authentic and lasting clean, soft, supple, glowing and ultimately properly functioning skin.

And who wouldn't want that?

Dry Skin, a description

I have been in Santa Barbara for the past few days doing public talks and also staff training in our stores. I was asked by a young man to give him a brief description of what dry skin looks like and here it is:

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Dryness and dehydration are two of the most common skin imbalances in skin care.

Symptoms include uncomfortable tightness, flakiness and an appearance that is often lacking in suppleness and luster. When skin is dry from overuse of AHA's or other harsh exfoliants, the dry tightness can be accompanied by sensitivity and irritation which can persists no matter how much moisture is applied.

Dry skin is an indicator of the skin's state of imbalance which can be a result of many things or a combination of: acne or harsh exfoliating treatments, detergent based cleansers, acidic toners, seasonal changes and/or environment (winter and/or dry heat, high altitude), diet lacking in oils and last but not least...the aging process.

What remedies dry skin?

The combination of Water and Oil........and not just any water - but plant waters (hydrosols) and not just any oil, but a plant oil. I prefer an organically plant sourced oil from the seed, nut, berry etc - over a mineral oil or petroleum based oil.

In an earlier post I wrote about our Whipped Shea Butters being the ultimate in protecting and restoring moisture to the cells that make up our skin. Shea Butter, aided by hydrating mists of our organic Facial Tonic Hydrosols, penetrates deep down into the layers of the skin to restore and replenish nourishment, tone and silky suppleness to all skin conditions.

Other Skin Treats - Pomegranate Repair Serum with Sea Buckthorn Oil - this extraordinary combination of fruit, seed and berry oil are known for their revitalizing effects on skin. Two pumps on the skin followed by saturating mists of Facial Tonic Hydrosols (try Lavender for cooling the summer's heat) will restore and repair.

Gently anti-inflammatory and calming to psoriasis, eczema, rosacea and any dry, dehydrated skin condition.

Back Bends

Flexibility and beauty too - form and function: Back bender from CustomYogaProps.com

Doesn't just looking at this make you want to take a deeep breath?

Back bends have always been a challenge for me despite that I am a long time yoga student. Renewed commitment to my practice has helped, but when I saw this at a yoga teacher's house, I had to have it! Supportive back bending is for me the perfect solution to sitting for hours hunched over my computer, brow furrowed. Prior to use, I spend time warming up which makes going for the back bend so much easier, not to mention wiser.

Check out their web site. They hand make all furniture to order, and they're nice too!

PS/ Of course, not to mention the flexibility gained when you do even a little yoga and/or stretching daily (on super busy days, my mantra is: "something is better than nothing"). It contributes to nourishing all the body's organs and encourages a deeper breath, one that reaches down to the lower abdomen and expands the side ribs... Daily practice increases blood circulation and oxygenation...the results? Skin that glows.

Clay: The unsung Hero of natural skin care

Clay is alive. It is the oldest healing material on earth. It is present everywhere: ocean floors, fields, valleys, and river beds. It is also a naturally occurring mineral rich in silica, calcium, iron, magnesium and other trace minerals; its structure depends on its environment. It shimmers with electromagnetic energy and has been around for a millennium as a natural, traditional healing substance for detoxifying the skin and drawing impurities out of tiny dermal pores. A weekly clay mask treatment supports the scaffolding network of the skin’s fibers and adds, as its main claim to fame, its exceptional ability to deeply cleanse and purify the pores of the skin.

Yet the use of clay as an effective skin cleanser, absorber of toxic infectious material, pore minimizer, stimulator of cellular renewal, has taken a back seat to the salicylic (beta hydroxy) and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and their related chemical brethren: the overused and ubiquitous fruit enzymes. Natural or not, organic or not, an acid is still an acid.

In contrast to clay’s gently beneficent nature and action, AHA’s are like carpet bombing the skin: when used consistently the constant exfoliation drastically thins the skin weakening its immune function. Their daily use creates a long term "burn" effect - resulting in, or increasing chronic skin irritation (rosacea), broken capillaries, surface dehydration and flakiness, hyper-pigmentation and ultimately, topical product addiction. Last, but certainly not least, I add a word of caution about the serious sun damage that can be done to skin while using these harsh acid products when not enough sun protection is used: SPFs, hats, clothing and monitoring one's sun exposure.

During the years I was in practice I wanted - and needed- to utilize an effective alternative to AHA’s. I disagree philosophically with what I see as the inflammatory model at the core of skincare today. I feel that it’s a short sighted way of treating the skin. The epidermal layer is there for a reason.

Also, as a practicing aesthetician I needed to get results everyday for my clients: “If you don’t look good, I don’t look good” (an old Vidal Sassoon saying but it works here) and I refused to use the chemical acids.

I needed a product that would actively draw the metabolic impurities from the skin, detoxify and minimize the appearance of the skin’s pores and absorb excess oil, smooth, soften and polish the skin all without dissolving the protective epidermal layer. It also needed to be cost effective and safe to use daily if needed for all skin conditions. I chose Clay - it does all this and more.

Energetically, clay has a cooling effect on the skin so it's appropriate for sensitive and delicate conditions. ‘Primum non nocere’ became my creed too.

Clay activates skin metabolism and lymphatic drainage. Think of it as a gymnastic workout for your face: it exercises the collagen and elastin fibers in a literal way, by tightening and releasing, delivering an opportunity for the deeply nutritive Clay Treatment preparation to work. A weekly Clay Treatment Mask also increases blood circulation and oxygenation reducing puffiness and inflammation and naturally stimulates the skin’s cellular turnover rate.

I have two clay products:

1/ Green Tea Clay Treatment – this is a mixture of green Montmorillonite (from the region in southern France called Montmorillon) clay into which we blend an organic Matcha green tea which adds antioxidant benefits to the skin treatment. Green Mont clay has strong anti-infectious properties and has a more activating action than Rose clay, so it is appropriate for use on congested, infected skin in need of detoxification and purification.

2/ French Rose Clay with Rhassoul – Since there are no ‘pink’ clay minerals in nature, rose clay is created from a mixture of red and white kaolin clay which creates the more gentle action of rose clay which, besides the purifying and drawing action, also has a wonderful polishing effect on the skin. Rhassoul clay comes from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and has a high content of naturally occurring minerals including lithium and shows a special affinity for drawing excess water out of the skin. A Rose Clay Treatment Mask is calming and healing to eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and other sensitive skin conditions.

Both of my Clay Treatments are sold in recycled glass jars in their DRY form. Clay is an inert substance, but when water or a fluid is added the clay becomes active and starts to 'draw' and absorb. If clay is packaged in a plastic container such as a tube, it will be out-gassing the chemicals in the plastic.

Scented Doves

Always on the lookout for the quirky or different, I offer here an alternative to the electric room diffusor or wand of incense:


...a passage from the "Settler" (?) by Alexis, a Greek comic poet - about B.C. 350

" For he t'annoint himself
dipped not his finger into alabaster,
The vulgar price of a former age;
But he let fly four doves, with unguents drenched,
not of one sort, but every bird a perfume bore
Peculiar, and differing from the rest;
And they hov'ring round us, from their heavy wings
Showered their sweets upon our robes and furniture.
And I - be not too envious, gentlemen, -
I was myself bedewed with violet odours!"

From the Art of Perfumery - 1891 - Charles Piesse - 2 New Bond St. London, England

Sun Protection Information - a Q & A

The Sun is a Star

Hello Evan!

Let me start by saying how impressed I am with your philosophy and
promotion of natural beauty. I truly believe in the power of nature and am
so excited to get started on a regimen of your products.

I'm sure you get thousands of questions about SPF, but please humor me by answering one more :)
Along with your cleanser and treatment oils and tonics, I feel like I need
to use a daily SPF to protect myself from damage over time. If I were to
use one, should I apply it before or after the use of the rose hip oil? Do
you recommend using a daily SPF at all? Are there ones out there with
natural ingredients that will not upset the balance that your products are
helping to facilitate?

Thank you so much for your time, looking forward to your response.

Sincerely,
TR - California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~evan answers:

Dear TR,

Thank you for your kind words and support, we appreciate it!

I certainly don't mind answering, to the best of my ability, how to apply sun protection, and how to choose one:

In general I suggest applying the sun block over my day time Moisturizer or Whipped Shea Butter or Sea Algae -or our Oil Serums. I have read some manufacturers suggest the other way around - sun block first - but it is my experience that we need to protect the skin from the chemicals in most sun blocks as much as against the rays of the sun!

It is my philosophy that my Day Moisturizers, Serums, Whipped Shea Butter (a great barrier protector for sun exposed skin!) etc, work to protect your skin against the sun block and the sun block protects your skin against the sun.

That said, and despite the fact that I am creating a Safe and Green sun screen product (summer 2010), I am not a huge fan of sun blocks in general for many reasons. The single number one reason is: the use of sun protection creams and lotions tends to lull the user into a feeling of complacency about what constitutes real and significant protection against the sun.

I believe that more important than applying sun creams is #1/ limiting exposure -and- #2/ covering up adequately, which means wearing a hat that has a wide brim; wearing long sleeved shirts, and loose fitting long pants.

I have lived in close proximity to the southern California beaches most of my life and over the years I have observed mothers slathering their children and teens with sun protection products and I am convinced they feel that applying sun block bestows a protective shield offering protection against sun exposure. Yet years of studies and research have shown that this is not true, especially in the light of our changing physical environment....And I love the sun... and I'm Irish! But I cover up and am very careful about exposure.

I also find two primary problems with sun block application: not enough is applied initially nor is it always applied adequately to cover the sides of the face for instance -or - the sun protective cream is not reapplied. Sun protection is not Brill Cream, a lil' dab will not do you.

One ounce of cream is the rule of thumb for just the area of the face.

The subject of ingredients and safety of most otc sun block creams is an entire subject on its own, however, regarding preferences (until mine comes out that is!) I like products that:

- are unscented
- are in the range of about 15-25 SPF, no higher is needed. A higher SPF just contributes to skin irritation, and is marketing hype.
- contain no mineral oils, no essential oils especially citrus oils; or synthetic chemical sun protection ingredients
- uses Zinc Oxide as its active sun protective ingredient
- NO NANOS!

The simpler the formulation the better. Whole Foods usually carries a well vetted selection of products, should you choose to wear one.

I hope this helps...

Cheers, Evan


...and tanning beds? I don't like them at all, and besides, don't they look like space-age coffins?

Breathe - the skin does it too

picture of nadi shodhana - alternate nostril breathing:

*Benefits (benefits the skin too!):

Lowers heart rate and reduces stress and anxiety
Said to synchronize the two hemispheres of the brain
Said to purify the subtle energy channels (nadis) of the body so the prana flows more easily during pranayama practice

*yoga journal.com
credits for picture go to chopra.com

whoo hooooo...

Well... clearly this has absolutely nothing to do with clean + green skin care....but it contributes to a feeling of happiness and that always looks good on the face!

The Skin: Barrier or Sieve?

The skin is a kind of schizophrenic organ, both denying access to the body of some things while actively encouraging the passage of others. It is a selectively permeable membrane allowing substances such as dissolved salts to be excreted and others, such as fresh water selectively taken in.

Through to the middle of the 20th century, the skin was seen predominantly in its barrier role, preventing water loss, keeping the body out of contact with (most) noxious chemicals and inhibiting the ingress of bacteria through its acid-mantle. Dermatologists now know the skin is a much more subtle "barrier". For instance, the daily lathering of soap, a detergent, is counterproductive to healthy skin flora because a high pH soap alters the skin's acid mantle.

Human skin strikes a remarkable balance between rigidity and flexibility, permeability and water tightness, and without the ability to protect and moisturize itself (the skin is a self regulating organ) skin would literally desiccate and collapse. Which translates into: while we must moisturize, we must also recognize that skin needs to be given a break (from dusk to dawn) from a compulsion to be constantly slathering stuff on.
Allow your skin to Breathe. Feed your body a diet rich in fish and other natural oils and foods that nourish deeply the skin from within, which will also contribute to providing luster to the skin.

Source:
Lappe, Marc PhD (1996) "The Body's Edge - Our Cultural Obsession with Skin" Henry Holt & Co. New York

Marma Facial Points, stimulating Prana

Marma Point Massage for Face

It is believed that prana, the body's vital 'air' or energy is similar to chi in Traditional Chinese Medicine nourishes the cellular system, as well as the mind and spirit. A key component in marma massage is the invigoration of free pranic flow: in early Hindu philosophy, prana was held to be the principle of vitality that could survive a person's last breath for eternity - or until a future life - so the effects of marma point massage are long term.

In TCM, there are thousands of pressure points, but only 107 exist in the Ayurvedic System, with the mind sometimes considered the 108th point. Marma points correspond the body's seven chakras...There are 37 facial points in the face and neck.

Location of Pimples (TCM)

Forehead - intestinal
Cheeks - lung
Nose - heart
Mouth area - reproductive organs/ hormonal balance
Jaw - kidneys
Shoulders digestive
Chest - heart and lungs
Back - lungs


Facial Cleansing Massage - Try this:
As you wash your face, using this chart as a guide, massage each point in a circular motion which will stimulate chi and vital energy points contributing to tone and circulation.


Inglis, Kim - The Indian Spa - 2008 Talisman Singapore

Cistus - 'Anti-Wrinkle' par excellence

cistus ladaniferus
One of my favorite fragrances is Cistus. I first fell in love with its dry/sweet/herbaceous scent when i was spending time in Mexico. As I would walk in the cool evenings (it was late spring) I would find my attention being riveted by a soulful scent wafting about in the mountain air which made me feel happy, secure, serene, peaceful. I finally tracked down the source of the scent... and discovered my love for cistus. An unassuming, scraggly, resinous plant with delicate, paper-thin & petal pink, rose-like blossoms. To my eye it was an odd combination of attributes, but i was enchanted.

In addition to its singular scent, it has a significant and important value in skin care as an anti-wrinkle supplement. Because I love the fragrance of cistus so much, I will often add 1 - 2 drops to my personal Pomegranate Repair Serum, which has no essential oils for a reason. I felt the formulation, a trio of highly nourishing oils, was already so impressive and effective in its action, working to reinforce the skin's structural integrity by boosting the appearance of sagging skin tissue, resulting in skin that appears firmer, plumper, more toned.

Nothing else was needed in our Pomegranate Repair Serum....unless you love the aroma of a quirky, scraggly, little drought resistant plant called cistus. I will try to locate some of the hydrosol - I have a few connections - and bottle it up for us all to saturate our skin with!

Cistus, also know as rock rose, is one of the ingredients in Rescue Remedy