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?

KoKum Butter

I first found out about Kokum butter while shopping at one of my favorite companies for ingredients to create skin care products. Because I want to be unique and different from other formulators I'm always looking for unique ingredients.

Photo credit

Where Does Kokum Butter Come From?

Kokum butter comes from a tree, Garcinia Indica, which yields a fruit commonly used as a spice in the southern part of India where this tree grows. However, the seeds of this fruit is where the oil is extracted from to create Kokum butter.

Benefits for the Skin

• Absorbs into the skin quickly
• Does not clog pores
• Aids with acne
• Soothes dry skin quickly
• Tightens pores
• Regenerates skin cells
• Fights free radicals
• Promotes skin elasticity
• Softens the skin 
• Aids in repairing skin damage
• Aids with rashes
• Aids with burns
• Aids with scalds 
• Aids with skin ulcers
• Aids with skin infections
• Reduces stretch marks
• Reduces scarring
• Reduces callouses
• Reduces dry, rough skin on feet 
• Has antioxidant properties due to the vitamin E
• Antibacterial properties

Benefits for the Hair

• Reduces dandruff
• Doesn't clog hair follicles
• Aids with dry hair
• Aids with split ends
• Aids with hair growth 
• Aids with stronger hair
• Manageable hair

As you can see Kokum butter has many benefits for both the skin and hair, view products that contains this butter. 

Have you ever used Kokum butter? If so leave a comment sharing your experience. 

Homemade Skin Care Products

In today's society more and more woman are creating their own skin care products. Five years ago I became one of those women, creating my own skin care products. Like the rest of the women I searched the internet looking for recipes for homemade skin care. I researched ingredients and started creating my own skin care products.

Slowly others were coming to me asking me about my products and wanting to buy them. For the past 3 years I have been selling my skin care products, but I felt something was missing. I longed to create my own recipes instead of searching the internet and revamping someone elses recipe. It was then that I started looking at courses I could take to learn how I could do this. Little did I know I was going to gain a whole lot more knowledge about skin care products then what I thought.

Homemade Skin Care Products

The problem with using books for recipes is that they can become quickly out dated. Using the internet brings us to other bloggers who do not know everything there is to know about creating homemade skin care products.

Coconut Oil

A few years back coconut oil became popular for various issues and made the appearance in homemade skin care products all over. However, coconut oil is not good for all skin types. As a matter of fact turns out that this amazing oil is a pore clogger. 

Vitamin E as a Natural Preservative 

One thing I my self came across was using vitamin E as a natural preservative. Turns out this is not true it is an antioxidant which means it will aid with avoiding rancidity in oil based products. If we use any type of water based products in our homemade skin care products vitamin E is not preserving it. This includes any hyrosols, aloe vera, water, tea or any plant based materials. Products that do not include the types of ingredients mentioned are referred to as anhydrous.

Natural Organic Preservatives

For a long time I did not incorporate any preservatives in my skin care products. While taking a course to create organic skin care products I learned that there are a variety of natural organic preservatives we can use. The one that was recommend by the instructor was Leucidal Liquid, which is the one I now use. 

Recipes for Homemade Skin Care Products

The other thing I learned is that skin care products do not use measurements as in cooking. This is another issue with recipes on the internet and some books they use cups, tablespoons etc. In the professional world of skin care the term creating does not exist, it is formulating because that is what it is a formula not a recipe. Making Cosmetics has a great section just for formulas. 

Organic Ingredients

For me it makes no sense to create my own skin care products and not use organic ingredients. Anything that we put on our skin goes into our blood stream within 26 seconds. Many non-organic ingredients are toxic to our bodies, for this reason always be sure to use only organic ingredients. There are many businesses out there that supply skin care formulating products however, not all are organic. At the same time many businesses supply both organic and non-organic. At this time there are 2 places I purchase my ingredients from with the exception of the preservative. 

• Mountain Rose Herbs
• Organic Creations 

Organic Skin Care Courses

If anyone is interested in learning more about creating organic skin care products I suggest you do what I did. I searched the internet for courses and signed up to get notices. By doing this it not only allowed me to keep updated with courses, but also special offers and scholarships. I was actually able to do the course because I did because I received a scholarship. If I didn't it would have been a longer period of time before it was in my budget to do so. 

Wrap it Up

Okay I hope I was able to shed some light on some issues with recipes in books and the internet. I want to write more blogs and miss it very much, but my time is taken up formulating skin care products and coming up with new ones. Let me leave you with this tidbit of information. Earlier I mentioned that coconut oil clogs the pores, well I am going to supply you with a list of oils that are fine for most people to use.

• Jojoba
• Grapeseed
• Sesame Seed
• Almond
• Aragan
• Squlalane
• Monol
• Rosehip Seed

Now those are for most people please remember there is always an exception to the rule and it might be you.

Do you formulate your own skin care products? Was this blog post helpful to you?

I am always looking for individuals to aid with the testing of new products. If this is something that is of interest please visit the website and sign up for the newsletter. Currently I am seeking women in menopause, like my self, to test a tincture I have formulated. It works for me, but what about others email me at heavenlybodies7 @ gmail dot com if interested.

Kombucha for Healthy Skin?

Kombucha for healthy skin? Really? I started brewing kombucha again and want to sell it at the farmer's market with the skin care products. Then I thought about our banner "Heavenly Bodies Organic Skin Care." Well, I figured if I could find out that kombucha was good for the skin it wouldn't be a problem to incorporate into the Heavenly Bodies line. You will never believe what I uncovered.

Aids With Acne

I came across multiple bloggers who stated that their acne cleared up while drinking kombucha on a daily basis. It makes sense considering that our skin is one way the body detoxes and lets us know that there is something wrong. What is it? The gut bacteria is off, kombucha is a probiotic which means it aids in replenishing our good gut bacteria which for most of needs to tended to and we usually neglect.

Benefits of Kombucha Externally 

Using kombucha externally on the skin also has benefits. Just put aside some unflavored kombucha and let it really ferment about 14 days. You can put right on to your face as a toner it has been shown to aid with the following. You can also click here for a recipe to create a toner with kombucha. 

• Reduce redness
• Reduce wrinkles and fine lines
• Reduce dry skin
• Reduce uneven skin tone
• Reduce pores
• Reduce dark circles 
• Reduce puffiness around the eyes
• Reduce varicose veins 
• Increase collagen 
• Increase oxygen
• Increase protein production
• Increase cell regeneration 

Photo credit

Scoby Facial Mask

You know all those SCOBYs that come with brewing your own kombucha? Well, they are great to use as a face mask, those who have used it state softer, glowing skin. It is believed that the SCOBY aids in the circulation of the skin which aids in regenerating skin cells. The SCOBY also is said to act like a natural acid pull due to its PH and aids in shedding dead skin cells. Some who used this mask stated that they were concerned how they would smell afterwards, but said it absorbed into their skin so fast there was no negative smell afterward.

Warning: Some have reported that there was redness after using the SCOBY facial mask, but stated it did not last long.

SCOBY Band Aids

Sounds kind of funny to use a SCOBY which is bacteria and yeast as a band aid doesn't it? The fact is that the PH aids to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. As mentioned above it aids in increased skin cell regeneration along with tissue. I found various testimonies stating they used a piece of a SCOBY on a wound, cut, burn, or even an insect bite. For burns, cuts, and wounds cut off a piece of the SCOBY the size of the wound and put some gauze over it with tape to hold it in place. 

Warning: Stinging has been reported.

Storing SCOBYs

From everything I read seems SCOBYs used for these purposes can be kept. Just be sure to keep them in a separate jar and label it.

Organic Skin Care Product

After learning about the benefits of Kombucha for the skin I started to incorporate it into some of my formulations. Check out the Heavenly Bodies Eye & Face Cream, Versatile and Soothe & Cleanse which contain Kombucha.

Broccoli Sprout Extract for UV Protection

On my other blog, It's Your Life, I wrote a post on the "Benefits of Broccoli Sprouts." Broccoli sprouts are one of the best sprouts we can eat because of the compound sulforphane. During my research of this amazing compound I came across an article on how broccoli sprout extract protects our skin from the ultra violet rays of the sun.

Sulforphane and Our Skin

Fifteen years ago Paul Talalay M.D. a professor of pharmacology and colleagues first identified the compound sulforphane in broccoli sprout extract. He noted that the extract does not act like all the sunscreen products we find on the store shelves. The products in the stores have been created to absorb UV rays. Sulforphane on the other hand works inside the body by triggering enzymes. These are protective enzymes which actually defend the cells against UV damage. 

Another beneficial aspect of sulforphane in the broccoli sprout extract is that it lasts for several days after being applied. The article did not say why, but I think it may be because it is working from inside the body verses outside the body. The sulforphane from the extract I believe penetrates the skin, goes into the skin cells and like the Energizer Bunny it keeps going and going and going.

The Research

The research on how the broccoli sprout extract reacted to UV rays was conducted by a team from the John Hopkins Medical Center. Results from the research was published in an issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2007. Testing was first done with success on mouse models to prove Talalay's theroy of sulforphane. Once that was confirmed the team recruited six healthy volunteers for human testing. Volunteers were exposed to a pulse of UV radiation on a one inch diameter of their skin. Volunteers were treated with the extract applied to their skin in various doses. 

Results varied according to the doses from 8% to 78% however, it was determined that other factors  

had to be taken into consideration, genetics, skin tone, lifestyle, diet, and more. Volunteers with the highest dosage experienced 37% less inflammation and redness from exposure to the UV radiation. 

They also tested volunteers who had the extract applied three days prior to the testing with positive results. During the testing other sunscreen products were also tested with no positive results.

Making Broccoli Sprout Extract

Soooo, I searched and searched for a way to create broccoli sprout extract with no results. I also searched to find an actual product and found 1 however, it was for internal use as were all the other products I found. My experience with herbs and creating extracts is to use a high percentage alcohol or vegetable glycerin. I'm thinking we could take the sprouts when they are 3 days old as this is when they contain the most sulforphane and put them in a jar of alcohol or vegetable glycerin for 6 weeks. This is the same process used to create any extract. My next step is to find out how to use it on the skin. I'm thinking about playing and seeing if I can create a lotion using other ingredients that offer UV protection like Shea butter and tamanu oil. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I know for sure have the UV protection. 

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