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The #1 Secret to Effortless Natural Beauty, Perfect Skin and Hair!

By: Sunday, February 16, 2014 Healthy Beauty, Healthy Home, Holistic Health, Organic Beauty , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

The #1 Secret to Effortless Natural Beauty, Perfect Skin and Hair! | The Organic Beauty Blog

What if I told you that you’re slathering toxic, cancer-causing chemicals on your skin every day?

Not to fall prey to sensationalism, but for many of us, it’s true!  Most of the products you are using every day on your skin, hair, and body are loaded with more toxic chemicals than beneficial ingredients.  These chemicals:

  • Dramatically increase your risk of many different types of cancer
  • Cause all kinds of skin issues, exacerbating sensitive skin, rosacea, dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, eczema and other irritations
  • Dry out your hair and scalp, cause split ends, and reduce hair vitality and moisture
  • Disrupt your hormonal balance, leading to a whole slew of issues including, but not limited to, fertility issues, PMS, elevated estrogen (for both genders), and weight gain
  • Increase your risk of passing along birth defects to your unborn babies
  • And more general unpleasantries

Plus, these toxic chemicals are horrible for the environment!

But guess what?  Going the natural route is less expensive, more effective, and actually good for your body!  But you need to use the right stuff…

In my next free webinar in my magical, secret-revealing 3 webinar series, I’m going to share:

My #1 Secret for Effortless, Natural Beauty, Glowing Skin, and Lustrous Hair

We’re going to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, and  you’re going to save yourself and your families a whole lot of health problems down the road by listening in and making a few simple changes to your daily beauty and grooming routines.

This free webinar will take place on Friday, February 21st at 12pm EST.

Click here to register!

This webinar is especially important for you if you’re pregnant (or planning to be), have kids, have a family history of cancer (or have had any precancerous cells in the past), or if you just want to extend your life and be your most beautiful, glowing self without all the nasty disease-causing side effects!

Hope to see you there!

The Drinking Mirror App: See the Future You

By: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Healthy Beauty, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Organic Beauty, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

By Callie McBride

Wondering if that third glass of wine from last night will show up on your face later in life? Guess what-there’s an app for that.

mirror

The government organization “Drink Smarter” has created a new app for iPhone and Android users that allows them to upload a recent photograph of themselves and, with a few taps on the keyboard, get a glimpse of what they will look like down the road with too much alcohol consumption. The purpose of the app, as well as the group itself, is to promote “sensible drinking” and to decrease the negative effects that drinking often has on one’s body. According to Drink Smarter, women should have 2-3 units (a standard glass of wine) daily of alcohol, and men should have 3-4 daily units (roughly a pint and one half of beer).

Failure to follow the recommended guidelines can lead to serious health concerns, including weight gain and skin problems, and even high blood pressure and chronic liver disease. Yuck.

Enter the “Drinking Mirror” App: a funny and handy tool that allows you to see how dropping a glass size could improve your overall appearance ten years from now.
You may be shocked once you try the app out for yourself and see what you may look like later on. Inevitably our bodies and faces change with age; laugh lines, wrinkles, and a few sun spots are all welcome signs of happiness and enjoyment in life. But if we are able to erase any signs of too much alcohol consumption by simply remaining aware of our drinking amount, and perhaps dropping a glass per week, we could do wonders for our features, as well as our entire functioning body.

There is a web version available as well, which lets you instantly peek into the future of your face. Try it out today for a laugh, but realize how serious alcohol over-consumption can be. So ladies, gents, kick back and relax with a glass or two, but stop after that. Your 60-year old self with thank you wide a bright-eyed wink.

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Organic Beauty on the 4th

By: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Eating, Organic Beauty , , , Permalink 0

By Callie McBride

Independence Day is here!

Backyard barbequing, boating on the lake, sitting poolside with friends, or marching through a parade; whatever tomorrow’s festivities bring, we have 5 organic beauty tips that will fit right in with all the fun and fireworks.

1. Classic Red Lip

courage3Vapour Organic Beauty’s new Siren Lipstick “Courage 406” is perfect for the 4th. Its made with 70% organic ingredients and 30% of essential vitamins and minerals. $22, www.vapourbeauty.com

2. Electric Blue Nails

Vapour’s Vernissage Nail Laquer is non-toxic, cruelty-free, and paraben-free, boasting only of natural and safe ingredients to give your nails a gorgeous sheen. Try “Ether 524” to add a pop of blue to your look.

3. Festive Hair Accessory

Whether you’re in hot and humid New York, sunny California, or anywhere in between, it’s gonna be a hot one. Ditch the hair straightener/curler, opt for natural wave spray (Josie Maran makes a great organic version), and add in a fun red or blue accessory to beat the heat and stay stylish. We love that this Marc by Marc Jacobs hair pin comes in the two holiday colors, red and blue.

 

4. Beer Alternative

Not to ruin anyone’s fun, but beer, a widely popular drink on the fourth of July, can often lead to bloating, stomach pains, and general discomfort, especially those that contain gluten. If you plan to sip throughout the day, you may as well do it the right way! Enter Kombucha, the best and most beneficial alternative to beer; its fizzy, delicious, and cleanses your system with each gulp.

5. A Vegan Treat To Share

Possibly the most exciting accessory to your fun fourth, here are some simple ideas for snacks to bring to the party: strawberry + blueberry skewers; raspberry + coconut yogurt parfaits; watermelon slices; red, white, and blue homemade popsicles using crushed berries and soymilk; the list goes on!

Make sure to pack enough water, sunscreen, and snacks for the day. Slap on that red lip, wrap up your healthy treat, and have a safe 4th of July!

5 Skincare Ingredients to Avoid

By: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 Organic Beauty , , , , Permalink 0

By: Sabrina Taylor

5 Skincare Ingredients to Avoid | The Organic Beauty Blog

When was the last time you checked out the ingredient list of your favorite skin care and beauty products? If you’re anything like me, the overly large, unpronounceable, chemical sounding ingredients can be a little bit daunting. If you can barely read the ingredients, how can you be expected to know what you are putting on your skin?

Did you know that 60 percent of what we rub on our skin is absorbed into our bodies? That means all those chemicals are sneaking into your body and harming you. Toxic ingredients can cause skin allergies, cancer, infertility, birth defects, reproductive problems and even learning disabilities.

The possibilities of harming yourself are bountiful, so in order to avoid bodily damage it’s time you know what exactly you’re rubbing on your skin. Here are the top 5 skin care and beauty ingredients you should be watching out for and avoiding.

Benzoyl Peroxide

One of the most common ingredients in acne products, benzoyl peroxide has several harmful side effects. Some of its potential damaging properties include being a possible tumor promoter. It has also been found to act as a mutagen, causing DNA damage to both human and animal cells.

Cellular damage is pretty drastic, but some of the less outrageous side effects include eye, skin or respiratory irritation. Try to avoid sniffing products containing benzoyl peroxide because it can be toxic by inhalation as well.

Dioxin

This is a sneaky one. Dioxin won’t be listed on any labels, but is often found in antibacterial ingredients like triclosan, emulsifiers, polyethylene glycol and ethoxylated cleansers. The potential harms of using products with dioxin are quite damaging. Prolonged use of dioxins can lead to cancer, cause reduced immune functioning and preempt nervous system disorders.

Pregnant women beware. Dioxins can cause birth defects and in some cases, miscarriage. This is definitely one to watch out for.

Parabens

It’s no secret that parabens are unsafe. A common product preservative, they are not always labeled. Be sure to do extra research when picking out a deodorant and other skin care products because that is where they are often found.

Parabens have been found in breast cancer tumors and can imbalance hormones in females. As for males, sterility is possible.

Phthalates

Yet another one that is hard to find on a label, phthalates can cause liver and kidney damage. Though they are being weaned out of many products in North America and the EU, they can still cause early breast development in both males and females, birth defects and decreased sperm counts.

Sunscreen Chemicals

There are a few commonly used chemicals in sunscreens that are known to generate free radicals. Free radicals can damage DNA and even lead to cancer. When choosing a sunscreen, be sure to watch out for avobenzone, benzophenone, ethoxycinnamate and PABA.

Navigating the world of cosmetic and skin care products can be difficult, but hopefully this list helps you avoid some of the more dangerous ingredients.

Author Bio: Sabrina is an allergy-ridden, gluten-free living, lover of green DIY’s. Why buy something when you can make it better yourself; like this homemade anti-aging cream.

Follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

Pure Fiji Coconut Haircare Giveaway!

By: Thursday, May 23, 2013 Healthy Beauty, Healthy Home, Lifestyle, Organic Beauty, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

 

We’ve been touting all the benefits of coconut oil on The Organic Beauty of late, and we want to share with you all of the amazing benefits of this magical beauty and health ingredient you might already have in your cupboard!  If you aren’t using coconut oil in your cooking and beauty regimen yet, you need to be!  Check out Go Nuts for Coconut Oil (6 Amazing Benefits and 10 Beauty Tricks), and our Amazing Benefits of Coconut Oil infographic to learn why this is your secret to shining, healthy hair, moist, radiant and clear skin, and healthy gut and even a trimmer waist line!  You can also read about all the favorite coconut oil beauty tips of various health and beauty experts, including yours truly, over on AllParenting.

So in honor of all this coconut obsessing, we’re giving away a duo of Pure Fiji Coconut Milk and Creme Shampoo and Conditioner! (Retail $50)

We fell in love with the Pure Fiji line of products on our honeymoon (in Fiji!), and absolutely loved the moisturizing natural ingredients and delicious scent. This ultra nourishing shampoo and conditioner feature exotic blends of coconut crème, cold-pressed oil, island drift-nut extracts, and sugar cane derived cleansers, and is fortified with soy and wheat proteins, which helps repair damage and improves resilience – restoring bounce and shine for healthy looking hair.  And of course, this line is sulphate-free!

To Enter:

Step 1:  Share us with your friends!  Tweet or post to Facebook your favorite Organic Beauty article and share the love!

Step 2: Post in the comments below and let us know which article you shared, and where!

Bonus Entry: If you haven’t already, sign up for our newsletter!  Don’t worry, we’ll never bombard you with emails.  We just send out a couple emails a month of super awesome natural health and beauty content, and of course, super sweet giveaways and events!

We’ll announce the winner on Friday, June 7th! So make sure to enter before 6pm EST that day ; ) 

Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Collection Giveaway!

By: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Healthy Beauty, Organic Beauty , , , , Permalink 0

yestotomatoes

This month we’re giving away a trio of fabulous products from Yes to Tomatoes!

This line is perfect combination or oily skin that is prone to breakouts, and features natural ingredients that clear up pimples, reduce severity of blemishes, and control oil.

With these products you can cleanse and moisturize your way to clearer skin with acne-fighting ingredients like organic aloe, tomato, African red bush tea, salicylic acid, watermelon and red pepper.  Nourishing oils like almond, jojoba and olive help nourish skin while clearing clogged pores and balancing blotchiness.

Click here to read my review of the Yes To.. product line, one of our absolute favorite drugstore natural beauty finds.

To enter:

Step 1. Make sure you’re following us on Facebook!

Step 2.  Make sure you’re following us on Twitter!  If you already follow us on both, you can follow us on Pinterest!

Step 3.  Leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite skin-clearing remedy.. Bonus points if it’s a natural remedy!

That’s it!

We’ll announce the winner on Friday, May 17th, so make sure to enter before 6pm EST that day!

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Thank you everyone for entering, and for sharing your skin clearing tips!

This Natural, Organic Concealer Will Cover Up Anything!

By: Monday, April 8, 2013 Healthy Beauty, Lifestyle, Organic Beauty, Product Reviews , , , , Permalink 0
The Hickey Stick

The Hickey Stick ($24.95)

We are absolutely loving the new, amazing concealer from organic nail polish mavens G2 Organics.  It is really hard to find an effective, natural concealer that actually covers bright red blemishes, scars, bruises, and yes, even the occasional hickey, without clogging pores and causing breakouts.  So you can imagine how pumped we were to discover The Hickey Stick!  The two-step, unisex concealer primes skin, conceals practically anything, is loaded with vitamin E, and as an amazing added bonus, is charged with healing reiki energy (the ladies behind the brand are both Reiki certified)!

The Hickey Stick provides serious spot coverage, and comes in Light and Dark shades, so you can custom blend it to fit your skin tone. Completely non-toxic, and of course, paraben, pthalate, petrolatum and lanolin-free, it totally gets the Organic Beauty stamp of approval!

Be sure to check out G2 Organics whole line of non-toxic, natural and organic nail polishes, polish removers, and candles!

 

15 Ways To Find Happiness, Health and Abundance

By: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Exercise, Healthy Baby, Healthy Home, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

By: Stephanie Heino

15 Ways To Find Happiness, Health and Abundance | The Organic Beauty Blog

Are you facing difficulty with knowing what to do in order to embrace and love yourself? It’s a hard one, we know. Many people feel like they don’t know where to start when feeling the need to love themselves first, prior to developing any meaningful relationships with others. We all spend so much time looking for the best romantic partner, so we should all be experts, right? What we soon realize is that our external search was meant to fill the void or emptiness we have inside, that often is created during childhood when there is a lack of love, or traumatic experiences. Finding a good relationship with ourselves can seem like an even harder task! But if not done properly, we will all finding ourselves failing miserably in relationships because of insufficient or little self-love. Do you recognize yourself in this? Self-esteem and self-love are issues that are often related, so if you suffer from low self-esteem, it is possible that the root cause is a case of insufficient self-love.

Sometimes, loving yourself feels unnatural because your mind has been trained to have sabotaging thoughts about yourself for the longest time. However, nothing is going to change if you do not make a conscious decision. When you don’t love yourself, you are basically telling the universe (and those around you) that you are unworthy or undeserving of love and positive outcomes in life. Learning to love yourself starts with making a very basic conscious decision: an intention to be happy and lead a fulfilled life. You can do it! When you make a decision to love yourself, you are really saying that you want to live your life to its fullest. You can accept that you are responsible for the all the outcomes in your life and can work towards letting yourself shine, living a fulfilling and loving life.

“Love yourself first and everything falls into line.”-Lucille Ball

So if you’ve decided on loving yourself but are confused on how to love yourself here are 15 ways which can be helpful:

1. Fall in love with yourself. Think about what makes you You, be happy and proud of it, and nurture yourself in every way. Love yourself for all the good things that you see, accept your flaws and the fact that you are imperfect and unique. This does not mean that you do not learn to change from your shortcomings, but instead, you are being gentle and kind to yourself despite all your “flaws”. Look in the mirror and fall in love with the reflection that is You.

“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” -Oscar Wilde

2. Eliminate Self Criticism. Do you often beat yourself up over the tiniest thing? Is there a little voice inside your head that often tells you that you are no good because you are stupid or make mistakes? If you find that you often judge yourself, make an effort to stop the self criticism by going inside! Going to see a therapist or counselor might be very effective too!

3. Be Kind And Positive. When you start to think kindly and positively about yourself, the love you have for yourself just grows and keeps reflecting on the outside world. Make it a habit to praise yourself everyday, while in the front of the mirror. You will naturally undertake more empowering actions that support your development.

4. Acknowledge Your Effort. It is not always about winning or coming in first in everything that you do. Many times, it is the effort that counts! Acknowledge that you have done your best, even if you have failed to produce tangible results.

5. Let Go Of Worry. Loving yourself requires you to let go of your worry. It is horrible to live a life filled with constant worrying. I can attest to that! Worry does not help in any way. It cannot, on its own, make things happen. Only wise actions can! So instead of worrying, spend time thinking about what you can do to help in the situation. If the situation is beyond your control, then make a clear mental request or set an intention about what you want. Next, surrender your outcome.

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” — Epictetus

6. Trust Yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. Know that you have the ability to make important changes for yourself, as long as you put your heart to it. You can also support yourself by clearly visualizing desired outcomes.

7. Forgive Yourself. If you have made mistakes in the past that caused you to feel less worthy, then you need to forgive yourself. All of us make mistakes; so there really is no need to beat yourself up over them. Also, if you have been carrying around some emotional baggage because of a childhood trauma or a specific occurrence in your life, learn to forgive yourself.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” — Lewis B. Smedes

8. Be Truthful To Yourself. Loving yourself requires you to be truthful about your own feelings. If you are happy, acknowledge the joy. If you are sad, acknowledge the sorrow. When you are truthful about your feelings, you do not try to lie to yourself or seek to bury your negative emotions. Instead, acknowledging what you feel provides a good guide to what your thoughts are. And as we all know, thoughts can be changed, so healing and growth can take place.

9. Make Positive Affirmations Everyday. Retrain your mind to think differently with positive affirmations. One good affirmation that I repeat every morning is “I love and accept myself completely and unconditionally.” Keep reading your affirmations out loud several times a day. It will help you, I promise!

10. Express Gratitude. Express gratitude for the person that you are. For instance, cultivate an appreciation for your strengths and gifts. Also, feel a sense of gratitude that you are alive and well, and fully capable of making a difference in your life.

11. Boost Your Self Confidence. Make a deliberate attempt to look for opportunities that can help improve your confidence. For instance, if you are particularly good at doing something, set aside more time to indulge and improve your skills on it. Knowing that you have particular gifts can boost your self-esteem.

12. Relax. Give yourself space to take breaks every now and then. If you spend all your time working, without paying attention to your health, you’re showing yourself that you do not love You enough to take care of your own body. Fill your time with silence, soothing music and visions of beauty to soothe your soul and you will become more peaceful, connected, kind, loving and compassionate as a result of this.

13. Enjoy Life. Life is meant to be an enjoyable, so have fun people! Don’t take life or yourself too seriously. If you can think of life in that way you will automatically relax and quit worrying over things that do not matter.

14. Take Care Of Your Body. It is important that you strengthen yourself with proper nutrition and regular exercise. Your body is a temple and you should treat it with respect, love and care. It has been found that lack of self-love is often the root causes of conditions like eating disorders, obesity or even some terminal diseases.

15. Learn To See Beauty Around You. When you learn to see beauty in everything, you will also see beauty in yourself. So take some time to stop and smell the flowers. Try to notice things you haven’t noticed before, and feel it. How about the amazing yellow color on that flower in your garden, or the whisper of the gentle wind, or the endless hues of an evening sky. Watch the sunset tonight and pay attention to the beauty of it!

Choose to be happy, and make it happen!

Yes To Blueberries Age Refresh Giveaway!

By: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Organic Beauty , , , , Permalink 0

Alright, Beauties, here is our second big giveaway of the month!

We are giving away $70 worth of super antioxidant, anti-aging products for face, body, and lips from Yes to Blueberries!

Click here to read my review of the Yes To.. product line, one of our absolute favorite drugstore natural beauty finds.

To enter:

Step 1. Subscribe to our newsletter–loaded with updates from the blog and all kinds of original content to help you live happier, healthier, and more naturally!

Step 2. Make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter! If you already follow us on both, you can follow us on Pinterest! (You must take one new action to enter the giveaway!)

Step 3. Leave a comment on this post sharing the steps you took, and let us know your number one biggest skin concern. If we haven’t addressed it in a post yet, we just might soon!

That’s it!

We’ll announce the winner on Wednesday, March 27th, so make sure to enter before 6pm EST that day!

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AND THE WINNER IS…

Jackeline Davila!!

Congrats, Jackeline, and thank you to everyone for entering! Our next awesome giveaway will be on two weeks, so stay tuned and stay connected! And we’ll be working on some new posts to address your skincare concerns, so check back with us soon!

Lots of love and beauty!
The OB

Yes To… Everything!

By: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Healthy Beauty, Healthy Home, Organic Beauty, Product Reviews , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

One of our all-time favorite drugstore natural beauty brands has done it again!  (And again, and again, and again!).  The nourishing, beta-carotene rich Yes to Carrots collection of skin and haircare products has always been there for us in a pinch, when we’re stuck in an unfamiliar town and need to grab some face wash at the local CVS.  All the products are paraben, SLS, and pthalate-free, and feature some potent, organic ingredients.  They are such a major standout among all the chemical and carcinogenic crap products available at most drugstores and box stores, and beauty editors have been noticing, and unloading a bunch of awards on some of the standout products below.  So we have been super excited to witness the growth of the brand to feature lines specific to different beauty concerns, all packing the same powerful botanical punch.

While Yes to Carrots is still a great go-to for dry skin, we love the soothing, calming, and gentle Yes To Cucumbers line for sensitive skin.  For anyone with skin prone to redness, the Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes are the perfect solution for refreshing and cleansing the skin while on the go… I always have a pack in my travel bags!  The whole line features soothing and calming organic ingredients like cucumber, aloe vera, green tea extract, and spirulina.

For acne-prone skin, the Yes to Tomatoes line really delivers.  I’m a huge fan of the Repairing Acne Lotion for controlling and treating mild breakouts.  It’s loaded with acne-busting, natural salicylic acid and witch hazel, healing organic aloe, anti-inflammatory organic tomato extract, and antioxidant and anti-microbial pomegranate extract.  For major, day-ruining zits, I love the Roller Ball Spot Stick.  The roller ball minimizes transfer of bacteria from your hands to an already problematic pimple, and the super potent ingredients also include soothing and anti-inflammatory ginger and bisabolol and healing tea tree oil, in addition to an even higher concentration of acne clearing salicylic acid.  The stuff really works!

The two new additions to the line are no less stellar than their veteran cousins. Yes to Grapefruit is a potent line for dull and uneven skin.  The Daily Facial Scrub is perfect for bringing out skin’s natural luminosity.  Loaded with brightening and smoothing organic grapefruit peel extract and lemon balm, as well as healing and nourishing organic sunflower seed oil, it removes impurities, improves tone and clarity of skin, and lightens scars and dark spots.  For uneven skin on the rest of your body, try the Dark Spot Correcting Body Lotion, with masterwort and capsicum fruit extract to soothe and protect skin.

The other new kid on the beauty block is the Yes to Blueberries collection, perfect for preventing aging and the formation of fine lines.  Blueberries are bursting with skin protecting antioxidants which reverse the signs of aging, so it makes perfect sense that they would be the headliner for this potent line.  Other ingredients like organic cotton thistle, wild acacia and paracress flower are clinically proven to hydrate aging skin, reduce fine lines, and boost natural collagen production.  The whole line is great, but we’re particularly into the  Deep Wrinkle Filler and Brightening Eye Roller, which both noticeably perk up skin.  Check back in to enter to win our giveaway of a collection of six Yes to Blueberries products for face and body!

We are so thrilled that there are non-toxic, natural beauty products like these in the mass market.  It is now easier and more affordable than ever to find safe products that are just as effective as their chemical and carcinogenic counterparts.  Alright ladies, no more excuses!  Clean out that medicine cabinet and say yes to restocking with products tailor-made for your skin concerns, that are actually good for your skin!