Beauty Uses For Hibiscus

Hibiscus tea is used internally for a host of issues, but did you know it's excellent for the skin? 

The Botox Plant

 Hibiscus is excellent for the skin and is known as the Botox plant. What great news, we don't need to get invasive procedures done to achieve a more youthful complexion.

Elasticity

Hibiscus aids with reducing the enzyme elastase. Elastase is responsible for the break down of our skin's elastin. Elastin is what keeps our skin looking young, tight and toned. 

Evens Skin Tone

As time goes by some of us experience discoloration of the skin for various reasons. Due to the slight ability to exfoliate the skin Hibiscus helps to quickly regenerate new cells. This in turn leads to a more even skin tone.

Antioxidants for Healthy Skin

Hibiscus contains an antioxidant, anthocanocides, which aids in preventing free radicals from damaging the skin. We are bombarded by free radicals on a daily basis via ultra violet radiation and various pollutants in our environment. These free radicals can lead to premature aging skin. This same antioxidant also is an astringent and helps to give the appearance of smaller pores. Anthocanocides also aids with inflammation of the skin, which many with sensitive skin are prone to.

Benefits of the Natural Acids

Hibiscus contains two natural acids, malic and citrus, which offer a variety of benefits to the skin. These acids are responsible for the quick cell regeneration by breaking down the dead skin. They also aid with acne break outs and do not strip the skin of its natural oils. This aids with bringing the natural balance back into the skin leaving youthful looking, smooth and healthy skin.

Mucilage for Moisture

Hibiscus contains mucilage which is a sticky substance some plants produce. It is the mucilage which aids with moisturizing the skin naturally. It is important as it helps the skin to maintain its moisture. This is important for healthy skin and the skins elasticity. Mucilage is gentle enough for the most sensitive skin. 

Our Spa in a Bag uses Hibiscus tea during 2 different steps.

Do you use tea in your beauty regimen? If so what kind and are you happy with the results? 

Let us know in the comments.

Benefits of Green Tea for Skin

Green tea has many benefits, but have you ever thought about using the tea bag after brewing a cup?

Puffy Swollen Eyes

After brewing your tea take the tea bags and place them in fridge until they are cool. You can then place them on the eyes to reduce puffiness. Be sure to only leave them on for five to ten minutes as it can cause irritation.

How does this work? The caffeine in the tea aids with circulation and allowing the fluids to flow. Using the cool tea bags is anti inflammatory and is both soothing and calming. Be sure to rinse the skin afterwards to avoid irritation.

Acne

Brew a cup of green tea, take an organic cotton ball and dip it into the tea, dab the effected area to eliminate the bump quicker. You can also do this where there is no bump to avoid break outs. Be sure to rinse after 5 minutes to avoid irritation. 

How does this work? Green tea contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate.) EGCG is what gives us that feeling of a fresh, clean mouth as it is an astringent. It also aids with oxidation and can aid with oxidative damage in cells. Be sure the green tea you chose contains EGCG.

Facial Steam

Even if you don't drink green tea you can still brew a pot and use the steam to benefit your skin. Brew a pot of tea as you normally would, minus any sweeteners, find a comfortable place to sit, take a towel and create a tent for your head over the steaming pot of tea for 5 to 10 minutes. While the tea is brewing cleanse your face. When finished gently rinse face with luke warm water and dab dry with a clean towel.

How does this work? The steam softens the skin allowing impurities like black heads and white heads to release easily from the skin. This allows the blood to flow and circulate which is needed to feed and bring oxygen to the skin. Steam hydrates the skin, brings new life to the cells, it also aids with the absorption of any organic skin care products used afterwards. Steaming is also very relaxing and will you with a vibrant glowing complexion.

DIY Face Masque

Take a moist tea bag, cut it open, put the leaves in a glass bowl, add honey to create a face mask. Start with a small amount of honey, mix and see if you feel you need to add more. Cover the face, avoiding the eyes, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Using your hands gently rub the mask off using a circular motion. This avoids damaging the skin.

Bonus: The honey and tea leaves act as an exfoliant as you gently rub the mask off. 

Antioxidants

The antioxidants contained in green tea may also aid with a more youthful complexion and aid in protecting the skin against free radicals. 

Have a Mini DIY Spa Day

1. Cleanse the skin with our Refresh Cleansing Oil and makeup remover

2. Steam 

3. Exfoliate with our Silky Smooth Citrus Blend

4. Face Masque or check out our Shungite Glow Facial Masque

5. Use our Tight -n- Tone Eye Serum which can used on the entire face and neck

6. Moisturizer with Youth Eye & Face Cream

Complete the steps above for a relaxing mini spa day. While you have the masque on consider using the Silky Smooth Citrus Bath Salt Blend in a foot soak for more relaxation and silky smooth feet.

How often do you have a spa day?

Would you like to have a mini spa day?

Why do we Celebrate Thanksgiving?

This post is part of a Thankful Loop post as part of the Natural Living Bloggers Helping Each Other facebook Group. Please click the links below the post to read other bloggers post within the loop.

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? Is it because we want to remember the story behind this day? Is it because this is an opportunity for family and friends to come together for food and fun? Is it because we want to take this day to reflect on everything we have to be thankful for? I wonder how many people/families actually focus on what they are thankful for.

For me it is just another day for I feel we should express thankfulness and gratitude every day. With this in mind I am going to share with you all that I am thankful for every day of the year. Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions we can send out into the universe.

Family

I give thanks for my family every week as they are a big force behind every success in my life. Not only that, but they each bring something into my life that I feel I wouldn't have without them. Let's start with my husband, he supports me no matter what crazy idea I might come up with. He is also a financial genius and keeps in line when it comes to my finances. I'm very thankful that we both share the same ideas and views as to the way we live our lives. We love to laugh and have fun joking around in public, some get it and laugh others just look at us like we are crazy. No matter we love to have fun, go rockhounding, sit a the beach, travel and being around family.

My oldest child my daughter is a beautiful friend and so much more. She is twenty seven and brings knowledge into my life, she makes me think. Neither one of us had a sister and we feel this gives more strength to our relationship. My two sons always say she is my favorite, not true. We just have a lot in common, we both love nature, we love to be creative, we are free thinkers, we are always open to  new thoughts and ideas. She can draw, write and has a great eye to see something as something else or see how to make it better. She loves the thrift store and finds items that need a new home and gives them a new life.

My big teddy bear, my middle child is a big man with a bigger heart. He is also a free thinker and we have had many intense conversations that led to both of us going hmm. He just turned twenty two and works in IT which comes in handy when computer or phone issues arise. I love his sense of humor, he always makes me laugh along with others around him. If he didn't have stage fright he might have been a great actor. He can create a whole script with multiple characters and put the whole thing on himself. He inherited his drawing abilities from his father and writing skills from me. I encouraged him to become a published writer, but he said no. He was afraid that would make him not liking writing anymore and didn't want that to happen.

My youngest is nineteen and has been known as the walking encyclopedia. He craves knowledge in every aspect, but really like anything having to do with science. I remember one day walking into his room and seeing a thesaurus and dictionary laying on his bed next to his pillow. I asked him if he slept with them and he said yes. It appears that his brain was just absorbing all that knowledge as he slept. He has an extensive vocabulary and at times I'm like what does that mean to which he often replies you don't know? He prefers to be by himself or with the family especially his older brother, his best friend. We have very intense conversation which most of the time feels more like a debate. At the same time he also makes me think about certain things I would have never thought of.

I could go on about the amazing attributes of my family, but I will it right there. The most important aspect of our family is our generosity towards others, our empathy for others and the love we feel and show each other. I am truly thankful for my family.

Friends?

I really do not have any friends except my daughter and husband, I have a lot of acquaintances though. I am thankful for them because they teach me things and force me to take a different look at things. The biggest thing they have pointed out to me is that with my business I am too trusting of other people who ask questions. I have been told I say too much. I can't help it, though I have gotten better, I like to see the good in people and believe they are not out to steal my ideas.

Daily Life

When it comes to my daily life I wake up being thankful for the bed I just got to sleep in. I'm thankful for my home, the material objects, which is not much, that I have in it. That parking space that is close to the store when it's raining. I'm thankful for every customer that purchases from me, both at the market and on my website. I'm thankful for the lives I get to change on a daily basis. I'm thankful for those in my life who believe in me and want to see me succeed. I'm thankful for the gifts and talents that I have and that I can share them with others. I am thankful for all that nature gives to us. I am thankful I am strong and healthy. I am thankful for the new opportunities that come into my life. I am thankful for the new people who come into my life that I can help them grow their business through collaboration. I am thankful for those willing to help me grow my business and not want anything in return. I am thankful for all the knowledgeable people who cross my path that I get to learn from.

Always be Thankful

Always be thankful especially when you don't feel thankful it will make you feel better. There is always, always something to be thankful for just look around you. Don't just wait for that one day a year, Thanksgiving, to give thanks in everything give thanks. Namaste.

What I am Thankful for, Why we  Should be Thankful Every Day

Why I'm  Thankful for a Simple Life

Why I'm Thankful to be Homesteading

Thankful: A Photo Journey of My Blessings in 2018 (personal)

Thankfulness on the Homestead - Homegrown Self Reliance 

A Day of Thanks, Today and Tomorrow

Women Helping Women

I first met Angel on a Facebook group called Women Helping Women  Entrepreneurs. We were talking about what we were doing as far as our business and she told me she was in the process of purchasing a website called the "Green Woman Store."

The "Green Woman Store" is a unique place where woman put their products or services on the website. There is no monthly fee and three options for payment. All the products sold on the site are by women for women. If you would like more information on this unique opportunity contact Angel at angel@greenwomanstore.com.

 When one fills out the form to submit a product or service to "Green Woman Store" there is a prompt to include it in the "Treasures From the Universe" monthly box. You will receive wholesale price for your product or service to be incorporated into the box.

 "Green Woman Store" has a weekly podcast, which is prerecorded, geared towards woman. Anyone who has a story, product or service that they would like to promote is welcome to contact me or Angel to be a guest. Send an email with your website and a date and time we can discuss how you want to use the podcast and create an outline. A blog post will be created to promote the podcast by us and yourself. The podcast will be uploaded on YouTube and other media as well. We will send you the links.

To be a guest send an email to joyce@heavenlybodies7.com with "Podcast Guest" in the subject line. I will get back to you and confirm if the date requested is available or not. It is also important to let me know your time zone, I am on central time.

Closing

The "Green Woman Store" is a great way for women to uplift and encourage other women through the products and services they provide. If you have nothing to contribute please stop by and show some support to the other women who have a small business.

Skin Care, Crystals & Kombucha Oh My!

I have been soooo busy these days with my business I hardly have time to blog, which I miss very much. I started my own business because one I love helping people and two I'm not going to work for someone else's dream, I have my own.

My Business

I started making organic skin care products for myself after learning how toxic store bought brands can be. At the same time I was learning about herbs over at the Herb Mentor. There are a number of herbalists on the site such as Rosemary Gladstar and Rosalee de la Foret. There are many more all have been herbalists for 15 to 25 years.

Okay so, my business got started with a salve I formulated. Southern Man drives a truck and let a woman try it at truck stop for her psoriasis. When he went back she asked where he got it and how she could get it. Word spread and my husband said you have something there. 

I formulated a whole skin care regime for my self and hesitate to share them with others due to their appearance. They do not look appealing, nor do they smell pretty, but they work and the complements on get on my skin on a regular basis are proof. So, I started selling my skin care products at a local farmer's market, but wasn't doing the business I hoped I would.

Unique Ingredients

Due to the fact the skin care business is so vast even the organic industry I had to find a way to stand out. I thought this would help selling at the market, but nope. The two unique ingredients I use in my products are Kombucha and infuse my water and oils with the mineral Shungite. 

Learning More

I wanted to learn more about formulating organic skin care products, so I searched around for a place I could get more knowledge. Unfortunately there is no place close by for me to do this, so unto the internet I went. I found some on the internet, but really liked "Create Your Skincare." I liked the fact that I have access to the information, including any updates, for the rest of my life. The course was great and I took the two part test to get certified in October 2017. The second part of the test I had to formulate a full skin care regimen for 3 fictitious clients. I really enjoyed that part and love to formulate custom skin care products for my clients.

Kombucha

I started brewing Kombucha about 2012 and if you ever brewed you know that it is a time process and can quickly take over the fridge. At that time I was the only one drinking it and I had a ton of it, so I stopped brewing. Then I had the idea to start brewing again and sell that at the market as well. I had one problem, at this time I had a banner that read "Heavenly Bodies" organic skin care. I was like hmmmm what does Kombucha have to do with skin care, so off to research I went. I spent 5 hours researching and it turns out it is very good for the skin. So, I started brewing, selling it at the markets and using it in my skin care products.

Crystals

I have always been attracted to crystals. Some might think it is because they are so beautiful, but my studies have led to the energy. Everything around has a certain vibrational frequency including our bodies. The energy from the crystals can aid us with issues in our every day lives. Some are grounding, absorb negativity, are calming the list goes on.

I wanted to bring the benefits of crystals to others, so I started making jewelry, key chains and prisms to sell at the market. The majority of what I create is unique one of a kind items. After us women do not like to see another woman wearing the same thing. There are some items I have duplicated due to requests. I also create one of a kind items upon request at the market and on my website. 

Essential Oil Diffusers

Right now the thing that I am asked the most is if I have diffuser bracelets, the answer is yes. I create diffuser bracelets with lava beads, wood beads and crystal beads. I do not use any other materials because I feel the interaction with the oils may cause a negative effect. 

The diffuser necklaces I create does have a silver bead cap that the lava bead sits in, but it sits up on it rather than in it. Some of my customers us them in their cars over the rear view mirror. Love products that are versatile. 

Closing

So as you have read I am busy!! I do miss blogging, but a lot of the blogs I write require research. I spend hours doing research to ensure I am writing the most factual information I can. Looking at website after website to seek out consistences. I also listen to various speakers and webinars that deal with living a happy, healthy natural life while I tend to my many artistic creations. Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again real soon. Oh almost forgot, my Southern Man and I are working on starting an online radio station in the near future, so watch out for that also.

Do you sell at a local farmer's market? If so what do you sell?

Fleur De Lis Jewelry Set Giveaway

Peshah from 12:13 Jewelry is giving away one of her most popular items, a Fleur De Lis necklace and earring set. She has been designing jewelry for 32 years.

Currently her designs are sold in various museums and stores. She designs one of a kind pieces for non-profits, which receive a portion of the funds generated by that specific piece. Designing one of kind pieces for individuals and also wedding parties. This design is the  #1 seller on her website and in the museums. 

Peshah has been featured on WLOX radio, "Gulf Coast Women" magazine, along with other media.

Peshah designs with the following materials.       

• Sterling Silver chains 
• Pearls                                              
• Alloy
• Wood
• Semi Precious stones
• Cut glass
• Crystals
• Stainless steal earring wire

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Salt Scrubs vs Sugar Scrubs

Getting certified as a Boutique Skincare Designer was the best thing I have ever done. Before I use to use recipes off the internet or that I found on Pintrest. What I didn't know was the difference between some of the ingredients or even if they were good for my skin. I was really interested when we discussed salt scrubs vs sugar scrubs during the course.

The image on the left is my daytime scrub, which is one of the first homemade products I made to use for myself I also created one for night time. This scrub contains Himalayan Pink Sea Salt. Turns out I did something right with this ingredient.

Salt for Exfolating

Salt is a gentle exfoliate for the face. Turns out that the minerals in the salt are actually absorb into the skin and therefore the skin is feed. It is great for oily skin and for those who deal with acne as it absorbs oil, tightens the skin and is beneficial for those with large pores.

Benefits of Himalayan Pink Salt

Just the rubbing motion with the salt aids with fluid flow which hydrates the skin. It can be used in areas where cellulite is an issue to reduce the problem. The salt contains various minerals and trace minerals which are absorbed into the skin giving it a more healthy look, even skin tone and beautiful, radiant texture. 

Not all Salt is Equal

If you plan on creating your own salt scrub be aware that not all salt is going to be beneficial for your skin. The regular table salt one might purchase is bleached and contains no nutrients for the body or the skin. Himalayan Pink Salt is the best option for the cost and the nutrients. 

Photo credit

Fairy Dusting

Beware of products that claim to shrink pores as pores do not shrink. You can tighten them up, but not shrink them. This is what we call Fairy Dusting, using gimmicks to get people to buy your products. The industry is full of companies who use this tactic in order to sell their products.

Sugar Scrubs

Sugar scrubs are excellent for the body, but should never, never be used on the face. The granules are to harsh for the sensitive skin on our face, so only use them on the body. Now while they are excellent for the body they do not feed the skin the way that salt does.

Sensitive Skin

If you have sensitive skin I don't recommend using salt on your beautiful face, but instead use manuka honey. One of the biggest surprises I learned while taking my skin care course is that honey is a natural exfoliator and very gentle for those with sensitive skin. It also has minimal preservative properties as well depending on the formulation you are using.