Tuesday, April 29, 2014

LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL IN HERBALLY RADIANT PRODUCTS



Essential oils are used in most of the formulations of Herbally Radiant. These contain soothing fragrance and carry organic ingredients right into the pores.  Herbally Radiant does not use any chemicals as preservatives or any synthetic fragrance.  A right kind of essential oil can produce the same effect as preservative.  Lavender essential oil is one of the most common ingredients in our products. It would therefore be useful to know a little more about it.

Essential Oil Lavender: Several Herbally Radiant products contain Lavender essential oil  because of its excellent  healing properties. It is one of the most popular essential oils because of the variety of  its uses. People have used lavender oil to treat headaches, stress, tension, burns, pain, infections, wounds, and high blood pressure - benefits are many. Lavender oil is taken from the flowers of lavender plants through steam distillation. Because lavender flowers are so fragrant, they have been used in potpourri and perfumes for many years. The oil found in lavender flowers is great for aromatherapy, and can be found in aromatherapy lotions, soaps, gels, infusions, and oils.

Lavender essential oil has a variety of healing properties. It is great for skin because of its anti-fungal and antiseptic properties; it is often used to treat skin problems like wrinkles, cellulite, stretch marks, rashes, inflammations, acne, cold sores, hives, bug bites, stings, ring worm psoriasis and when lavender oil is combined with chamomile, it can treat eczema. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties will lower swelling, itch, and pain, while  aiding in tissue recovery.  Other benefits include : muscle pain relief in case of sore muscle, sprain, joints and muscular aches, relaxation, relief from migraine and other headaches, calming effect on nervous system, relief from discomfort caused by shock, vertigo, premenstrual syndrome, delusions, panic attacks, relief from digestive problems, vomiting , relief from dandruff, dry scalp and hair loss.

Lavender oil is, therefore,  used extensively in aroma therapy for its curative effects.

Lavender oil is mostly known as a middle note (takes a while to establish a scent), but is often used with other essential oils like pine, clary, geranium, nutmeg, cedar wood and sage, which also allows it to be used as a base (very fragrant, long-lasting) or top note (very fragrant, short-lived).

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

'ANTI-AGING' CLAIMS OF BEAUTY PRODUCTS



Cosmetics industry veteran Andrea Robinson has published her new book: “Toss the Gloss: Beauty Tips, Tricks & Truths for Women 50+” which provides interesting insight into the cosmetics industry and the glamorous marketing of beauty products. Andrea worked behind the scenes for Revlon, L'Oreal for Ralph Lauren fragrances and Tom Ford Beauty, of which she was President. In the book, she is nipping slightly at the hands that fed her: revealing some standard but little-discussed industry practices like unnecessarily repackaging creams for different body parts and manufacturing both low- and high-end brands in the same factory.

Mrs. Robinson says she felt compelled to share the beauty wisdom she has accumulated with an oft-neglected demographic.“I get flooded with women saying, ‘I’m so confused,’ ” she said. “ ‘I don’t know where to go or what to do, and I know my skin has changed.’ ” Ms. Robinson highlights the fact that there is nothing like "anti-aging" in most of the cosmetics. It is, therefore, simply mislabeling of most of the beauty products.

Herbally Radiant has tested several natural organic beauty formulations and seen the amazing effect of many ingredients which do prevent appearance of lines and wrinkles, and create a rejuvenating effect on face and body skin. Many of these formulations are based on the expertise acquired after long experience of experimenting with different kinds of plants and herbs in different countries and continents where Herbally Radiant promoters spent many years.  By blending extracts of plants, herbs, flowers and minerals, Herbally Radiant products offer a unique, and most skin friendly, beauty care regime leading up to healthy beautiful  looks. There are different formulations for application on different kinds of skin types.

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

COCONUT OIL IN HERBALLY RADIANT COSMETIC PRODUCTS



Huff Post(Healthy Living) article is quite informative for those using coconut oil in food or in skin care.
Coconut oil which is used widely has, at times been categorized as a risky diet.  Prof Tom Brenna at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, clarifies that not all coconut oils are created equal.  The flakey, fragrant stuff you might find in a superfood smoothie is a very different type of coconut oil than the partially-hydrogenated fat found in junk food in the '80s, which was a highly-processed version of the plant oil, containing trans-fats and other dangerous, cholesterol-promoting compounds. "The older refined-deodorized bleached coconut oil causes rapid and very unhealthy looking rises in cholesterol, for sure, no doubt," Brenna said , and added: “There is no evidence that that is the case for virgin coconut oil, which is available today but was not in the 1970s and '80s when people were using RDB coconut oil.” “ It has properties that are promising, but we need a lot more research before we can say this is the superfood of 2014," says Kristin Kirkpatrick MS, of Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Natural coconut oil is made of 90 percent saturated fat (butter, a distant second, contains a comparatively puny 64 percent saturated fat), but the kind of saturated fat matters just as much as the amount. About half of virgin coconut oil's saturated fat is lauric acid, a medium-chain triglyceride that turns out to have a number of health-promoting properties, including the ability to improve levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. People can also more easily digest medium-chain triglycerides and convert them to energy, according to The Wall Street Journal, making coconut oil a good choice for athletes. That said, because it's so high in saturated fat, even the purest, most natural coconut oil could be problematic for long term heart health, according to a Harvard nutrition professor.

"Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease," wrote Walter C. Willett, M.D., Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School for Public Health, in a newsletter. "And I don't think coconut oil is as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDL and increase HDL."

At HERBALLY RADIANT, we are using coconut oil in several skin care products. As a matter of fact, coconut oil is probably the most-used oil for cosmetic purposes. Long treasured for its protective emollient properties, coconut oil was prized by tropical island dwellers as a cosmetic aid.  It was liberally smeared on the body to protect against dryness and combed into hair to ensure healthy, shiny locks.
In our cosmetic products, which have very high organic content, we have found coconut oil acting as a rich emollient, in the absence of which skin and muscles can lose firmness and density. Constant dryness also leads to wrinkles and premature aging signs. With coconut oil, combined with other ingredients like Vitamin E, skin is naturally hydrated, nourished and toned. It helps to intercept the visible signs of aging, improving firmness, elasticity and resilience, making the skin texture soft and smooth.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

'GREEN' COSMETICS MEANS NATURAL ORGANIC PRODUCTS

Consumers confused about what ‘green’ means, says Aveda



What Aveda spokesman emphasizes in the story above is that increasingly, the consumers of beauty products would like to know what kind of 'green' product they are being offered. In other words, consumers would like eco-friendly and self-sustainable ingredients which go into the making of these products which ensure safety of the planet. The level of their awareness of natural products is quite high and they would not be satisfied merely by a 'green' label on a product. In the absence of ingredients on the package, the consumers might not feel comfortable with the marketing tactic of 'green' labeling which might contain many such ingredients which might not match the 'green' claim of the manufacturer.



The safer choice for the consumers to go in for skin care products which contain natural organic ingredients and which are 'green' in real sense.

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Saturday, April 19, 2014

EFFECT OF PETROLEUM JELLY INGREDIENT IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS





Most common ingredient in products like vaseline, petroleum jelly is a derivative of oil refining. In short, it is a byproduct of oil industry and therefore not eco-friendly.  In most of the beauty products, it is used to treat everything, right from dehydrated, flakey skin to diaper rash.

Though generally regarded as safe, the components that are removed from the oil during the refining process of petroleum jelly are carcinogenic in some cases. Vaseline supposedly has all of these [components] removed, but there are probably plenty of petroleum jelly imitators, and one doesn't always know the extent that they're removed. It has also been pointed out by experts that since petroleum jelly can be found in "different grades of purity," one doesn't always know how non-toxic different petroleum jelly-based beauty products really are. (For the record, Vaseline is highly-refined, triple-purified and regarded as non-carcinogenic.)

For the skin, petroleum jelly can create the illusion of moisturized, hydrated skin, all the while suffocating the pores. It's water-repellant and not water-soluble, meaning it merely seals the barrier so that moisture does not leave the skin. So while one might feel the instant gratification of a softened surface, one is actually drying out the pores by keeping out air and moisture. What's more, the thick texture makes it difficult to cleanse from the skin, so never slather Vaseline on an unwashed face if you want to avoid breakouts. It essentially seals in the dirt.

People suffering from skin conditions like acne and rosacea should stay away from petroleum jelly altogether, since such thick emollients can aggravate those conditions. Those who rub Vaseline on dry, cracked noses to get through a cold might want to think twice, too: If petroleum jelly gets into the lungs, it can cause lipid pneumonia. It won't happen if you apply it once in a while, but experts recommend not making a daily habit of it.

Petroleum jelly is an inexpensive way for a formulator to offer the appearance and immediate feel of hydrated skin. As a mineral oil, it doesn't actually moisturize, but it does a good job at holding in moisture provided skin is washed and is moist before application. Experts say its like putting a piece of plastic over one's skin -- it prevents evaporation.


Therefore, if you're looking for a dewy moisturizer, just opt for more natural alternatives and check ingredients. Products containing beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter seal in moisture and don't come without any of the risks of petroleum jelly. Natural ingredients get absorbed into the skin, so it's nice to use something that you wouldn't mind putting into your body.

In Herbally Radiant, we mostly use coconut oil, lavender oil, cocoa and shea butter, as key ingredients in moisturizers. To complement these, we use several other herbal ingredients: aloe juice, pink grape seed oil, extracts of black willow bark, avocado, rosemary, extracts of rooibos tea, oatstraw, organic marshmallow, vitamin E and fine combination of essential oils which deliver superb beauty benefits to the skin, allowing total penetration of active ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin.

Unlike petroleum jelly mixed products, natural ingredients in beauty products lead the process of revitalization by purifying and deep cleansing the skin, stimulating blood flow to rehydrate and nourish the skin, thereby intercepting the visible signs of aging, improving firmness, elasticity and resilience, and making the skin texture soft and smooth.  These have long lasting effect.

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Friday, April 18, 2014

HERBALLY RADIANT USES BLUE GREEN ALGAE - NEW ANTI-AGING FORMULATION

After extensive research, experts have now concluded that sea algae can be used in anti-aging beauty formulations to render them more effective.  Therefore, Mibelle Biochemistry, Switzerland, is reported to have launched a new beauty product with SNOW ALGAE powder as a novel active ingredient that not only offers a new source and technology, but also a new anti-aging approach by mimicking calorie restriction, a proven mechanism to expand life span of organism - a key to increase skin's longevity.

R&D unit of Herbally Radiant had already tested and used BLUE GREEN ALGAE in a specially launched Cream. It is combined with Almond oil, Avocado, Cocoa, Shea and Mango butters. With BLUE GREEN ALGAE as active ingredient, this cream purifies, deep cleanses and stimulates blood flow and keeps skin naturally rehydrated and nourished. It also helps soothe and decongest the skin, reducing fine lines and puffiness. With added sea salt, grape seed and apricot oil, vitamin E,  it has turned out to be ideal natural beauty product to bring health, vitality and beauty to the skin.

All Herbally Radiant beauty products contain USDA certified organic ingredients. 
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

RISKS OF CHEMICAL BASED COSMETICS Vs. ORGANIC BEAUTY PRODUCTS



An EWG (Environmental Working Group), analyst Sonya Lunder, recently reiterated that the personal care products that you put on your face, hands, hair, or body go right through your skin and get absorbed into your tissue and bloodstream. Synthetic chemicals from personal care [products] show up in blood tests. They show up in urine tests. And absorption occurs even with products like shampoos that you rinse off promptly besides the fact that most people are exposed to a range of products over and over, often on a daily basis.

Skin absorption is just one entry route for the 200-plus common chemicals the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that most people harbor in their bodies. The upside is that personal care is a route you can control by choosing which products to use and reducing the number of chemicals you expose yourself to.

Consumers need to be aware of this because many of these same chemicals are linked to health problems. Let’s take just one disease—breast cancer—as an example. Since researchers first began collecting data, these rates have risen steadily. According to a report conducted by the Breast Cancer Fund, rates of the disease have increased over 40 percent in the 25 years between 1973 and 1998, with rising incidence in younger women over the last decade. But cancer is not merely a case of bad luck or bad genes. The President’s Cancer Panel Report of 2009 uncovered what it called “the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer,” noting many “exposures that could have been prevented.” Much more research is needed to establish whether or not these toxins actually lead to cancer or other disorders.

So how do you choose wisely when many products labeled “healthy” or “natural” contain synthetic chemicals that contribute to allergies, cancer, and more, as well as environmental damage? For instance, Clairol Herbal Essences, one of the most popular shampoos, was able to claim it offered an “organic experience,” even though, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, it contained “more than a dozen synthetic petrochemicals.” Malkan explains that, “unlike the organic seal for food, for personal care and cosmetics, there is no regulation or standard for what can be labeled ‘natural,’ ‘healthy,’ or ‘hypo-allergenic.’ The companies producing these products just use these terms for marketing no matter what’s in a product, and no one is overseeing that.”
We’ve compared a few products in the “natural” category to see how they fared when it came down to being as healthful as they claimed to be:

Shampoo
BAD CHOICE: Hemp Hydrating Shampoo
EWG Score: 9 (the group gives its worst rating, “High Hazard,” to products with a rating of 7 to 10)
Amazon reviewers enthused that this product smells “delicious and organic, kind of like a homemade hippie soap.” But it’s rare that either homemade or organic soaps would include substances containing formaldehyde or oxtinoxate (which risks “developmental or reproductive toxicity”).

GOOD CHOICE:  Healing-Scents Shampoo/Body Wash, Basic Formula
EWG Score: 0
This shampoo is basically castile soap with a little lavender oil and water. Effective, not fancy, and toxin-free!


Moisturizer
BAD CHOICE: St. Ives Facial Moisturizer, Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin
EWG Score: 5
Though it’s one of the top 50 beauty products sold on Amazon, this moisturizer contains mineral oil (toxic to some bodily organs), fragrance mix, and propylene glycol, an immune system-challenging chemical that enhances absorption of its ingredients. Pass!

GOOD CHOICE: Zosimos Botanicals Restorative Facial Moisturizer
EWG Score: 0
With aloe vera gel, Tamanu seed oil, and marine collagen as its top three ingredients, this product is good for your skin and good for the inner you. Look for it at health food stores.


Shower Wash/ Liquid Soap
BAD CHOICE: The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel
EWG Score: 7
It’s surprising that this iconic “healthy” brand contains ingredients associated with endocrine (hormone) disruption, allergies, and damage to the immune system.

GOOD CHOICE: Enkido Sensitive Kids 3-in-1 Wash
EWG Score: 0
This is a perfect example of a truly non-toxic product: This wash is formulated entirely with plant-based and non-toxic ingredients, and though it’s for kids, grown-ups can use it as well.


You should also consider whether you really need to buy separate face, body, hand, eye, foot, and cuticle moisturizers and other beauty products. “Companies urge us to feel that we ‘need” many different kinds of products,” says Stacy Malkan, but we can minimize our exposure to harmful ingredients by picking a few well-formulated products that can multitask. “Relying on simple products with limited ingredients is the best way to limit your exposure to toxins,” she notes.
Check the Skin Deep database for any products you own or are considering buying. The EWG’s researchers have evaluated every ingredient in a wide range of personal care and beauty products and scored them on how they measure up against research about health risks. “People have to choose [products] according to their own comfort level, but most prefer products in the zero to two range,” reports Alex Formuzis, vice president of media relations at EWG. And if you’d like to urge the federal government to study and regulate chemicals so that we don’t have to do all this guesswork, go to Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.