Norwex Series: Face/Body Cloths

This is definitely my most used Norwex product.  Yes, it is another cloth.  We'll move on soon enough, but their cloths are just so fantastic.  Without being too redundant, I just want to quickly mention that these cloths are also made of the higher quality microfibre.  They are woven with silver as well which makes them antibacterial.  You can read about those two components in more detail in the enviro cloth post.  These cloths however are designed for personal use.  (Yes, Norwex sells personal care items too!)  They are called body cloths, but I use them on my face.

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The body cloths are ideal for regular body or facial cleansing.  Because of the silver again, all you need is the cloth and water.  Use them in the shower, in the bath, or at the sink.  I don't wear make up, but I have heard from others that they are incredibly effective even in removing make up (just with water).  They are also gently exfoliating.

I love, love, love the body cloths.  I recommend them to everyone.  As I've written about before (particularly here and here), I have a long history with unfortunate skin blemishes.  As such, I was wary of trying something that seemed so simple.  Yet washing my face twice a day with just water and this cloth works!  Another friend of mine who has shared my skin related woes has also converted to using just these cloths for her face as well with the same success.  I do still use a spot treatment, the natural zit zapper, but there are no cleansers, soaps, creams, or anything else that go on my face.  And my face is more clear than I ever could have imagined having before.  It's healthier for me, better for the environment, and inexpensive!  A one time purchase that will last years to come.  I'd say that's the best of all worlds.

What do you use to wash your face?

Natural Zit Zapper

During boxing week sales after Christmas, I had to stop in at one of my favourite stores, Saje.  A bunch of products were on for half off, so I decided to purchase and try out the "Zap" roll on acne treatment.  It is an essential oil blend of tea tree, geranium, lavender, patchouli, and a few others.  This blend is specially designed to eliminate bacteria, reduce excess oil, and promote healing for blemishes.  It is used as a spot treatment on acne.  I have been using it twice daily, and it is amazingly effective!  I recently went for 3 weeks without washing my face at all, I only used this as a spot treatment as necessary.

 

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I realize that most people reading this don't have access to a Saje store (since they are only in BC, Canada), though you can order online.  Another option I thought of though is to make your own!  I will admit, when I took my newly purchased Zap home and read the ingredients, I felt a little ripped off (and thankful I got it for half off).  I had lavender and tea tree essential oils at home already.

So, I recommend to any of you looking for an acne spot treatment to make your own version of this.  Simply combine tea tree and lavender essential oils, perhaps geranium or patchouli as well if you have them.  Then you can dab it on as necessary using a q-tip or some other reusable alternative I haven't thought of yet.  That is what I am planning to do when my Zap bottle runs out.

What natural treatments do you use on acne?

Spa Spirit Lip Balm

Lip balm is a beauty staple.  Unfortunately it is also toxic (mainstream brands) and addictive.  I admit that I was once addicted to lip balm, and have had to take steps to breaking that addiction.  It sounds silly when talking about lip balm, but that has truly been how my experience felt.  It is now a priority of mine to keep what I put on my lips natural and safe while still using it sparingly.

After checking out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for this post, I found that popular brands such as Blistex, Maybelline, Softlips, and Avon (even the "natural" line) were in the top ten most toxic lip balms.  These toxins are absorbed easily through the thin skin covering the lips and also through ingestion from eating or licking the lips.  To combat this, I have chosen to make my own lip balm.  This is a slightly modified recipe for homemade lip balm originally from Eco Beauty by Lauren Cox.

Spa Spirit Lip Balm

1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp grated beeswax
1 tsp sweet almond oil
1/8 tsp vitamin E oil
3-5 drops essential oil blend of grapefruit, eucalyptus, benzoin, and peru balsam

The supplies.

Combine all ingredients into a small glass dish and place into a pan with a few inches of water (or microwave).  Heat and stir until everything is combined.  Pour into a suitable container of your choice.

Allow to cool completely.  Enjoy!
(To make 2 lip balms as shown in this picture, double the recipe.)

A friend and I made it and were both pleased after using them.  The consistency was great without being gloppy or greasy.  They are packed with moisturizing ingredients making this a perfect recipe for the winter especially.

If you're interested in learning more about cosmetics or taking action against the toxins in most beauty products, I encourage you to check out the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

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Don't forget about the current giveaway going on right now!  Part of the prize pack is winning 2 tubes of this lip balm.  Check out this post to enter.  Deadline is 1/15/2012.

First Blogiversary + Giveaway

Happy New Year!  I hope you have a wonderful night last night ringing in the new year.  I am lucky enough to get to begin this year with another celebration as well.  Today is my first blogiversary!  One year ago today I wrote my first post and began this incredible journey.  In the past year...
-I have posted 101 entries.
-164 people have become followers.
-there have been 107,332 page views.
-there are readers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Mexico, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Japan, and more.
-you guys have left 274 comments (my favourite part).

I am so thankful to each of you who reads and those who comment for your encouragement and support.  In this upcoming year I hope that even more conversations can be started.  Learning from one another, and me learning from you guys, is the best part of this blog to me.  To show you my appreciation and to celebrate my first blogiversary, I am going to do my very first giveaway!

The prize:

I am making some popular items that I've posted on my blog, and one brand new one.  Here is the prize pack:
-3 Lavender Love Lotion Bars (post here)
-1 container of Lemon Meringue Moisturizer (post here)
-2 tubes of Spa Spirit Lip Balm (coming soon)

Ingredients:

-beeswax
-shea butter
-sweet almond oil
-lavender essential oil



 Ingredients:
-beeswax
-grapeseed oil
-water
-borax
-lemon essential oil


Ingredients:
- coconut oil
-sweet almond oil
-beeswax
-vitamin E oil
-essential oil blend of grapefruit, eucalyptus, benzoin, and peru balsam


These products are made with beeswax and other potential allergens.  They were not made in a peanut- or nut-free facility.  You accept all risks and responsibility for any and all consequences resulting directly or indirectly from the use of these products.  They are free from chemicals and additives.

How to enter:

Mandatory entry:
-Tell me what you want to see on the Wife Life

Additional entries (1 entry for each):
-Become a follower through Google, RSS feed, or email (or tell me if you already are)
-Like me on Facebook (or tell me if you already have)
-Post about the giveaway on Facebook linking to this post

Leave one comment for each entry (up to four comments per person) below.  If you comment through the anonymous setting, please sign your name in the comment.  I will be using random.org's random number generator to determine the winner.  Giveaway deadline is 1/15/2012 at midnight PST.  The winner will be announced 1/16/2012.

Also, because I am from Canada and get so disappointed when I cannot enter giveaways, I am opening this contest up worldwide!  Everyone is welcome to enter.  Good luck!

Excuse Me, You Have Food on Your Face - Honey Face Wash

On another blog I follow, Crunchy Betty, she organized a challenge for her readers to wash their face with just honey and water at least once a day for 2 weeks. I had been having decent results with my tea tree bar soap, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to take it another step in the all natural direction.  Brad and I purchase raw honey at the farmer's market already, and we began to use that to wash our face in the mornings.

The benefits of using honey as a facial cleanser are...
-it is antibacterial and antimicrobial
-slightly drying to soak up oiliness
-incredibly moisturizing at the same time
-contains enzymes which are thought to have anti-aging properties
-it is great for any skin type - acne, aging, normal, dry, etc
-healing properties help repair blemishes and scars

I washed my face with honey daily for about 2 months.  The first few times, it seemed funny spreading this sticky stuff all over my face, but I really enjoyed the way it felt.  It even works when your honey gets a little harder.  I imagined it was adding an exfoliating aspect.  I found that the honey was really effective in reducing and healing any blemishes I had already.  The problem for me was that new ones were still popping up each day.  At the same time each month I broke out worse than I have in years, and that is when I realized that my acne must be partially hormonal.  The honey didn't seem to be strong enough to fight against those exceptionally bad break out times, and I have since stopping using it.

I would still encourage others to at least try it out.  What works for some, doesn't always work for others.  Which is shown in our situation even because Brad still continues to wash his face with honey daily.  It has been great for him.  For more information, you can check out Crunchy Betty's post about it here - Crunchy Betty's Honey Challenge.

What do you use to wash your face?  Do you have any tips for treating hormonal acne?

Juicy Bamboo

I recently won a sample of Kaia Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths from Nature's Fare Markets.  They are one step cloths that remove make up (safe for eyes too), cleanse, and tone, and there is no water required.  They are made from sustainable crops (bamboo) and 100% biodegradable.  Plus they are designed in Canada and made in the US - a North American collaboration.

 I received 5 sample cloths.

What's In It:
-8 pure plant-based essential oils
-certified organic Canadian honey
-sunflower oil
-oat amino acids

What's Not:
-no alcohol
-no synthetic fragrance
-no parabens
-no sulfates

 Trying one out.

I really enjoyed using these cloths.  They are so soft on your skin with no burning or discomfort.  There is no stickiness or anything after using, you really feel clean.  I don't wear make up, but from what I've read online these remove the toughest make up including waterproof mascara.  I found that my skin really stayed clear.  When I did see a break out beginning, it faded away.

The only downside I see to these cloths is that they are one time use.  Even though they are biodegradable and come from a sustainable crop source, I have a really hard time using something once and then throwing it away.  I don't think I could get past that to use these everyday.  Also, you have to constantly buy more as you run out, and they are more expensive than just soap.

Even though I really enjoyed using these cloths and they are so effective, the one time use issue makes them not the choice for me.  I think that their ideal use would be for camping (especially because there is no water required) and traveling or perhaps keeping in your car for after the gym, etc.  Great product, just not for me.

When You Want to Go Au Naturale

Whew, it's been a while.  Good to be back though!  Today I'm going to tell a little story about a recent natural breakthrough I experienced.

Throughout my adolescent years, I suffered from moderately severe acne and rosacea.  I tried everything out there from the cheaper drugstore cleansers to the expensive ProActiv regimen to prescription pills with no success.  When it continued into adulthood, the problem became even more embarassing.

Eventually I settled with the slight improvement I could get using a natural bar soap someone had given me along with OXY's Acne Vanishing Treatment lotion.  The downside to this was that the lotion contained 5% benzoyl peroxide.  It only works short term, and this was not a chemical I really wanted to be putting on my face and into my system twice a day for the rest of my life.

You may remember I mentioned in one of my first posts that early in the year I had run out of my natural bar soap, and it was not available in any stores.  I had made facial cleansers and tried others from the stores, but nothing seemed to work as well.  On my hunt for a new facial cleanser, I came across The Soap Work's bar soaps in Nature's Fare Market.  The Soap Works is a Canadian company that makes pure, natural, biodegradable specialty soaps.  There was a large selection, and I opted for the one that contained tea tree oil, having heard that it was good for break outs.  The other thing I liked about this soap was that there was no packaging, just one bar code sticker.  What a simple way to save resources.  After using it, I still loved it!  This soap worked even better than the previous one, though I did continue to use the OXY lotion.

Recently I got quite sick and stopped using the lotion during that time.  I did continue to wash my face with the bar soap though, and to my amazement I did not break out!  I am so happy to say that I am phasing out the harsh chemical-filled lotion to use the natural, healthy bar soap alone.

I was so thrilled with my results that I decided to email The Soap Works to tell them of my success.  The next day I recieved the following email in response:

Dear Grace:

Thank you for your email. This is great news! Your email helps to confirm of our belief that sometimes all it takes is the right type of soap to treat or alleviate a skin condition. We will share your comments with everyone at Soap Works. It helps to keep us motivated to know that we are making something that makes peoples' day a little better.

Would it be all right to add your email to the testimonials section on our web site?

Best regards,

Andy

THE SOAP WORKS

It was so great getting a real, personal response to my email.  Great products and great people!  I know for certain that this is a company I want to support.  I encourage you to check them out as well.

Bye-Bye Blackheads

While at a friend's house, we had an evening of beauty recipe making.  One that we were both interested in was the Bye-Bye Blackheads Scrub from EcoBeauty by Lauren Cox.  The best part was that the few ingredients required were all common household ingredients.  It is nice and simple to make anytime.

I've moved to a new website! Head on over to Heartful Habits for the Bye Bye Blackheads recipe. Thanks!

Milk, Beyond Nutrition

I was in despair when my favourite face soap, which I received as a sample and cannot be bought in any store, ran out.  Then I realized this was the perfect opportunity for another concoction from my new book EcoBeauty by Lauren Cox, and a good excuse to get together with a friend to experiment.  I have always had trouble skin.  It is sensitive, dry and acne prone.  Yikes.  That is how I came to choose this recipe which is ideal for those with sensitive skin.

Milk Maid Cleanser

1/2 c water
1/4 c whole milk (or soy milk, goat's milk, or hemp milk)
2 tbsp baking soda
1 egg white

Gather ingredients.  I used soy milk in place of whole milk.

Combine water, milk and baking soda.

Separate egg.

Whisk in egg white.

Pour into a container with tight fitting lid.

Ta da!  Store in fridge to keep for up to 3 weeks.  Shake before using.

It is written that the baking soda cleans away dead skin build up, and the milk and egg white nourish and firm the skin.

I used it today in the shower, thought I admit I was a little bit nervous.   (I've heard it doesn't take much heat to end up with a scrambled egg in the shower.)  It felt refreshing on my face, and my skin felt so soft and smooth afterward.

I have to say, I believe it is another success!

*Note:
I'm now using a new platform, but you can still subscribe or just check in on your own as you wish.  I'm feeling enthusiastic about this new venture, and I hope you will join me!  You can hop on over to the new site here:

Gracepoint