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Calm and cool your skin with these two ingredients

Two Ingredients to Calm and Cool Your Skin | The Organic Beauty Blog

Towards the end of summer, those of us blessed with sensitive skin seem to be in a constant state of redness.  All that sun and heat combine to create a perfect storm of oily/sweaty skin, breakouts, and sun damage which don’t seem to clear up until the cool fall weather kicks in.

For sensitive skin (Pitta skin, if we’re going to get all Ayurvedic about it), there are two skincare ingredients that can’t be beat: aloe vera and rose.  These two are great for use year round, but are particularly beneficial during the hot summer months, when sensitive skin can get particularly inflamed.  Here’s why these two cooling, calming ingredients can’t be beat:

ALOE

Aloe vera has been used since ancient times for it’s healing properties, and though it has many benefits, skincare is where it really shines.  Anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, aloe is used to soothe inflamed skin, counter the signs of aging, heal sun damage, and to treat chronic conditions such as eczema, rosacea, acne, and psoriasis.  It’s loaded with antioxidants and skin-feeding nutrients, and features two phyto-hormones (Auxin and Gibberelins) that heal wounds, soothe inflammation, and promote cell turnover.  It’s pretty much the perfect skincare ingredient!

ROSE

Rose is another ancient skincare ingredient that is basically a magical beauty potion.  Perfect for all skin types, rose petals distilled into rosewater are anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antibacterial and antioxidant.  It balances skin’s pH and oil production, unclogs pores, reduces redness, heals inflammatory skin conditions (like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea), and promotes cell regeneration.  Women (and men, I’m sure) as far back as ancient Egypt and India have touted it’s ability to keep skin youthful, glowing, and beautiful. As if all of that wasn’t enough, the scent of rose is soothing to the nervous system, and promotes feelings of calm, joy, and openness.

These two ingredients are such a perfect match that combining them in your skincare routine really amplifies their soothing and beautifying effects.  So you can imagine how pumped I was to discover Green Leaf Naturals, an entirely organic, all-natural skincare line that harnesses the beautifying, soothing power of these two all-star ingredients.

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Pitta Ayurvedic Skin Type Guide

Pitta Ayurvedic Skin Type Guide

Not sure what Ayurvedic type (dosha) is? Take our quiz to find out!

As a Pitta dosha, your body and skin match your fiery personality.  You run hot, both physically and emotionally, which means you are the most productive, organized, and Type A of all the types.  You like things to get done, and to get them done your way.  You are passionate about the things that matter to you, and never shy away from a heated debate.  When out of balance (eating the wrong foods, overheating, not managing your stress and perfectionism), you are quite literally inflamed — prone to irritability, digestive issues (IBS, colitis, loose stool), breakouts, rashes, and inflammation of the skin and organs (pretty much anything with an -itis suffix).  Download your Pitta Dosha Guide to learn more about your type and get more tips to bring your body into balance!

PITTA SKIN TYPE

Just like a Pitta-type body, Pitta skin is characterized by inflammation and sensitivity. Combination (in terms of oiliness), fair, and prone to rashes, redness, breakouts and other reactions, Pitta skin needs cooling, calming, and gentle treatments to balance it out and keep it happy.  When in balance, Pitta skin is radiant and seems to glow from within. Other Pitta skin characteristics are:

  • a congested T-zone, often with large pores
  • oily skin
  • reddish skin or blushing easily
  • sensitive to the sun and harsh chemicals
  • lots of freckles, moles, and sun damage
  • sweat easily
  • prone to eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and pimples

The number one best treatment for Pitta skin is cooling ingredients and foods like cucumber, aloe, and rose, internally and externally. Keeping cool helps balance Pitta both inside and out, and since Pitta skin is very sensitive to diet and lifestyle changes, keeping cool and soothed needs to be a lifelong mantra as well as a skincare prescription.

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The purest makeup for every skin type

A girl’s makeup can sometimes feel like an ingrained part of our identity.  I know women who have literally used the same mascara brand since high school. We can get so attached to our makeup choices that it’s easy to totally overlook the safety of what we’re putting on our skin! I consider choosing to use the most non-toxic, purest makeup to be an act of self-care.  Not only are we choosing not to expose our skin (and therefore our entire system) to toxic chemicals, but we are also prioritizing the safety of our loved ones (I mean, our beaus eat up plenty of our lipstick when we smooch, and of course our kiddos are exposed to the products on our face and body with every hug, smooch, and snuggle).  So I love to discover new makeup brands that put a premium on purity and safety.

Omiana Talc-Free Natural Makeup | The Organic Beauty Blog

I first discovered Omiana over a year ago (when they were known as Epic Mineral Beauty), and was super impressed by their clean, talc and mica-free makeup that worked beautifully.  They’ve since rebranded and expanded their collection to include much more than just mineral makeup, and I have to say, the new line is even more impressive and definitely more luxe.

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Lightweight Nourishment for Parched Skin

Brittanie's Thyme | The Organic Beauty Blog

This time of year, everyone seems to be struggling with dry skin.  I thought I would be immune to this skincare woe by moving to southern California, but it turns out even a warm climate doesn’t render you immune to seasonal dry skin drama. Said drama is compounded for those of us with combination skin, as we can’t just slather our skin with heavy moisturizers and creams and not wake up to a veritable oil slick on our foreheads.  For combo skin, finding the the right products to balance oil, nourish skin, and keep it hydrated through the winter months can be a challenge. Which is why I love my new skincare find, Brittanie’s Thyme.

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Sensitive skin? This line is your savior!

Block Island Organics

Super sensitive skin can be a real downer. It seems like everything from a scented lotion to the tiniest drop of an abrasive ingredient can set your skin on a downward spiral of redness, breakouts, and bumps.  Finding pure, organic, unscented skincare that is actually effective for slowing the signs of aging, protecting skin, and balancing skin can seem downright impossible.. Well fret no more!

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Why Choose Organic Skincare?

This guest post comes to you from the lovely Christina Price of Purity Apothecary.

Why Choose Organic Skincare? | The Organic Beauty Blog

Organic skin care products can be found everywhere these days, but it is important to understand what these can do for you and your skin before you start using them. These products work just as well, and often better, than the traditional skin care products that are on the market. They are also generally much better for your skin because they do not contain any harmful chemicals.  Check out these other amazing benefits of organic skincare products.

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Yes To… Everything!

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!

Anti-Aging Magic from Avitalin

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Marina Volod, creator of Avitalin Skincare, has devoted her life to the study of skin physiology, cosmetic ingredients and skin nutrition, and that immense knowledge base has yielded the creation of an immensely effective, powerful, and best of all, healthy line of vegan skincare products. For the past month, I have been using her products, and I have to say, my skin absolutely loves it!

I follow my oil face wash with Avitalin Firming Fluid ($55), which is formulated with anti-aging skincare powerhouses like hyaluronic acid, peptides, and phospholipids. It also has one of my favorite natural ingredients, seabuckthorn oil, which is a wonderful anti-inflammatory antioxidant. The vegan fluid goes on super smooth, and I actually found that I don’t even need a moisturizer after using it!

When my skin is feeling a little overstressed and red, I love to use Rebalance Calming Complex ($58), which is specially formulated to calm sensitive skin, especially if you’re prone to eczema, rosacea, or dermatitis. It is loaded with nourishing, anti-inflammatory ingredients like rooibos and green tea extracts, licorice and oat extracts, and calendula. It also helps to keep skin cells young and vital with potent vegan embryonic phyto complex and beta glucans. It leaves skin silky smooth and even, and provides non-greasy moisture all day long!

To keep eyes youthful, I love the Smooth Contour eye cream ($55). It is marvelous for getting rid of any puffiness and dark circles, and feels absolutely luxurious around the eyes. It’s made with ultra nourishing shea and cocoa butter, brightening alpha-arbutin, and the patented Syn®-Ake, which is a potent complex that relaxes facial tension, preventing the formation of new lines, and improving firmness and tonicity.

Once a week, I love to exfoliate and rejuvenate my skin with the Active Enzyme Peel ($40), which uses gentle fruit acids and skin lightning ingredients to increase cell turnover, improve skin’s texture and brighten the complexion. Pineapple and papaya enzymes make this peel feel and smell like a treat straight out of the spa, while arbutin and baltic amber extract deliver potent skin transformation.

Marina really embodies our ethos here at The Organic Beauty, that nature provides us with the most effective and potent ingredients to heal and beautify our bodies, inside and out!

I love the Avitalin line so much, I just have to share it with you, my beautiful readers! From now until next Friday, March 15th, we’re holding a giveaway of over $160 worth of Avitalin products! Click here to learn how to enter!