Ginger Has It All

It's been a while since I've posted, and when I was using my Brazened Honey Face Mask from LUSH, I was inspired to confess my love about Ginger. (One of it's main ingredients.)

Ginger has been a skin life saver for me, and there's many reasons why! First and foremost, ginger is a great natural antiseptic because it contains zingiberene, a wonderful bacteria killing enzyme. So for all you acne sufferers that are looking for a natural alternative to Salicylic Acid, this is a great one! I also love it because it's extremely anti-inflammatory so it's great for soothing any redness that comes with breakouts. (or other skin types)

Ginger doesn't just cater to acneic skin types, it's great for aging too. It contains gingerol, a powerful antioxidant, to fight off free radicals in the air/food/sun that's around us everyday that contribute to aging. Gingerol also has great skin smoothing properties to help diminish any fine lines and wrinkles. It's also warming so it's great for increasing circulation and getting blood flow to the skin, which is also important in the aging process. It's an awesome ingredient to use in body scrubs or treatments because it's warming circulatory properties are great for fighting cellulite! It's also known for pulling toxins from the body, which is cellulites main component.

I love the ginger in Brazened Honey mask from LUSH because it warms the skin, which means it opens up my pores, which means all the wonderful ingredients from the mask can penetrate a lot easier!

Ginger is also a great ingredient to use in massage oils. It's warming nature is great for loosening up sore muscles and the scent is very therapeutic for the mind. The Hottie Massage Bar from LUSH has lots of ginger and black pepper for that very reason!

So there you have it, yet again another amazing natural skin care ingredient that caters to almost all skin types!

Asparagus - Food For The Capillaries!

Broken capillaries (little spider veins) and rosacea are two of the most frustrating skin conditions. They leave the skin red and very vascular which can make the skin feel hot and uncomfortable. They are caused by weakened blood vessels that rupture causing the capillary walls to burst. This allows the blood to seep out, then causing a broken capillary. Dehydrated, dry and sensitive skin are especially prone to this skin condition. (Utah's climate in a nut shell!)

One of the best vitamins for this skin condition is Vitamin K. It is known for strengthening the capillary walls and reducing them from rupturing! One of the foods with the highest vitamin K content is asparagus. It also has a flavnoid called Rutin. It has major anti-inflammatory properties which reduce redness, but also helps strengthen veins and increase circulation. Did I also mention it has awesome anti-aging benefits too?! It contains lots of antioxidants which neutralize free radicals that damage cells and cause aging. It also has lots of enzymes to help exfoliate and hydrate the skin leaving it nice and plump.

Using asparagus topically in your skin care regimen can help with these skin conditions, and don't forget about how wonderful it tastes too! You can get these skin benefits by eating it as well.

If you suffer from broken capillaries, rosacea, redness, or just want some anti aging benefits, try some of these products with Organic Asparagus in them! :)

http://www.lushusa.com/Ayesha/06090,en_US,pd.html

Homemade Antibacterial Toner

A good toner is one of my favorite skin care products. It's great at refreshing, bringing skin to it's correct PH balance, and deeply cleansing excess dirt that your cleanser may have missed. One of my favorites for more oily, acneic skin is an herbal apple cider vinegar toner. It's an easy, DIY recipe for clear, bright skin!

First things first, you have to buy organic raw apple cider vinegar that still contains 'the mother'. This is the stringy enzymes that contain all the wonderful astringent and exfoliating properties.

Next is buying some fresh antibacterial herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and lavender. These will all kill the bacteria that's causing break outs and balance out oil production. Finely chop these herbs and add them to boiling water. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Strain this mixture through a mesh seive and save the herbally liquid. Mix 2 parts herbally liquid and one part apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. And voila! A spritzy, refreshing oil balancing toner made from scratch. :)

Yogurt... the super hero of DIY skin care!

I'm always on the hunt for natural DIY home remedies, especially things we commonly have in the fridge. My all time favorite is a simple Yogurt face mask! I've always believed that if you can put it on your face, you should be able to put it in your belly! (Even if it doesn't taste the greatest, you should be able to ingest it without it harming you).

So we all know the benefits of eating yogurt... Full of calcium, protein, and vitamin E. And it has just as many benefits on the outside of your body as it does on the inside! Putting yogurt on the skin can moisturize, fight acne, prevent aging, and even soothe sunburn or irritated skin.

For Moisturizing and Anti Aging: After cleansing and drying the skin, apply a plentiful dollop of natural or greek yogurt (no sugars or flavors) to the skin. Let this sit on your face for about 10 minutes. While this sits on, the natural Lactic Acid found in yogurt will exfoliate, remove dead skin cells, smooth, and brighten. Lactic Acid is also very hydrating and helps retain moisture to the skin so it's great for people in dryer climates, such as Utah! Hydrated skin means plump skin, so say goodbye to fine lines and wrinkles ladies!

For Sunburn Relief: Slather on a helping handful of yogurt to soothe and relief the irritation of a sunburn. The zinc found in yogurt is really good for bites, burns, or weathered skin. (Add a couple drops of chamomile oil to take soothing to a whole nother level!)

For Acne: Beware pimples. Yogurt contains natural anti-bacterial/anti-fungal properties to kill the bacteria causing a breakout. After cleansing and drying the skin, lather on some cooling yogurt and leave on for 30 minutes so the yogurt can work it's magic. (You can even use as a foot mask for stinky stubborn feet)

Brightening Boost: If your concerned about uneven skin tone due to sun damage and hyperpigmentation, yogurt has a mild bleaching property. Mix it with a little lemon juice and really get some brightening action!


Because yogurt is natural and contains no harsh chemicals, you can do these facial masks 3 times a week! Its a great addition to any skin care regimen.

Natural Alternatives

I love finding natural alternatives to some of the common active ingredients in over-the-counter skin care products. Here are some favorites for my skin type- which tends to be fairly oily and prone to breakouts.

Salicylic Acid - This ingredient is found in a lot of acne products and even anti-aging products as well. Salicylic Acid kills bacteria that's causing the acne, but it is also a chemical exfoliant as well. It removes layers of dead skin to keep follicles clear, but it also helps with aging because of it's exfoliation abilities.
Some negative effects of salicylic acid are severe dryness and irritation. A lot of these products with salicylic acid are very alkaline and stripping to the skin. Stripping the skins natural oil barrier causes our skin to over produce oil to compensate for lost oils. This process can actually make acne worse because there is so much excess oil being produced to make up for the lack of oils on the skin. The skin can also become sensitive and red due to the constant, harsh stripping from these products.

Natural Alternatives - Tea tree oil, rosemary, lavender, thyme, nettle, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, witch hazel, grape juice, sage, honey
These are all anti-bacterial herbs and ingredients which help kill bacteria causing acne. These are great alternatives to salicylic acid because they are natural and won't disrupt the skins natural barrier.
Even ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile, and rose absolute can help calm and soothe redness caused by acne


Here are some products I use that are all natural and contain some of these powerful antibacterial ingredients! :)
http://www.lushusa.com/Herbalism/9999906956,en_US,pd.html?start=2

http://www.lushusa.com/Grease-Lightning/02896,en_US,pd.html?start=3

http://www.lushusa.com/Vanishing-Cream/02805,en_US,pd.html?start=2&q=vanishing%20cream

Working at LUSH

I just need to share how absolutely amazing my job is and how wonderful it is to work around fresh, natural ingredients!

I obviously have an obsession with natural skin care remedies and i'm always looking for companies who truly practice this. I was attracted to LUSH because of the ingredients they use. Being an esthetician, i'm an absolute ingredient junkie. The first thing I do when I pick up a skin care product is turn it around and look at the label; And I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw when I looked at LUSH's labels. Loads and loads of fresh, natural ingredients. Not to mention they are all hand made, which means they are made in smaller batches, which means FRESH products. They also use little to no preservatives, so shorter shelf life. The benefits to this is knowing the ingredients are still fresh and BUZZING with active enzymes because they haven't been sitting in a factory for months and months loaded with preservatives. They are made fresh, and if they are not sold in time, they are taken off the shelves and replaced with fresh, new, lively product! 

Another huge thing to consider when looking for skin care is the quality of the ingredients. Something may have lavender oil in it, but where is that lavender oil coming from? Is it bought in bulk by the company, meaning it most likely has other filler oils? How is the lavender oil extracted? Is the oil diluted? These are things that we don't often think of, so it's great to find a company who gets it straight from the source so you KNOW your getting quality ingredients. LUSH travels all over the world to find the most ethical, fair trade ingredients and they KNOW how they are made. The skin is the largest organ of our body, and also one of the most important. We need to treat it that way!

Also, ethics. This has been a big deal to me because after esthetics school I learned how unethical some of these skin care companies are and how we really are being cheated. I was determined to find companies who not only make wonderful product, but are ethical while doing it. This is another quality that I love about LUSH. They never test on animals, they never engage in third party suppliers that test on animals, or buy products from companies that test on animals. They don't use any harsh chemicals that would harm a human so there is no need to test on animals. And for all you animal lovers out there, all of their products are vegetarian and over 80% vegan. 


These are just some of the reasons I love working at LUSH. Before investing in a skin care line, take the time to know exactly where it comes from.