A new study was released today, that found 232 chemical contaminants in umbilical cord blood samples from 10 newborn American babies. Among the findings: two synthetic musks (a component of fragrance) were found in 7 of the 10 cord blood samples. This means newborn babies are arriving pre-polluted (read the full article here)!

From the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website:

Artificial musks commonly added to fragrances and personal care products can be absorbed through skin or inhaled, and concentrate and persist in our bodies – so our many small exposures can add up fast. Synthetic musks have also been found in human breast milk and fatty tissues, and are ubiquitous in wastewater and rivers.

The cosmetics industry and other industries that use “fragrance” in their products use a whopping 9,000 tonsof synthetic musk annually, despite the fact that little is known about the safety of these chemicals. Unfortunately, preliminary research raises concerns: musks may disrupt hormones and are toxic to aquatic life.

Because of a loophole in labeling law, the ingredients in “fragrance” are considered trade secrets, so companies don’t have to tell us what’s in scents – often dozens or even hundreds of synthetic chemical compounds like synthetic musks and other ingredients linked to harm.

What can you do?

You can take action:

• If you are concerned, Click HERE and let the cosmetic companies know of your concern.
• Begin using synthetic free, and all-natural products whenever possible.
• Avoid anything that say’s “Fragrance” as one of the ingredients.
• Know that you do not have sacrifice scent, just because you are sacrificing synthetic “fragrances”. Look for products lightly scented with all natural Essential Oils, like our Baby Me! bar, scented with a touch of Bitter Almond Essential Oil .
• For newborn baby baths, just use a little bit of REAL soap. Gentle and mild, a 100% olive oil Castille bar is best. Just please remember to keep soaps away from baby’s eyes. (Real soap does not contain the chemical used to “cover up” the burning of the eyes.)
• If you choose to use something else, PLEASE look at the ingredients, if you don’t know what it is, do NOT use it on your baby’s skin.

Our Sea Salt Bath Soak is as simple as the name suggests. Made with pure sea salt, and roses, a simple pleasure for any budget!

Now everyone can enjoy the benefits of sea salt, wether in the shower, or in that bubble bath you KNOW you deserve. This bath soak is made with the addition of rose petals and whole rose buds, and scented with any of the many essential oils listed on the product page.  The Sea Salt Bath Soak is available now over in my ETSY shop, so head on over there for details.

…and on another creative note!  I’ve been working on something absolutely, almost too scrumptius to even talk about… (no really, it’s quit the yummy-ness!)  I can’t give you all the detail s yet, but I can show you a little bit of a teaser..

I took it home, jumped in the shower and followed the directions. It was AMAZING!!!  this thing sloughed off old skin, I didn’t even know was there!  I mean, granted, I had NEVER salt scrubbed before, so there was a LOT to get rid of.  When I emerged from my shower, my skin (including my elbows, knees and feet!) was glowing, smooth, I was already moisturized (no lotion needed) and I smelled good.  I decided in that moment that this was the PERFECT shower “accessory”.

Treat yourself or someone you love to this teeny bit of luxury! Fullearths, etc. Signature Salt Scrub is made with skin nourishing oils, lavender & geranium essential oils, and topped with lavender & rose buds!

I marveled at the simple ingredients – what if instead of synthetic fragrance, the designer used essential oils that, not only, smelled divine, but lifted the mood, and benefited the skin?  What if skin nourishing oils like sweet almond, and avocado were added?  What if, instead of just ’salt’, the benefits of the caribbean sea bath was introduced, with sea salt?  I stared at the, less then glam, plastic jar this concoction sat in and thought of just how imappropriate this packaging was, considering the “gritty gold” that lay inside. That day, I made an even bigger decision.  I would make my own!  Signature Salt Scrub was born, and even more amazing, Fullearths, etc. was born.

So, what’s all the rave about salt scrubs? lets see if I can keep it simple and brief. :) My skin has always had large pores, mostly my legs and especially my upper legs – genetics, I assume. I have NEVER been one to consider myself a good candidate for the old “who wears short-shorts” commercials.  They weren’t bad, just not smooth as a baby’s bottom.

next time you're seaside, grab a handful of sand and gently scrub away! The sea salt in the sand will give your newly exfoliated skin an instant shot of trace minerals your skin will love!

I HAD noticed that whenever we went on vacation to the caribbean, and swan in the ocean (salt water) and scrubbed with the sand, that my legs did become smooth as a baby’s bottom. Here’s how it worked.

The scrubbing in itself benefited my skin greatly, exfoliating away dead skin and allowing the new skin underneath to appear. But 3 other things happened as well, that lendt to the skin transformation:

* Blood Circulation – the act of exfoliating the skin in a circular motion stimulates the skin and gets the blood circulating. Bringing fresh oxygen to the top layer of the skin, and carrying impurities away from the top layer of the skin. 1 reason for the “glow”.

sea salt is amazing stuff!

* “cellulite loss” through Cell Detox – now, i am NOT going to say that my scrub will take your cellulite away, but here’s how this works. Sea Salt has LONG been recognized for it’s detoxifying properties. When body cells trap toxins, the body encapsulates them in a bag of water under the skin – cellulite. When I bathed in the ocean, a sort of osmosis effect, where the salt in the ocean sucked the water out of these cells. The same happens when sea salt is applied to the skin. (ever wonder how spa sea-weed wraps can give a 5-8 lb weight loss in 10 minutes? there’s your answer!)

* Healing – I think everyone knows that sea salt heals wounds and illness. When we visit the caribbean, we regularly swallow and inhale small amounts of ocean water (yes, yuck! LOL) for stomach and sinus health.  And it WORKS people!!  in a MAJOR way! Many skin blemishes are actually “conditions,” like eczema, minor skin bacteria and/or skin psoriasis. In addition to simply healing normal skin, Sea salt can greatly benefit these, and other skin conditions, giving the skin a healthy, “new” look.

Ask Johnson & Johnson to Live Up to Its “Pure” and “Gentle” Claims!

You do have options! Fullearths, Etc. products are 100% natural, and handcrafted with care. Extra special care goes into our baby products to make sure they are the purest and mildest possible. Try our Baby Me! bar, made with shea & cocoa butters, olive oil & honey, with the slightest addition of Almond essential oil.  Treat your baby’s skin as delicately as you would your own… you DO have options.

Yes, I have good news!  For those of you who listen the the nationally syndicated Darla Shine Show, I will be interviewed today, at about 2:30 EST. Check out the website for station listings, or listen live on the webiste. If you miss it though, it’s ok, there will be a few encores both today, and tomorrow, and it will be on itunes in a couple of days!  It’s very exciting, and somewhat nerve racking, since I ‘ve never done anything like this before, but I think it will be VERY fun!  

If you haven’t already, check out Darla’s website, Happy Housewives Club, named after her amazing book, Happy Housewives: I Was a Whining, Miserable, Desperate Housewife–But I Finally Snapped Out of It…You Can, Too! , this book wa a life-saver for me!  
I think we’ll be touching on 2 very important topics: 

Part 1 of The Chemicals in Skincare Series , Part 2 - Parabens, Phthlates, SLS’s! , Part 3 - 3 easy ways to avoid consuming chemicals through your skin.

and

Formaldehyde in Baby Products

Have a Great weekend! 

Naturally.  It’s all about skin.

Our Citrus & Star Almond Anise Salt Scrubs!

I have so missed blogging! Wow, have we been busy here, gearing up for our Grand Opening of our very own, Fullearths, Etc. Etsy Shop!  So, what have we been up to? Writing informational articles to shed even more light on the chemicals that exist in our skin-care, preparing for a couple of very cool radio spots and…. ???  you guessed it! ~ making soap!!!!

Calendula Petals adorn the tops of "Shea La La" ~ our best seller! ;-)

Well, most importantly, Soap!!  I’ve been chugging along, doing one of my favorite things – making soap and salt scrubs for your wholesome bath & body enjoyment! :-)

Last night, I made a batch of our best seller, Shea La La ~ an olive oil,  shea & cocoa butter based soap bar, scented with lavender & geranium essential oils and infused with calendula petals.

Soap reaching "trace"

Trace is my favorite stage of soapmaking.  I absolutely LOVE to see my soap reach trace! Takes on a vanilla custard consistency, and looks almost edible, yum!!!

Lavender and Rose petals, in our Citrus Salt Scrub.

Next up, tonight I had a blast making a few salt scrubs.

Salt Scrubs (some call them Salt “Glows”) are a combination of sea salt and skin -nourishing carrier and essential oils, used after a shower or bath and rinsed, not washed, off. What you’re left with, upon drying the skin, is immediate moisture-drenched skin.

Our Signature Shea Salt Scrub combines lavender, rose geranium and sweet orange oils, for a strikingly refreshing herbal pick-me-up.

Front right - Star Almond Anise Salt Scrub, Rear left - Citrus Salt Scrub.

Our Star Almond Anise Scrub has a light, aromatic scent that makes a perfect companion to our Jittery Joe Soap bar (almond/oatmeal). Made with sweet almond and avocado oils, this anise-star topped scrub is absolutely decadent!  Both are awesome skin re-vitalizers, sloughing off dead skin to reveal the healthier glowing skin beneath.

Keep an open ear for a very special announcement, over the next few days, and watch for our up-coming Grand Opening, this month! You can also allow us to keep you updated via email, by signing up for email alerts at the top right of this page ~ you’ll receive an email each time a new post is added.

Naturally. It’s all about skin!

 
* First – READ LABELS!  you read labels on the food you are putting INSIDE of your body, don’t you?  Why not for the products you are putting ON your body?  I’m sure you’ve heard that the skin is your body’s largest organ. And what you put ON your skin is absorbed INTO your skin.  Don’t believe me?  Take a clove of garlic and rub it onto the soles of your feet.  Within about 20 minutes, you will taste the garlic in your mouth.  why? Absorption directly into the blood stream. Now, lets try that with parabens, huh?  Not so nice.

 
* Second, find reputable companies that offer 100% natural products. This may be a tall order, since there are no regulation for organic bath and body products in most countries. Ask around and you will be able to isolate ethical companies using safe ingredients. All of Fullearths, etc. handcrafted soaps, bath, body and even our custom handknit gifts, are made from natural ingredients and fibers (in the case of handknit gifts).

 
* Third, make your own!!  There are simple recipes for everything from skin toners to body creams all over the net, and some marvelous books on the topic on Amazon. When you make your own, you are pretty sure of exactly what you are putting on your skin, and into your body.

 
Questions?  Ask away!  I am more then happy to help anyone in their journey toward a more natural skin care regimen. Have a great weekend!

For a Limited-Time, receive a FREE 10-day trial of bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation and Brush.  

If you missed the first part of our three part series on harmful chemicals in skincare products, check it out here and come back Wednesday, when we discuss common chemicals in more detail.

 
There are many skincare products on the market made with questionable and dangerous ingredients. They are there, sometimes in small amounts, but can still have ill effects with continual use.  Honestly, the same results can be reached with the use of healthy lifestyle methods and natural skincare products.  So what ingredients should you be aware of?  To name a few: