Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Do-It-Yourself Natural Cosmetics
Copyright 2009 by Frank Starr All Rights Reserved
What with the skin being the largest organ in the body, and that items rubbed into the skin can enter the bloodstream within minutes, its obvious that you want to be as careful with skin and body care products as you are with food.
As you study ingredients in toothpaste, facial and body creams, hair care items, etc., you start to want safer and more natural products. When you learn about the toxicity of ingredients like Ammonium Hydroxide and Glyceryl Stearate, and hear about formaldehyde in hair creams, you probably start to feel edgy, and more prone to turn to natural and organic products.
One thing to be aware of is: Just because it's in a “healthfood” store doesn't mean that it's either natural or organic. You can be reasonably sure if you see the USDA Organic label, or if the label says Organic. No matter what, though, you want to keep up the habit of reading labels and studying ingredienets.
Organic and natural products do cost a bit more, even if you do want to improve your health and extend your life. There are ways you can treat yourself almost like royalty without breaking your personal bank.
Start with Aloe Vera gel. I can get a 32 ounce bottle of Lily of the Desert brand for under $10. I use this instead of shaving cream or gel. A dab or two about the size of a U.S. nickel is enough to shave my face. I mix it with Aubrey's suntan lotion as a skin cream. I also mix aloe vera gel with castor oil as a hair gel. A lady barber was so in love with my hair, they'd be married if it could live a life of its own!
If you're pressed for time after shaving, you can get by with little to nothing applied to your skin afterwards. Most times, I rinse with cider vinegar to clean off my jawline, then add something to soothe the skin. Lately I've started using Shea Butter mixed with aloe gel. NOW foods sells it, and I've seen other brands. I even mix it in with aloe for my hair. The shea butter is a really great nutrient for hair and skin. Does quite well healing my razor nicks, too.
Now that you've cornered your personal cosmetics market, you can splurge on other things. Like, maybe have dinner in a natural or organic restaurant.
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Sunday, July 12, 2009
Natural Health Products: Money-Saving Brands
Copyright 2009 by Frank Starr All Rights Reserved
In living a healthier lifestyle, one of your first choices should be organic food. Next, you may want to start buying supplements and personal care products which are as organic or natural as possible.
One of the best brands I've found for supplements and personal care items has been NOW. You can go to their web site at: http://www.nowfoods.com to see what they offer, and to find a store near you. NOW doesn't provide for mailorder at this time. They do offer a large variety of individual vitamins and minerals, essential oils, toothpaste, etc.
Another brand for personal care products is Aubrey Organics. They're headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and they do provide mailorder through their web site at: http://www.aubrey-organics.com. Aubrey Organics sells hair care, makeup, pet care and household cleaning products, among others.
Besides having a wide variety of products, a major good thing about these brands is that they are quite inexpensive. I am into natural care in a major way, and I've been able to get the largest amount and variety by turning first to both of these brands.
Now, you can pay a good amount for even these products. Some stores have a bigger markup than others. You'll want to shop around to find your best discount store offering these products. In a lot of cases, Aubrey Organics' online prices may well rival the best you can get at a store.
My most favorite natural health store sells at deep discount. So much so that they undercut other stores by 25% to 50%. Their discounts are so low that credit cards that offer reward points for shopping won't do so for this store, because their prices are so low.
So, ask questions of friends, even customers in other stores. Check around online. There are bargains to be had for the smart shopper, and now you know two good brands for saving money. The prices rival those for less natural products, so you can maximize your health while stretching your budget dollars.
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