Autumn's Harvest: Strawberry Antioxidant Face Mask

Happy Sunday all!

As I move through the list of Autumn harvest ingredients for skin care, we finally come to berries.   Now, berries are one of my FAVORITE foods of all time.  They're juicy, sweet, and full of antioxidants.  

But how are strawberries beneficial in  organic skin care?

First, it is a natural exfoliant. Its gentle acidic nature can take care of all those flaky dead cells on top of the skin. It’s natural salicylic acid (please be aware that if you have an allergy to salycylic acid, you should NOT use this recipe!) is a good combatant for acne and black heads. Strawberry also has antiseptic and skin lighting properties.  It has all those wonderful vitamins & antioxidants. And don’t forget folic acid, which is essential for healthy new cells! 

So, let's get on with the recipe:

Mix 5 strawberries with 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of honey. Blend it into a state of purée. Spread the mixture on your face for 15 to 20 minutes. Gently wash off with warm water.

For dry skin you may also try mixing a few strawberries with 1 teaspoon sour cream & 1 teaspoon honey. This is especially good for flaky skin.  (You can also use cream (2-3 tsp) and milk (1 tbsp or so).)

I hope you've enjoyed this week's skin care recipe, straight from nature and your kitchen.  More berry recipes next week:)!

Peace & Natural Blessings - 

Candace 

RedSunflower Designs

Pumpkin Face Mask: Fall's Facial!

Happy Sunday all!

Sorry this post is alittle later than usual; I went to the farmer's market earlier, and the bounty was just so good I got kinda carried away.  But I'll be canning and preserving the yumminess throughout the week, so that makes it worth it for me.  But on to the good stuff!

This week starts my series on bath, body, & beauty you can make with our Autumn bounty, things you either already have at home, or can grab up at the farmers market or your local grocer. Today, I'm going to give you a recipe for a Pumpkin Face Mask, so let's get started.

You'll need:

• 2 tsp canned pumpkin (or you can puree your own fresh pumpkin)
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp milk 

Honey acts as a humectant, which means it helps your skin to retain moisture.  For the milk, you can use any kind you want (cow milk, goats milk, soy, etc) just be sure it's not a flavored milk because that's too much sugar.  The milk, surprisingly, contains acids that help to gently exfoliate your skin.  You can check out last week's post here for the skin benefits of pumpkin. 

Customizations for dry skin: 

1/2 tsp heavy whipping cream instead of milk (high in alpha hydroxy acids)

OR

1/2 tsp brown sugar (instead of milk, to exfoliate)

Customizations for oily skin: 

1/4 tsp apple cider (instead of milk; it's a great toner, hich in alpha hydroxy, and helps to regulate skin's pH level)

OR

1/4 tsp cranberry juice (really high in antioxidants)

I also have a dry formula that will be in my shop by end of day if you prefer something that will last alittle longer, and has more skin-loving ingredients in it.  Click the link below to check it out!

I hope you've found this interesting, and I'll be back next week with another easy, at-home spa recipe.

Lots of love, and enjoy the bounty of the season!

Candace

RedSunflower Designs

What's the Deal with Virgin Coconut Oil?

Happy Sunday, all!  First, I apologize for no blog last week; technology attacked - 'nuf said.  But, without further delay, let's discuss the main differences between regular coconut oil & virgin coconut oil.

You see it in blogs, your friends tell you how great it is, & everybody's using it.  So you go to your local natural foods store to pick up some coconut oil for all of its touted uses.  But when you get there, you notice there is coconut oil and VIRGIN coconut oil, and why is it more expensive?  Okay, but what is the difference REALLY? Read on.

Regular coconut oil is refined, which means that the coconuts are broken into pieces and the coconut flesh is allowed to dry, Once dried, the flesh is hydraulically pressed at around 130 degrees to extract the coconut oil. The resulting oil is then passed through a filter press to produce the finished material, which then goes through a further process of refining, bleaching and deodorizing.

Virgin coconut oil is raw, virgin and unrefined.  To make virgin coconut oil, fresh, whole coconuts have the shell removed, then the flesh is milled to fine shreds and dried at a temperature not to exceed 100 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. This helps in the evaporation of excess water which is prevalent in the flesh, but does not completely dry it out.  Once dried, the coconut is passed through a cold process oil press where the oil is separated from the coconut at a controlled temperature of less than 100 degrees.

The cold process extraction allows the oil to retain many of its benefits that are normally stripped from the oil during a standard refining process.  This is the most "true" form of coconut oil available.  While both oils have their applications, I normally opt to use for virgin coconut oil in my products, heating it only to the point of melting (coconut oil solidifies at room temperature). 

The great thing about this oil is you can use it straight, right out of the jar!  Virgin coconut oil has a light coconut scent, and can be very good for the hair, skin, and nails.  If you are like me & have fine, thin hair, you will likely find this oil a little heavy for your hair.  I love the smell, but with thin hair it's a little too much.  It makes a great treatment for hands & feet though.  This is an oil, so allow time for absorption before trying to walk around... no skating down the halls!  It is very mild, and thus, suitable for those with inflamed or sensitive skin.

You can buy virgin coconut oil at most health food stores, such as Whole Foods.  There are also many reputable online distributors, such as Mountain Rose Herbs.

I hope you have found this article useful.  Next week I'll be discussing the benefits of reservatrol for the skin.  Have a fabulous week, and be sure to let me know if there are subjects you would like to see me write an article about!

Natural Blessings,

Candace

RedSunflower Designs